ᐅ Floor plan of a single-family house with a basement, two stories, double garage, approximately 290 sqm of living area plus usable space

Hello everyone,

We have finally received a floor plan from our architect and would like to share it with you for feedback.
Attached is the questionnaire, and thank you in advance for your input.

Development Plan / Restrictions: Paragraph 34, similar to neighboring buildings
Plot size: 709 sqm (currently with an old building (2 stories, approx. 155 m² (1,674 ft²) with basement and garage). Demolition is unavoidable.
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: n.a.
Floor area ratio: n.a.
Building line and boundary setbacks: 3 m (10 feet)
Edge building
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern house with traditional Palatinate style elements (beaver tail tiles, sandstone features, shutters)
Orientation: south
Maximum height limit: approx. 10 m (33 feet)
Other requirements

Homeowners’ requirements: The wonderful view of the vineyards (north) should be considered in the floor plan.
Style, roof type, building type: Since our plot is located in a wine village, we want a new build with classic Palatinate style elements without looking kitschy or outdated.
Basement, stories (full or partial basement, 2 full floors plus attic)
Number of occupants, ages: 5 (ages 41, 40, and 3 children aged 13, 9, 9)
Room requirements for ground and upper floors: Large living and dining area on the ground floor (space for a piano), bathroom and office/bedroom on the ground floor for aging relatives or possible care needs,
1st floor: parents’ area including dressing room and bathroom, home office for husband, guest and TV room,
2nd floor: children’s area with three bedrooms and children’s bathroom
Office: family use or home office: two home offices
Guests per year: 20
Open or closed floor plan: open
Traditional or modern construction style: mix
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open with kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 12
Fireplace: yes, Swedish round tiled stove. However, it cannot be placed directly next to the piano, so we are still looking for an alternative location.
Music/stereo wall: no, TV room on the 1st floor (guest room)
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace above the double garage with views of the vineyards
Garage, carport: double garage
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: -
Additional wishes/particularities/daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included

House design
Who designed the plan: architect
What do you like especially? Why? Separate parents’ and children’s areas, roof terrace with beautiful vineyard views, even from the home office, separate TV room, open kitchen with generous living and dining space
What do you not like? Why? Fireplace location, as it is directly next to the piano
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: initial estimate approx. $850k
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: $900k
Preferred heating technology: no preference

[If you have to give up details/expansions: full basement (is a cost issue, as the current house has a basement and must be demolished). A partial basement is planned, and depending on the cost of backfilling, a full basement is also possible. The basement still needs detailed planning and will include at least technical and storage rooms, possibly a workshop/hobby room
- you could give up: large master bedroom
- you cannot give up: children’s floor with children’s bathroom, roof terrace, large dressing room

Why is the design the way it is now? Many discussions with the architect. It is important to us that the house does not look ordinary from the outside. Therefore, it should not be a box but something playful. More expensive, but budgeted accordingly. Exterior elevations are currently being developed and will be shared later.
Which of your wishes were implemented by the architect? Separate parents’ and children’s areas, spacious living, cooking, and dining area, roof terrace, direct access from the garage, separate TV/guest room, two home offices

What do you think are the design’s main strengths or weaknesses?
Great: separate areas, parents’ bathroom and dressing room.
Needs improvement: placement of piano and stove

What is the main or fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Where should the stove go? Children’s bathroom with separate toilet to avoid morning congestion among the three schoolchildren? Kitchen island or U-shaped kitchen (as in the plan)?

Enjoy reviewing and thank you very much for your help.

I think it fits well overall. What I like less is the L-shape of the two southern children's rooms. Given the room size, though, it’s probably acceptable. Open living area: if you don’t like the position of the piano and stove, where would you prefer them? I would simply swap the sofa and piano so that the sofa area feels cozier. Or do you just not like the layout in that spot?

Thank you for the feedback. We would like to place the piano in the "dark corner" and position the sofa facing the window. Because of the garage, the back corner tends to be quite dark otherwise.
Do you have an alternative idea for the L-shaped layout?

What are the kitchen dimensions? The gap between the units seems too narrow to me. It’s partly hidden by the fact that the countertop was simply left out between the cooktop and the sink... Likewise, the cabinet spacing in the walk-in closet feels a bit tight.

Pfalzpaulianer schrieb:

Which specific desires were implemented by the architect? Completed parent and children areas, spacious living, cooking, and dining areas, roof terrace, access from the garage, separate TV/guest room, 2 home offices

This is exactly what I feared: that all the question marks in my view are not just unfortunate coincidences, but actually stem from the wishes implemented by the architects. Try it without all these wishes, just with the pure room program. To put it briefly, I would “not be surprised” if a more convincing design emerged that way.

Pfalzpaulianer schrieb:

We wanted to place the piano in the “dark corner” and then position the sofa facing the window.

According to the windows shown in the drawings, all corners are “dark corners” ;-)
Otherwise, I can’t understand where the house’s basic floor plan comes from. I would rather locate the guest room on the ground floor and prefer to have my wife’s and my home offices on the same level. Was there an initial model (I assume with one less floor – missing the upper floor)? The upper floor here seems to reflect a design technique mistake (which professionals typically avoid)—not developing the upper floor first. Just its inefficient size and layout strongly suggest this.

Pfalzpaulianer schrieb:

Exterior views are currently in development and will be provided later.

It would be very helpful for us to understand and follow the cross-shaped house design, including the how and why of the building form.

Pfalzpaulianer schrieb:

The basement still needs to be planned and will at least include technical rooms and storage, possibly a workshop/hobby room.

Another design technique error: planning specific floors before the room program and building volume are finalized and “allocated” (i.e., design before preliminary design). Ouch. This reinforces my suspicion that a one-and-a-half-story base design was taken and an additional parent suite floor was inserted.

Pfalzpaulianer schrieb:

Since the current house has a basement and needs to be demolished, a partial basement is planned, and depending on the costs of backfilling, a full basement might also be considered.

Could you elaborate on what kind of property this is and what circumstances make the deep demolition unavoidable?
By the way, I recommend searching this forum for “partial basement / by: 11ant.” ;-)

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Almost 300m² (3,229 sq ft) and then such a staircase? Sorry, but I just don’t get it...