value for money house design

[Amateur bob]

im looking to build a roughly 170m2 house and im currently at the design stage what is the best value and cheapest design? i was thinking a 2 storey rectangle with entrance in the middle would i be right in saying this should be quite straightforward? thanks

[Bitpipe]

Square is always the cheapest as you get max floor area for wall length (well, technically a sphere is most optimal but they're a bit fiddly to build).

 

I.e. if you build a square single story house 10m x 10m, you will enclose 100m2 with 40 linear m of wall (and trench foundation under the wall).

 

If you build a rectangle 20m x 5m then you will still have 100m2 of floor but now have 50 linear m of wall & foundation - so 20% more expensive.

 

Also take circulation space (corridors, stairs etc) into consideration as this will eat into your habitable space.

 

Obviously you need to ensure the layout works for you, plus consider plot dimensions,  position of the sun during the day, views etc.

[Jeremy Harris]

Square is also more thermally efficient, as the ratio of surface area to volume is better than for a rectangular or L shaped house.

[ProDave]

Yes very similar to our house.

 

Rectangular house entrance in the middle forming an entrance corridor and stairwell.  Rooms either side of this on both floors.

 

Very little space wasted with corridors or circulation space.

 

Works best on a plot that will support a house wider than it is deep.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Just realised, @ProDave, that your house is fairly similar to ours from the front, central entrance hall and rooms off to either side:

 

 

 

[ProDave]

12 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

Just realised, @ProDave, that your house is fairly similar to ours from the front, central entrance hall and rooms off to either side:

 

 

 

Yes I have know that for a long time, and fairly similar size as well.

 

About the only significant difference is we have the stairs at the back of the entrance hall as 2 flights,  up to a half landing then turning back.  That allows us to have the bathroom above the front door.

[nod]

1 hour ago, Amateur bob said:

im looking to build a roughly 170m2 house and im currently at the design stage what is the best value and cheapest design? i was thinking a 2 storey rectangle with entrance in the middle would i be right in saying this should be quite straightforward? thanks

If you are looking for value 

Do what we did 

Take an established house design of a size that suits you Take the bits out that you don’t want or like and add a few other bits 

Lots of saving 

[the_r_sole]

.

Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole

[ProDave]

3 minutes ago, the_r_sole said:

"Best Value" and "Cheapest" aren't really the same thing - it depends on what you can get out of the site really. 

I guess a true Storey and a half would give you the most floor area for your money (i.e. walls up to ff then the entire first floor within the roof space)

 

Ours ended up the shape it was, (wider than it is deep) mainly because of the shape of the plot. Plenty of width but restricted depth.

 

Planning limited us to 1 1/2 storey.  Our "gable end" rather than "dormer" design, and with a vaulted roof hung from ridge beams, means almost all of the upper floor has standing headroom with very few limitations.

 

I always say it is almost pointless designing the house before you have the plot.

[Jilly]

Make the most of the advantages of the site, orientation, views, etc Then you have to consult with planners to see what they are likely to 'let' you have. Loads to think about. 

[Jeremy Harris]

18 minutes ago, Jilly said:

Make the most of the advantages of the site, orientation, views, etc Then you have to consult with planners to see what they are likely to 'let' you have. Loads to think about. 

 

 

Around here, the general consensus is that paying £140 to the planners for a pre app just isn't really worth the money, it's better to either spend it with a planning consultant, who probably knows the system better than many of the planners, or just take the time to study planning policy and guidance in depth, as it's applied to applications in the area.  There have been several cases where pre app advice has been wrong, and applications refused even though the applicant took it onboard.

 

 

[Amateur bob]

2 hours ago, Bitpipe said:

Square is always the cheapest as you get max floor area for wall length (well, technically a sphere is most optimal but they're a bit fiddly to build).

 

I.e. if you build a square single story house 10m x 10m, you will enclose 100m2 with 40 linear m of wall (and trench foundation under the wall).

 

If you build a rectangle 20m x 5m then you will still have 100m2 of floor but now have 50 linear m of wall & foundation - so 20% more expensive.

 

Also take circulation space (corridors, stairs etc) into consideration as this will eat into your habitable space.

 

Obviously you need to ensure the layout works for you, plus consider plot dimensions,  position of the sun during the day, views etc.

I hadnt thought of the linear m so good point, i was thinking enterance in the middle living room to left, staircase in middle with bathroom and utility room behind then kitchen diner to the right would this be the best use of space? Thanks

[Amateur bob]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

Yes very similar to our house.

 

Rectangular house entrance in the middle forming an entrance corridor and stairwell.  Rooms either side of this on both floors.

 

Very little space wasted with corridors or circulation space.

 

Works best on a plot that will support a house wider than it is deep.

 

Did u divide the living room up or have it the full width of the house? Some people seem to go for a "snug" is that not ruining the size of living room a bit?

