Hello,
I would like to start a new thread regarding the initial design planning.
Previous thread: Single-family house – Opinions on our design
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Einfamilienhaus-Meinungen-zu-unserem-Entwurf.25622/
Here are the main points:
The foundation slab is already in place: 12.49 x 12.49 m2 (41 x 41 ft2) and 30 cm (12 inches) thick.
The foundation slab was inspected for quality by an energy consultant and a structural engineer – no issues were found.
The locations of the underground drainage pipes are marked in the image titled "Foundation Slab - Drainage Pipes."
The house is planned to be built on the existing foundation slab. Demolition is not planned.
The house needs to be constructed as a one-story plus attic (E+1) with a gable roof at a 22° pitch.
The original submission plan from the previous owner was applied for but has not been received yet.
Our own submission plan from the architect exists but was mostly rated as unsatisfactory.
Negative points in the submission plan:
Our specific requests:
We like the ground floor and its room layout quite well. However, the half-landing staircase should be replaced by a space-saving alternative.
The staircase was placed centrally to allow the desired rooms to be created.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: Parcel 35, 775 m2 (8,835 ft2)
KFW 55 standard
Slope: Yes
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.80
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see site plan
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof style: Gable roof, 22° pitch
Style / orientation: South - southeast
Maximum dimensions/limits: Building maximum = 14 m x 10 m (46 x 33 ft) plus single-story extension with max. length 10 m (33 ft), max. depth 3 m (10 ft)
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Gable roof, 22° pitch
Basement, storeys: No basement, 2 full storeys
Number and ages of occupants: 4 persons (3 females, 1 male), ages 40, 38, 12, 9
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: Since no basement, more space per floor needed → approx. 90 m2 (970 ft2) per floor
Office use: Home office planned, possibly later converted to a bedroom / guests about 6 times a year
Open or closed layout: Open layout, at least on the ground floor
Traditional or modern design: Modern design
Open kitchen with island: Yes, open kitchen with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: Yes, should be placed in the living room, as the chimney should not pass through the children’s bedrooms.
Music / stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Double garage with partition
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine explanations:
Photovoltaic system + possibly battery storage, active ventilation system with heat recovery, air heat exchanger, cistern
House design
Planner: Architect
- Company planner: No
- Architect: Yes
- DIY: No
What do you especially like? Why? Ground floor thanks to the open design with large windows
What do you dislike? Why? Upper floor layout
Estimated price according to architect/planner: ?
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: 400,000 €
Preferred heating technology: Air heat exchanger with underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details or features could you do without?
- Can give up: Battery
Cannot do without:
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
Not a standard design from the planner, ideas based on model houses + floor plans found online + architect input
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can I improve the layout of the house?









I would like to start a new thread regarding the initial design planning.
Previous thread: Single-family house – Opinions on our design
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Einfamilienhaus-Meinungen-zu-unserem-Entwurf.25622/
Here are the main points:
The foundation slab is already in place: 12.49 x 12.49 m2 (41 x 41 ft2) and 30 cm (12 inches) thick.
The foundation slab was inspected for quality by an energy consultant and a structural engineer – no issues were found.
The locations of the underground drainage pipes are marked in the image titled "Foundation Slab - Drainage Pipes."
The house is planned to be built on the existing foundation slab. Demolition is not planned.
The house needs to be constructed as a one-story plus attic (E+1) with a gable roof at a 22° pitch.
The original submission plan from the previous owner was applied for but has not been received yet.
Our own submission plan from the architect exists but was mostly rated as unsatisfactory.
Negative points in the submission plan:
- Ground floor + upper floor
- Staircase between ground and upper floor is not properly dimensioned
- Ground floor
- Staircase unsuitable, takes up too much space; entrance to living area is through the kitchen
- Access from garage to house does not fit due to height differences
- Upper floor
- Staircase unsuitable, room layout and a dark hallway with hallway width only 1.10 m (3.6 ft)
- Balcony extends across the entire house length
- See east elevation under the image “View all sides”
- The balcony was extended because the upper floor protrudes 70 cm (28 inches) beyond the ground floor, covering the resulting overhang. In the previous plan, the balcony was only above the bay window.
Our specific requests:
We like the ground floor and its room layout quite well. However, the half-landing staircase should be replaced by a space-saving alternative.
The staircase was placed centrally to allow the desired rooms to be created.
- Keep the technical room in the marked position for connection reasons, near the turning circle.
- Keep the front door position as shown – access from the garage plus guests parking in front of the garage.
- Central staircase to maintain short walking distances.
- Type of staircase: corner staircase with quarter turns (1x or 2x 90° turns) or straight staircase. Spiral staircases are not desired.
- Modern house with an open kitchen and living area.
- Home office.
- Guest toilet with shower.
- Pantry for freezer, food, and beverages.
- Large children's bedrooms, preferably on the south side.
- Room for a walk-in dressing area.
- Separate entrance to the master bedroom, not through the dressing room.
- One master bathroom and one children’s bathroom.
- Small utility room (approx. 6–8 m2 (65–86 ft2)) on the upper floor for washing machine and dryer.
