ᐅ Single-family house floor plan with a distant view – Do you notice any design flaws?

Hello dear forum visitors and experts,

after countless plans, we now have a final version which I kindly ask you to review for any design errors. Nothing is set in stone yet, and I am very happy to hear your comments.
- The ground floor (GF) looks very good to us. Unfortunately, the first floor (FF) is not quite there yet.
- Important: roof slopes are not yet accounted for in the software.
- Dimensions in the floor plan are in meters.

The main questions are as follows:

• Does the floor plan contain any major design errors?
• Is the main entrance well positioned? (currently planned on the east side)
• Is the staircase sensible? (we have also seen good floor plans with a central staircase)
• Is there perhaps a trick to gain a bit more knee wall height for the first floor without sacrificing a ceiling height of approximately 2.60m (8 ft 6 in) on the ground floor? Do you think 2.60m is excessive? We mostly spend time on the ground floor in the dining and living areas.
• The first floor study room is too large. Bedroom is somewhat too small, bathroom a bit too small, storage room feels somewhat “in the way.”

Attached are hopefully all relevant details about the floor plan/plot as well as the development plan.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 520 m² (5600 sq ft)
Slope: none
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.25
Floor space index (FSI): 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 12 x 10 m (39 x 33 ft) perimeter development
Number of parking spaces: 2 cars
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: gable roof, 38–42 degrees
Architectural style: modern with large glass fronts
Orientation: length of the building east-west
Maximum height / limits: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) exterior wall height (insulation above rafters)
Additional requirements: Building footprint ratio 1.0 m width to 1.2 m length

Owners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern, large glass fronts, gable roof
Basement, floors: basement planned, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 persons, 31 & 32 years old
Space requirements GF / FF: large open living area, family use or home office? Home office desired on the first floor
Guest overnight stays per year: few
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern, not a KFW house
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen with large sliding door, kitchen island would be “nice to have” but not essential
Number of dining places: 1
Fireplace: yes, a MUST!
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no, no
Garage, carport: doesn’t matter, for 2 vehicles
Utility garden, greenhouse: utility garden
Special features: very sunny location, distant view to the north side

House design
Who designed the plan: layperson (ourselves) – DIY

What do you particularly like? Why? Ground floor, large and open living area including fireplace
What do you dislike? Why? Little storage space on the ground floor, low knee wall on the first floor
Price estimate according to architect/planner: not yet available, but should fit within our budget
Personal price limit for house including equipment: 520,000 + 100,000 basement
Preferred heating technology: no connections, therefore external energy supply

If you had to give up something, which details or expansions?
-can you give up: house entrance location, basement, other
-can you not give up: high door frames, fireplace, large window fronts (on the north & west sides on the ground floor), open living area, bedroom on the northwest side

Why is the design as it is now?

What do you consider especially good or bad about it?
Good: open living area (ground floor)
Bad: feels like too little storage on the ground floor, no pantry

What do you expect from the separate hallway/staircase?
The staircase area might become a bit tight because of the roof pitch.
I would simply turn the stair approaches toward the foyer...
Basically, I would probably rotate the house, with the garden facing west... I have a bit of a problem with the site plan: could you mark the cardinal directions on it?

I’m wondering about the same thing: why does your floor plan have the entrance coming from the south (street side)? Is the access from that direction?

Personally, I prefer to have the garden facing south, like 90% of people do.

For that budget, the house is way too small—you can get something really good! At least 170 square meters (1,830 square feet) plus a basement. The ground floor feels really cramped, there’s no pantry, and the guest toilet is so small you can’t even turn around in it.

Please don’t try to create floor plans yourself; that usually doesn’t work out. First, have a proper plan drawn up, and then you can build on and improve that.

Who exactly is going to be working in the kitchen? In my opinion, it feels like a bit of wasted space. The available length for kitchen cabinets is quite limited... And yes, there is generally a lack of storage space. Not even enough room for a wardrobe closet, just a few hooks. And what about the shoes?
With the sloped ceiling, the staircase and the bathroom feel cramped. I hope the basement serves a useful purpose for you?
I don’t think you need more space upstairs. Without a children’s room, you should be able to manage with a low knee wall height up there. However, the floor plan needs to work, and it doesn’t in this case.

Bauhamster schrieb:
Is there perhaps a trick to gain a bit more knee wall height for the first floor without reducing the ceiling height of about 2.60m (8 ft 6 in) on the ground floor?

No. If the zoning plan permits, you can design with generous dormer windows or cross gables.

Bauhamster schrieb:
Do you think 2.60m (8 ft 6 in) is excessive?

No, not excessive. But if you lose 10cm (4 inches) on the upper floor, then it might be acceptable.

I can hardly believe that the building allowance for the garage is only 5m (16 ft 5 in) deep. If that is correct, unfortunately your garage won’t fit.

ypg schrieb:

Basically, I would probably rotate the house, with the garden facing west... I have a bit of an issue with the site plan: could you please mark the cardinal directions on it?