Hello everyone,
At our developer, a customer who had reserved a plot of land dropped out. Since the other plot faces south / southwest, we didn’t hesitate long and switched to that plot. The new plot is smaller, so we gave up on our bungalow dream. The plot number is 5.
To remind you: The plot is tied to the developer.
I have been thinking over the past few days about the arrangement and design of the rooms and the plot, and I would first like to know if the concept is okay. I am not concerned with details inside the rooms such as windows, doors, or bathroom design. That’s not possible anyway since I created the floor plan myself based on Gussek Haus floor plans. However, I tried to design it as well as possible. For this reason, I want to share the floor plan here for discussion. I’m mainly looking for feedback on the layout and room arrangement, as well as ideas, suggestions, or tips. Maybe you’ll also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday living.
I created the floor plan with RoomSketcher, but only used the free version, so many features are limited. Please ignore the room dimensions on the upper floor. There is a dormer in the area of the home office.
A few more details about the house.
Roof pitch 38°
Knee wall (Drempel) 100cm (39 inches)
External dimensions 12.85 x 9.60 m (42.2 x 31.5 feet) (enlarged, original dimensions of Gussek Haus models are smaller)
Unfortunately, I cannot show internal room dimensions because RoomSketcher does not allow it.
Attached again is the completed questionnaire.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 676m²
Slope: NO
Site coverage ratio: 0.4 (allowed exceedance 25 out of 100)
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: On the north side / south side approx. 20.5 m (67 feet) wide, west and east sides approx. 33 m (108 feet) wide, 3 m (10 feet) building setback on each side, rectangular plot, clearly visible in the pictures
Edge construction setback: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of stories: maximum 2 full stories
Roof style: Gable roof, hipped roof
Other requirements: Garage must be 5 m (16 feet) from the property boundary. Garage on the west side because the curb is lowered there.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Doesn’t matter, initially considered a house with a gable roof, there is a dormer in the home office area
Basement, number of floors: No basement due to high groundwater level
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people aged 36 (female), 37 (male), 3 (child), 1 (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Living/dining/kitchen area, utility room, guest WC with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to upper floor, guest room / playroom
Upper floor: Master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room, office
Office use: Family use or home office? Home office combined with family use
Guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed architecture: Closed architecture?
Conservative or modern style: A mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Closed kitchen with island would be nice but not a must; open kitchen is also an option
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required, preferably 3 to 4. Currently considering a garage (3 x 6 m / 9.8 x 19.7 feet) with a carport (3.6 m / 12 feet) in front, not sure if that works. Plus 2 parking spaces in front of the house.
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be:
House Design
Who created the design:
- DIY - copy and combination of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What do you especially like? Why?
- Large closed kitchen with island and direct / short access to the terrace
- Living room close to the terrace
- Guest / playroom on the ground floor
- Storage room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer
- Utility room with washing machine and dryer (yes, twice)
- 6 rooms
- Layout of rooms on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
- Location of the home office on the upper floor is not ideal in my view, but I could live with it
Price estimate from architect/planner: No new estimate so far
Personal price limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump
Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Copy-paste of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Is the room layout okay?
At our developer, a customer who had reserved a plot of land dropped out. Since the other plot faces south / southwest, we didn’t hesitate long and switched to that plot. The new plot is smaller, so we gave up on our bungalow dream. The plot number is 5.
To remind you: The plot is tied to the developer.
I have been thinking over the past few days about the arrangement and design of the rooms and the plot, and I would first like to know if the concept is okay. I am not concerned with details inside the rooms such as windows, doors, or bathroom design. That’s not possible anyway since I created the floor plan myself based on Gussek Haus floor plans. However, I tried to design it as well as possible. For this reason, I want to share the floor plan here for discussion. I’m mainly looking for feedback on the layout and room arrangement, as well as ideas, suggestions, or tips. Maybe you’ll also spot things that “just don’t work” or are not practical for everyday living.
I created the floor plan with RoomSketcher, but only used the free version, so many features are limited. Please ignore the room dimensions on the upper floor. There is a dormer in the area of the home office.
A few more details about the house.
Roof pitch 38°
Knee wall (Drempel) 100cm (39 inches)
External dimensions 12.85 x 9.60 m (42.2 x 31.5 feet) (enlarged, original dimensions of Gussek Haus models are smaller)
Unfortunately, I cannot show internal room dimensions because RoomSketcher does not allow it.
Attached again is the completed questionnaire.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 676m²
Slope: NO
Site coverage ratio: 0.4 (allowed exceedance 25 out of 100)
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: On the north side / south side approx. 20.5 m (67 feet) wide, west and east sides approx. 33 m (108 feet) wide, 3 m (10 feet) building setback on each side, rectangular plot, clearly visible in the pictures
Edge construction setback: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of stories: maximum 2 full stories
Roof style: Gable roof, hipped roof
Other requirements: Garage must be 5 m (16 feet) from the property boundary. Garage on the west side because the curb is lowered there.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Doesn’t matter, initially considered a house with a gable roof, there is a dormer in the home office area
Basement, number of floors: No basement due to high groundwater level
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people aged 36 (female), 37 (male), 3 (child), 1 (child)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: Living/dining/kitchen area, utility room, guest WC with shower, hallway with coat area and stairs to upper floor, guest room / playroom
Upper floor: Master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room, office
Office use: Family use or home office? Home office combined with family use
Guests per year: 1–2 times
Open or closed architecture: Closed architecture?