- Tiled stove; the chimney flue should not run through the children’s bedrooms. Preferred route is through the bathroom or utility room.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: Parcel 35, 775 m2 (8,835 ft2)
KFW 55 standard
Slope: Yes
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.80
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see site plan
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof style: Gable roof, 22° pitch
Style / orientation: South - southeast
Maximum dimensions/limits: Building maximum = 14 m x 10 m (46 x 33 ft) plus single-story extension with max. length 10 m (33 ft), max. depth 3 m (10 ft)
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Gable roof, 22° pitch
Basement, storeys: No basement, 2 full storeys
Number and ages of occupants: 4 persons (3 females, 1 male), ages 40, 38, 12, 9
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: Since no basement, more space per floor needed → approx. 90 m2 (970 ft2) per floor
Office use: Home office planned, possibly later converted to a bedroom / guests about 6 times a year
Open or closed layout: Open layout, at least on the ground floor
Traditional or modern design: Modern design
Open kitchen with island: Yes, open kitchen with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: Yes, should be placed in the living room, as the chimney should not pass through the children’s bedrooms.
Music / stereo wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Double garage with partition
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine explanations:
Photovoltaic system + possibly battery storage, active ventilation system with heat recovery, air heat exchanger, cistern
House design
Planner: Architect
- Company planner: No
- Architect: Yes
- DIY: No
What do you especially like? Why? Ground floor thanks to the open design with large windows
What do you dislike? Why? Upper floor layout
Estimated price according to architect/planner: ?
Personal budget limit for house including fixtures: 400,000 €
Preferred heating technology: Air heat exchanger with underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details or features could you do without?
- Can give up: Battery
Cannot do without:
Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
Not a standard design from the planner, ideas based on model houses + floor plans found online + architect input
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can I improve the layout of the house?
Solveigh schrieb:
@kaho674 Simple doesn’t always mean bad. That’s not what it should imply. However, you probably haven’t followed the seemingly endless development of the project—from the architectural disaster through homemade designs and the upheaval caused by foundation slab requirements. After this remarkable transformation, seeing this simple standard design in the end is, on one hand, a relief but on the other hand, somewhat disappointing.
As a mother, I would really appreciate having closet spaces in the children's rooms. These spaces don’t have to be used exclusively for storing clothes; you could also temporarily keep the bright pink Barbie castle there when Elsa is the current favorite. The original poster was asking about additional storage space.
Solveigh schrieb:
As a mother, I would appreciate having walk-in closets in the children's rooms. You don't have to store only clothes there; you could also temporarily keep the bright pink Barbie castle in there when Elsa is the current favorite. The original poster was asking about additional storage space. So, you’re including Elsa in there as well. That wasn’t clear to me. But somehow that makes the situation worse for me. Just imagine the friend’s reaction when not only is the room twice as large, but now there’s also this huge walk-in closet featuring Elsa.
I also didn’t assume that the additional storage space was meant to be created in the children’s rooms.
Solveigh schrieb:
I agree with you, the kids' rooms are incredibly large, Yes, but compared to the original design at the start of the discussion, this increase in area basically resulted from including the "smoker balconies."
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello Solveigh, first of all, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to help design the plan. THANK YOU.
Regarding the size of the kids’ rooms: originally, there was a balcony planned. Due to its removal, the kids’ rooms have become larger, but this is not a must. I think 20m2 (215 sq ft) is more than enough for the kids. If anyone has ideas for optimization, please feel free to share.
Stairs: Would you rotate the stairs 180 degrees? So that when coming down, you arrive directly in the living room/kitchen area?
What do you think about turning the stairs 90 degrees, as I posted in a drawing before? The advantage would be that, unlike the current version, you don’t have to first walk to the front door to reach the stairs.
Office: It should be sized so that a double bed and wardrobe fit in. However, I would prefer a separate entrance in case guests stay over or a family member moves in.
@ kaho674, yes, we wanted to build a designer house, which is why we went to an architect. We wanted a house like those you see on Pinterest with beautiful staircases, spacious rooms, and so on. Unfortunately, as you know, we ran into quite a few difficulties.
The house isn’t even 130m2 (1400 sq ft), so every square meter has to be planned in detail.
I think we are close to the goal and just need to make a few adjustments here and there. Then this metamorphosis will be complete, and in the end, there will be a beautiful house.
Regarding the size of the kids’ rooms: originally, there was a balcony planned. Due to its removal, the kids’ rooms have become larger, but this is not a must. I think 20m2 (215 sq ft) is more than enough for the kids. If anyone has ideas for optimization, please feel free to share.
Stairs: Would you rotate the stairs 180 degrees? So that when coming down, you arrive directly in the living room/kitchen area?
What do you think about turning the stairs 90 degrees, as I posted in a drawing before? The advantage would be that, unlike the current version, you don’t have to first walk to the front door to reach the stairs.
Office: It should be sized so that a double bed and wardrobe fit in. However, I would prefer a separate entrance in case guests stay over or a family member moves in.
kaho674 schrieb:
At the end of this remarkable metamorphosis, seeing this simple standard design is both a relief and somewhat disappointing.
@ kaho674, yes, we wanted to build a designer house, which is why we went to an architect. We wanted a house like those you see on Pinterest with beautiful staircases, spacious rooms, and so on. Unfortunately, as you know, we ran into quite a few difficulties.
The house isn’t even 130m2 (1400 sq ft), so every square meter has to be planned in detail.
I think we are close to the goal and just need to make a few adjustments here and there. Then this metamorphosis will be complete, and in the end, there will be a beautiful house.
Similar topics