ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for a Single-Family Home of Approximately 150 sqm on a Small Plot
Created on: 18 Aug 2020 20:31
Y
Yaso2.0
Hello everyone,
After what felt like forever, we finally received the floor plan (without exact dimensions) today from our preferred general contractor. Although the planner noted our requests during the meeting, some of them don’t seem to have been fully incorporated.
The price offer will be prepared once the floor plan is finalized, especially if the size increases.
I would like to share the floor plan with you and hear your suggestions for improvements!
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 389sqm (4187 sq ft)
Sloping site
Site coverage ratio 0.35
Floor area ratio 0.70
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type
Architectural style
Orientation
Maximum heights / limits
Additional requirements
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: City villa
Basement, number of stories: 2 stories, no basement
Number of occupants, ages: 3 persons (44, 38, 9)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Kitchen, living room, guest WC, utility room, and if possible, a small office
Office: family use or home office?
Guests for overnight stays vary widely
Open or closed architecture partly/partly
Conservative or modern style: a healthy mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: semi-open kitchen, kitchen island not mandatory
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: possibly
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace
Garage, carport
Utility garden, greenhouse, garden for pleasant evenings
Additional wishes / special features / daily routines, including reasons why certain elements are wanted or not
We want a larger but semi-open kitchen because I cook and/or bake daily. A pantry would be great but I would also give it up if it means more counter space in the kitchen.
Ideally, I would like a laundry room on the upper floor since all the laundry tasks happen upstairs.
House design
Planner:
- Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Pantry room,
In the upper floor, the bedroom does not directly adjoin the children’s rooms
What do you dislike? Why?
Kitchen accessible only through the living room, hallway seems like wasted space??, kitchen counter size too small,
Cost estimate by architect/planner: still open, to follow after floor plan and house size are finalized
Personal budget limit for the house including fixtures and fittings:
Preferred heating system:
If you had to compromise, on which details / additions
- Could you do without: walk-in closet
- Could you not do without: “larger” kitchen
Why is the design the way it is now?
The general contractor’s planner asked about our preferences and created the floor plan accordingly. Apparently, an office didn’t fit. The requirement was that we ideally don’t want more than 150sqm (1615 sq ft), a kitchen size of at least 13sqm (140 sq ft) would be nice, and if possible, no straight staircase.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
The hallway seems to take up too much space without much utility, the kitchen feels too small.
The walk-in closet is “enclosed” and should be accessible via the corridor.
We like that the children’s rooms are exactly the same size. The future child planning is currently flexible.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we make the kitchen accessible through the hallway and semi-open, without making it too small?
Would a different staircase allow for a better layout?
Or are our wishes not feasible within 150sqm?
Thanks in advance!
After what felt like forever, we finally received the floor plan (without exact dimensions) today from our preferred general contractor. Although the planner noted our requests during the meeting, some of them don’t seem to have been fully incorporated.
The price offer will be prepared once the floor plan is finalized, especially if the size increases.
I would like to share the floor plan with you and hear your suggestions for improvements!
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 389sqm (4187 sq ft)
Sloping site
Site coverage ratio 0.35
Floor area ratio 0.70
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type
Architectural style
Orientation
Maximum heights / limits
Additional requirements
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: City villa
Basement, number of stories: 2 stories, no basement
Number of occupants, ages: 3 persons (44, 38, 9)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Kitchen, living room, guest WC, utility room, and if possible, a small office
Office: family use or home office?
Guests for overnight stays vary widely
Open or closed architecture partly/partly
Conservative or modern style: a healthy mix of both
Open kitchen, kitchen island: semi-open kitchen, kitchen island not mandatory
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: possibly
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace
Garage, carport
Utility garden, greenhouse, garden for pleasant evenings
Additional wishes / special features / daily routines, including reasons why certain elements are wanted or not
We want a larger but semi-open kitchen because I cook and/or bake daily. A pantry would be great but I would also give it up if it means more counter space in the kitchen.
Ideally, I would like a laundry room on the upper floor since all the laundry tasks happen upstairs.
House design
Planner:
- Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? Pantry room,
In the upper floor, the bedroom does not directly adjoin the children’s rooms
What do you dislike? Why?
Kitchen accessible only through the living room, hallway seems like wasted space??, kitchen counter size too small,
Cost estimate by architect/planner: still open, to follow after floor plan and house size are finalized
Personal budget limit for the house including fixtures and fittings:
Preferred heating system:
If you had to compromise, on which details / additions
- Could you do without: walk-in closet
- Could you not do without: “larger” kitchen
Why is the design the way it is now?
The general contractor’s planner asked about our preferences and created the floor plan accordingly. Apparently, an office didn’t fit. The requirement was that we ideally don’t want more than 150sqm (1615 sq ft), a kitchen size of at least 13sqm (140 sq ft) would be nice, and if possible, no straight staircase.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
The hallway seems to take up too much space without much utility, the kitchen feels too small.
The walk-in closet is “enclosed” and should be accessible via the corridor.
We like that the children’s rooms are exactly the same size. The future child planning is currently flexible.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we make the kitchen accessible through the hallway and semi-open, without making it too small?
Would a different staircase allow for a better layout?
Or are our wishes not feasible within 150sqm?
Thanks in advance!