Conservative or modern style: A mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Closed kitchen with island would be nice but not a must; open kitchen is also an option
Number of dining seats: 4, with the option for 6
Fireplace: No
Music / stereo wall: Sound system in the living room
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Space for 2 cars is required, preferably 3 to 4. Currently considering a garage (3 x 6 m / 9.8 x 19.7 feet) with a carport (3.6 m / 12 feet) in front, not sure if that works. Plus 2 parking spaces in front of the house.
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be:
House Design
Who created the design:
- DIY - copy and combination of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What do you especially like? Why?
- Large closed kitchen with island and direct / short access to the terrace
- Living room close to the terrace
- Guest / playroom on the ground floor
- Storage room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer
- Utility room with washing machine and dryer (yes, twice)
- 6 rooms
- Layout of rooms on the upper floor
What do you not like? Why?
- Location of the home office on the upper floor is not ideal in my view, but I could live with it
Price estimate from architect/planner: No new estimate so far
Personal price limit for house including features: 400,000
Preferred heating system: Heat pump
Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Copy-paste of Gussek Haus models Lindenallee, Kiefernallee variant 1, and Buchenallee variant 2
What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Is the room layout okay?
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
First of all, thanks for your feedback.
The wow factor is definitely there in your floor plan because of the large door to the living/dining area. But that’s not really what we want; we prefer something simple and practical.However, it’s not practical if you have to turn on the light every time because you can’t see your jacket in the cloakroom due to darkness. Where is the lighting supposed to come from in your cloakroom? It’s the same upstairs, a large hallway that’s in the dark.
Kind regards,
Sabine
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
Our table is not bigger, which is why I only had a small table included in the plan. Then what is the purpose of a guest room?
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
I don’t think having the sofa in front of the patio door is a problem. In that case, you could also skip the door and install a fixed window instead.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
I had the kitchen redesigned in an L-shape. But it’s not too important, since a kitchen planner should do the final layout. I would have that planned now so that the windows, doors, etc., are coordinated with the kitchen.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
An open kitchen always needs to be kept tidy as well. I also meant that there should be a sliding door there.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
I don't agree with the argument that the utility room can be used for storage. The kitchen is already huge, and everything can be nicely hidden away in cabinets if you want. Ask people who have a pantry. Water and beer crates, milk, bulky kitchen appliances, recycling bags, etc.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
I find it impractical in your floor plan that you have to go through the utility room to get to the kitchen. Well, if you don’t do laundry in the utility room, I think it’s the opposite. People spend most of their time in the open living area, not the hallway, so this would actually be the shortest route.
Chrisi1906 schrieb:
But that’s not our concern; we just want it simple and practical. That’s completely valid. You’re building the house for yourselves, not for resale. Still, I would consider whether you want to spend that much money on space, only to allocate about 50% of the ground floor to the main living area—that is, the living room and kitchen. The combined living and dining room will end up being quite a dark and dull space, to put it bluntly. At least think about adding a west-facing window.
Würfel* schrieb:
That’s completely reasonable. You are building the house for yourselves, not for resale. Still, I would consider whether it makes sense to spend that much money on space if you only dedicate about 50% of the ground floor to the main living area = living room + kitchen. The living-dining room could end up quite dark and dull – to put it bluntly. At least think about adding a west-facing window.I think it’s a bit more than 50%, but I also find having a guest/office room on the ground floor very practical. We currently have two free rooms upstairs as well, but it’s much more comfortable to manage everything on the ground floor. We hardly ever go upstairs unless we really have to. I also don’t believe it will be dark. Maybe a bit plain, but with some creativity and decoration, you can do a lot.
What would you consider a non-boring room?
We also have a fireplace between the living and dining areas, and I have to say that really makes a difference. But wouldn’t most living-dining areas be designed similarly?
Würfel* schrieb:
So if you don’t do laundry in the utility room, it’s actually the opposite – in my opinion. You almost always spend time in the open-plan living area rather than the hallway, so this would be the shortest route. You need to access the utility room several times a day, whether for a shopping bag, a hammer, or toilet paper. It’s always practical to have a neutral door to the utility room that can be quickly reached directly from the hallway. Constantly going through the kitchen (even when you’re already in the hallway), dealing with appliance noises in the open-plan living area, disturbing the person cooking, or getting in the way in a kitchen where the utility room door is even behind the island is not convenient. Everyday items are needed not only from the open-plan living area but generally from all areas, so it is more practical if the utility room door is in the hallway. Otherwise, the open-plan living area or kitchen is reduced to just a passageway.
A single-family house where the living room has windows on only one (!) side, and one of them is even blocked by the sofa—that feels dark and dull to me. In that case, a terraced house (row house) would have worked just as well. It would be less boring with larger windows on two sides, complemented by nice landscaping in front or a terrace with stylish outdoor furniture.
But you can see how differently people think, and everyone should carefully consider their daily routine and what makes sense and is important for them—not for me or anyone else in the forum. @Chris1906: So don’t get me wrong, these are just suggestions and food for thought from my side!
ypg schrieb:For example, I store my shopping basket near the returnables area (> pantry) because the bottles go straight into the basket. The toilet paper is kept in the storage room on the upper floor, and fortunately, I rarely need the hammer anymore. On the other hand, I use the kitchen roll, water bottle, milk, and the empty bottles and plastic quite often, so these also go directly into the pantry next to the kitchen.
You need to access the utility room several times a day, whether it’s for a shopping bag, hammer, or toilet paper.
But you can see how differently people think, and everyone should carefully consider their daily routine and what makes sense and is important for them—not for me or anyone else in the forum. @Chris1906: So don’t get me wrong, these are just suggestions and food for thought from my side!
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