ᐅ Floor plan of an urban villa with a hip roof, approximately 170 square meters
Created on: 18 May 2019 15:35
D
Danvane
Hello everyone,
My wife and I have been considering building a house for quite some time now. As a result, I have been reading this forum for a while. First of all, thank you very much for your many helpful tips, which have already helped us tremendously. Many compliments to the numerous users who actively participate here and share their knowledge with others.
Now the time has come for us as well. We have purchased a plot of land in Lower Saxony and are currently working with an architect to develop an optimal floor plan for us.
We have now received a draft, which we think could still be improved in some areas. For this reason, I have decided to share the floor plan here for discussion and hope to get some suggestions or ideas on what we can improve. Perhaps you will also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday use.
Note: The subdivision plan showing the plot (green cross) is oriented to north.
I look forward to any feedback! Here is the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 583 sqm
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Plot coverage ratio (site occupancy): no requirement
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries:
The plot is 22 m wide and 24.8 m to 26.5 m deep depending on the side. The house should ideally extend more in width than in depth to leave as much garden space as possible on the southwest side. Maximum house width: 22 m (plot width) – 6 m (width of double carport) – 3 m (building boundary where the carport is not located) = 13 m. As for depth, depending on the layout, we are considering between 9 m and a maximum of 11 m.
Setback/building margin: 3 m
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: one full floor
Roof pitch: minimum 15 degrees
Architectural style: no requirement
Orientation: no requirement
Maximum height/limitations: no requirement
Homeowners' requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type:
Preferred style: townhouse villa with only one full floor (ground floor) and a hip roof on the upper floor; the upper floor may only cover 2/3 of the ground floor area to meet the full-floor condition; whether the ground floor has a projection on two sides or a symmetrical projection on all four sides is initially not decisive and should result from the floor plan; the ground floor projection should be covered with a roof like the upper floor — no balconies or similar.
Basement, floors:
No basement, ground floor is full floor + upper floor as a recessed floor with a maximum of 2/3 of the ground floor area
Number of occupants, ages:
3 people aged 30 (female), 29 (male), and 8 months (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: living/dining/kitchen as one room, utility room, guest WC with shower, office/guest room, entrance hallway with wardrobe
Upper floor: bedroom, dressing room, 2 x children’s rooms, gallery (hallway)
Office: family use or home office:
Primarily home office, but must also provide sleeping space for guests; in younger years, possibly used as a playroom for children on the ground floor
Number of overnight guests per year: <5
Open or closed architecture:
Open concept in the main living area on the ground floor; however, the staircase to the upper floor should be closed off — in other words, we definitely do not want a staircase in the main living space leading upstairs (although stylish, it is not ideal with children’s rooms upstairs)
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6 with option for up to 12 (for visitors, etc.)
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no, only a sideboard or similar for TV
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport:
Double carport with storage room (6 m x 9 m) on the northeast side of the plot at the building boundary
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
It is important for us to have a generous wardrobe near the front door that allows jackets, shoes, etc., to be dropped off immediately upon entering the house — this keeps dirt from spreading further inside and prevents tripping over shoes, bags, etc., all the time.
House design
Planning by:
The design was created by an architect.
What do you particularly like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Preferred heating system: gas
If you have to do without, which details/extras can you live without / which can you not live without?
Basically, we would very reluctantly deviate from the presented architectural style (“concealed” townhouse villa).
Why did the design turn out the way it is now?
Our wish was a house without sloped ceilings on the upper floor, which of course has to comply with the development plan. Accordingly, the architect designed a form of townhouse villa with a sufficiently large projection on the ground floor as the basic concept. Regarding the room program, it’s probably standard for a house of this size, and we have no special demands in this regard. Some ideas, like connecting the office to the main living area, also came from this forum. In particular, the floor plans by kaho674 have always been very inspiring for new ideas (many thanks for that!).
What is the main/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
We are looking for ideas on how to improve the floor plan and better tailor it to our requirements (e.g., room orientation upstairs, see generally “dislikes”) without increasing the house’s footprint.
My wife and I have been considering building a house for quite some time now. As a result, I have been reading this forum for a while. First of all, thank you very much for your many helpful tips, which have already helped us tremendously. Many compliments to the numerous users who actively participate here and share their knowledge with others.
Now the time has come for us as well. We have purchased a plot of land in Lower Saxony and are currently working with an architect to develop an optimal floor plan for us.
We have now received a draft, which we think could still be improved in some areas. For this reason, I have decided to share the floor plan here for discussion and hope to get some suggestions or ideas on what we can improve. Perhaps you will also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday use.
