Opinions on the floor plan wanted

Hello everyone,

In the past few weeks, I have been forced to act as a hobby architect. Forced because our current so-called architect is not delivering. He is not a freelance architect, so he just mindlessly copies what we suggest and, of course, thinks it’s all really great.

Well, no contract has been signed yet, and we are rather inclined to start again with a freelance architect.

Nevertheless, I would like to put what I have created in the past weeks up for discussion. Simply because a lot of work has gone into it and I am genuinely interested in honest opinions.

Of course, I will only give the new architect our wishes and no finished drawings – after all, I am paying him for the ideal floor plan...

So, long story short – here is the plan and an exterior view, have fun tearing it apart :)

Hi,
for a homemade project I think it turned out quite well.
What I like:
The guest toilet is slightly recessed, not at the entrance,
and sufficiently spacious.
Is the rectangle inside supposed to represent a shower?
I would reconsider that and really think critically
about on which occasions it will actually be used.
If the office should ever become a guest room, it makes sense.

Since there seems to be no basement, just under 10m² for
the utility room and thus also the house connection and technical room is a bit
tight.
It won’t be spacious and it will probably be difficult
to set up the ironing board from time to time.
But it also depends on what technology you are planning
and how much space will be needed for it.

The wardrobe is a bit measly, I might pull it out by another meter.
Also includes the kitchen a little bit.

The stairs don’t seem to work to me.
A few steps are missing...
Unfortunately that’s not minor, because otherwise soon the last
step will be right in front of the bedroom door...

I like the airlock of the dressing room between the bathroom and bedroom.
We initially also planned it like that, but unfortunately it couldn’t
be implemented for us.
I would straighten out the zigzag wall of the storage room on the upper floor.
That is unnecessary and doesn’t provide any usable space for any room.
However, every square meter in the storage room might be important later on.
No basement, no attic... where to put all that stuff... from all the decoration stuff to Christmas things, sports gear and so on.

The bathtub in front of the window is always a bit tricky because of
accessibility for cleaning and airing.
For pure shelf space there’s not much room left
in the actually not small wellness temple.
More can be made out of 20sqm! We once had
a “professional bathroom planning” done for 2 bathrooms.
Price-wise that was fine too, just under 600€ I think.
It was worth it because the people just know the products
and dimensions from f-f and can plan it perfectly for you.

Definitely try to furnish the children’s rooms beforehand as well!

Is a chimney not planned? (stove?)

Cheers
Fridge

Hello,

Forced to do so because our current so-called architect isn’t up to it. He’s not a freelance architect, so he just blindly copies what we suggest...

Most architects at nationwide providers are not creative – that is rarely desired; smaller companies can’t afford that effort.

Simply because there’s a lot of work involved and I’m actually interested in truly honest opinions.

You can tell from your drawings that you drew them as a layperson :D

Of course, I will only give the new architect our wishes and no finished drawings – after all, I’m paying him for the ideal floor plan....

If the architect doesn’t take enough time in conversation and ask the right questions, it won’t work. That means you need a creative mind... Of course, the important question is how much money you want to invest in the new home. What you have "presented" would already have to be in the range of EUR 300,000.

Kind regards

Hello Karliseppel

Well, for something homemade I think it turned out quite well.

Thanks :D

Is the rectangle supposed to represent a shower?
I would reconsider that and really think critically
about on which occasions it will actually be used.
If the office ever becomes a guest room, it makes sense though.

Yes, the rectangle is supposed to represent a shower. The idea behind it is that I would like to have 2 showers in the house on the one hand, and on the other hand, of course, the thought is what if we have guests. For this case, a sofa bed is supposed to go into the "office" and then I thought it would be quite practical to have a shower nearby.

Since there doesn't seem to be a basement, almost 10m² for
the utility room and thus also the house connection and technology room is a bit
tight.
It won't be spacious and it will probably be difficult
to occasionally set up an ironing board there.
But it also depends on what technology you are planning
and how much space will be needed for it.

Our architect says he can manage well with the right side of the room. The ventilation system will go above the washing machine and dryer. The remaining space will be used for a small buffer tank + gas boiler or possibly a heat pump after all. Alternatively, we could also connect to the local heating network – but apart from the advantages regarding energy saving regulations, I don’t see any price benefits there.

The wardrobe is a bit meager, I might pull it out by another meter. It also slightly borders the kitchen.

Yes, I have thought about that too, but wouldn’t the passage to the kitchen then become too narrow? I can hardly estimate how much space you really need for the wardrobe. Currently it is 0.6 x 1.2 m, which seems quite big to me – but there are no kids running around the house yet.

The stairs don’t seem to work to me.
A few steps are missing...
That’s unfortunately not trivial, because otherwise soon
the last step will be right in front of the bedroom door...

Oh, that surprises me. I assumed the following: 2.5 m room height + 30 cm ceiling thickness = 2.8 m height difference. One step should not be higher than 20 cm. So that makes 14 steps. As for depth or run per step, I assumed 28 cm. That gives a length of about 4 m. If that is not the case in the plan, I indeed have to correct that – thanks for the hint.

I would straighten out this zig-zag wall of the storage room in the upper floor.
There’s no reason for it and it doesn’t bring any usable space to any room.
However, every square meter in the storage room might be important later.
No basement, no attic... where to put
all that stuff... from all the decorations over Christmas stuff
sports gear and so on.

Hmm, understandable objection – but the wall has a story, of course. Planned there is a backlit shoe display with which I was able to score quite big points with my wife. That’s why the zig-zag is exactly 30 cm deep :D

Bathtub in front of the window is always a bit tricky because of
accessibility for cleaning and ventilation.
Not much space remains for shelving
in the actually not small wellness temple.
More could be made out of 20 sqm! We had
a "professional bathroom planning" done for 2 bathrooms back then.
Price was okay, around 600 € I think.
It was worth it because the people just know the products
and dimensions from the f-f and can plan that perfectly for you.

That with the window is true, I didn’t think about that at all. Also the idea with the bathroom planner is not a bad one. I’m really not really satisfied with it yet.

Definitely try to furnish the kids’ rooms beforehand!
No chimney planned? (Stove?)

Yes, I have to sit down at some point. I’m considering whether it makes sense to use the space under the roof as sleeping places for the kids. I’m just not sure if the effort justifies the benefit, and if a teenager would still enjoy something like that….

No, a fireplace is indeed no longer planned in the current design. That would probably be difficult anyway….

Anyway, many thanks for all the suggestions.

Regards

AnTiRi

Hello construction expert,

thank you for your reply

Hello,
Most architects at nationally operating providers are not creative - this is rarely desired; smaller construction companies cannot afford this effort.

Yes, exactly our experience, that’s why we are reconsidering it.

You can tell from your drawings that you drew them as a layman :D

Well, otherwise I would have missed the profession, right?

What you have "presented" should be somewhere around EUR 300,000.

The plan was to come to about EUR 280,000 with own work (painting, carpet, laminate, possibly tiles, complete electrical work). So it doesn't seem impossible to me :-)

Regards

AnTiRi

Hi,

Of course, I will only give the new architect our wishes and no finished drawings – after all, I'm paying him for the ideal floor plan....

The architect will be grateful to you for not giving him floor plans right away. This way he is much freer in his thinking and doesn’t have to stick to your floor plan, which most clients are reluctant to abandon.

Regards