ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a 145 sqm Single-Family Home – Requesting Feedback

Dear House Building Forum,

We are currently planning the floor layout for our single-family home and welcome any advice and tips. We are very grateful for your help and suggestions.

I have attached the site plan as well as the floor plans for the ground floor and upper floor. The positioning of the windows can be disregarded.

Unfortunately, we have no further ideas on how to resolve the issues with the current layout and are really hoping for your support.

Here is the completed questionnaire:

Development Plan / Restrictions:
Plot size: 830sqm (9,000 sqft)
Slope: no
Building coverage ratio: no development plan
Floor area ratio: no development plan
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: no development plan
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full stories permitted according to §34BGB
Roof type: gable roof (for photovoltaics, with 2m (6.6 ft) standing height in the center)
Architectural style
Orientation: street on the east, garden on the west
Maximum heights / limits
Additional requirements

Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: 2 full stories with gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement
Number and age of residents: 3 persons (41, 37, 2), plus one additional child desired
Space requirement on ground/upper floor: approx. 145sqm (1,560 sq ft) total
Office: Family use or home office? The office is a retreat and workspace for the man of the house
Guests per year: 2-3
Open or closed architecture: open and bright
Traditional or modern construction: rather naturally modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island (peninsula also welcome)
Number of dining seats: 4-6 (expandable)
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport for 1 car
Kitchen garden, greenhouse
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included:
Prefer bathroom on the upper floor above the utility room for laundry chute, kitchen in the east, living area in the west as we are mostly home in the evenings
The right neighbor’s house is directly on the street; on the left side there is only a garden plot. There is a nice open view to the west.

House Design
Designed by:
- Planner from a construction company and ourselves
What do you particularly like and why? Dining and living facing the garden, natural lighting in ground and upper floor hallways, the idea of a window seat in the living/dining area but unsure where exactly?
What do you not like and why? Layout of living/dining (feels too wide), kitchen row with island too small, office could ideally face west (if possible), kitchen with light from the east (if possible)
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: pure house cost 260,000 Euro
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 260,000 Euro
Preferred heating technology: geothermal heat pump

If you have to forego something, which details or extras
- Can you do without: fireplace
- Cannot do without: open, bright floor plan

Why was the design created as it is now? For example:
The design was proposed by the building planner (not an architect) and adjusted based on our feedback.
What do you consider particularly good or bad about it?
The general arrangement of rooms by cardinal direction is good. Natural lighting on ground and upper floors is good.
We don’t like the width of the living/dining area. It creates a large empty space in the middle since we want to have a view of the garden from the couch.
We prefer a straight or L-shaped staircase. No U-shaped staircase, unless with a landing.

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Are improvements possible and are there maybe completely new ideas for the floor plan?

Thank you very much and best regards,
Jan

You definitely lack storage space. Adjust the bedrooms to fit the house. 14 m² (150 sq ft) is enough for the child. Use the extra square meters upstairs to create a utility room with plenty of cupboard space for bags, suitcases, sports equipment, and a laundry area.

I actually don’t think the circular floor plan is that bad. Close your eyes and mentally walk through the rooms!

I also believe you lack sufficient storage space.

The entrance area on the ground floor with the cloakroom and other features only works if the study is converted into a cloakroom. There is no second option. This will not work with a second child. Everything will end up cluttering the entrance area, and you simply don’t have enough space for that.

I’m also not sure if the guest bathroom with a drywall installation (which you forgot) will work. It will be really tight!

The floor plan is okay for DIY but needs optimization. For example, the space on the left-center of the living room is just wasted space. It should be clear that the dining table will most likely move there since the small table for the cat is not to scale. So there is still potential for improvement.

Does anyone know if the straight staircase works?

Also, €260,000 for 145 sqm (1,560 sq ft) is too little, possibly achievable only with a lot of self-labor and without any exterior landscaping. Not even close with additional building-related costs! How did you arrive at the €260,000 figure?

Downstairs, I find the living/dining area oddly fragmented with the three “sections.” I would simplify that by extending the sofa wall. The dining table would then probably be more centered, not positioned as shown. I’m not sure where a fireplace should go, but the budget will likely exclude it anyway.

Upstairs, Yvonne is absolutely right. The children’s rooms should be made smaller. The current door to the left child’s room will become the entrance to the storage room, which should also take some space from the right child’s room. The entrance to the children’s room would then be opposite the stairs. It might be necessary to move the wall to the bedroom a few centimeters (inches) so the door fits. I would also straighten the slanted wall in the bedroom.

To create a bit more space in the hallway, you can swap the toilet with the utility room, skip the shower, and slightly recess the toilet. This provides a bit more room for a coat rack. I don’t really like the upper floor at all.