Single-family house, approximately 160m², Bauhaus style; first draft according to our wishes

I have found that the best results are usually achieved when you first precisely determine the needs (rooms per floor, size, special features). Then arrange these rooms on the plot and finally adjust the exterior appearance. But you can certainly do it differently and say upfront that it has to be a cube from the outside. However, this often quickly leads to having rooms you don't need or missing something.

In the end, it's a matter of belief. What do you want? To adapt to the house or should the house adapt to you in the sense of "form follows function"? We are very happy with the approach Katja outlined first above. Created a room book, sent the architect to the plot with the instruction "just do it." We had already communicated general taste parameters to him. And he proceeded without us showing him floor plans. We are now very happy with our approximately 160 sqm with straight stairs, which are currently being built. But I can understand you well, the process is exhausting and can really be frustrating. But at some point, you reach the "that's it!!" point. For sure.

oh that’s fun! We destroyed tons of graph paper. First drafts crossed out again, etc. That’s just the planning phase. You can see afterwards whether you planned well.

I really wonder if we should approach this differently, in other words: Isn’t the sequence wrong to say a) floor plan, b) architecture => Bauhaus c) cube... I think we really have to rethink this, in the end we only have the style in mind and a rough floor plan, for the rest we are still "free"...

Yes, this sequence is not the right one Property, family and budget are already three absolutely sufficient constraints to steer the omnipotence of the "blank sheet" in a planning direction. Clippers in the head – even "just one" and no matter which it is – Bauhaus, cube, hip roof, clinker, each of these additional constraints is one too many as long as you are on the conceptual level. Many house dreamers already take these files in the rasping phase. But the selection of concept variants belongs in the (and to the) preliminary design phase, then follows the approval planning at design scale, and only at one to fifty is makeup and hairstyling applied. Anyone who wants to avoid "Function tries Not amusing hard to follow Form" does not choose the shoes before the dress.

And now comes the second draft – still with open points, but I will comment on those in this post











Further change requests from us are:
- The fireplace will be moved on the ground floor, adjacent to the dining/living area so that we can have a passage from the hallway into the living room (the wall will still be adjusted a bit here...)
- The wall in the kitchen will be removed so that we can realize the island kitchen
- The "all-around terrace" should be extended up to the window front of the living room so that an exit is possible there (sliding door!)
- South of the dining table we would then replace the sliding door with a glass front (including possibly a balcony door)
- Possibly replace the spiral staircase with a staircase with a landing. Architect's note: That requires space
- Possibly still play with the area (currently about 148 sqm)
- Enlarge the window in the attic at the "stairwell"



Open:
- Bathroom size. Finding space for a cabinet or similar is a bit difficult due to the two entrances to the bathroom, we might have to rethink this
- Simulation of hipped roof on the given house
- Possibly adjust windows here and there again (e.g. "stairwell", see north view, children's room floor-to-ceiling likewise see north view, light strip in the kitchen see south view)
- We find the front of the house (east view) still somewhat boring, but we'll get to that later; right now the floor plan has absolute priority










We are looking forward to your feedback

And now comes the second attempt

From the "architect" ? ? ? - I would definitely dislike the following in terms of spatial feeling: when you sharply turn shortly after entering the dressing room (almost as if you slipped through a wormhole into another galaxy), you surprisingly stand in a bulge that offers space for a double bed. Formally (bed fits in, the path to get there too) it is perfectly a "bedroom," but architecturally it is clearly one that you would at best wish on the (evil) mother-in-law. What does the architect do for a living again? - I still consider him a permit drawer, i.e. a civil engineer who thinks of the specialty store for bathroom mirrors and battens when he hears "Bauhaus." By the way - I am curious whether you see similarities here - the floor plans remind me of the (albeit successful) design of the house by

Stairs: not a landing, but mirror and slightly extend the start of the staircase in the WG (2 steps). Provides more comfort. I would even leave out this cross wall between the stairs and the dining area.