ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, approximately 150 sqm, with east-facing garden
Created on: 9 Jan 2020 21:17
O
OWLer
Hello everyone,
after reading many threads here about how well-intentioned floor plans are expertly dissected, I’m now stepping out from the shadows. We plan to build this year and have already purchased the plot. We are currently in discussions with two providers. Provider 1 never really impressed us with their designs and plans very large houses without offering much living space. I’m bringing Provider 2 into the discussion here because, apart from the points mentioned below, we still like their design.
We hope the collective forum expertise will point out some pitfalls and maybe even help solve our hallway dilemma.
Sorry for the rough sketches of the measurements.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 610 sqm (648 with purchased noise barrier)
Slope: approx. 70cm (28 inches) over 19m (62 feet), sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) from the street, 3m (10 feet) to neighbors north/south, building envelope 10m (33 feet) east-west
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: gable roof ≤45°
Architectural style
Orientation: ridge running north-south
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 10.5m (34 feet), eaves max. 6.0m (20 feet)
Other requirements: On the east side, a noise barrier is built along half of the plot, with forest behind it. Due to the noise barrier, the garden is practically not visible from outside.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: rather classic
Basement, number of floors: basement, 1.5 floors
Number of residents, age: currently 2 (ages 33 and 27 – planning 2 children)
Space requirements on ground floor: shower WC, open living space (kitchen, dining, living), study; upper floor: 2 kids’ rooms, bathroom, master bedroom (walk-in closet)
Office: home office (teaching profession)
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative and brick-faced
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: preferably yes, budget permitting
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport / budget permitting
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for why or why not something is desired
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
We really like the upper floor. Room sizes fit well. We can’t really assess the master bedroom on the south side yet. The kids’ rooms seem the right size and have a good layout in my opinion.
A guest room was not a requirement – apparently there was space on the upper floor. We are not unhappy about that.
The living-dining area really appeals to me. Kitchen opening to the terrace. My wife likes the pantry options with access to the garden, basement, and carport.
What don’t you like? Why?
What we don’t like is the narrow corridors. I imagine 1.2m (4 feet) and 1m (3 feet) very cramped. Between the carport and along the stairs, this wouldn’t bother me so much, but the entrance definitely should be wider.
The master bedroom on the south side does not convince me much.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: >440k€
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. 440k€
Preferred heating system: gas heating required by the plot purchase contract.
If you had to give up something, which details / features could you do without:
I could do without the pantry and use that space for the WC instead. My wife, however, sees this differently.
Which features can you not give up:
The study on the ground floor is a must due to my teaching profession. The idea is to be able to drop things off in the study after returning from school, close the door, and have some downtime without needing to go upstairs or downstairs.
The basement is also essential. Many friends and acquaintances who have built in recent years do so mostly without basements. It takes iron discipline to keep utility rooms “tidy.” We manage that in our rental now but want to move away from that. We don’t want to become hoarders but want more space to spread out. Also, I want to be able to store all my tools in the basement and comfortably repair my bicycles.
Why was the design made the way it is?
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Large windows on the ground floor facing the garden, as it is not directly visible.
A bay window on the street side is mandatory for the look. The planned flat-roof bay will definitely be changed to a pitched roof. The plaster on the bay will be replaced by brick cladding. We find the bay window to the garden quite nice. Not a must-have, but it was part of the planning basis we provided and, in my opinion, positively impacts the kids’ rooms.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How do you evaluate the usability of the pantry—does it work as well as we imagine it? What other ways, besides widening the house, do you see to widen the corridors? Does the indicated wardrobe area fit?
In principle, I would like to build it this way if only the narrow corridors weren’t an issue. Making the house 25-50cm (10-20 inches) wider is not technically feasible and probably financially difficult.
after reading many threads here about how well-intentioned floor plans are expertly dissected, I’m now stepping out from the shadows. We plan to build this year and have already purchased the plot. We are currently in discussions with two providers. Provider 1 never really impressed us with their designs and plans very large houses without offering much living space. I’m bringing Provider 2 into the discussion here because, apart from the points mentioned below, we still like their design.
We hope the collective forum expertise will point out some pitfalls and maybe even help solve our hallway dilemma.
Sorry for the rough sketches of the measurements.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 610 sqm (648 with purchased noise barrier)
Slope: approx. 70cm (28 inches) over 19m (62 feet), sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3m (10 feet) from the street, 3m (10 feet) to neighbors north/south, building envelope 10m (33 feet) east-west
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of stories: 2
Roof type: gable roof ≤45°
Architectural style
Orientation: ridge running north-south
Maximum heights / limits: max. ridge height 10.5m (34 feet), eaves max. 6.0m (20 feet)
Other requirements: On the east side, a noise barrier is built along half of the plot, with forest behind it. Due to the noise barrier, the garden is practically not visible from outside.
