New construction of an approximately 8x11 semi-detached house, assessment of floor plan and windows

Floor area ratio 0.35 with 289 sqm and a house size of 8x11 m - that will be tight with 2 parking spaces and a terrace.....

Thanks for the hint. I will ask again... theoretically, only 13 sqm would remain for parking spaces and the terrace...?

Hello expressionist,

thank you very much for the exemplary thread, it makes you want to respond and you will definitely get some feedback. I have just one question here:
Is the other semi-detached house already built, in planning? Maybe there is still something to consider from a design perspective.

That's how I felt when reading it and already liked the initial thread [emoji4]

Regarding the kitchen door: I would do it the same way. Then a few more things just have to go to the basement, that will certainly work.

Regarding the windows: I would improve and partly do without the uniformity of ground floor/upper floor, namely:

Office ground floor, 2 meter wide double window to the north.
Shower-toilet, yes, higher parapet, or just see what fits with the office window.

Dining area, east side 2 meter wide floor-to-ceiling window. If planned without roller shutters, then it can be fixed, but I would always make it openable.

Bedroom upper floor, same window but to the east.

Children's rooms: same windows as mentioned, i.e. with parapet (provides more privacy and furnishing options. Brightness is more than sufficient)

Dressing room: door only from the hallway, does not bother the partner so much. Results in window area and somewhat larger storage space.

Bathroom: swap shower and toilet. This results in more privacy when showering and natural light when using the toilet.
If necessary, I would try it without T-walls.

And now comes the point:
You should consider swapping the living room and kitchen.
Putting the kitchen and fridge as close as possible to the terrace makes barbecue evenings, coffee chats in summer much more practical and keeps children playing in the garden very happy.

Edit: I just looked again. Yes, I would swap. L-shaped kitchen with large island. In between a terrace door. Mega [emoji4]
There is also enough space for sofa and TV. And no evening sun will disturb the screen there.

Thanks for the hint. I ask again... theoretically, only 13 sqm would remain for parking spaces and terrace...?!

The architect is currently on vacation, but according to Wikipedia

In determining the floor area ratio according to §19 Baunutzungsverordnung 2013, the floor areas of all structural facilities, such as buildings, ancillary facilities, and paved areas are fully taken into account. The permissible floor area of ancillary facilities can generally be exceeded by up to 50 % (but only up to a maximum floor area ratio of 0.8).

That should probably be okay...

That’s how I felt when reading it and already liked the opening thread

First of all, many thanks for your great answer!

Regarding the windows: I would make improvements and partly forgo the equality of the ground floor/upper floor, namely:

Office ground floor, 2-meter-wide double window on the north side.

Dining area, on the east side 2-meter-wide floor-to-ceiling window. If planned without shutters, then it can be fixed, but I would always make it openable.

Bedroom upper floor, same window, but on the east side.

Children’s rooms: same windows as mentioned, i.e. with a parapet (provides more privacy and furniture options. Brightness is more than sufficient)

To be honest, I didn’t fully understand which windows you meant for the bedroom or the children’s rooms:
Same window as you mentioned before (2m wide, floor-to-ceiling)?
The bedroom upper floor has a window on the east side (according to the architect’s proposal and in our sketch)
Children’s rooms: as proposed by the architect (2x1.26)?

Dressing room: door only from the hallway, doesn’t bother the partner so much. Provides window area and a slightly larger storage space.

Good idea. One disadvantage would be that we could then not place a shelf in the hallway at that spot…

Bathroom:
Maybe I would try it without T-walls.

We actually already considered that. However, we’re not sure whether the space between the bathtub and the washbasin would be too tight with that solution.

And now here’s the thing:
You should consider swapping the living room and kitchen.
Placing the kitchen and fridge as close as possible to the terrace makes summer BBQs and coffee gatherings much more practical and makes playing children in the garden very happy.

Edit: I just looked again. Yes, I would swap. L-shaped kitchen with a large island. A terrace door in between. Awesome [emoji4]
There is also enough space for sofa and TV. And no evening sun will disturb the screen.

At first I thought: Huh? But the longer I think about it, the more I like the idea!
However, we need to check how sufficient the living area then is and whether the wastewater connection from that position is feasible (wastewater must go north out of the basement, the technical room is in the basement under the office)… but the architect is currently on vacation.

Many thanks for this great suggestion!

In the bedroom and in the office no 2 windows, only 2-meter wide windows, in the bedroom in the east, in the office in the north. These windows also in the children's rooms.

Edit: I just checked again. Yes, I would swap. L-shaped kitchen with a large island. Between them a patio door. Mega [emoji4]

May I ask how you would arrange the L-shaped kitchen and island? The L along the wall to the other semi-detached house and the wall to the stairs? Then a centrally located island in front (so no peninsula that starts at the southern wall)?

Thanks & regards espressionist