[Amateur bob]

1 hour ago, nod said:

If you are looking for value 

Do what we did 

Take an established house design of a size that suits you Take the bits out that you don’t want or like and add a few other bits 

Lots of saving 

Would this be from the likes of scotframe website? Do they not copyright the designs so you cant use them unless buying from them? Thanks

[Jeremy Harris]

4 minutes ago, Amateur bob said:

I hadnt thought of the linear m so good point, i was thinking enterance in the middle living room to left, staircase in middle with bathroom and utility room behind then kitchen diner to the right would this be the best use of space? Thanks

 

Close to our layout.  We have the entrance hall in the centre, with stairs, kitchen diner to the right, with utility room (with back door) behind that, and WC off the utility.  To the left we have the living room, with a smaller study off that, with French windows leading out to the garden.  Bedrooms and bathrooms are to either side upstairs, leading off a landing that runs across part of the entrance hall.

[ProDave]

14 minutes ago, Amateur bob said:

Did u divide the living room up or have it the full width of the house? Some people seem to go for a "snug" is that not ruining the size of living room a bit?

Divided, well sort of.

 

To the right of the entrance hall is the front to back Kitchen / diner. What most people refer to now as the "Family room"  Kitchen to the front, and a sort of living space to the back with a sofa and a tv.

 

To the left of the entrance hall, the rear 2/3 is the snug living room.  The front 1/3 is the utility / wc.

 

Both the two living areas mentioned open onto the entrance hall with partially glazed double doors, so they can be open as one big space, or closed off as 2 separate rooms.  We emphasised that by having the same oak floor run through both living rooms and the rear part of the entrance hall in one run.  the front part ot the entrance hall and utility is slate flooring.

 

Floorplans attached to explain it better (there have been some minor tweaks since the floor plans were drawn, e.g airing cupboard moved into small bedroom 3 to make main bathroom bigger.

 

BW005_-_GF_Plan.pdfBW007 - FF Plan.pdf

[Patrick]

1 hour ago, Amateur bob said:

Would this be from the likes of scotframe website? Do they not copyright the designs so you cant use them unless buying from them? Thanks

There are a few websites here and abroad that offer ready plans to buy like http://xplans.co.uk/.

better sites with more options available. Or you nicely ask on here someone that has a house you like. You might get the full package for free.

[nod]

1 hour ago, Amateur bob said:

Would this be from the likes of scotframe website? Do they not copyright the designs so you cant use them unless buying from them? Thanks

No

we found a local small building company who built a house style we liked 

Asked for there Architects contact details

contacted him and said While we like the general style We would want to change and add a few things 

He said no problem let’s meet 

My Arc fees where a couple of thousand plus vat included material submissions 

 

[the_r_sole]

.

Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole

[Amateur bob]

15 hours ago, nod said:

No

we found a local small building company who built a house style we liked 

Asked for there Architects contact details

contacted him and said While we like the general style We would want to change and add a few things 

He said no problem let’s meet 

My Arc fees where a couple of thousand plus vat included material submissions 

 

Did it cost much to make a few alterations to design? sorry what is my arc? thanks

[Amateur bob]

16 hours ago, ProDave said:

Divided, well sort of.

 

To the right of the entrance hall is the front to back Kitchen / diner. What most people refer to now as the "Family room"  Kitchen to the front, and a sort of living space to the back with a sofa and a tv.

 

To the left of the entrance hall, the rear 2/3 is the snug living room.  The front 1/3 is the utility / wc.

 

Both the two living areas mentioned open onto the entrance hall with partially glazed double doors, so they can be open as one big space, or closed off as 2 separate rooms.  We emphasised that by having the same oak floor run through both living rooms and the rear part of the entrance hall in one run.  the front part ot the entrance hall and utility is slate flooring.

 

Floorplans attached to explain it better (there have been some minor tweaks since the floor plans were drawn, e.g airing cupboard moved into small bedroom 3 to make main bathroom bigger.

 

BW005_-_GF_Plan.pdf 2.18 MB · 7 downloads BW007 - FF Plan.pdf 1.62 MB · 2 downloads

quite a good design that, i notice you have the upstairs bathrooms above the downstairs is this to  save putting pipes around parts of the house where its unnecessary?

[nod]

47 minutes ago, Amateur bob said:

Did it cost much to make a few alterations to design? sorry what is my arc? thanks

Architect 

Not really We just marked up on the original plans what we would like to change 

[joe90]

Mine is very similar to @ProDave, mine is a rectangle with the longest elevation facing south to maximise solar gain into the brickwork. Bathrooms above kitchen/hall/cloakroom for short pipe runs.

[Amateur bob]

4 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Mine is very similar to @ProDave, mine is a rectangle with the longest elevation facing south to maximise solar gain into the brickwork. Bathrooms above kitchen/hall/cloakroom for short pipe runs.

nice house, how many m2 is that?

[joe90]

240 sq m.