Clients’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: rather classic
Basement, number of floors: basement, 1.5 floors
Number of residents, age: currently 2 (ages 33 and 27 – planning 2 children)
Space requirements on ground floor: shower WC, open living space (kitchen, dining, living), study; upper floor: 2 kids’ rooms, bathroom, master bedroom (walk-in closet)
Office: home office (teaching profession)
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative and brick-faced
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: preferably yes, budget permitting
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport / budget permitting
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for why or why not something is desired
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
We really like the upper floor. Room sizes fit well. We can’t really assess the master bedroom on the south side yet. The kids’ rooms seem the right size and have a good layout in my opinion.
A guest room was not a requirement – apparently there was space on the upper floor. We are not unhappy about that.
The living-dining area really appeals to me. Kitchen opening to the terrace. My wife likes the pantry options with access to the garden, basement, and carport.
What don’t you like? Why?
What we don’t like is the narrow corridors. I imagine 1.2m (4 feet) and 1m (3 feet) very cramped. Between the carport and along the stairs, this wouldn’t bother me so much, but the entrance definitely should be wider.
The master bedroom on the south side does not convince me much.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: >440k€
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: approx. 440k€
Preferred heating system: gas heating required by the plot purchase contract.
If you had to give up something, which details / features could you do without:
I could do without the pantry and use that space for the WC instead. My wife, however, sees this differently.
Which features can you not give up:
The study on the ground floor is a must due to my teaching profession. The idea is to be able to drop things off in the study after returning from school, close the door, and have some downtime without needing to go upstairs or downstairs.
The basement is also essential. Many friends and acquaintances who have built in recent years do so mostly without basements. It takes iron discipline to keep utility rooms “tidy.” We manage that in our rental now but want to move away from that. We don’t want to become hoarders but want more space to spread out. Also, I want to be able to store all my tools in the basement and comfortably repair my bicycles.
Why was the design made the way it is?
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Large windows on the ground floor facing the garden, as it is not directly visible.
A bay window on the street side is mandatory for the look. The planned flat-roof bay will definitely be changed to a pitched roof. The plaster on the bay will be replaced by brick cladding. We find the bay window to the garden quite nice. Not a must-have, but it was part of the planning basis we provided and, in my opinion, positively impacts the kids’ rooms.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
How do you evaluate the usability of the pantry—does it work as well as we imagine it? What other ways, besides widening the house, do you see to widen the corridors? Does the indicated wardrobe area fit?
In principle, I would like to build it this way if only the narrow corridors weren’t an issue. Making the house 25-50cm (10-20 inches) wider is not technically feasible and probably financially difficult.
This whole insulation issue in the basement is a bit confusing for me now. Basically, you have to insulate somewhere anyway, right? I'm not entirely sure if you can skip insulating the floor when the basement is uninsulated but the ground floor above is. Maybe others with basement experience can weigh in.
However, I would immediately assume that the insulation costs are marginal compared to the benefit gained from the additional rooms. So the cost-benefit analysis clearly favors insulation, especially if the south-facing rooms get windows.
Regarding the heating in the basement – I would also suggest a more economical approach. For utility rooms, just one radiator on the wall should suffice. For the living spaces on the south side, I’m torn. If these rooms have full daylight with proper windows, I would go for underfloor heating. But of course, that adds up quite a bit. It ultimately depends on the budget.
The kitchen planning is now very urgent. Since you have freedom in the design, you can still decide what you like and whether it will be sufficient—particularly concerning the island and what I consider a lack of depth for the dining table. You can also try setting up cardboard mock-ups to recreate the space and get an impression. For me, the dining area feels a bit too cramped; it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing the office space on the west side.
However, I would immediately assume that the insulation costs are marginal compared to the benefit gained from the additional rooms. So the cost-benefit analysis clearly favors insulation, especially if the south-facing rooms get windows.
Regarding the heating in the basement – I would also suggest a more economical approach. For utility rooms, just one radiator on the wall should suffice. For the living spaces on the south side, I’m torn. If these rooms have full daylight with proper windows, I would go for underfloor heating. But of course, that adds up quite a bit. It ultimately depends on the budget.
The kitchen planning is now very urgent. Since you have freedom in the design, you can still decide what you like and whether it will be sufficient—particularly concerning the island and what I consider a lack of depth for the dining table. You can also try setting up cardboard mock-ups to recreate the space and get an impression. For me, the dining area feels a bit too cramped; it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing the office space on the west side.
