Two-family residential house

Hello,

I would also like to present my draft for discussion here. The draft comes from me and corresponds to the development plan. The building application will be created by me. However, since I am "only" a civil engineer, I am hoping for input or suggestions for improvement/optimization.

Size of the plot: 819 m² + 261 m²
Slope: yes, from front to back about 0.50m
Roof shape: hipped roof with roof truss
Style: modern

Basement: no
Floors: ground floor + tower attic
Number of people: WE2: retirees, residential unit 1: 2 adults, 2 children (teens)
Open architecture
Modern construction: yes
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Garage, carport: 1 garage, 1 carport

House design
Who did the planning:
-Do-it-Yourself
What do you like in particular? Why?: The development line and floor area ratio are predetermined, two single-story units should be created. I like my design but would like to hear the opinion of outsiders because maybe the creative aspect is missing.

What do you not like? Why? The bathrooms are not yet optimal.
Preferred heating technology: underfloor heating, heat pump with ground collectors

If you have to do without something, which details/extensions?
On nothing :)

Thank you and best regards

Can you please upload that as images and not as a pdf?

Sorry, here are the pictures.

Hello mountain goat,

I'm sorry to have to say this, but I am a bit overwhelmed by the many points that I wouldn't like.

Starting in the attic:
- the wall and interior dimensions are given differently
- there should be at most half a meter to walk through between the waterbed and the wall (assuming the bed is not much longer than 2.1m including the frame)
- the dressing room is probably too tight for two rows of wardrobes
- I would find the bathroom already unpleasantly narrow/tight as a guest WC; even more so for daily use. There are no storage options, for example, to take clothes directly into the bathroom

Ground floor retirees
- it probably won't be barrier-free due to too little space in the bathroom, next to the bed, etc. – even if it might not be necessary yet, I would already pay some attention to making sure one can still live there with a walker
- the storage room offers little space; with wardrobes in the bedroom, there would at least be the possibility to furnish differently in case of care
- does the residential unit get a terrace?
- at least there is a small cloakroom niche, but not very deep

2nd residential unit
- almost no cloakroom possibility directly at the entrance
- but a huge corridor
- do the doors under the stairs actually work?
- is the roof structure statically even possible with the wall thicknesses on the ground floor?
- for child 1, the entrance situation is very tight with the drawn-in wardrobes, or the placement options would have to be checked
- the path to the kitchen is almost as long as it can get; so it is quite inconvenient
- with the couch, there is no peace if everyone has to pass by it on the way to the fridge

I am very sorry not to be able to provide ideas for improvements immediately.
I have a bit of the impression that you would have to completely reshuffle the rooms if you especially want to change the path to the kitchen and the couch situation.

How attached are you currently to the design with the tower?
And how should it continue with the tower or the children's rooms once the children have moved out?

We are currently building a very similar project. A granny flat on the ground floor for my parents and the rest on the ground floor plus the entire upper floor for us. My parents need 2 bedrooms, which makes the granny flat larger. Basically, I find your design consistently cramped and tight. For the parents, it should definitely be age-appropriate and barrier-free. What are they supposed to store in such a small storage room? I would want bigger children's rooms. Will the living room be furnished as drawn? Where will the TV be placed then? Your bathroom/dressing area upstairs is also too small for me. Although there is only a bed in the bedroom, there should still not be too little space around it. I am also unsure about that with you. Where will the washing machines/dryers be located? You can be curious, I have also posted our floor plan here.

Hello and thank you for your thoughts,

Maria, my answers in red:

Starting in the attic:
- the wall and interior measurements are given differently:
This is due to my small laptop, the attic should be built as a wooden construction with external insulation.
- between the waterbed and the wall, there should be at most half a meter to walk through (provided the bed is not much longer than 2.1m including the frame)
The bed will only be 2 m wide, the passage is at least 1 m.
- the dressing room might be too narrow for two rows of wardrobes
Two rows of wardrobes each 40 cm, I have to check again.
- I would find the bathroom as a guest WC already rather narrow/ tight; especially for daily use. There are no storage options, for example to take clothes into the bathroom right away.
As mentioned in the original post, bathrooms are not finished, and whether there will still be a shower upstairs is also questionable.

Ground floor retirees:
- it probably won’t be barrier-free due to too little space in the bathroom, next to the bed, etc. – even if this may not be necessary yet, I would already pay some attention to making sure it’s still possible to live there with a walker.
Correct, not barrier-free, I have to check again.
- the storage room offers little space; having wardrobes in the bedroom would at least allow different furnishing in case of care needs.
Storage room only for daily items, like vacuum cleaner, etc.
- does the residential unit have a terrace?
Yes, on the south side.
- at least there is a small cloakroom niche, but not very deep.
40 cm deep, same as in our current apartment, is sufficient.

Second residential unit:
- almost no cloakroom options directly at the entrance.
Exactly opposite the entrance door.
- instead, a huge hallway.
I like it, was thinking of glued laminated timber beams as ceiling construction.
- does it actually work with the doors under the stairs?
Yes, checked.
- is the roof structure statically possible at all with the wall thicknesses on the ground floor?
Yes, these are 17.5 cm calcium silicate walls, our structural engineer says yes.
- for child 1, the entrance situation is very tight with the drawn-in wardrobes or the possible options should be checked.
Yes, this is just the first draft.
- the path to the kitchen is almost no longer; so it’s quite inconvenient.
Hm, I’m just trying to imagine it, at the moment my way to the kitchen is still longer.
- with the sofa, there is no peace if everyone has to pass by it on the way to the fridge.
I’m trying to imagine that too, I don’t find it so bad.

Sorry, this is not meant to be "sugarcoating," I’m very interested in feedback because I eventually developed tunnel vision. It would be nice if maybe some ideas for improvement could also come.

Thanks and regards