Note: The subdivision plan showing the plot (green cross) is oriented to north.
I look forward to any feedback! Here is the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 583 sqm
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Plot coverage ratio (site occupancy): no requirement
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries:
The plot is 22 m wide and 24.8 m to 26.5 m deep depending on the side. The house should ideally extend more in width than in depth to leave as much garden space as possible on the southwest side. Maximum house width: 22 m (plot width) – 6 m (width of double carport) – 3 m (building boundary where the carport is not located) = 13 m. As for depth, depending on the layout, we are considering between 9 m and a maximum of 11 m.
Setback/building margin: 3 m
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: one full floor
Roof pitch: minimum 15 degrees
Architectural style: no requirement
Orientation: no requirement
Maximum height/limitations: no requirement
Homeowners' requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type:
Preferred style: townhouse villa with only one full floor (ground floor) and a hip roof on the upper floor; the upper floor may only cover 2/3 of the ground floor area to meet the full-floor condition; whether the ground floor has a projection on two sides or a symmetrical projection on all four sides is initially not decisive and should result from the floor plan; the ground floor projection should be covered with a roof like the upper floor — no balconies or similar.
Basement, floors:
No basement, ground floor is full floor + upper floor as a recessed floor with a maximum of 2/3 of the ground floor area
Number of occupants, ages:
3 people aged 30 (female), 29 (male), and 8 months (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: living/dining/kitchen as one room, utility room, guest WC with shower, office/guest room, entrance hallway with wardrobe
Upper floor: bedroom, dressing room, 2 x children’s rooms, gallery (hallway)
Office: family use or home office:
Primarily home office, but must also provide sleeping space for guests; in younger years, possibly used as a playroom for children on the ground floor
Number of overnight guests per year: <5
Open or closed architecture:
Open concept in the main living area on the ground floor; however, the staircase to the upper floor should be closed off — in other words, we definitely do not want a staircase in the main living space leading upstairs (although stylish, it is not ideal with children’s rooms upstairs)
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6 with option for up to 12 (for visitors, etc.)
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no, only a sideboard or similar for TV
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport:
Double carport with storage room (6 m x 9 m) on the northeast side of the plot at the building boundary
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
It is important for us to have a generous wardrobe near the front door that allows jackets, shoes, etc., to be dropped off immediately upon entering the house — this keeps dirt from spreading further inside and prevents tripping over shoes, bags, etc., all the time.
House design
Planning by:
The design was created by an architect.
What do you particularly like? Why?
- The entrance hall does not feel narrow but opens comparatively wide
- The wardrobe provides enough space to store jackets, shoes, etc.
- Connection between kitchen and utility room
- Connection between living area and office — the office is not isolated but integrated into the main living area (also usable as a play area for children, for example)
What do you dislike? Why?
- Staircase located in the “dirty” area is not optimal
- Utility room only accessible through the kitchen — potentially inconvenient in everyday life
- Kitchen might be difficult to furnish (storage space issue)
- The entire upper floor needs improvement:
- Both children’s rooms should face southwest with a view of the garden
- Bedroom should be in the north / east
- Dressing room is integrated as requested but is not really usable due to its size
- Bathroom on the upper floor is not connected to the bathroom on the ground floor — probably not ideal
Preferred heating system: gas
If you have to do without, which details/extras can you live without / which can you not live without?
Basically, we would very reluctantly deviate from the presented architectural style (“concealed” townhouse villa).
Why did the design turn out the way it is now?
Our wish was a house without sloped ceilings on the upper floor, which of course has to comply with the development plan. Accordingly, the architect designed a form of townhouse villa with a sufficiently large projection on the ground floor as the basic concept. Regarding the room program, it’s probably standard for a house of this size, and we have no special demands in this regard. Some ideas, like connecting the office to the main living area, also came from this forum. In particular, the floor plans by kaho674 have always been very inspiring for new ideas (many thanks for that!).
What is the main/basic question about the floor plan summed up in 130 characters?
We are looking for ideas on how to improve the floor plan and better tailor it to our requirements (e.g., room orientation upstairs, see generally “dislikes”) without increasing the house’s footprint.
I think it’s quite good. However, I wonder if it might be better to flip the north and south sides and possibly swap the locations of the guest room and the utility room. At the moment, you’re mostly blocking the sun from the terrace. You won’t really get any morning sun there for breakfast. (I’m exaggerating, of course.) Considering climate change, that might actually be an advantage. Maybe I need to rethink this myself – we’re definitely noticing it again right now. It’s up to you, of course.
In any case, I would definitely bring the carport closer to the street. Enclosing the terrace like that just creates a cramped feeling.
