ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization / Ground Floor Layout for a Semi-Detached House
Created on: 3 Oct 2019 16:53
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duke1085
Hello dear forum,
First of all: I am new here, so please forgive me if any information is missing; I can gladly provide it upon request. We are about to purchase a newly built semi-detached house (construction starting next year) and would appreciate your tips and comments. I have tried to follow the guide, but I think in my case it would go beyond the scope, as I am only interested in a detailed optimization of the ground floor rather than a complete redesign of the floor plan.
In my opinion, the relevant information is as follows:
Client Requirements
Style, roof design, building type – Modern, pitched roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors – No basement / 2 floors
Number of occupants, age – 2 x 35 years + eventually 1–2 children
Open or closed architecture – open
Conservative or modern construction – modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – An eat-in kitchen with a U-shaped kitchen or kitchen island
Number of dining seats – 4–6
Fireplace – no
Music/stereo wall – Yes, at least 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) wide
Balcony, roof terrace – Balcony may still be planned
Garage, carport – Yes
Utility garden, greenhouse – Garden as per floor plan
House Design
Designed by:
- Planner from a building company
What do you dislike? Why? Living room too small, layout difficult due to current furniture
What is the key/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The house will be built on a relatively small plot (210 m² (2260 sq.ft)). Therefore, the external dimensions are quite limited. Our main priority was a relatively large living/dining/kitchen area. However, this area is only about 41 m² (441 sq.ft) total here. We are quite satisfied with the layout of the other floors, so I have largely left those aside as mentioned above.
The following furniture should fit here:
A U-shaped kitchen or kitchen island (we currently have an island kitchen with the following dimensions:
Back kitchen wall 3 m (10 feet) wide / peninsula 2.10 m x 1.17 m (6 feet 10 inches x 3 feet 10 inches)
A dining table 2 m x 1 m (6 feet 6 inches x 3 feet 3 inches)
An L-shaped sofa 3 m x 1.90 m (10 feet x 6 feet 3 inches) on the longest side
A lowboard for TV / audio system about 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) wide
The following changes were considered:
Remove the partition wall between kitchen and living area
Replace 2 doors to kitchen and living room with one large glass door centered (1.60 m (5 feet 3 inches) wide)
Replace two 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) terrace doors with one large 5 m (16 feet 5 inches) sliding glass door
Increase clear ceiling height on the ground floor from 2.61 m to 2.70 m (8 feet 7 inches to 8 feet 10 inches)
Move washer/dryer to a storage room on the first floor
What do you think about the idea of integrating the staircase into the living room?
How would you integrate the kitchen into the space?
What options do you see to make the room appear larger, at least visually?
I’m aware that the possibilities are probably quite limited here but still look forward to your suggestions.
Best regards!
First of all: I am new here, so please forgive me if any information is missing; I can gladly provide it upon request. We are about to purchase a newly built semi-detached house (construction starting next year) and would appreciate your tips and comments. I have tried to follow the guide, but I think in my case it would go beyond the scope, as I am only interested in a detailed optimization of the ground floor rather than a complete redesign of the floor plan.
In my opinion, the relevant information is as follows:
Client Requirements
Style, roof design, building type – Modern, pitched roof, semi-detached house
Basement, floors – No basement / 2 floors
Number of occupants, age – 2 x 35 years + eventually 1–2 children
Open or closed architecture – open
Conservative or modern construction – modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – An eat-in kitchen with a U-shaped kitchen or kitchen island
Number of dining seats – 4–6
Fireplace – no
Music/stereo wall – Yes, at least 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) wide
Balcony, roof terrace – Balcony may still be planned
Garage, carport – Yes
Utility garden, greenhouse – Garden as per floor plan
House Design
Designed by:
- Planner from a building company
What do you dislike? Why? Living room too small, layout difficult due to current furniture
What is the key/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The house will be built on a relatively small plot (210 m² (2260 sq.ft)). Therefore, the external dimensions are quite limited. Our main priority was a relatively large living/dining/kitchen area. However, this area is only about 41 m² (441 sq.ft) total here. We are quite satisfied with the layout of the other floors, so I have largely left those aside as mentioned above.
