ᐅ Layout ideas for a modern single-family home of approximately 1,600 sq ft, without a basement

Hello everyone,

we have just purchased a plot of land and are now in the planning phase of our house. Currently, we are in contact with a regional prefabricated house builder (timber frame) whom we met at a home show. We have already visited them and had the initial consultation. However, since we are not yet certain about the construction method (timber frame or solid construction), we will meet with a general contractor next week. At the moment, I see slight advantages in the timber frame option (larger living area with the same footprint, standard wall already meets KfW 40, easier to implement own work).

For our floor plan design, I used several sources, but unfortunately, we are still not satisfied with it.


Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size 760m² (approx. 8,200 sq ft)
Slope no
Floor area ratio 0.3 (not respected by previous buildings)
Floor space index 0.6 (not respected by previous buildings)
Building envelope, building line and boundaries see attachment
Edge development yes, garage
Number of parking spaces two per plot, minimum 5m (16 ft) in front of the garage
Number of stories knee wall max. 0.50m (1.6 ft) (not respected by previous buildings)
Roof type gable roof 30-38°, hipped roof, mono-pitched/flat roof 25%
Style ---
Orientation ---
Maximum heights/limits ---
Additional requirements natural red bricks

Homeowners’ Requirements
We are a small family, two adults aged 41 and one child aged 6. Our family planning is complete.
We would like a single-family house with two full floors, no basement, a double garage, and a storage room as a basement substitute.
The roof type is of secondary importance; it should simply fit well with the house and surroundings.
In the residential area, there are some hipped roofs and many gable roofs with slopes between 25-40°.
The architecture should be modern, bright, and have an open living/dining/kitchen area.
Since we only have one child, we want to set up a bedroom and a play/living room for the child on the upper floor.


Style, roof type, building type
modern, gable roof 20-25° with knee wall 1.80-2.20m (6-7 ft) or hipped roof, mono-pitched roof, flat roof
large windows for plenty of daylight, including external blinds (raffstores) for shading

Basement, floors
no basement, two full stories

Number of occupants, ages
2 adults (41 years) and 1 child (6 years)

Space requirements on ground and upper floor
total living area 150-160m² (1,615-1,720 sq ft)

Office: family use or home office?
office on ground floor, which could later be converted into a bedroom or used as a guest room

Guests per year
none planned

Open or closed architecture
open

Conservative or modern construction style
modern

Open kitchen, kitchen island
yes, yes

Number of dining seats
dining table to seat 6-8 people

Fireplace
no

Music/sound wall
if possible, multiroom audio system

Balcony, roof terrace
no

Garage, carport
double garage + storage room as basement substitute

Utility garden, greenhouse
low-maintenance garden with lawn and irrigation system, possibly raised beds

Additional wishes/special features:
photovoltaic system including battery storage, KNX smart home system

House design
Source of the floor plan:
- Builder’s planner
no
- Architect
no
- DIY
yes, ideas gathered from internet and magazines

What do you particularly like? Why?
vestibule to keep dirt out of the hallway,
dry access from garage to house,
spacious kitchen

What do you dislike? Why?
general appearance, could be a bit more modern, window layout not convincing yet

Estimated price according to architect/planner:
400,000 Euro (house KfW 40+ including double garage)

Personal total price limit:
520,000 Euro including land (65,000 Euro), outdoor area, kitchen, furnishings

Preferred heating system:
air source heat pump

If you had to give up something, which features or expansions
-can you give up:
smart home system and battery storage
-can’t give up:
two full stories, double garage, open modern design

Why is the design as it is?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines...
We wanted to make the most of the plot. We basically wanted the terrace facing southwest, but unfortunately the street is there, and I don’t want to be on full display. Also, the west side faces the weather with a lot of wind.

What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
- good utilization of the plot (little free space on north and east sides)
- washing machine and dryer should still be in the utility room
- entrance should not be on the side but at the front with a small canopy towards the garage

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of the design and what could be done differently?
Should we rather plan a half-landing staircase?
Maybe raise the knee wall to 2.20m (7 ft) and have floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs?
Is the bathroom upstairs too large?
How large should the utility room be if it includes washing machine and dryer?
Is it allowed to build a utility room on the property boundary with the neighbor?
Where else could I possibly add a storage room as a basement substitute? I thought about extending the paved area behind the garage or a pitched roof on the garage?
If the entrance is moved to the front, I could imagine placing the pantry to the right of the vestibule. That would have the advantage of having more space in the kitchen.

We would be very grateful for any ideas or constructive criticism.

Alright, I’ll get the ball rolling.

Personally, I really like the basic concept of the floor plan, but in my opinion, there are a few weak points.

- The straight staircase is limiting you. I like straight staircases, but if it’s not a must-have for you, that’s the first thing I would reconsider, as it probably offers the most potential for improvement.

- The hallway area is roughly 30 square meters (approx. 323 square feet), including the vestibule, which is quite a lot. Mostly due to the straight staircase, but you could probably reduce it a bit.