How wide is your bedroom now? Unfortunately, I can’t read the measurements. For reference, 3.60m (12 feet) is a good guideline so that a 2m (6 ft 6 in) bed fits comfortably with about 80cm (32 inches) of walking space on each side. It looks tight. If necessary, it might be better to rotate it and move the windows.
Well, ultimately I would be interested in the actual elevations. Sending a different, nicer elevation than the floor plan is, to me, almost deceptive.
In any case, I would definitely bring the carport closer to the street. Enclosing the terrace like that just creates a cramped feeling.
How wide is your bedroom now? Unfortunately, I can’t read the measurements. For reference, 3.60m (12 feet) is a good guideline so that a 2m (6 ft 6 in) bed fits comfortably with about 80cm (32 inches) of walking space on each side. It looks tight. If necessary, it might be better to rotate it and move the windows.
Well, ultimately I would be interested in the actual elevations. Sending a different, nicer elevation than the floor plan is, to me, almost deceptive.
@kaho674
Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
1. Bedroom:
The width is 3.13 meters (10.3 feet). The other way around, it would be 3.76 meters (12.3 feet), and then, as you mentioned, the window would be placed on the other wall, which might negatively affect the front appearance. We initially planned it that way, but it didn’t look as nice from the front.
2. Elevations
I’ve asked again for the matching floor plan for the four-window elevation on the ground floor. I hope to receive it today so I can share the floor plan afterward.
3. Carport
The carport is currently 5 meters (16.4 feet) away from the street, allowing a guest car to park comfortably. I’m still undecided whether the narrowing of the terrace is a disadvantage or actually beneficial (regarding privacy screening).
4. North-South Mirroring
At the moment, the sun is perpendicular to the terrace around 4 p.m. Honestly, I’m also uncertain about this. Intuitively, placing the utility room, hallway, carport, and WC to the north or east made sense to us. The rest then evolved a bit because we wanted to position the living room slightly into the “niche” of the extension, so the kitchen ended up in the northwest.
Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
1. Bedroom:
The width is 3.13 meters (10.3 feet). The other way around, it would be 3.76 meters (12.3 feet), and then, as you mentioned, the window would be placed on the other wall, which might negatively affect the front appearance. We initially planned it that way, but it didn’t look as nice from the front.
2. Elevations
I’ve asked again for the matching floor plan for the four-window elevation on the ground floor. I hope to receive it today so I can share the floor plan afterward.
3. Carport
The carport is currently 5 meters (16.4 feet) away from the street, allowing a guest car to park comfortably. I’m still undecided whether the narrowing of the terrace is a disadvantage or actually beneficial (regarding privacy screening).
4. North-South Mirroring
At the moment, the sun is perpendicular to the terrace around 4 p.m. Honestly, I’m also uncertain about this. Intuitively, placing the utility room, hallway, carport, and WC to the north or east made sense to us. The rest then evolved a bit because we wanted to position the living room slightly into the “niche” of the extension, so the kitchen ended up in the northwest.
I actually find it quite bold to send a view that does not match the floor plan. Why is something like this done?
Over the weekend, I visited a new build. The bedroom there also had a width of 3.20 m (10.5 ft). And that is really tight. The suggestion from khao674 is actually the right one in this regard.
Over the weekend, I visited a new build. The bedroom there also had a width of 3.20 m (10.5 ft). And that is really tight. The suggestion from khao674 is actually the right one in this regard.
@Muc1985
Thank you for your feedback! We probably need to reconsider the bedroom layout (our bed is only 1.8 meters wide [5 feet 11 inches], not 2 meters [6 feet 7 inches]), although this would actually come at the expense of the front elevation, in our opinion.
I don’t want to suggest any intention behind sending the wrong floor plan for review (or vice versa). Initially, we had the design with two windows on the ground floor. After our feedback, the architect increased this to four. Maybe she simply took the wrong floor plan from the folder, as both should be stored there.
I have also attached a kind of site plan to put the house back into the context of the plot (the terrace is now 6 meters wide [20 feet], but that probably isn’t crucial now).
Thank you for your feedback! We probably need to reconsider the bedroom layout (our bed is only 1.8 meters wide [5 feet 11 inches], not 2 meters [6 feet 7 inches]), although this would actually come at the expense of the front elevation, in our opinion.
I don’t want to suggest any intention behind sending the wrong floor plan for review (or vice versa). Initially, we had the design with two windows on the ground floor. After our feedback, the architect increased this to four. Maybe she simply took the wrong floor plan from the folder, as both should be stored there.
