ᐅ Floor plan of a 160 sqm urban villa, without a basement – what are your thoughts?
Created on: 10 May 2018 02:46
P
Patkia
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 626 sqm (6730 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: 0.35 + 50% for ancillary structures
Floor area ratio:
Building window, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft), no special requirements
Edge development: permitted
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: 3
Roof type: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: 12 m (39 ft)
Additional requirements: 1 tree per every 300 sqm (3200 sq ft) started
Homeowners’ Requirements
City villa style, hip / pyramid roof
2 full stories
Residents: 2 adults, around 30 years old, 1-2 children planned
Room requirements:
Ground floor: kitchen / dining / living / pantry / guest room (office) / utility room / guest WC
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms / walk-in closet / storage / bathroom
Office: on ground floor, also to be used as guest room
Occasional overnight guests
Open or closed layout: partly open / partly closed
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island, possibly a small pantry
Minimum seating at dining table: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: home cinema area
Roof terrace: possibly planned later on garage
Garage: yes, double garage with workshop / storage area: 9 m × 6.5 m (30 ft × 21 ft) with access to the house, planned as self-built, driveway large enough for 2 cars
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided:
Primarily for aesthetic reasons, a small bay window should be included. Not deeper than 50 cm (20 inches) due to roof overhang. There will be a canopy over the front door as a visual relief, so the bay window should face the garden.
Ground Floor (GF):
Bright hallway,
Large kitchen with island (including seating, e.g., stools) and preferably a small pantry (possibly accessible via a "fake" kitchen cabinet), plus a small “bench” made from low cabinets by the window, double-leaf sliding door guided inside the wall to separate dining / living area,
Bright dining area,
Spacious living area, preferably with a panoramic fireplace as a room divider (not next to the TV),
Guest room / office,
Generous utility room with space for possibly two electrical panels, softener system, ground source heat pump, washing machine (possibly dryer), and drying rack,
Guest WC with shower.
Upper Floor (UF): at least 2 children’s rooms, 1 storage room, bedroom can be fairly small. Instead, a spacious bathroom with 2 washbasins (or 1 long basin with 2 faucets), bathtub up to 2 m (6.5 ft), and shower. WC with privacy screen, e.g., with door T-shaped.
Walk-through dressing room between bedroom and bathroom. Sliding door on the wall between bedroom and dressing room and regular door between dressing room and bathroom. Bathroom should also be accessible from the hallway.
General:
Many windows (included in house price without limitation on number or size), some floor-to-ceiling. Possibly preparation in the bedroom for access to the (planned) roof terrace on the garage,
Lifting sliding door system between living / dining area and terrace,
Doors at least 1 m (39 inches) wide on the ground floor,
Terrace on the left side of the house, i.e., facing south. Depending on kitchen location, possibly also a narrower terrace around the corner at the top.
Ultimately, we think it would almost be nicer if the kitchen were on the left so you can look into the garden from there and have direct access to the large terrace. But this criterion changes with every revision of the floor plan :|
House Design
Who designed the plan:
The house plans mainly come from us with some inspiration from the internet.
So far, there has been no truly professional involvement. The upper floor plan was found directly online. However, there the house width is only 10 m (33 ft) instead of 10.5 m (34 ft). Also, the bay window on the left is obviously not included. It would be great to add a small storage room here.
What do you particularly like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
The two above points are not fully answered yet. We have often moved the kitchen from right to left and back without finding an ideal solution.
Similarly, we are not sure whether the garage should be placed far forward with some space behind for storage out of garden view, or moved about 2 m (6.5 ft) further back (3 m / 10 ft from boundary) to gain some visual privacy from the diagonal neighbor. We are open to innovative ideas about garage placement. It must definitely have access to the house.
Estimated cost according to architect / planner: 230,000
Personal budget limit for house including features: 240,000 (excluding garage, but including foundation slab)
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump
If you have to give up some features / extensions:
- What can you do without: hard to say, maybe the pantry? Though supplies would then have to be stored in expensive kitchen cabinets that offer less space.
- What can’t you do without: guest room on the ground floor, space for drying rack in the utility room (never want one of those racks visible in a living area again!).
Why is the design the way it is now?
The design came about through lots of freehand drawing on paper and tinkering on computer to get the best results. Unfortunately, we are stuck now.
Which of your wishes have been implemented by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines...
What do you think works well or poorly?
Poor: the downstairs and upstairs layouts are hard to coordinate, especially because of the staircase.
Pretty good: the upper floor layout, except that fitting a second door into the bathroom will be difficult.
Downstairs we have been constantly swapping kitchen front left and guest room top right or vice versa. We haven’t agreed on what would be easier to furnish.
