New single-family house - Join us on this journey!

For projects of this magnitude, it is almost normal that the architect first has to test how far the building authority will go. Since the architect is not from the region, he also does not know the building department and cannot rely on experience regarding how flexible they are. The negative decisions are annoying but not unusual when trying to push the development plan to its limits.

At least here the children's rooms still have this extra hallway

As far as I remember, he didn't have an extra hallway. A design of mine therefore had an extra hallway, but the OP was rather hesitant about my implementations (an extra hallway doesn't look so stylish ;))

I took a few screenshots from the rendering:




In our opinion, the gallery and this interior space turned out well – we like it.

Phew...
The first picture looks to me a lot like a conference center.
I have nothing against galleries, but simply leaving out the ceiling doesn’t create a dream house atmosphere.

Regardless of the gallery: Good luck and success with the further planning/implementation.

Hi everyone,

a new milestone has been reached and a lot has happened:

[*
There have been several conversations between architects, the building authority, and us
[*]The desired deviations were discussed in advance with the building authority and, in the current version, an oral "ok" from the official has already been obtained
[*]There were some feedback loops between us and the architect -> the plans for the approval are ready (see attachment)
[*]We will submit the approval plans before 01/20 so that we make it onto the agenda for the meeting on 02/06 (already agreed)
[*]After several talks, we decided on an interior architect & furnishing consultant, with whom we have not yet started working, but who will help us with the interior design and also give new impulses for the floor plan -> changes that do not affect essential properties (building structure, ceiling heights, ...) can still be incorporated later
[*]You will see the new ceiling heights in the floor plan (ground floor 3m, upper floor 2.5m), which therefore does not create full living rooms in the attic as originally hoped
[*]The old building has been demolished; ground survey and measurement planning will follow in January
[*]We had to go through painful loops regarding flood protection. Ultimately, we do not have to raise the ground floor on a pedestal (50-60cm); the plan version is according to experts fine.


The following changes, partly/mainly from you (many thanks), may not yet be incorporated in the final floor plan. We want to collect all adjustments first before finalizing:



[*]Separate apartment


[*]Shower in the bathroom of course plus a normal door towards the bedroom
[*]We accept the comfort you criticized (e.g. kitchenette) in the separate apartment because we do not want to move anything into our "main house" – we like it too much now
[*]The interior architect has already announced that she will take care of this


[*]Ground floor
[LIST]
[*]There will be a second door to the outside at the kitchen
[*]Glass front from living room to wardrobe will be closed
[*]No additional door and wall in the guest WC


[*]Upper floor


[*]Main bathroom: swap WC and shower
[*]Children’s bathroom: we might want to mirror the identical T-shaped layout of the main bathroom into the children’s bathroom because we like the long shower combined with the hidden WC. Everything obviously a bit smaller
[*]Enlargement of room for child 1 at the expense of child 2 -> very valid -> will be discussed with the interior architect & architect
[*]Dressing room: as you can see, we took your suggestion to heart and swapped bedroom & dressing room again. Now you enter the dressing room centrally -> we like it; let’s see if maybe we can still fit a dresser in the middle of the dressing room for additional storage

One topic that is still occupying us: How do we best use the attic?
It is clear that we can no longer create full living rooms there. However, we would still like to make the best of it and play with the space.

Ideas:
a) We partly paint the ceilings and have rooms (e.g. parents’ wing) where you can look into the attic peak -> we are not convinced by this
b) We keep the ceilings as they are and create access from the gallery to the attic for storage
c) We actively integrate the space into the living area, especially in the middle, where the standing height is greatest. Accordingly, above the dressing room and above child 1. These two "galleries" will be made accessible from the adjacent rooms.

c1) Reading gallery above the dressing room, accessible from the bedroom
c2a) Gallery accessible from the office
c2b) Gallery accessible from child II
c2c) Gallery "publicly accessible" and open towards the middle section / main gallery; access via stairs from main gallery

There is still the challenge of the staircases. Because of the roof slopes, it is likely that one cannot walk upright up the stairs to the galleries. We still have to find solutions for this – possibly spiral staircases, which unfortunately take up space.

I am very curious to hear your opinions on the general status (above) and on the gallery ideas.

Many thanks – as always!

I would paint this attic and treat myself to the higher ceiling height. Because since you only have 2.5m upstairs, the gallery area on the upper floor would otherwise certainly feel too oppressive (given the room size). And in the basement, you have sufficient storage options from my point of view. And with a height of 1.95m at the highest point, staying there permanently in such a beautiful large house with much better rooms is certainly not attractive. Because you then always have to walk crouched upstairs with 1.8m, as you bump into the roof beams on the side. Therefore, use the full ceiling height so that you don’t have to settle for 2.5m apartment-style living vibe but can really feel like you’re in a spacious house.

What I don't understand is why the WC on the ground floor isn't somehow integrated into the staircase and instead the granny flat is given a usable kitchenette. If someone is supposed to live there for a longer time and be somewhat self-sufficient, you really can't do anything with this barely 3 m combination of wardrobe/kitchen.