- Where is the cloakroom going to be?

- I like the kitchen idea; it’s not as boring as a narrow galley type. But since you’ve separated the pantry from that space, it becomes less practical. The island isn’t really an island but more of a bump. What size is it supposed to be? 1.20 meters (4 feet)? If you don’t go with a 60 cm (24 inch) cooktop but rather a wider one, often about 80 cm (31 inches) with a downdraft extractor or similar, there won’t be much leftover space. Would it be an option to eliminate the pantry and simply include the three tall cabinets shown there as part of the kitchen? That would give you much more flexibility.

- On the upper floor, the rooms are narrow due to the straight staircase. Is the 2.90 meters (9 feet 6 inches) a rough construction measurement? Some space will be taken up, so then think about a 2-meter (6 feet 6 inch) bed plus frame/headboard. That’s already tight. Depending on the roof pitch and knee wall height, the rooms upstairs may feel small because of the sloping ceiling. Of course, that’s a matter of taste.

- Storage won’t be great in the attic either. That would be too little for me throughout the whole house, but there are minimalists. You might still fit something under the stairs.

- If your family planning is really complete, does your child actually need a second living or playroom?

Summary:

Overall, I like the floor plan, and I think it could work well with some optimization. Even if the house might be about 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) too narrow for a straight staircase. I just wonder if it truly fits you and your requirements?

You lack storage/space for coats, have too much hallway, and one room too many!?

In my opinion, you can either try to get more out of the current design or—as you suggested—try a different staircase and use what you have too much of to create a proper cloakroom, maybe a larger room upstairs for your child, and instead add a utility room on the upper floor with some extra storage.

I don’t think the approach is bad, but I agree with many points mentioned by the previous commenter. Especially the pantry is a problem for me. It’s basically the entrance to the kitchen, which isn’t ideal. When guests arrive, they have to walk through the storage room to get to the person cooking. No one is going to go around the outside first.

The children’s room and guest room have an awkward shape. The bathroom is too large. There would definitely be space for a utility room.

I would just say it’s close, but please try again.

Thank you for your suggestions!
I will spend the next few days making some changes to the floor plan.
We hadn’t planned a separate cloakroom. We wanted to store wet shoes and jackets in the vestibule, and my wife would like a built-in closet under the stairs for the other items.
I had also considered extending the pantry to the right, next to the vestibule. This would have the advantage of allowing for a larger kitchen island. That way, the straight staircase could be moved closer to the vestibule, slightly reducing the hallway space.
Regarding the attic, I had completely forgotten that we want an open roof structure, so the attic space issue is off the table.
I will start experimenting with these ideas.

Thorsten78 schrieb:

We didn’t plan for a dedicated cloakroom.

This didn’t mean a separate room. Whether it’s a built-in closet or something else, you need somewhere for jackets, shoes, etc., and you should plan for this from the start. Trying to use some leftover corner usually doesn’t work. It’s best to include the closet in the design right away (or have it designed).

Thorsten78 schrieb:

I was also considering adding the pantry to the right of the entrance vestibule. This would have the advantage of allowing for a larger kitchen island. As a result, the straight staircase could be moved further toward the entrance, slightly reducing the hallway space.

If the budget allows, you could solve several issues at once. I’m very much in favor of this and it would open up quite different possibilities upstairs.

Thorsten78 schrieb:

Regarding the attic, I completely forgot that we want an open roof structure. So the idea of using the attic as storage is off the table.
I’ll have to get creative.

Then you definitely need to think about storage space! You do have floor area available upstairs.

I really don’t like the kitchen at all—especially the narrow corridor leading to the dining room. I’m a big fan of walk-in pantries, but I wouldn’t want the one shown here. Placing it to the right of the entrance could be an idea. Could the ground floor kitchen be extended to make it wider—about as wide as the terrace?

Well, that’s coming from someone who believes the kitchen can never be big enough... but that would give you many more options.

Or, to soften the effect of the mentioned “corridor,” maybe remove the corner of the terrace that protrudes into the kitchen—up to the terrace door—and then set the ground floor back from there?

On the upper floor: please have access to the bedroom through the walk-in closet. I don’t think the bathroom is too large, but if (since the bedroom door would be removed) you take a few centimeters from the bedroom, you could create space between the bathroom and bedroom for a small utility room, so the washer and dryer wouldn’t have to be in the bathroom.

Overall: are you sure you want the bedroom on the west side? You’re not planning for guests or more children, so why such a large room upstairs? The office is downstairs—will that room just stand empty because you have two rooms combined with the bedroom upstairs?

I would consider giving my child a small extra bathroom or possibly a two-room solution—meaning no large bedroom, but a small bathroom and a child’s room. That might not be important right now, but when the child is older, it’s great! And there would be space for it.

Storage is a key issue, and that has already been mentioned. Are you such minimalists that you don’t want any?

Overall, I don’t find the concept quite fitting for your situation.