Our floor plan released for evaluation

Hello everyone,

I would like to present the first draft of our floor plan and submit it for evaluation.

Since we want to build in the second row and there is virtually no access for heavy construction equipment, and we also have to expect immense costs for the removal of excavated material, we have decided to build without a basement.

Therefore, the utility room on the ground floor is of course fixed. In addition, my wife needs an office for professional reasons; this should be either the guest room on the ground floor or the office on the upper floor. The other room is then intended as a small hobby room or similar.

Due to the location of the existing house, the upper area in the floor plan is oriented to the north, as there is a large area that can be used as a garden. The lower area with the utility room and living area as well as bathroom and sleeping faces south. The existing building is very tall and only five meters away, so a terrace facing south is not possible. On the sides, there are also only a few meters to the neighboring properties.

What do you think of the floor plan in general and considering the location?

I would be happy to receive many replies.

Best regards

What immediately strikes me: no window in the office... I wouldn’t want to work there for long. Could the utility room and office be swapped?

Hello,

An office with a skylight is inconvenient when it rains. At least, if you frequently make phone calls. The problem naturally goes away if the guest room and the office are swapped. However, the room upstairs is relatively small as a guest room.

The children's rooms are different sizes, which could lead to questions or arguments.

The bathroom is relatively large with a spacious open area where you could even dance. You might want to make that a bit smaller and in return make the children's room a bit bigger.

The office (or guest room) and the utility room could possibly be swapped. At least if you also want to use the utility room for storage or to put a freezer or something similar, otherwise the distance is quite long.

Overall, I really really like your floor plan!

Best regards

Michael

Switching the utility room with the office can also mean having to relocate the supply lines (gas, water, electricity, telephone) a whole corner further. This can also significantly increase the costs. Of course, it depends on where the lines currently come from.

For evaluation, a site plan with the heights of the neighboring buildings and with the building envelope drawn in would be helpful.

Regarding the floor plan:
- I do not see a cloakroom in the entrance area. For 4 people and a guest, it is necessary.
- The entrance area is narrow, offering little space for receiving and saying goodbye.
- The staircase starts in the dirty area, which is unpleasant.
- The 2*1/4 staircase is inconvenient to use.
- Dimensions are missing, especially the guest shower WC is cramped.
- Many doors are located in the corners of the rooms, so although the rooms appear larger on paper compared to the corridor, usability suffers.
- The bathroom offers little practical value, it is good to have laundry handling on the upper floor, but the room is impractically shaped for working in, the bathroom needs to be replanned.

- The general orientation of the rooms can hardly be assessed without a site plan; for optimal use of sunlight and creating privacy, house shapes other than a rectangle might be more effective.

WD

Leave the guest position where it is because: then you can still create a recess in the freezer room for a wall cabinet in the hallway. If a wardrobe were available, then I would also be in favor of swapping the freezer with the guest room. I would place the shower in the upstairs bathroom elsewhere, further down. The bathtub would then naturally be moved towards the exterior wall. Otherwise, you quickly get a bottleneck between the shower and the sink – and who wants to shower in a traffic area?? :p