ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home of Approximately 150 m²
Created on: 12 Feb 2018 18:09
C
chrisw81
Hello,
After a long search, we signed the notarized contract for the land purchase at the end of December. We are now actively planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat awkwardly shaped (not rectangular), which creates some limitations for the layout from our perspective. We already have a first draft, but there are several areas we don’t like and are unsure how to improve. Maybe you have some ideas; we would appreciate your input.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 601 m² (6465 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line, boundary: Building line with the house on the west side
Peripheral setbacks: 7 m (23 ft) from the street (north), otherwise the usual 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired
Number of floors: 1 full story allowed
Roof style: Gable roof
Design style: open construction method
Orientation: South
Maximum heights / limits: Ridge height max. 8.5 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: Max. 100 m² (1076 sq ft) of built-up area
Client Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: Solid construction house, rectangular, no bay windows, no projections, etc., gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 stories
Number and age of residents: 2 people, age between 30 and 40, possibly children later
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor – living/dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, utility room, office
Office: family use or home office?: family use
Guest stays per year: 20 days
Open or closed architecture: open living area, closed hallway
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, island without cooktop
Number of dining seats: 2-4
Fireplace: yes, chimney planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, and reasons for preferences:
- A wardrobe area on the ground floor is important where coats can be stored relatively out of sight.
- On the upper floor, it would be nice to have an open gallery with a desk or similar (not a must and not necessarily next to the stairs).
- A walk-in closet would be nice but not essential.
- A storage room on the upper floor is very important since we do not have a basement.
House Design
Who created the design:
- Basic design by the construction company (FIBAV Stadthaus Vision Studio)
- DIY modifications based on online floor plans (especially Viebrockhaus Maxime 330)
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Layout of the living/dining area and the narrowing kitchen reduces the hallway effect a bit
- Many windows in the living/dining area
- Wide hallway on the ground floor
What do you dislike? Why?:
- Few options to place furniture (dresser, wardrobe) in the ground floor hallway due to many doors
- Very large hallway upstairs, considered wasted space
- Bedroom is quite small; should be the largest room upstairs (preferably 16 m² (172 sq ft), children’s rooms rather 14 m² (151 sq ft))
- Stair placement limited by chimney location
- Door placement upstairs limited by chimney
- A staircase rotated 90 degrees (entrance next to front door) would appeal more
- Difficult to align windows upstairs and downstairs on the gable end vertically
- Floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs; wider windows with a sill height around 100 cm (40 inches) would be preferred
Price estimate by architect/planner: 200,000 €
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 210,000 €
Preferred heating technology: gas heating
What details or expansions could you give up?
- Can do without: gallery next to stairs upstairs. Living area could also be narrower (e.g., 4.20 m (14 ft) instead of 4.47 m (15 ft))
- Cannot do without: storage room upstairs, shower in guest toilet, extra natural light in the ground floor hallway (e.g., side panel on front door or window)
Why was the design made this way? For example, standard plan from planner?
- Since the house has very little space on the south side, the house should be very narrow in order not to waste more space to the south. It should be wider so that living, dining, and kitchen areas face south as much as possible.
Were corresponding wishes from the architect implemented? No architect meeting has taken place yet.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor hallway be better designed to fit a wardrobe? Can the stairs be positioned better or replaced? Should the hallway be enlarged and living space reduced? How can the upstairs hallway be better utilized? Can the bedroom be enlarged? Is it possible to swap the bedroom with another room, e.g., move it to the southeast to allow a walk-in closet?
Thank you very much in advance for your criticism and suggestions!
