A visit to the Garke family’s home in picturesque Upper Bavaria
Amidst the idyllic mountain panorama of the Chiemgau, the Garke family has made the dream of owning their own home come true with Hanse Haus. What suits this region better than classic Upper Bavarian architecture with high jamb walls, a flat roof pitch and large roof overhangs?
The family found that nothing suits it better, and so the style of the new home was determined: a classic house with pitched roof.
“Even though we decided on a very classic design, we wanted to spice up the typical stylistic elements with modern architecture,” notes homeowner Annegret Garke.
“We liked the idea of combining bright white plaster, dark grey windows and light grey varnished wooden panelling. As a nice detail, which is often seen e.g. in chalet architecture, we also wanted decorative boards on the purlin ends. That’s how we combined good things from the past with the best of today.”
For a lighter look, the vertical timber cladding was not brought down to the level of the storey ceiling, but ends at the loft windows.
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| House series | Variant |
| House name | individual planning |
| Use | Single-family house |
| Roof form | Pitched roof |
| Roof inclination | 24° |
| Jamb wall | 227 cm |
| Living space | 260,00 m² |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Year of construction | 2015 |
| Level of completion | Turnkey houses |
A house chosen from among Hanse Haus’s prefabricated houses and adapted to personal requirements
layout
Christian Garke describes the house planning with the Hanse Haus architect:“The entire planning process was completed very quickly; everything was just right almost from the outset,” and adds: “The many layout suggestions which Hanse Haus had already developed were a great help during the planning phase. We did not have to start from scratch but were always able to fall back on proven design concepts. Nevertheless, we were always free to introduce our wishes, alter details and adapt the house exactly to our expectations.”
Ideal due to the gentle hillside location: a basement which provides additional space
basement
For the foundation, the homebuilders decided on an insulated and heated basement.
“A floor slab would not have been ideal due to the slight slope of the plot, and the basement offers our family of five a little extra space,” the homebuilder said, explaining the decision.
Thanks to the hillside location of the building plot, two large rooms in the basement receive daylight and can be flexibly used as fully fledged living space. The technical room, an additional shower room with toilet and a pantry were accommodated in the basement.
What’s striking on the ground floor is the cosy fireplace, which separates the living and dining areas if there is an open floor plan
ground floor
Immediately noticeable on the ground floor is the fireplace, which can be seen from three sides and which separates the large, light-flooded living area from the dining area.
“We love to gather around the crackling fire in the evening and sit comfortably together. The fact that the fireplace also contributes to heating the house is almost incidental,” smiles Christian Garke.
And since the homeowners have already cleverly combined the old and the new in the house’s exterior design, they also mix old and new furniture, modern floor coverings and classic knotted carpets, as well as contemporary and timeless decorations, creating their very own style of home design.
The window seat in the living area commands a magnificent view of the mountains. What’s particularly practical is the additional storage space under the seat for books, games and more.
The kitchen counter not only offers space for sitting but also for cooking: the hob is integrated directly into the counter. This also creates a lot of workspace where food can be prepared.
Large windows with a beautiful view and a comfortable window seat
Those who have such a fantastic view of the mountains as the Garke family would naturally like to be able to enjoy it from the living areas as well. Large windows and – as a special highlight – the extra-wide window seat invite you, as it were, to make yourself comfortable with a book and a cup of coffee. Even the children quickly came to love the window seat and declared it their favourite spot.
Guests are warmly welcome
But the homebuilders did not think only about their own needs: “Since we often have guests, a large guest room with a shower room on the ground floor was important to us. After all, everyone in the house should feel comfortable here – and of course the visitors,” explains Annegret Garke.
Due to the slight roof pitch, a full storey with plenty of space and privacy for the whole family
loft
Private rooms such as the master bedroom with dressing room, the three children’s rooms and the family bathroom were included in the loft.
“Thanks to the 180 cm-high jamb wall and the roof pitch of only 24°, we can fully use all the rooms in the loft – the small ceiling slopes that remain don’t bother us at all. Provided that they are permitted by the applicable building regulations, we would recommend a high jamb wall or even a second floor to every potential housebuilder.”
Built with an air-to-water heat pump, a ventilation system, a photovoltaic system and effective thermal insulation, an energy-efficient house was built and the owners benefited from very attractive subsidies
efficiency
But how do you get so much living space comfortably warm even in winter without driving the energy costs through the roof?
When it comes to heating technology, the Garke family relies on a combination of an air-to-water heat pump and a ventilation system.
“There is always a very pleasant interior climate in our house. In autumn and winter, we don’t even have to open the windows. Energy that would otherwise be lost by airing the rooms is returned to the living areas through the heat exchanger of the ventilation system,” the homeowner said enthusiastically.
Moreover, a photovoltaic system for power generation is mounted on the roof. This combination of the chosen heating technology and the efficient Hanse Haus thermal insulation meets the forward-looking Efficiency House 55 standard.
Speaking of the future, it’s already moving into the Garke’s home today.
smart house
A smart home system assumes the control of various technical systems in the house, thereby ensuring more living comfort and security.
“For us, ease of use was an absolute priority for a smart home. It’s supposed to make our lives easier, not more complicated,” says the homeowner, describing her requirements of the system.
For its smart home technology, Hanse Haus employs the systems of the renowned manufacturer Loxone. It features components for controlling all common scenarios and devices as well as intuitive operability – on both stationary wall switches and smartphones and tablets.
Convenient lighting control at the touch of a button
For example, in the Garke family’s smart home, the system controls the individual lamps. By pushing a button on one of the wall switches or via an app on the smartphone or tablet, the lights in the individual rooms can be switched on or off or dimmed. Even a complete lighting scenario can be selected. In this way, the lighting can be easily adapted to your mood and the time of day – cosy in the evening for you to relax, and bright as day in the morning to help you wake up.
Automatic shading with external blinds
The control of the external blinds is also integrated. The blinds can be let down either manually or – depending on the position of the sun and the temperature – automatically. If it unexpectedly becomes windy outside, the external blinds automatically move up again for protection.
Weather data can be evaluated directly with the weather station function in the app.
Practical control of the room temperature
Thermostats in the individual rooms regularly report the current room temperature to the app via the smart home control centre. Here, the residents can then either manually raise the desired temperature or have it automatically controlled according to a schedule. When the last family member leaves the house in the morning, the system automatically lowers the room temperature. In the evening, the temperature is automatically raised back up to the desired comfortable temperature.
More security through the recognition of burglary attempts
The smart home is also responsible for security: window contacts report attempted burglaries and a siren sounds the alarm loudly. Moreover, all lights in the house are turned on if the alarm goes off – just what intruders who prefer to remain unnoticed in the dark don’t what. Of course, you’d never want to see the alarm system in action, but it’s good to know that the Garke family’s home also thinks in an emergency.
All the functions of the smart home system can be completely controlled via smartphone and tablet. Both from your home’s WiFi and through the internet from anywhere in the world.
