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Houses and their plans: features and subtleties

Developers who regularly read FORUMHOUSE know well that a thoughtful attitude to the project is an indispensable condition for proper construction. Moreover, the design of cottages involves, first of all, functionality. In pursuit of the external effect, many novice developers forget that the house is, first of all, the place where you and your family will live for many years.

From here appear private houses uncomfortable for living, construction, the design of which was carried out with a mass of unnecessary decor and absolutely ill-conceived functionality of the premises.

Professional architects know how to build a convenient and comfortable home that will please the eye of not only its owners, but also those around them.

  • Where does the choice of a house project begin;
  • What nuances should be taken into account when developing a project;
  • How to determine the area, shape and number of storeys;
  • Is it worth it to make a “second light” and a bay window in the cottage;
  • What kind of roof do you prefer?
  • What - an attic or a full-fledged second floor.

Design and construction of country houses: how to start choosing a project

Whatever cottage you decide to build - stone, wooden or frame, its design begins ... with the purchase of a plot and a study of the soil. Yes, yes, it is from the purchase of a plot (if it does not exist yet) for future construction. After all, the most competent and carefully designed architectural project of a cottage may not “work” without “landing” the building on a specific area.

Residential building layout.

At this stage, it may turn out that you have planned to build a stone building, ordered a project, paid money for it, and after buying a site and geological research, it turns out that the bearing capacity of the soil is insufficient to withstand a heavy structure.

Dmitry ShilnikovArchitect, Moscow.

Clay, loam, sand, floating rocks, groundwater level, the possibility of displacement of rocks, all this must be taken into account when choosing the type of foundation - the foundation of the building, which is the key to the durability of the entire structure.

As a result, it will be necessary to develop an architectural design for a lighter wooden or frame residential building, or to significantly increase the supporting surface of the foundation. The correct approach to designing individual buildings made of stone and wood is fundamentally different from each other.

The construction of stone allows the presence of complex shapes in terms of, "cunning" roofs, non-standard openings. Such cottages give a lot of room for creativity. In wood, on the contrary, the simpler the plan and shape of the roof, the better. Due to the nature of shrinkage and the need for rigid bandaging of the walls, the complex shape incorporated in the project of a wooden cottage can lead to problems and instability of the entire structure.

If these details are not worked out immediately, this will lead to a loss of time and money, and may lead to the need for a complete redesign of the architectural concept of the entire building. Therefore, before starting design work, find out which cottage will withstand the soil on your site.

It is also important to have access roads, whether heavy construction equipment, mixers with concrete will be able to drive to the site, whether a truck with building materials will be able to turn around, whether it will get stuck in the spring-autumn thaw.

Design of private houses: live with a plot

And these are just a few of the many nuances that need to be considered before proceeding with the selection or development of an individual project.

Azat Khasanov Architect, Moscow.

I advise, before you start choosing a project, "live" with your site for at least one season. Study it, come and take pictures, where the sun and shadows pass, where there will be beautiful views, where neighbors put cottages. It is very important to "look" at your site and adjacent buildings from above with the help of virtual map services. Take a look around.

Such an approach will help determine: in which direction to orient the future building with its main premises, entrance, terraces for relaxation. And, on the contrary, from what it is necessary to “turn away” or close.

The layout of the house should go with an eye to the future.

If the plots in the village have not yet been developed, you can assume that you will put the cottage "there", and a wonderful view will open from the windows, but in the future this view may be blocked by a neighbor's house or a good, but deaf and high fence.

Azat Khasanov

If the neighbors have not quite “showed themselves” yet, I would say that this is an unpredictable situation. After all, we do not know their taste preferences or their ambitions for the height of the future home.

It depends on the competent forecasting of neighboring buildings whether the view from the living room will be pleasing to the eye, or whether the neighbor will present us with a “gift”.

It is also important to study the terrain of the site. It is worth paying attention to the difference in heights. These features seriously affect the placement of the building. A competent layout of houses, cottages, taking into account the relief, will allow you to get a deep distant view from the windows of the surroundings, over the neighbors. Or, using a height difference, make a garage or basement “invisible”. A slight slope will make it possible to make different heights of the rooms in the cottage in order to plan a high living room, and bedrooms and other rooms - of a minimum height.

Dmitry Shilnikov

The site can play a very important role in the design of the project. Features of the relief, shape, dimensions, features of insolation and surrounding buildings can dramatically affect the configuration of the cottage.

Layout of country houses and cottages: we take into account the features

The plot was bought and a firm decision was made to build a house on it. Immediately a lot of questions arise: what kind of cottage to build, what size, what shape, and most importantly - how to express your idea.

There is only one way out - first you need to systematize absolutely all your wishes for future housing, discuss ideas with all family members. It is one thing to plan a house for a young couple with children, and quite another thing for adults, already accomplished people whose children have long grown up.