After a long search, we signed the notarized contract for the land purchase at the end of December. We are now actively planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat awkwardly shaped (not rectangular), which creates some limitations for the layout from our perspective. We already have a first draft, but there are several areas we don’t like and are unsure how to improve. Maybe you have some ideas; we would appreciate your input.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 601 m² (6465 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line, boundary: Building line with the house on the west side
Peripheral setbacks: 7 m (23 ft) from the street (north), otherwise the usual 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired
Number of floors: 1 full story allowed
Roof style: Gable roof
Design style: open construction method
Orientation: South
Maximum heights / limits: Ridge height max. 8.5 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: Max. 100 m² (1076 sq ft) of built-up area
Client Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: Solid construction house, rectangular, no bay windows, no projections, etc., gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 stories
Number and age of residents: 2 people, age between 30 and 40, possibly children later
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor – living/dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, utility room, office
Office: family use or home office?: family use
Guest stays per year: 20 days
Open or closed architecture: open living area, closed hallway
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, island without cooktop
Number of dining seats: 2-4
Fireplace: yes, chimney planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, and reasons for preferences:
- A wardrobe area on the ground floor is important where coats can be stored relatively out of sight.
- On the upper floor, it would be nice to have an open gallery with a desk or similar (not a must and not necessarily next to the stairs).
- A walk-in closet would be nice but not essential.
- A storage room on the upper floor is very important since we do not have a basement.
House Design
Who created the design:
- Basic design by the construction company (FIBAV Stadthaus Vision Studio)
- DIY modifications based on online floor plans (especially Viebrockhaus Maxime 330)
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Layout of the living/dining area and the narrowing kitchen reduces the hallway effect a bit
- Many windows in the living/dining area
- Wide hallway on the ground floor
What do you dislike? Why?:
- Few options to place furniture (dresser, wardrobe) in the ground floor hallway due to many doors
- Very large hallway upstairs, considered wasted space
- Bedroom is quite small; should be the largest room upstairs (preferably 16 m² (172 sq ft), children’s rooms rather 14 m² (151 sq ft))
- Stair placement limited by chimney location
- Door placement upstairs limited by chimney
- A staircase rotated 90 degrees (entrance next to front door) would appeal more
- Difficult to align windows upstairs and downstairs on the gable end vertically
- Floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs; wider windows with a sill height around 100 cm (40 inches) would be preferred
Price estimate by architect/planner: 200,000 €
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 210,000 €
Preferred heating technology: gas heating
What details or expansions could you give up?
- Can do without: gallery next to stairs upstairs. Living area could also be narrower (e.g., 4.20 m (14 ft) instead of 4.47 m (15 ft))
- Cannot do without: storage room upstairs, shower in guest toilet, extra natural light in the ground floor hallway (e.g., side panel on front door or window)
Why was the design made this way? For example, standard plan from planner?
- Since the house has very little space on the south side, the house should be very narrow in order not to waste more space to the south. It should be wider so that living, dining, and kitchen areas face south as much as possible.
Were corresponding wishes from the architect implemented? No architect meeting has taken place yet.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor hallway be better designed to fit a wardrobe? Can the stairs be positioned better or replaced? Should the hallway be enlarged and living space reduced? How can the upstairs hallway be better utilized? Can the bedroom be enlarged? Is it possible to swap the bedroom with another room, e.g., move it to the southeast to allow a walk-in closet?
Thank you very much in advance for your criticism and suggestions!
chrisw81 schrieb:
The piano isn't really a problem in this case (it's not very deep and it’s not placed directly at the window recess). I suspect it will get tight with both the fireplace and the piano. But we still don’t have any pictures of that. And that little table isn’t the one you have, right? It looks like the model furniture from the draftsman.
From the category:
chrisw81 schrieb:
Tables and chairs usually have standard dimensions anyway. chrisw81 schrieb:
It wouldn’t have been just for that; a wider door would also improve the room’s feel (I was just at friends’ place and they have a 4m (13 ft) sliding door – that’s really great).
There certainly would have been options to increase the width (wider house, narrower kitchen, etc.). 4 meters (13 ft)? Where would the piano go with that?
Make the house even wider? The budget must have increased then? Why not add a conservatory instead.
chrisw81 schrieb:
I just wanted to say that I felt the focus often wasn’t on the important rooms. That’s nonsense.
chrisw81 schrieb:
To me, a comfortable passageway means a width of 80–100 cm (31–39 inches). chrisw81 schrieb:
Tables and chairs usually have standard dimensions anyway. Sorry, but we go over this up and down every time. You could say that in a floor plan discussion, practically everything is written down, although much of it is downplayed by the original poster.
chrisw81 schrieb:
I don’t want to blame anyone here; we probably should have visited more show homes, but every room is different, and each one has a distinct feel.
