Plan location of house & garage within building window *Pre-planning*

Hello everyone,

I have been reading the forum diligently for quite some time now and am trying to gradually get a feel for the project "house construction" and thus learn a thing or two in advance.

Thanks to the many experts (female and male specialists), this is really a pleasure in the way it is lived here. (schleimmodusaus) D

As I already mentioned in my first big thread, we are currently thinking about the possible house planning or preliminary planning and thus the house shape and orientation on the plot, even before the first appointment with potential construction companies.

Considering some aspects regarding the plot, such as price and undeveloped east location (sloping down to the east), we found a plot in a micro-location that really appeals to us. We could not quite reach our desired size, but with 770m² I think it is definitely sufficient. The main pro point for the plot was that it could also be paid for from our own funds, so now it means saving equity further / paying off all other possible debts until the beginning of 2018 (start of construction).


Source: Excerpts from the development plan / self-created images


A building preliminary request regarding the desired building style has already been made, in which I also received an extension of the building window up to 8 meters at the eastern boundary.

The trend is currently towards a rather classic city villa style (2 full floors with a hipped roof 25 degrees and double garage).


Source: Weberhaus

Due to the budget we have now personally set, we are initially planning without a basement. If it turns out to be possible later on, this point can still be included.
Model houses that are interesting from the outer cut have already been viewed for idea generation, which even took us from Bavaria during a visit in the Rhineland to Wuppertal

Now, before the first planning meetings, it is about finding the best possible orientation of the house and garage in connection with the property. For example:


Source: Excerpts from the development plan

For me, one point is fixed so far, and that is the staircase, which I absolutely want to have as shown due to the really great lighting conditions. It fascinated me at first sight.


Source: Weberhaus

Furthermore, an attempt should be made to keep as much space as possible on the west and south sides to achieve what I find to be an optimal sunny side and garden feeling.
But that is also the sticking point why the arrangement between house and garage gives us a headache.

Questions, questions, such as whether the garage should be placed in front of the house to gain more space in the south again, or rather to the side of the house (thus with a covered house entrance). (A passage from the garage into the house is also considered). Or would the house entrance be better on the west side and thus not covered?


Source covered house entrance: Weberhaus

I will gladly post further key data needed in the course of the thread, should I have forgotten something important now.

First of all, the above points would probably need to be clarified before further planning regarding the positioning of the dining, living and kitchen areas, etc. can be carried out. (Tendency, of course, always towards south/west as I find.)

I would be grateful for information and lively discussions.

Best regards, Andreas, and thank you in advance!

Hello,
I think the orientation on the property also largely depends on your requirements (especially the room program).
Which rooms would you like to have where? Do you like to have breakfast outside in the summer or are you more often at home in the evening hours, etc.

Hello,
I think the orientation on the property also largely depends on your requirements (especially the room program).
Which rooms would you like where? Do you like to have breakfast outside in summer or are you rather at home in the evening hours, etc.?

Hello Jochen,

thanks for your quick input on the points. I wasn’t sure whether these should already be addressed or not.

For me, the question is difficult on the one hand because of the arrangement of the staircase. (So actually west and south are not really an option for that)
The layout of the important rooms on the ground floor is planned as follows. An L-shape of the kitchen, living, and dining area is preferred. Oriented southwest or possibly also east/south/west.

I actually didn’t want to post the first attempts because these are not to scale. They only serve as a first rough idea or were used to brainstorm how something can be arranged. So far, only a design with the front door always on the north is shown. But of course we would be open to changes regarding the rooms.
So please don’t evaluate these in detail or weigh them too heavily. Thanks



Regarding your questions :

Yes, we sit outside a lot and enjoy eating breakfast outside in summer (currently) and we also like to sit there in the evenings, a lot and for a long time. Yes, we are usually at home in the evenings (We do not work shifts or anything like that).
That is why the initial approach is that the south and west areas on the ground floor should preferably be considered. But then the view to the east comes into play again, which possibly should not be neglected due to the staircase or upstairs windows on the upper floor. The point of a possibly intended gallery would also have to be taken into account.

Ok, that gives me a small insight into what you're envisioning. The room layout on the upper floor would also be important. Roughly speaking, I find the exterior shape of your floor plan with so many corners and angles not attractive (but that is subjective) and it probably won't be cheap in that form. The recessed windows also let in less light, so you should reconsider that. Regarding the positioning on the plot, you should also consider whether you might create two terraces. A small breakfast terrace (east) and a somewhat larger one to enjoy the evening hours (west). The latter you can also shield from the street with clever planting. A garage in the north is of course fine. However, you could possibly place your storage room behind the garage (and not next to the house). But you should check in advance how far you are allowed to build up to the property boundary according to the state building code. Is a basement planned for the house? Or where will the building services (heating, ventilation, etc.) go? I would also leave out the dining corridor. Unfortunately, it does not bring much usable space. That’s a first input.

The ideas/drawings for the room programs still come from last year or the beginning of this year. By now, I would definitely plan some things differently, as you already said, too many angles and corners. That's why I "actually" didn't want to put these outdated thoughts online anymore. The gallery is also no longer correct and totally messed up.

So please don’t hold on to it. As soon as I have a clearer idea, I will create current drawings in the next few days.



But I already see that it helps you somewhat to understand the whole situation or our thoughts. The idea of the 2 small terraces wouldn’t be a bad one either. Ultimately, you would assume the kitchen would be on the east side, below it would be the dining area, and you would have a space oriented east/south there, and in the living area on the south/west side.

Regarding the garage arrangement, I had already seen an example like in the picture below, which could be a possible option. The house entrance would then be shifted to the back towards the west, and there would have to be a passage from the garage into the house. I think with this shape, you would save some space in the south again because the house would move a bit more to the north. In this case, the staircase might also fit in the north. Hm..



What I totally forgot, the dimensions of the plot are 29m from west to east and 27m from north to south.

Regarding the basement, that was probably a bit lost above. Due to our currently intended budget (which we have now calculated ourselves), we are planning for the first time without a basement. Should it become clear in the first/further planning phases that it might be possible after all, then it would of course still be considered. But I know what you meant, since there is no utility room visible in the ground floor of the first drafts.

Thanks already for your assessments, Jochen. *Thumbs up smiley*

My recommendation for your current stage:
In the evening, take a few minutes with a glass of wine (or beer) some blank sheets of paper and a pen. Then just roughly draw a few rooms on the paper. You have "your" property in mind, as well as your wishes. Then put that aside, take the next sheet, and draw the next layout or optimization of the previous one. And so on. But don’t throw away the old sheets. If you run out of ideas, lose interest, or get involved in heated discussions, put the sheets aside and spend the rest of the evening only with the rest of the bottle of wine.
The next evening (if you feel like it), take your sheets again (and of course a new bottle of wine) and start over.

If at some point you only take sheets as an excuse for a bottle of wine, you have probably become alcoholics.

In the better case, a floor plan (or two) will eventually come out that you like and that fits your property. You should maybe post it here again then.