Single-family house northeast slope 230m2 gable roof

Thank you for the feedback. What a transformation from the first floor plan to the final construction.

Could you please upload pictures of the living area with the huge window?

Can you please upload pictures of the living area with the huge window?

The room divider is still missing at the moment.

I was able to learn a few things during the construction phase. I have briefly summarized the 10 most important points below. These are my subjective opinions. Maybe it will help someone with their own planning and decision-making.

1 Planning takes time and the ability to criticize oneself The planning phase is crucial for the final result. Either you take care of it yourself, or you look for a planner to support you. In both cases, you have to make many decisions yourself. Criticism from experts, acquaintances, and internet forums is helpful and should be accepted.

2 Without precise planning, no cost calculation For someone planning their first house, it is hard to understand that many financial aspects cannot be calculated precisely in advance. A cost calculation can only be done seriously once a detailed plan is available. Price guidelines per square meter can vary greatly depending on the design.

3 Consider foundation and footing The foundation is the first thing built and is no longer accessible afterwards. From a building physics perspective, the insulation goes under the floor slab. XPS is cheap, but the durability over decades is unclear. Foam glass is more robust but somewhat more expensive. The costs of earthworks are usually roughly underestimated.

4 Focus on stairs and traffic routes To save square meters, cuts are often made in traffic routes. This is a big mistake. A staircase or corridor is used several times a day. Therefore, these areas should be planned to be as small as possible but as large as necessary. The position of the staircase determines the rest of the floor plan.

5 Rules and dimensions for a successful floor plan Living rooms should be at least 3.3 m on the short side and have an area >13 m². Interior doors with a 0.9 m passage are barrier-free and usually do not cost extra. A landing staircase with >1.0 m running width is comfortable to walk on. Corridors should have a width >1.1 m. Load-bearing walls should be arranged on top of each other.

6 Consider maintainability and repair options Everything breaks sooner or later. Those who already consider the possibility of maintenance and repair in the planning phase will have it easier in case of damage. Installations should preferably be behind partition walls. Space for building service shafts is advantageous. Pipes and lines should preferably not go under the floor slab.

7 Plan for constructive shading It is getting increasingly warmer in our latitudes. Although buildings without roof overhangs are still modern, they are not advantageous. By using constructive shading such as roof overhangs and projections, the blinds can remain up in summer and the winter sun warms the rooms for free.

8 Definitely provide a ventilation system A controlled residential ventilation system (controlled residential ventilation) should be standard in every new building. It helps save energy in the cold season through heat recovery and provides enormous comfort gain. It also prevents condensation damage in the nearly airtight building envelopes of today’s houses.

9 Photovoltaics as an addition, not as compensation Photovoltaics are a great thing. Unfortunately, savings are often made in other areas, such as building insulation, to implement the systems initially. Often in connection with an air heat pump. This undermines every climate protection idea. Photovoltaics can be easily prepared and it makes sense to realize them only after moving in.

10 Don’t let craftsmen rush you Payments are made when work is partially or fully and as agreed completed. Things that are not clearly defined will certainly go wrong. Statements like "We’ll manage that." are red flags. All work steps must be planned exactly. Obtain references and several offers in advance.

The planning phase is crucial for the later outcome. [ . . . ] Criticism from experts, acquaintances, and internet forums is helpful and should be accepted.

Laypeople tend to aim at the visual level too early in the planning and would do better to remain conceptually-abstract for longer. The first three years of architecture studies are spent unlearning this impatience. [ # ]
The internet is just as mixed up as any other madhouse, including regulars' tables in real life. Unfortunately, this also applies to the share of experts among the 82 million armchair coaches.

For someone planning their first house, it is hard to understand that many financial aspects cannot be calculated precisely in advance. [ . . . ] Guideline prices per square meter can vary greatly depending on the design.
One should not use guideline prices as a basis to do the milkmaid's calculation: "Budget divided by guideline price equals the house size we can afford." Conversely, the same method can indeed be useful to read "Budget divided by guideline price means the calculation already doesn't add up here" as a warning ;-)

The foundation is constructed first and is no longer accessible later. [ . . . ] The costs of earthworks are usually roughly underestimated.

Exactly: the foundation earth conductor can no longer be checked by an expert at the final acceptance appointment. Everything must be checked while it is still visible. [ # ]
I would phrase the last sentence differently: Costs of "construction site side," i.e. works not included in the contract scope, are all gladly sugarcoated (up to and including complete concealment). At least six fifths of the budget should be reserved for those things that no one told you about beforehand.

To save square meters, the red pen is often applied to circulation areas. [ . . . ] The position of the staircase determines the rest of the floor plan.

Hardly anything inflates an area more than the supposedly saved circulation spaces. And nothing ruins a floor plan more than having to climb over the bed between the bathtub and the desk to get to the refrigerator. [ # ]
A staircase can not only be excellently in the way, but also requires headroom. Stair riser height and roof pitch are often forgotten to be seen in connection.

Living rooms should have at least 3.3 m on the short side and an area >13 m². [ . . . ] Arrange load-bearing walls above each other.

The outdated term "half rooms" should become much more conscious again to those dreaming of a home. In particular, the type "instead villa" often contains residual spaces into which room names are written as apparent usage possibilities. [ # ]
I would invert the last sentence: "above each other" would be better said – see also my post "The upper floor takes priority." By the way, it is best read in a set of three with "Plan change: from concrete ceiling to wooden ceiling" and "Lightweight walls in solid houses?".

Oops, I must have messed up a quote formatting yesterday: the quote was

For someone planning their first house, it is hard to understand that many financial aspects cannot be calculated precisely in advance. [ . . . ] Guide prices per square meter can vary greatly depending on the design.

and ended with the part
One must not base calculations on guide prices and make the simplistic calculation: "budget divided by guide price equals the house size we can afford." Conversely, the same method can definitely be used as a warning by reading "budget divided by guide price means the calculation doesn’t add up here" ;-)
which was already part of my reply.