Yaso2.0 schrieb:
I recently went through the thread by Shiny86 that nearly drives you crazy. I really like her floor plan, it matches my ideas well (except for a separate master bathroom). However, her house dimensions are too large. *ROTFL*
Earlier, I held back from commenting that the design reminds me of the original version of @Shiny86’s house before it went through countless back-and-forth revisions; and losing less than a full meter on each side of roughly ten meters wouldn’t really make a difference.
But, as I said, since spouses are obviously part of a marriage and the study a) is not included in the current design – and b) can’t just be patched in without repeating Princess Sh.’s story* – I expect the next version will be so different from the current one that it seems pointless to discuss the outdated design in detail. It’s not just about the study – reading carefully, it’s clear the architect only half-listened to several other requests. So: although not everything is wrong, radical reset and start from scratch!
[I*]My nested sentences are just a symbolic illustration of the hopeless tangle someone would get into trying to just squeeze the study in here (regardless of whether on the ground floor or upper floor)[/I]
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
*ROTFL*
Earlier, I held back from adding the comment that the design reminds me of the original version of @Shiny86’s house before the countless rounds of back-and-forth changes; and being just under a full ten meters (about 33 feet) per side by a few centimeters (inches) wouldn’t really make much difference anyway.
But, as I said, since spouses are naturally part of a marriage and the office a) is currently not included in the design – and also b) can’t simply be patched in without repeating the whole Princess Sh. story* – I expect the next version of the design to be so far from the current one that it seems pointless to discuss the now outdated plan in detail. It’s not really just about the office – if you read carefully, it’s quite clear the planner only half-listened to several other requests as well. So: although not everything is wrong, it’s best to wipe the slate clean and start over!
*) my nested sentences symbolically represent the hopeless complications anyone would encounter trying to simply squeeze the office in here (regardless of whether on the ground floor or upper floor) I also see a strong similarity to your thread about the “fear” of doing something wrong!
But regarding the office, maybe a brief clarification: my husband works in production/manufacturing, so there is 0% home office.
In my 21 years of professional life, I was allowed to work from home for just the last 4 months, but this was revoked since my employer couldn’t make it available to all employees. So, like before, I have no home office anymore.
At the moment, it’s people around us who have already built their homes and say they would have done this and that differently and much bigger. According to them, I should be building at least 180 square meters (about 1,938 square feet)...
It doesn’t have to be a dedicated office; maybe you can find some space for a small desk area somewhere. You’ll need a place for folders, a printer, and similar items, but you don’t necessarily need a whole room for that. For many, this space probably also partly serves as a storage area.
I’d say you could easily mount a folding table at floor level in the walk-in closet, add a laptop and a mobile pedestal drawer inside the closet, plus a wall shelf. Infrequently used files can be stored on the top shelves. This setup is sufficient for 95% of home offices... all you need is to plan for one power outlet and one Ethernet outlet there. A sliding door to the bedroom would also be highly recommended.
Yaso2.0 schrieb:Yeah, the kids’ bathroom, the mezzanine, the walk-in closet, the guest room, etc. – all that has only been common for about the last 20 years or so... but for those extra 40 sqm (430 sq ft) you end up paying off your mortgage for 5 to 8 years longer. If you can free up your payments of 1xxx Euros earlier, that’s valuable too. My trade-off was different – even 130 sqm (1,399 sq ft) is enough for two children. And I can sleep much better with that.
It’s currently our environment, where people have already built and would do this and that differently and much bigger. According to them, I should build at least 180 sqm (1,937 sq ft)...
I don’t see any compelling reasons for the size of the bathroom – the wall on the right could easily be moved about 40cm (16 inches) to the left without any drawbacks. This would allow for a built-in wardrobe on the left side of the bed in the bedroom. You could probably still use this as additional storage space on the upper floor.
The pantry is useless. Nothing fits inside, and it takes up space. I would rather enlarge the kitchen into that area and plan a direct access to the kitchen there.
I think the point about the home office is important. I never expected to work extensively from home at my employer. However, it now seems that remote work will remain sustainable and widely accepted even after the pandemic. I wouldn’t completely disregard this aspect. You don’t have any space at all for organizing insurance documents and other paperwork.
In the living area, the architect didn’t include any shelves, cabinets, or similar furniture where you could store folders. Overall, there is very little storage space. The utility room is intended for technical equipment and possibly for items like a stroller, laundry, and similar things. But where will decorative items and such go?
I understand your concern about planning for too much space. However, I see many brand-new residential areas with overcrowded carports and garages. Cars end up parked in the driveway or on the street. Think briefly about how much storage space you actually need in your home and where it should go in the future. Mentally remove the utility room—it’s already fully used.
I think the point about the home office is important. I never expected to work extensively from home at my employer. However, it now seems that remote work will remain sustainable and widely accepted even after the pandemic. I wouldn’t completely disregard this aspect. You don’t have any space at all for organizing insurance documents and other paperwork.
In the living area, the architect didn’t include any shelves, cabinets, or similar furniture where you could store folders. Overall, there is very little storage space. The utility room is intended for technical equipment and possibly for items like a stroller, laundry, and similar things. But where will decorative items and such go?
I understand your concern about planning for too much space. However, I see many brand-new residential areas with overcrowded carports and garages. Cars end up parked in the driveway or on the street. Think briefly about how much storage space you actually need in your home and where it should go in the future. Mentally remove the utility room—it’s already fully used.
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