What is your key fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we fit all our wishes in the best mix of space, appearance, and usability in the floor plan?
Note: The plan might receive harsh criticism from forum users. Feedback is usually unfiltered—please be prepared. Nobody means to offend; it’s their perspective to help or open your eyes.
Thanks in advance for your help
Plot size: 626 sqm (6730 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: 0.35 + 50% for ancillary structures
Floor area ratio:
Building window, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft), no special requirements
Edge development: permitted
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: 3
Roof type: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: 12 m (39 ft)
Additional requirements: 1 tree per every 300 sqm (3200 sq ft) started
Homeowners’ Requirements
City villa style, hip / pyramid roof
2 full stories
Residents: 2 adults, around 30 years old, 1-2 children planned
Room requirements:
Ground floor: kitchen / dining / living / pantry / guest room (office) / utility room / guest WC
Upper floor: 3 bedrooms / walk-in closet / storage / bathroom
Office: on ground floor, also to be used as guest room
Occasional overnight guests
Open or closed layout: partly open / partly closed
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island, possibly a small pantry
Minimum seating at dining table: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: home cinema area
Roof terrace: possibly planned later on garage
Garage: yes, double garage with workshop / storage area: 9 m × 6.5 m (30 ft × 21 ft) with access to the house, planned as self-built, driveway large enough for 2 cars
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are preferred or avoided:
Primarily for aesthetic reasons, a small bay window should be included. Not deeper than 50 cm (20 inches) due to roof overhang. There will be a canopy over the front door as a visual relief, so the bay window should face the garden.
Ground Floor (GF):
Bright hallway,
Large kitchen with island (including seating, e.g., stools) and preferably a small pantry (possibly accessible via a "fake" kitchen cabinet), plus a small “bench” made from low cabinets by the window, double-leaf sliding door guided inside the wall to separate dining / living area,
Bright dining area,
Spacious living area, preferably with a panoramic fireplace as a room divider (not next to the TV),
Guest room / office,
Generous utility room with space for possibly two electrical panels, softener system, ground source heat pump, washing machine (possibly dryer), and drying rack,
Guest WC with shower.
Upper Floor (UF): at least 2 children’s rooms, 1 storage room, bedroom can be fairly small. Instead, a spacious bathroom with 2 washbasins (or 1 long basin with 2 faucets), bathtub up to 2 m (6.5 ft), and shower. WC with privacy screen, e.g., with door T-shaped.
Walk-through dressing room between bedroom and bathroom. Sliding door on the wall between bedroom and dressing room and regular door between dressing room and bathroom. Bathroom should also be accessible from the hallway.
General:
Many windows (included in house price without limitation on number or size), some floor-to-ceiling. Possibly preparation in the bedroom for access to the (planned) roof terrace on the garage,
Lifting sliding door system between living / dining area and terrace,
Doors at least 1 m (39 inches) wide on the ground floor,
Terrace on the left side of the house, i.e., facing south. Depending on kitchen location, possibly also a narrower terrace around the corner at the top.
Ultimately, we think it would almost be nicer if the kitchen were on the left so you can look into the garden from there and have direct access to the large terrace. But this criterion changes with every revision of the floor plan :|
House Design
Who designed the plan:
The house plans mainly come from us with some inspiration from the internet.
So far, there has been no truly professional involvement. The upper floor plan was found directly online. However, there the house width is only 10 m (33 ft) instead of 10.5 m (34 ft). Also, the bay window on the left is obviously not included. It would be great to add a small storage room here.
What do you particularly like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
The two above points are not fully answered yet. We have often moved the kitchen from right to left and back without finding an ideal solution.
Similarly, we are not sure whether the garage should be placed far forward with some space behind for storage out of garden view, or moved about 2 m (6.5 ft) further back (3 m / 10 ft from boundary) to gain some visual privacy from the diagonal neighbor. We are open to innovative ideas about garage placement. It must definitely have access to the house.
Estimated cost according to architect / planner: 230,000
Personal budget limit for house including features: 240,000 (excluding garage, but including foundation slab)
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump
If you have to give up some features / extensions:
- What can you do without: hard to say, maybe the pantry? Though supplies would then have to be stored in expensive kitchen cabinets that offer less space.
- What can’t you do without: guest room on the ground floor, space for drying rack in the utility room (never want one of those racks visible in a living area again!).
Why is the design the way it is now?
The design came about through lots of freehand drawing on paper and tinkering on computer to get the best results. Unfortunately, we are stuck now.
Which of your wishes have been implemented by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines...
What do you think works well or poorly?
Poor: the downstairs and upstairs layouts are hard to coordinate, especially because of the staircase.