The following furniture should fit here:
A U-shaped kitchen or kitchen island (we currently have an island kitchen with the following dimensions:
Back kitchen wall 3 m (10 feet) wide / peninsula 2.10 m x 1.17 m (6 feet 10 inches x 3 feet 10 inches)
A dining table 2 m x 1 m (6 feet 6 inches x 3 feet 3 inches)
An L-shaped sofa 3 m x 1.90 m (10 feet x 6 feet 3 inches) on the longest side
A lowboard for TV / audio system about 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) wide
The following changes were considered:
Remove the partition wall between kitchen and living area
Replace 2 doors to kitchen and living room with one large glass door centered (1.60 m (5 feet 3 inches) wide)
Replace two 2 m (6 feet 6 inches) terrace doors with one large 5 m (16 feet 5 inches) sliding glass door
Increase clear ceiling height on the ground floor from 2.61 m to 2.70 m (8 feet 7 inches to 8 feet 10 inches)
Move washer/dryer to a storage room on the first floor
What do you think about the idea of integrating the staircase into the living room?
How would you integrate the kitchen into the space?
What options do you see to make the room appear larger, at least visually?
I’m aware that the possibilities are probably quite limited here but still look forward to your suggestions.
Best regards!
duke1085 schrieb:
If there were only one parking space on the left side and the entrance was placed at the left corner, it should still fit, right?If the entrance isn’t at least in the middle of the house’s depth, it might as well be at the front, and everything stays the same as before.duke1085 schrieb:
Do you also see a way to design the whole thing as an island kitchen? Only with a lean-to roof:
(Staircase without a landing)
Of course, a good plan for wastewater disposal is necessary here. Maybe the doors to the living room could be reversed as well.
First of all, thank you very much for the designs and your willingness to help.
I find the layout much more open and spacious.
The upper floors are great as well.
However, I'm not sure if a 3-meter (10-foot) L-shaped sofa would still fit visually. Do we actually gain a lot of space compared to the developer’s standard design? If I didn’t miscalculate, it’s about +3 square meters (32 square feet). On the other hand, there is less storage space in the technical room for things like beverage crates. What do you think?
I find the layout much more open and spacious.
The upper floors are great as well.
However, I'm not sure if a 3-meter (10-foot) L-shaped sofa would still fit visually. Do we actually gain a lot of space compared to the developer’s standard design? If I didn’t miscalculate, it’s about +3 square meters (32 square feet). On the other hand, there is less storage space in the technical room for things like beverage crates. What do you think?
duke1085 schrieb:
What do you think? You need to decide the priorities yourself. I specifically added 40cm (16 inches) to the depth for you. Furniture is realistically planned with an 80cm (31 inches) cooking island and 2m (6.5 feet).
The 3m (9.8 feet) sofa fits, but there’s no dedicated drinks storage room here, you’re right. Instead, there’s a 3m (9.8 feet) wardrobe in the hallway with up to 70cm (28 inches) depth. You could also store beverage crates and a vacuum cleaner in there. I find the rooms upstairs much more comfortable – especially the kids’ rooms, each with two windows, which is a real bonus.
In the end, it’s a trade-off depending on what advantages matter most to you. The best approach is to recreate a room or two and place the desired furniture inside. I also always explore the design in 3D, which really makes a difference. This sense of space definitely feels more open than having a wall in the room:
Overall, it remains a house on a small plot. Whether all your wishes can be realized is uncertain.
I’ve been thinking all the time whether I can rotate the stairs. That would create some storage space underneath, and the dormer might then become unnecessary. I might need to reconsider the entrance layout around the corner. But for now, I’m taking a break from it.
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