we live right next to the parents and still have additional space there for friends, etc. That’s why we don’t need any more rooms :)
> Standing on the forecourt in front of the property. Not visible on the floor plan.
You’re not serious? You yourself are planning a house worth over 1.5 million, but want to accommodate friends at your parents’ place. For bicycles and carriages, you’re also planning outside the property.
We appreciate every feedback – whether a small remark or a big brainstorm.
Most people don’t appreciate my criticism – because it hits many points precisely.
In advance: I like design houses, whether old or new builds, I have several glossy books. But one thing is architecture, prestige, if well planned, the other is to create a house for feeling good and living, where you not only plan runways to lead friends or strangers through to then collect astonishment about “that’s really different,” but where everyone can develop themselves.
Of course, some define aesthetics differently than others, but there are of course stylistic tools often used, for example to connect the house with the garden (+), to create openness through air spaces (+), or to omit disturbing fittings and frames purely for aesthetics (+).
However, not everything is compatible with a single-family house. So in such a design, I would see a resident who wants to show off money and for whom coziness means nothing but bourgeois stiffness.
Over the years there have always been some well-planned, relatively oversized houses here in the forum where it succeeded to combine both. They were all planned by good architects. Complaints about this or that could basically be left out, because the house designs (not only floor plans) worked for the purpose, namely to create something special, spacious and to bring the family together. Every corner was thought out and logical, one could also understand from the planning how it should be realized in construction, every door had its wall giving it support, etc. I do not see this here.
In my opinion, it has not succeeded here or is technically not buildable as drawn. Also many conceptual errors, but you are here to be told the missing processes.
But now I don’t know what you expect from the self-planning either. Do you now want to get ahead of an architect who plans such prestige houses and shine? Do you want to preempt the architect and immediately stifle trained and studied energies?
I’d say: you do exactly the opposite, namely make yourself small, because compared to the professional you actually only present a flawed castle in the air.
I work in a different industry, but also in service. If someone hires me, they get the total package of know-how. If the client says to me, “I want a view from this side and this and that,” then he only gets that, even though I know it would be more meaningful and better from another side.
Basement
We unfortunately don’t have the basement yet. But we will probably have a technical room, laundry room and a larger room as an additional leisure room here.
The basement is the foundation of the ground floor. You plan the basement first and then the ground floor. Anything else is structural nonsense.
Beams:
The steel beams/columns are not yet drawn in this preliminary version. They will come in the next version.
You put those in immediately, they replace necessary walls. They hold beams or ceilings. They also hold the upper floor.
Long walking distances
Where do you see those? Most of the time you sit in the living room or dining area where you then need the kitchen? We want to separate living and dining areas but still keep them open.
I’m not talking about “sitting.” When living and dwelling, you also sit, mainly in the evenings, but mostly you move around the house.
You come home, start your daily work: washing clothes, watering flowers, cleaning, preparing food, short rest, etc.
Your separations separate. They separate so that you have to go around them. This horizontally planned “crossing” of “furniture” you have to constantly go around. What is separating about it if it is only hip-high or similar? Hip-high doesn’t separate, but you have to go around it. It annoys you several times every day.
Then the thing with the kitchen/pantry: having to always go around 3 meters to get to the freezer or whatever, you don’t want that or have time for it in everyday life. Simply impractical.
Office
We want to place a small office on the 2nd upper floor instead of the “air space” (shown grey).
I asked about your room program: do you need an office or not?
If you need an office: why is it planned nowhere, but now has to come instead of the air space?
I conclude there is no room program but that you planned arbitrarily.
Retreat areas
Why do you think the rooms will be noisy? The house will be built solidly. Instead of a never-used balcony, these areas could surely be greened?
Solid construction echoes. Oversized rooms echo. High ceilings echo. Unfurnished rooms echo. Air spaces echo. All together is a disaster. And acoustic panels… honestly? They will be removed again in 10 years at the latest because they look worn out.
How we currently live
2 adults and 2 kids. We like it open and communicative. Most of the time we are in the living room but everyone can retreat as well. We work hybrid and like inviting friends.
No one can retreat here because everyone can spy on the room of another. That’s not nice even within the family.
TV
We want to put it on a sideboard in front of the window. If you ever want to watch during the day, you can lower the blinds.
… in front of the window, that’s a joke? Who wants bushes on cables in front of the window?
Stairs
We would work with a skylight here. Originally the air space was planned there where a lot of light would come in from the side. But if the office goes into the upper floor there, you are right.
That might actually be a stylish element that one could use. But there is absolutely no concept of the exterior appearance.
Single garage
We want as much garden space as possible. For the double garage we would need another 3.5 meters space that would then be missing in the garden. But we have space in front of the property for the cars. So no problem for us.
Whether 16 or 12.5 meters in the garden, you won’t notice it. What do you want to do there anyway? A pool is drawn in. But the floor plan gives no impression of pool use.
But you will notice the missing garage space. I keep saying that, please read other discussions independently for that.
The reason for the door is that we want to hide it a bit – so you don’t necessarily see it.
You don’t see it, and there is no wall either, why don’t you see a door if it is there? Does it float at Halloween and is otherwise invisible? And only visible when you need it?
Guest WC: We want to swap the cloakroom with the guest WC. We will adjust the window.
There will be no window at all because middle rooms cannot have windows.
That’s for your questions.
About the design, what I notice.
Upper floor: a balcony facing west in front brings nothing at all.
A balcony negatively affects privacy.
Who builds big, can also have big rooms, although children’s rooms don’t become cozier just because the furnishing options are finite at some point.
Who builds big also expects a nice master bedroom, but whether it makes sense that it gets windows to the south and west, I doubt, even if there are blinds. And whether the size is necessary?
Bathroom: I gladly take a view through on vacation, but please not in everyday life. Sorry, this is only for house exhibitions or people freshly in love in their 20s, otherwise a no-go.
Roofing of the ground floor entrance simply forgotten?
Ground floor: windows, load-bearing and partition walls quite questionable.
Single garage?
Family suitability, functionality?
Living room of 16 sqm… connection to the fireplace zero.
Individual furnishing hardly possible. Wall closets to ceiling height?
Window at the corner of the backup kitchen, wall in the breakfast seating area?
If the concluding sentence is missing, it will come tomorrow.