OWLer schrieb:
In general, I’m surprised that the floor plan hasn’t been criticized more. I’ve read much stronger discussions here before. So it seems we are on the right track. ... because I couldn’t see it anymore through all the advertising But I do think it has improved a lot.
I would suggest a few minor changes, which are personal preferences but also have clear advantages in principle.
Upstairs, the shower and toilet should be swapped. The person showering doesn’t walk naked in front of the window, and the person using the toilet has natural daylight while using it.
On the ground floor, I would personally make the two windows in the cloakroom and the toilet floor-to-ceiling, but then frosted at the bottom.
OWLer schrieb:
Just a heads-up that we will probably make the kitchen island longer and move it closer to the wall. We are scheduling a meeting with the kitchen planner in the next few weeks. Before you order the kitchen: Use the weekend to try switching the rooms around: put the office where the living room is now, and the living room where the office currently is. Move the kitchen to face the main terrace.
I think this offers several advantages, not just in terms of sunlight.
OWLer schrieb:
That’s why the door to the basement is included in the current plan as an insulated (???) door. You could probably also design it to be open at the bottom?! I would close off the basement downstairs and leave the stairway open. Stairs can be so beautiful.
OWLer schrieb:
That’s a valid point. Hm. Both my parents’ house and my wife’s parents’ house had the master bedrooms facing south. We have the bedroom facing south now but I would prefer it another way. Nowadays, the heat doesn’t leave the room.
OWLer schrieb:
I think he just dragged and dropped the doors there and positioned them in the center without much thought. Anyone working professionally in this field should have considered this as carefully as we participants here have.
OWLer schrieb:
So it seems we are on the right track. While all roads may lead to Rome, the wrong path is an exception.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I find the floor plan quite successful, except for 2-3 aspects.
On the ground floor, I would definitely swap the guest toilet and the cloakroom because of dirt. What I really don’t like about the ground floor is that there is only a “small” door leading to the kitchen, dining, and living area.
Upstairs, I would exchange the bathroom with the guest bedroom so you can have peace and quiet in the master bedroom. I would accept the longer route from the bedroom to the bathroom.
The walk-in closet is quite narrow at 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in), especially if you plan to build with solid walls, as about 6 cm (2.4 in) for interior plaster will be lost. We had a rough structural dimension of 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in); it works, but 10 cm (4 in) more would have been better.
Regarding the basement, you won’t be able to avoid insulation. We have 12 cm (5 in) of perimeter insulation on the exterior walls, none under the slab, but some under the screed. If you have planned underfloor heating, I would recommend installing it in parts of the basement rather than using radiators, as @kaho674 suggests. We have underfloor heating in the hobby room, hallway, and laundry room. The utility room and the two storage rooms have no heating.
On the ground floor, I would definitely swap the guest toilet and the cloakroom because of dirt. What I really don’t like about the ground floor is that there is only a “small” door leading to the kitchen, dining, and living area.
Upstairs, I would exchange the bathroom with the guest bedroom so you can have peace and quiet in the master bedroom. I would accept the longer route from the bedroom to the bathroom.
The walk-in closet is quite narrow at 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in), especially if you plan to build with solid walls, as about 6 cm (2.4 in) for interior plaster will be lost. We had a rough structural dimension of 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in); it works, but 10 cm (4 in) more would have been better.
Regarding the basement, you won’t be able to avoid insulation. We have 12 cm (5 in) of perimeter insulation on the exterior walls, none under the slab, but some under the screed. If you have planned underfloor heating, I would recommend installing it in parts of the basement rather than using radiators, as @kaho674 suggests. We have underfloor heating in the hobby room, hallway, and laundry room. The utility room and the two storage rooms have no heating.
Baufie schrieb:
and not, as @kaho674 suggests, radiators.Slander!
So, we will take on the suggestions regarding the kitchen and have the kitchen adjusted. I imagine the exterior view as shown in the attachment. This way, we have significantly more options for arranging the kitchen and avoid the interruption caused by the floor-to-ceiling window.
The shower and toilet on the upper floor are to be swapped as well.
We have considered the toilet and wardrobe. Somehow, we don’t see a way to extend the wardrobe to this length if we place the toilet entirely in the bay window.
Let’s see exactly what they want for this design. Once the figures are available, hopefully, we can continue planning.
The shower and toilet on the upper floor are to be swapped as well.
We have considered the toilet and wardrobe. Somehow, we don’t see a way to extend the wardrobe to this length if we place the toilet entirely in the bay window.
Let’s see exactly what they want for this design. Once the figures are available, hopefully, we can continue planning.
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