I have also attached a kind of site plan to put the house back into the context of the plot (the terrace is now 6 meters wide [20 feet], but that probably isn’t crucial now).
Danvane schrieb:
The width is 3.13 meters (10.3 feet). Well, it seems you have already given it some thought. Let me put it this way: when planning, you might think that 50cm (20 inches) beside the bed is no big deal, so you build it that way. Then, after 2 or 5 years, you get fed up and rotate the bed. Then it ends up under the window.
Danvane schrieb:
2. Elevations
I asked again for the matching floor plan to the four-window elevation on the ground floor. What would be more interesting right now are the elevations of that floor plan, don’t you think?
Danvane schrieb:
The carport is currently 5 meters (16.4 feet) away from the street, so there is still room for a car (guest) to park comfortably. Oh, I wasn’t aware it was that tight.
Danvane schrieb:
I’m still unsure whether the “narrowing” of the terrace is disadvantageous or rather beneficial (regarding privacy screening). A privacy screen is mainly there so you don’t see anything. Usually, you put a privacy screen at the fence—ideally in the form of a bird-friendly hedge. You could also build an insect house or a lizard habitat with herbs planted on it, or many other options... Seriously, when you step onto your terrace, you want to escape the tightness of the indoor spaces and let your gaze wander. A cozy corner is nice, but having one side to snuggle up to is enough. Being walled in on both sides gives a row-house feeling.
Danvane schrieb:
4. North-South mirroring
Currently, the sun is perpendicular to the terrace at 4 pm. Honestly, I’m unsure about this. Intuitively, it seemed logical to us to place the utility room, hallway, carport, and toilet on the north or east side. The rest sort of fell into place because we wanted to tuck the living room into the “niche” of the extension, which left the kitchen in the northwest. Sorry, I can’t quite follow these considerations right away—at least not based on the floor plan. The toilet, for example, ended up in the south?
Just quickly mirrored so there’s no confusion about what is meant:
The room sizes for the utility room and guest room would still need some adjustment. For now, it’s only about the positioning. Mirroring would also have the advantage on the upper floor (at least, that’s my view given the heat) that the bedroom is located on the cool north side.
The wardrobe is quite unusual. Was that your specific wish?
@kaho674
1. Bedroom
The bed was moved to the opposite wall mainly because of the front elevation, which we feel benefits from this window. Maybe there’s a better solution yet.
2. Front Elevation
I’ve attached the elevation with the two windows. It works for the ground floor (GF) but not for the upper floor (UF)! I hope this doesn’t cause confusion and you still understand the intention. Use the elevation from this post for the GF, and the one from yesterday’s post for the UF.
3. View from the Terrace
That sounds reasonable, but I’m still a bit concerned about the carport’s position. Moving it further forward wouldn’t be ideal, and placing it further back doesn’t make sense either due to the long driveway and loss of garden space.
4. Mirroring the Floor Plan
That definitely makes sense, except the carport would then be nicely exposed to the south. As mentioned in point 3, I’m still a bit concerned about the carport’s location. Also, the current room sizes for the utility room and office/guest room are very good in our opinion. Those would need adjustment if we mirror the plan. Having the bedroom in the north would be ideal, although you would probably still get some evening sun from the northwest.
5. Cloakroom
No, this was the architect’s idea. The two recesses can be used, and the 2-meter (6.5 feet) long wall might work well for hooks or possibly a wardrobe. But we are open to suggestions.
1. Bedroom
The bed was moved to the opposite wall mainly because of the front elevation, which we feel benefits from this window. Maybe there’s a better solution yet.
2. Front Elevation
I’ve attached the elevation with the two windows. It works for the ground floor (GF) but not for the upper floor (UF)! I hope this doesn’t cause confusion and you still understand the intention. Use the elevation from this post for the GF, and the one from yesterday’s post for the UF.
3. View from the Terrace
That sounds reasonable, but I’m still a bit concerned about the carport’s position. Moving it further forward wouldn’t be ideal, and placing it further back doesn’t make sense either due to the long driveway and loss of garden space.
4. Mirroring the Floor Plan
That definitely makes sense, except the carport would then be nicely exposed to the south. As mentioned in point 3, I’m still a bit concerned about the carport’s location. Also, the current room sizes for the utility room and office/guest room are very good in our opinion. Those would need adjustment if we mirror the plan. Having the bedroom in the north would be ideal, although you would probably still get some evening sun from the northwest.
5. Cloakroom
No, this was the architect’s idea. The two recesses can be used, and the 2-meter (6.5 feet) long wall might work well for hooks or possibly a wardrobe. But we are open to suggestions.
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