I just wanted to say that I felt the focus was often not on the important rooms. It shouldn’t come to the point where advisors are held responsible here.
We strongly recommend hiring a professional who has studied design. You’d better stay quiet now. Because if you don’t do it, the responsibility is entirely on you.
And yes, I have read that you don’t want to assign blame, but your criticism clearly implies otherwise.
chrisw81 schrieb:
There is life after raising kids, and as a retiree you will probably spend a lot more time in the living room — so you would appreciate a nice layout. Who here knows what you plan to do with a family home in your retirement? It’s your personal decision to prioritize what matters.
Do I remember correctly that you were pretty fixated on your fireplace and didn’t see anything else?
chrisw81 schrieb:
Or do you have other ideas on how to enhance the facade a bit more?With a southwest orientation, I wouldn’t have any issues placing a nice medium-height shrub or bush near the corner or wall.kaho674 schrieb:
I guess it will be tight with both the fireplace and the piano, but we still don’t have any pictures of that. And that little table isn’t the same one you have, right? It looks like the dollhouse furniture from the draftsman.
From the category: I don’t see the problem with the fireplace unless the table is extremely extended (2.6m (8.5 ft) or more), which usually isn’t the case.
I see more of an issue if the table is placed roughly in the middle of the sliding patio door. If you sit comfortably, with the back of the chair about 75cm (30 inches) from the table, you’d have a total width of about 2.5m (8.2 ft). Of course, you don’t have to position the table exactly in the middle; it can be moved a bit toward the kitchen island, but not too far, or else the passage becomes quite obstructed.
In the picture, I’ve highlighted the two problematic pathways that arise if
A) the width is large because the chairs aren’t pulled in close to the table
B) the length is large, if the table is extended or placed further away from the window
And yes, right now we actually have a small table (120 x 80cm (47 x 31 inches)) and there are no issues with that. But ideally, I want something closer to 180 x 90cm (71 x 35 inches) or, if I’m lucky, a 140 x 90cm (55 x 35 inches) that extends quite long, but I haven’t seen one yet—it’s quite rare.
kaho674 schrieb:
4m (13 ft)? Where would the piano fit then?
Make the house wider? Has the budget increased? Then just build a conservatory. Yeah, I liked the idea of 4m (13 ft), but it’s obviously unrealistic with the current conditions. I’m also happy the piano is placed there, and you can easily position a dining table along the outer wall—so that works well. Maybe 3m (10 ft) would have been nice; I’m sure that could have been squeezed out.
In hindsight, I planned quite conservatively, partly due to our house planner who seemed focused on saving costs.
I was able to adjust some things before construction started (larger double casement windows, controlled ventilation system, etc.). And of course, there were limitations (maximum 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) footprint, small plot). On a bigger lot, I would probably have built a house around 170–180 m² (1,830–1,940 sq ft).
The budget is definitely much more flexible now. I also like the idea of a conservatory, which I’d attach at the kitchen exit, but due to a 3m (10 ft) setback limit from the neighbor’s boundary, I’d need their approval… though that could be done a few years down the line.
ypg schrieb:
If the location faces southwest, I would have no problem placing a nice medium-height shrub or bush near the corner or wall.We will definitely do that as well. I also like a trellis very much (with grapevine or evergreen plants), as it takes up little space.ypg schrieb:
Can I remember that you were quite fixated on your fireplace and didn’t see anything else? Yes, that’s true, unfortunately I lost sight of many other things.
I can already see myself in a few years tearing down walls and enlarging windows.
And yes, of course, when I’m retired, my needs will definitely be different. I might no longer need a home office on the ground floor, but rather prefer a large open living area, etc.
But you can’t build a house to suit every possible life situation.
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