ᐅ Optimizing the Floor Plan of a 150 m² House – Tips

Hello everyone,
we are planning to build a 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) house and are currently optimizing our floor plan... Overall, we are quite happy with it, but there are still a few doubts.

I’m a bit uncertain about the following areas:
- Living room: Is the sofa placement very awkward? I’d prefer not to rotate it 90 degrees, as that would require placing the TV on the short window wall...
- Kitchen: Do we need a separate heating source, or will the living/dining area provide enough warmth for the kitchen? I can’t immediately think of a good spot to install a heater there.
- Pantry: Is it practical in this layout? Of course, the space with a width of 60 cm (24 inches) isn’t ideal, but could it still be used for spare chairs or similar items? Additionally, we want to store drinks, cordless vacuum cleaner, paper/plastic waste, baking trays, etc. — basically all things not used very often or too bulky for kitchen cabinets.
- Upstairs bathroom: I’d rather not fill the large room with very expensive bathroom cabinets, which is why I came up with the idea of the space behind the shower/bathtub. Is there enough room between the sink and the bathtub/shower for 2 to 4 people to move comfortably if needed? I’m quite enthusiastic about this idea. Previously, the sanitary fixtures were just placed around the edges and there wasn’t even space left for a cabinet.

If anyone feels like taking a look and sharing their thoughts, I’d really appreciate it!

Thank you,
hemali

The floor plan and measurements are approximate, please excuse the odd values!
Top is west, right is north, bottom is east, left is south.
The windows are not perfectly aligned vertically, but that’s not a concern for us since the sides of the house are barely visible from outside, so the asymmetry doesn’t bother us much.

Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 800 m² (8,611 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: -
Floor area ratio: -
Building envelope, setback lines, boundaries: -
Edge development: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: 1.5
Roof type: gable roof, 45 degrees
Architectural style: classic/modern
Orientation: entrance east, terrace west
Maximum heights / limits: -
Additional requirements: -

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type –
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 2 children (2 and 5 years old)
Space requirement on ground and upper floor: as shown in the floor plan
Office: family use or home office? No, filing cabinets in utility room
Guest bedrooms per year: negligible
Open or closed architecture: semi-open kitchen
Conservative or modern construction: -
Open kitchen, island: semi-open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6, expandable
Fireplace: no
Music/Stereo wall: yes, preferably a whole wall with storage
Balcony, rooftop terrace: no
Garage, carport: no
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine –

House design
Planning origin: original developer plan, customized by us
What do you particularly like? Ground floor extra shower, pantry, large utility room, masonry shower upstairs, large bedrooms, upstairs storage room
What do you dislike? -
Cost estimate by architect/planner: not relevant
Personal price limit for house including equipment: not relevant
Preferred heating system: gas boiler + solar with 400-liter (105-gallon) water storage tank

If you had to give up certain details/add-ons:
- Could you do without: –
- Could you not do without: –

Does the staircase fit?
What kind of pantry is that?
I would probably remove it and instead create a door from the hallway into the kitchen.

Thank you for your opinion.

Yes, the staircase fits – I took it from the original plan. I didn’t mark it at the top, but logically it’s in the same place.

Well, the pantry was created from the idea that the distance between the kitchen units of 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in) might be a bit large, and that the kitchen with so many cabinets didn’t look very nice... We really like the current kitchen layout, and we actually like the pantry as well. Admittedly, the 60 cm (24 inch) “corridor” is a bit suboptimal, but we will definitely find some use for it.

But the remaining pantry measuring 1.25 x 1.77 m (4.1 x 5.8 ft) is still usable, right? Or is that too small to store anything? I’m not very familiar with pantries...

The 60 cm (24 inches) is not walkable at all.
The storage space behind the bathtub isn’t accessible either, as the drainage pipes will run there anyway.
50 cm (20 inches) for the shower entrance doesn’t work either.
There is no stud wall for the toilet and plumbing installations at all.
There is no space for a reasonably sized wardrobe in the bedroom, and access to the living area past the sofa is suboptimal.
There are no load-bearing walls whatsoever.
Kitchen tall cabinets are also 58 cm (23 inches) deep, so they should be planned with a rough construction depth of 65 cm (26 inches).
Coat storage and laundry means dirty shoes right next to the white laundry.
The route to the kitchen or pantry is way too complicated and long, like a slalom course.
I would say: quite a few things went wrong when customizing the designer’s draft. The plan, probably a standard layout but rather functional by coincidence, is messed up.
I’m afraid I have to take away your enthusiasm.

If this is not relevant, then why not hire a professional?