Pretty good: the upper floor layout, except that fitting a second door into the bathroom will be difficult.
Downstairs we have been constantly swapping kitchen front left and guest room top right or vice versa. We haven’t agreed on what would be easier to furnish.
What is your key fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we fit all our wishes in the best mix of space, appearance, and usability in the floor plan?
Note: The plan might receive harsh criticism from forum users. Feedback is usually unfiltered—please be prepared. Nobody means to offend; it’s their perspective to help or open your eyes.
Thanks in advance for your help
Now once again the 8 x 12.5 m (26 x 41 feet) layout with the kitchen on the left side, featuring east/south-facing windows.
The utility/storage room (HAR) has become very small and really has no external access. Still, a 150 cm (5 feet) shelf with a depth of about 20/25 cm (8/10 inches) should fit there, for example, to store shoes that are not currently in use.
The staircase has been rotated, and the space under the stairs from the kitchen/dining area is used as storage for pantry items, vacuum cleaner, mop, etc.
The upper floor (OG) has stayed almost the same, only the chimney position has shifted.
In the overview, the 75 cm (30 inches) to the right of the garage is also included.
The utility/storage room (HAR) has become very small and really has no external access. Still, a 150 cm (5 feet) shelf with a depth of about 20/25 cm (8/10 inches) should fit there, for example, to store shoes that are not currently in use.
The staircase has been rotated, and the space under the stairs from the kitchen/dining area is used as storage for pantry items, vacuum cleaner, mop, etc.
The upper floor (OG) has stayed almost the same, only the chimney position has shifted.
In the overview, the 75 cm (30 inches) to the right of the garage is also included.
kbt09 schrieb:
The HAR has become very small now and truly without external access. Yes, it has become quite tiny now. I think the limit of what’s feasible with 99m² (1065 sq ft) is nearly reached. Utility room and office and shower and pantry and so on.
Regarding the original poster’s design:
Ground floor:
The entrance area is practically nonexistent. Do you want to spend your whole life squeezing past each other in the hallway? Where should shoes and clothes for four people go? Into that tiny closet at the entrance?
Move the shower on the ground floor to the left, opposite the washbasin, so you don’t have to step over the toilet to get in.
The pantry is nonsense. It’s no larger than a built-in cupboard in terms of size. Better to just have a tall cabinet in the kitchen – done.
Walking space under the stairs is poor, especially when approaching the stairs. Accordingly, the door from the living room to the hallway opposite the stairs can be removed.
A straight staircase for a ceiling height of 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) needs to be at least 3.80m (12 ft 6 in) long (which is already rather short, equaling 16 steps with only a 25cm (10 inch) tread and 18.75cm (7.4 inch) rise). With 15 steps you end up at a 20cm (8 inch) rise – that would be the upper limit of the building regulations, and no one builds that voluntarily. I only count 13 steps here. How long is your staircase?
Upper floor:
Because of the straight staircase and its position, you now have a huge hallway that still feels cramped. The corner recesses in the children’s rooms to ease the problem might make it a bit more pleasant, but overall they just make the plan more absurd.
The bathroom is too narrow – you wouldn’t want to relax in the tub here but rather get out quickly.
The dressing room is badly positioned, since you have to pass by the sleeper and wake them up every time.
The laundry room isn’t really a room. It’s more like a small chamber that’s difficult to furnish. If it only holds the washing machine, okay. But with even a laundry basket it’s tight, and any kind of drying rack is hopeless. Only a stacked washer and dryer would fit.
It all looks pretty messy to me.
kaho674 schrieb:
Regarding the original poster’s design:
Ground floor:
The entrance area is practically non-existent. Do you want to be squeezing past each other in a hallway like that for your whole life? Where are shoes and clothes for 4 people supposed to go? In that tiny closet by the entrance?The entrance area could indeed get a bit tight. You might need to move the staircase up a bit and shift the kitchen/guest room wall including the entrance door slightly to the left. Coats and shoes should be placed in the front area or even under the lower part of the stairs. There are some nice diagonal solutions for that, in my opinion.
kaho674 schrieb:
Try moving the shower on the ground floor to the left, opposite the sink, so you don’t have to climb over the toilet to get in.Thanks, good tip.
kaho674 schrieb:
Pathways under the staircase are problematic, especially when approaching the stairs. Accordingly, the door from the living room to the hallway opposite the stairs can be removed.Do you mean putting in a wall and only entering through the kitchen? Or leaving it fully open? I have tried both options and didn’t find either appealing from an interior perspective.
