ᐅ Layout ideas for a modern single-family home of approximately 1,600 sq ft, without a basement
Created on: 26 Jun 2019 20:55
T
Thorsten78
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.
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.
11ant schrieb:
I once asked the original poster there where their wall thickness came from (their software includes plaster thickness), Your wall thicknesses don’t really matter in preliminary amateur designs, since they won’t be built based on those anyway. Only after the professional implements the project can you judge, and even then it depends on the drafting designer and which contractor they are drawing for. In that sense: just consider the drawing as a sketch. Amateurs often just use software sketches.
ypg schrieb:
Your wall thicknesses don’t matter at all in rough drafts by laypersons, That’s not the point here. I mentioned it hoping to help someone recall which thread I might have meant – I couldn’t find it by searching, even though it still has a relatively recent post (originally from last year, if I remember correctly). If I had found it, I would have linked it here so the current original poster could compare their design with its counterpart.
By the way, wall thickness only “doesn’t matter” when given as a general figure (e.g., 40cm (16 inches)); specific wall thicknesses (e.g., 29cm (11.5 inches) or 33.5cm (13 inches)) indicate that someone has a particular wall construction or building material in mind. Even I wouldn’t go to the trouble of asking such detailed questions just for fun or overly precise nitpicking.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
T
Thorsten7818 Jul 2019 06:56Thank you for your comments regarding the wall thicknesses. Initially, we were considering a timber frame construction. The building company we might work with is planning 36 exterior walls and 11 interior walls. So, for the purpose of planning, I simply based my calculations on these two numbers.
However, since we are now also considering solid construction, this could of course still change.
I am creating the 3-D sketches just to get a better spatial understanding. As a complete layperson, this is necessary for me.
Of course, it would be great if someone could remember the "twin plan." I would very much like to read through that thread. Thank you.
However, since we are now also considering solid construction, this could of course still change.
I am creating the 3-D sketches just to get a better spatial understanding. As a complete layperson, this is necessary for me.
Of course, it would be great if someone could remember the "twin plan." I would very much like to read through that thread. Thank you.
11ant schrieb:
That is not the issue here.You mention the ones in question in nearly every amateur design.
Thorsten78 schrieb:
Thank you for your comments regarding the wall thicknesses.At least from my side, it was mainly a hope that someone reading along might remember this situation and be able to provide a helpful hint about where to find the thread in question.ypg schrieb:
You mention those in almost every amateur draft.No. If it says 40 cm (15.7 inches), I don’t question it, and I even recommend generally assuming 40 cm (15.7 inches) for exterior walls and initially considering all interior walls as load-bearing during the sketch phase, until proven otherwise, because it’s easier to make walls slimmer than thicker. Even when the drawing clearly shows cavity walls, it usually makes sense to me. Only if the original poster specifies a particular “unusual” wall thickness not common in the German market do I ask about it. Occasionally, the market in Austria and Switzerland uses different masonry formats, or there might be a special building material involved (such as formwork blocks, etc.). I also like to point out possible “botched details” early on when they can already be anticipated in the plan.Thorsten78 schrieb:
Of course, it would be great if someone could remember the “twin plan.” I would really like to read through that thread. Thanks.I will keep looking. However, the search function and my screenshot archive did not help me yesterday despite over an hour of searching, including assistance from Google with reverse image search. But I’m quite sure it was here, not in the green forum.Thorsten78 schrieb:
I plan the 3D sketches mainly to get a better spatial understanding. For me, as a complete layperson, this is necessary.Unfortunately, it often only seems to improve the spatial perception—especially with headroom below stairs and roof slopes, it does not reliably prevent a plan from turning out like a tribute to M. C. Escher. You often see your house from impossible perspectives, for example as if the house opposite had been demolished and you were standing behind it on the garage of that house. This effect frequently means that uncertainties about a pleasing roof pitch cannot be resolved this way. Also, textures in affordable 3D models are simulated only very roughly.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
I am happy to keep searching, but the search function and my screenshot archive didn’t help me for over an hour yesterday, even with Google’s reverse image search. However, I’m sure it was here, not in the green forum. There was a recent discussion where the OP removed their images because they weren’t well received. Maybe that was them?