ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home of Approximately 150 m²

Created on: 12 Feb 2018 18:09
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chrisw81
Hello,

After a long search, we signed the notarized contract for the land purchase at the end of December. We are now actively planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat awkwardly shaped (not rectangular), which creates some limitations for the layout from our perspective. We already have a first draft, but there are several areas we don’t like and are unsure how to improve. Maybe you have some ideas; we would appreciate your input.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 601 m² (6465 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line, boundary: Building line with the house on the west side
Peripheral setbacks: 7 m (23 ft) from the street (north), otherwise the usual 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired
Number of floors: 1 full story allowed
Roof style: Gable roof
Design style: open construction method
Orientation: South
Maximum heights / limits: Ridge height max. 8.5 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: Max. 100 m² (1076 sq ft) of built-up area

Client Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: Solid construction house, rectangular, no bay windows, no projections, etc., gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 stories
Number and age of residents: 2 people, age between 30 and 40, possibly children later
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor – living/dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, utility room, office
Office: family use or home office?: family use
Guest stays per year: 20 days
Open or closed architecture: open living area, closed hallway
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, island without cooktop
Number of dining seats: 2-4
Fireplace: yes, chimney planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, and reasons for preferences:
- A wardrobe area on the ground floor is important where coats can be stored relatively out of sight.
- On the upper floor, it would be nice to have an open gallery with a desk or similar (not a must and not necessarily next to the stairs).
- A walk-in closet would be nice but not essential.
- A storage room on the upper floor is very important since we do not have a basement.

House Design
Who created the design:
- Basic design by the construction company (FIBAV Stadthaus Vision Studio)
- DIY modifications based on online floor plans (especially Viebrockhaus Maxime 330)
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Layout of the living/dining area and the narrowing kitchen reduces the hallway effect a bit
- Many windows in the living/dining area
- Wide hallway on the ground floor
What do you dislike? Why?:
- Few options to place furniture (dresser, wardrobe) in the ground floor hallway due to many doors
- Very large hallway upstairs, considered wasted space
- Bedroom is quite small; should be the largest room upstairs (preferably 16 m² (172 sq ft), children’s rooms rather 14 m² (151 sq ft))
- Stair placement limited by chimney location
- Door placement upstairs limited by chimney
- A staircase rotated 90 degrees (entrance next to front door) would appeal more
- Difficult to align windows upstairs and downstairs on the gable end vertically
- Floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs; wider windows with a sill height around 100 cm (40 inches) would be preferred
Price estimate by architect/planner: 200,000 €
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 210,000 €
Preferred heating technology: gas heating

What details or expansions could you give up?
- Can do without: gallery next to stairs upstairs. Living area could also be narrower (e.g., 4.20 m (14 ft) instead of 4.47 m (15 ft))
- Cannot do without: storage room upstairs, shower in guest toilet, extra natural light in the ground floor hallway (e.g., side panel on front door or window)

Why was the design made this way? For example, standard plan from planner?
- Since the house has very little space on the south side, the house should be very narrow in order not to waste more space to the south. It should be wider so that living, dining, and kitchen areas face south as much as possible.
Were corresponding wishes from the architect implemented? No architect meeting has taken place yet.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor hallway be better designed to fit a wardrobe? Can the stairs be positioned better or replaced? Should the hallway be enlarged and living space reduced? How can the upstairs hallway be better utilized? Can the bedroom be enlarged? Is it possible to swap the bedroom with another room, e.g., move it to the southeast to allow a walk-in closet?

Thank you very much in advance for your criticism and suggestions!

Lageplan eines Baugrundstücks mit Parzellen, Straßenverlauf und Gebäudestrukturen.


Grundriss: Kochen/Essen/Wohnen, HWR, WC, Diele, Gast, Treppenhaus, Schornstein.


Grundriss Obergeschoss: Zimmer 1, Zimmer 2, Schlafen, Bad, Flur/Galerie, Abstell, Schornstein.
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chrisw81
6 Jun 2018 17:08
Maria16 schrieb:
I would strongly recommend making sure that the window sill runs either completely below all steps or completely above them. When it’s all beneath, you can extend the board into the reveal, and it hardly shows that the sill is just underneath.

But as soon as the window sill is only partially level with one step and partially beneath the next higher one, it looks awkward.

Yes, I thought the same, but I haven’t found a solution for my situation yet.
11ant6 Jun 2018 17:39
chrisw81 schrieb:
It will not be a tilt-and-turn window, but a fixed one that cannot be opened.

In that case, you’ll need a small ladder to clean the outside, but there’s nothing else special to consider. Visually, it’s not a problem at all from either side. The only limitation would be the restricted opening angle of tilt-and-turn windows, which would be limited to about 80°.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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j.bautsch
7 Jun 2018 07:15
My aunt also has steps in front of the window in her house, and not just one. I don’t find it bothersome at all. The kids like sitting on the steps and looking outside. But gradually, they are getting too big for that^^
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chrisw81
14 Jun 2018 10:00
Something completely different... we are considering adding a conservatory at some point. It should be heatable during winter and have an electrical connection. Is there anything we should keep in mind already? Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact location yet, so it’s probably difficult to plan anything now. Is it possible to add something like this later in terms of electricity, heating, and insulation?
11ant14 Jun 2018 20:56
chrisw81 schrieb:
Something completely different...we are thinking about adding a conservatory at some point.

Um, okay. a) Why are you bringing this up now, after we've thoroughly discussed the floor plan down to the smallest detail?
b) What will happen to your original requirement to aim for 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of built-up area per point?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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chrisw81
15 Jun 2018 09:10
11ant schrieb:
Uhm, aha. a) why are you bringing this up now, after we have thoroughly discussed the floor plan down to the smallest detail?
b) what happens to your original plan to trigger a point per 100 sqm (square meters) of built-up area?

a) The floor plan should definitely remain as it is. I also want to attach it to the house on the outside. (There are conservatories where, for example, the dining table is located. I don’t want that; I want a separate room.) It was just an idea and might not even be feasible. For example, there would be the option to add it to the west side of the living room. But I would only do that in 10–15 years, and only if I really feel the need then.

b) I couldn’t give up anything at this point. We will have to see if an additional 10 sqm (108 sq ft) can still be approved.