Everyone has different tastes and preferences. You need to immediately think about how you will live in this cottage in 5, 10, 20 years. Think about how comfortable it will be for you to move around in old age. If at the age of 20 it is not difficult to run up the stairs to the second floor, then at 60 it can be difficult: a simple layout of the house will be preferable.

When calculating the required area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building, it is worth considering such an aspect as the economical operation of the cottage. After all, now you have to clean a room with an area of ​​​​300, 500 or more square meters, and you will have to pay for the heating of such “choirs”, even when you retire, and prices will hardly fall by this time. All this is important to take into account in advance.

Dmitry Shilnikov

Each family member should have their own personal space in the future home. Therefore, ideally, when planning rooms in a private house, you need to take the number of residents for the number of rooms (bedrooms) + one additional free-use room that can serve as a guest room, study, library, playroom, etc.

To this are added a living room, a kitchen, technical rooms (furnace, pantry), bathrooms (at the rate of one bathroom for two bedrooms). And this is a necessary minimum for a comfortable stay. But there are still - dressing rooms, swimming pools, gyms, cinemas, baths, etc.

If we turn to numbers, we can say that the area of ​​​​a good comfortable bedroom should be - 14-16 sq.m, living room - from 28 sq.m, kitchen - from 14 sq.m. It is possible and more - it already depends on the personal preferences of the owner.

When planning a house, it is important to correctly observe the proportions of the size of the house and the plot. If the site is small, then you should not "clutter" it with a large cottage, because. free territory on a landscaped plot is as valuable as the useful area of ​​​​the premises in the building.

Proper house layout

The composition and size of the premises are determined taking into account the requirements for comfortable living for all family members. Namely:

  • The cottage is divided into day and night zones. The daily cottage zone includes the premises where you spend most of your time. This is the entrance hall, living room, kitchen. Night zone - bedroom. Therefore, they try to locate the bedrooms in quieter places, away from the hustle and bustle (on the second floor);
  • To save space and minimize the corridor, the dining room is often combined with the living room;
  • For the convenience of living, when planning, it is necessary to provide two bathrooms. This will save the household from the morning queue for the toilet or bathroom;
  • Comfortable housing is often associated with a terrace (10-15 sq.m.);
  • When designing a cottage (if it is planned to build 2 or more floors), it is worthwhile to foresee sufficient space under the stairs in the house plan.
    The “leave it for later” approach backfires. The stairs have to be literally squeezed into a narrow space. As a result, the staircase turns out to be uncomfortable for climbing or does not fit into the interior of the premises. And the option with a spiral staircase is one of the most inconvenient.

To avoid annoying mistakes and not to miss important moments for yourself, the customer needs to write everything down. Any smallest detail that has flown out of my head can subsequently lead to costly alterations both to the house already built on it.

Azat Khasanov

Before starting the design, I suggest that the developer fill out a short questionnaire. You can add sketches, favorite projects and photos of the layout of finished houses to it. Thus, I first get acquainted with the wishes for the project.

A similar approach can be adopted by anyone who is thinking about building. The questionnaire consists of the following questions:

  • Description of the site (relief, dimensions, area, orientation to the cardinal points).
  • Type of future home (dacha or house for permanent residence).
  • Family composition, including pets.
  • Description of the proposed premises by floor, with approximate areas.
  • Availability of utilities and their location.
  • Future planned communications (or central).
  • Geodetic surveys and the general plan of the settlement.
  • How many floors are planned (including basement, attic or attic).
  • From it is planned to build (stone, beam, log, frame, etc.).
  • Estimated facade finishing and roofing material (plaster, brick, shingles, etc.).
  • Desired floor height (from floor to ceiling, double-height spaces).
  • Necessary auxiliary buildings on the site (garage, change house, gazebos).

Azat Khasanov

The future developer should do some work and, together with all family members, draw up a task for designing a house. This will allow you to systematize your wishes, which will save both your time and the time of the architect involved in the design.

Dmitry Shilnikov,
Moscow.

For a clear idea of ​​​​what you want to get at the end, it is better to draw up a working TOR (terms of reference), in which you will try to describe in detail the composition of the premises, areas, functional zoning, the style of the building, the materials from which the house will be built, linking to the site and orientation, special requests, etc.

Correctly express for yourself or convey to the architect (if individual design is supposed) all ideas will also help sketches, projects and photos of the houses you like. The source can be magazines, the Internet, specialized exhibitions, it is also necessary to plan trips with a camera around the neighborhood. In the future, this constructive selection will help to understand stylistic and planning requests, and will give a vector of movement when drawing up initial sketches. You need to pay attention to the style in which the architect who provides you with this service prefers to work.

You need to look for a specialist who is close to you in spirit. Some design excellent houses in the "classic", but they may simply "not understand" the developer who is going to build a mansion in the Art Nouveau or high-tech style.

What form of house and roof to prefer

You can hear the opinion that a beautiful cottage must necessarily be of a complex shape, with a sloping roof, bay windows, decorated with many decorative elements.