kaho674 schrieb:
A straight staircase with a ceiling height of 2.70m (8 ft 10 in) requires a length of at least 3.80m (12 ft 6 in) — which is already quite short — with 16 steps having a 25cm (10 inch) tread and 18.75cm (7.4 inch) rise. With 15 steps you end up with a 20cm (8 inch) rise — which is the upper limit according to building codes and nobody builds that voluntarily. Here, I count only 13 steps. How long is your staircase?There are only 13 steps because I couldn’t enter the correct number of steps into the software. As far as I remember, the staircase is about 405cm (13 ft 3 in) long now.
kaho674 schrieb:
The door to the utility room is, in my opinion, 4 steps below the stairs = 4 x 18.75cm = 75cm (30 inches). With a ceiling height of 2.70m (8 ft 10 in), the top of the door frame is at 1.95m (6 ft 5 in) and it collides there. So this will be tricky. Maybe you should reconsider the ceiling height you want?So far it looked feasible, but we will certainly double-check whether the heights actually work out. Hopefully, your estimate was only due to the incorrect number of steps in the program.
kaho674 schrieb:
Upper floor:
Thanks to the straight staircase and its positioning, you now have a huge hallway which still feels cramped. The angled corners in the children’s rooms to ease the layout might make it slightly more comfortable, but overall the plan just seems more impractical.That’s why we also considered trying a quarter-turn staircase while keeping the rest of the layout mostly unchanged. I haven’t had time to try that yet.
The open area toward the bottom of the plan will stay that way because we don’t want to lose natural light in the hallway.
kaho674 schrieb:
Bathroom is too narrow — you won’t want to relax in the bathtub here, just get in and out quickly.I think we feel differently about that. Our current bathroom is similarly long and narrow, and we still feel comfortable in it.
kaho674 schrieb:
The walk-in closet is inconveniently positioned since you have to pass the sleeping person, waking them up every time.We discussed this and already don’t see it as a problem. Our only current issue is the lighting, which we will address by installing a door without glass (unlike our present situation).
kaho674 schrieb:
The laundry room isn’t really a room. It’s more like a small closet that is difficult to furnish. If only a washing machine is in there, it’s okay. But with a laundry basket it starts to get tight, and any kind of drying rack is out of the question. Only a stacked washer and dryer will fit.The laundry room is admittedly awkward but we don’t want it to take up much space. We have already checked the dimensions of tower drying racks and can definitely fit two of those. Even with a rack down in the alcove, you can still stand at an ironing board above. Also, we plan shelves above the washing machine up to the ceiling, which has worked well for us so far. There are also excellent cabinet systems with integrated laundry baskets.
@kbt09
Thanks, I will discuss this with my partner tonight. The utility room really is very small, and the living room is also somewhat inconvenient due to being narrow with the fireplace right next to the TV wall. But as I said, overall it still looks very interesting at first glance.
@Patkia ... you don’t really want to iron in that L-shaped room, do you? If the washing machines and two laundry towers are there, the space for an ironing board will be tight. And honestly, ironing tends to be tedious work anyway. Usually, ironing goes better with watching TV or something similar.
you replied
Uh ... which lighting? Light in the dressing room?
But apart from that, I find having the dressing room first and then the bedroom more practical, especially for daily tasks like putting washed laundry back into the closet, quickly changing a T-shirt before a meeting with a teacher, or something similar.
A fireplace next to the TV wall is definitely less disturbing than having a fireplace just 1 meter (3 feet) away from the dining seat. That spot gets hot, and the armchair in my plan can be moved a bit away.
The utility room is small, but reasonably usable.
Also, think about storage in the upper floor. I’m referring to things like bedding for everyone, towels, suitcases, bags, and so on.
kaho674 schrieb:
Dressing room in an inconvenient location, because you have to pass by the person sleeping and wake them up every time.
you replied
Patkia schrieb:
We talked about that and already don’t see it as an issue. The only current problem is the lighting, which we will solve by using a door WITHOUT glass (unlike we have now)
Uh ... which lighting? Light in the dressing room?
But apart from that, I find having the dressing room first and then the bedroom more practical, especially for daily tasks like putting washed laundry back into the closet, quickly changing a T-shirt before a meeting with a teacher, or something similar.
A fireplace next to the TV wall is definitely less disturbing than having a fireplace just 1 meter (3 feet) away from the dining seat. That spot gets hot, and the armchair in my plan can be moved a bit away.
The utility room is small, but reasonably usable.
Also, think about storage in the upper floor. I’m referring to things like bedding for everyone, towels, suitcases, bags, and so on.
kaho674 schrieb:
When I see all those little rooms and then remember the maximum 240 grand again...
What exactly did the general contractor promise you? That the price wouldn’t change with the same floor area? You mean like "all-you-can-eat interior walls"? *grin*
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