Practice shows that the ratio of the proportions of the future home should be put at the forefront. This is the ratio of the height of the walls and the size of the roof and the ratio of the sizes of various elements, etc. A harmonious, which means that a beautiful house does not have to be large or complex in shape.

When designing a house, it should be remembered that a building of a simple cubic shape is cheaper to build, it takes less building materials, it is more energy efficient. In such a cottage, it is easier to “connect” all the rooms with each other.

Dmitry Shilnikov

People often ask whether it is worth making a "second light", a bay window and other architectural forms. In my opinion, anything that makes your home unique (within reason) can be done.

"Second light" or an atrium, pergolas, interesting plastic facades, continuous glazing or panoramic balconies - all this makes the house unique, gives the premises an unusual shape. But things like this should be originally included in the project. They need to be adapted to the facades and layouts. Otherwise, they will be inappropriate, violating the initially laid down proportions.

One of the most effective ways to transform any cottage is with a well-chosen form of roofing and roofing material. No wonder the roof is called the “fifth facade”.

Roofing plays an important role in the perception of the house. After all, not every coating will be in harmony with the facade, green spaces (trees, shrubs, flower beds, etc.) and the site itself.

Dmitry Shilnikov

The shape of the roof largely determines the overall perception of the volume of the building and its architecture.

Multifaceted - a complex, sloping roof gives the building a special personality, but a simple gable roof, with the proper approach to its design, can look very interesting. One of these ways can be an increase in the overhang of the roof, as well as the harmonious organization of the under-roof space.

When choosing a roof of one form or another, you should immediately think about the convenience of its operation - cleaning from snow, branches, leaves, reliable waterproofing of joints (especially for complex-shaped roofs), etc.

Two floors or one

Designing cottages, country houses is often accompanied by the question of how many floors to build. There is no universal answer, because it all depends on the preferences of the developer, the size and shape of the site. The house, both in one and in two floors, has pros and cons. For a guide, you can use the advice from Dmitry Shilnikov .

Let's take two houses of equal area: from 80 sq.m. Advantages of a two-story building:

    Foundation area. For a one-story one, it is larger and, accordingly, more expensive;

    Not every site will allow the construction of a one-story structure “spread” over the territory;

    With the same area, in a one-story building, each room will get a smaller piece of the outer wall, and, accordingly, there are fewer opportunities to organize interesting glazing. Rooms can turn out to be elongated into the depths of the house, with incorrect proportions;

    The roof, like the foundation, in a one-story version will come out much more expensive;

    An important issue is heat loss. The building loses the main heat through the floor and roof, and in a one-story house they are larger in area.

Pay attention to a good, comfortable staircase, and a two-story building will not cause inconvenience.

    Each living room can get a beautiful panoramic window with access to a private veranda;

    The absence of interfloor overlap will reduce the cost of building a building;

    It is easier for older people to move around a one-story cottage;

    External compactness.

What to choose - an attic or a full-fledged second floor

This question is a place for clash of different opinions. Someone is only “for” the attic, someone prefers a full-fledged second floor. One piece of advice - what you like, then choose. Both solutions can be interesting to implement. But the attic must be planned, otherwise it will be uncomfortable to be in it. The height of the fracture of the wall and ceiling on the 2nd floor should be at least 160 cm. Then, given the angle of inclination of the roof of 45 degrees, with growth up to 185 cm, you can safely approach the wall, lean against it with your shoulder, and your head will not touch ceiling.

Dmitry Shilnikov

The attic floor can be very comfortable, the bevels of the roof give it beauty and individuality, it creates the feeling of not being a city apartment. Such a design of the ceiling does not put pressure on the psyche at all.

Experience shows that when installing an attic instead of the second floor, the cost of the house is at least reduced, but only slightly, since the design of the attic roof is more complicated than that of the attic, and requires higher qualifications of the performers involved in the design and construction of cottages.

    The entrance space is just as important as the other spaces. When designing it, it is important to observe the so-called. principle of "intuitive entry". Any person unfamiliar with the house, having entered it and crossed the threshold, must understand without prompting where to go next;

    Zoning. For a comfortable stay, the cottage is divided into private and common areas. The space is organized so that guests do not pass by the master bedroom. Children or teenagers going to the toilet in the evening in pajamas did not go through a living room full of adults sitting in a noisy company. Such a system is easier to organize in two-story houses, where the division into private and common parts is set by a staircase;

    When drawing up a plan for a house, you should remember the hobbies of all household members. Uto likes to sit in silence with a book in the evening, and someone learns to play musical instruments. Hence - different requirements for the placement of rooms and their sound insulation;

    "- we will find out the answer to this question in the corresponding topic. Everything on the “Residents of Angels” is collected in this photo album.

    This video on our website is about an unusual and functional house project. You can find out what a natural style house is by watching this video.