ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a 175 m² Single-Family Home with Three Children
Created on: 15 Dec 2020 13:22
R
Ruksson
Hello everyone,
Currently, my wife and I are planning a single-family house on a 600m² (approximately 6,458 sq ft) plot and are working with the architect to finalize a design for a building permit / planning permission application.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: roughly 600m² (approximately 6,458 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Site occupancy index: 0.4
Building zone, building line, and boundary: detached construction, building boundary
Edge development: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: -
Roof style: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: -
Additional requirements: -
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern, bright and open, gabled roof with flat roof tiles, no eaves, slightly rectangular shape
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors with higher knee walls (we originally wanted full floors, but the development plan restricts this)
Number of residents, ages: 2 adults, planning for 3 children
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
Office: currently home office, more a workspace than a family room
Guest bedrooms per year: unpredictable, average use
Open or closed architecture: open architecture
Conservative or modern building style: modern building style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island about 3 meters (10 feet)
Number of dining seats: open dining area
Fireplace: fireplace wall planned
Music / stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: -
Garage, carport: double garage with storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or shouldn’t be included: The house should be fully equipped with a home automation system, a geothermal system is desired (feasibility to be checked), and the garage should have a high-voltage connection installed for future electric vehicles.
House Design
Who designed the plan: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
What don’t you like? Why?
We particularly like the open staircase but have heard differing opinions about it, which makes us a bit uncertain.
The parents’ bathroom is currently not quite how we want it. The bathtub should be placed in front of the window, and we have not yet finalized the placement of the toilet, shower, and sink.
Estimated budget according to architect/planner: n/a
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 390,000€
Preferred heating technology: geothermal energy with deep drilling
If you had to give up something, which details / extensions
- could you do without: -
- absolutely must keep: The 5-meter (16 feet) panoramic window wall must stay according to my wife.
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner? No
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
What do you think makes the design especially good or bad?
We put a lot of thought into making the house as practical as possible, saving us walking distance and combining that with a modern design.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of our ideas, and what experiences do you have with aspects like windows, home automation, heating, garage size, or kitchen/utility room flow? Any suggestions for the parents’ area on the upper floor? How would you design the room to accommodate a walk-in closet or wardrobes?
Currently, my wife and I are planning a single-family house on a 600m² (approximately 6,458 sq ft) plot and are working with the architect to finalize a design for a building permit / planning permission application.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: roughly 600m² (approximately 6,458 sq ft)
Slope: No
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Site occupancy index: 0.4
Building zone, building line, and boundary: detached construction, building boundary
Edge development: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: -
Roof style: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: -
Maximum heights / limits: -
Additional requirements: -
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern, bright and open, gabled roof with flat roof tiles, no eaves, slightly rectangular shape
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors with higher knee walls (we originally wanted full floors, but the development plan restricts this)
Number of residents, ages: 2 adults, planning for 3 children
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
Office: currently home office, more a workspace than a family room
Guest bedrooms per year: unpredictable, average use
Open or closed architecture: open architecture
Conservative or modern building style: modern building style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island about 3 meters (10 feet)
Number of dining seats: open dining area
Fireplace: fireplace wall planned
Music / stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: -
Garage, carport: double garage with storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or shouldn’t be included: The house should be fully equipped with a home automation system, a geothermal system is desired (feasibility to be checked), and the garage should have a high-voltage connection installed for future electric vehicles.
House Design
Who designed the plan: Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
- The staircase in the living area was a special request, with the idea that you enter the upper floor directly from one living area to another. In traditional layouts, you have to leave the living area and go into a hallway to reach the upper floor.
- We really like the access from the garage into the utility room and from there into the kitchen and hallway, because the utility room will be one of the most frequently used rooms and is centrally accessible. Especially the direct access from the kitchen to the pantry under the stairs is appreciated.
- We hope our plan works out and that we manage to incorporate laundry chutes from both bathrooms on the upper floor to the utility room on the ground floor.
- We like the separate parents’ area with its own bathroom very much, so we don’t have to share one bathroom among five people. We still need to figure out how to best accommodate the walk-in closet / wardrobes.
- In the living/dining area, a 5-meter (16 feet) window wall with sliding doors is planned, which is very important to my wife as it will provide plenty of natural light, especially since the kitchen wall will be fully lined with cabinets.
- The partition wall to the living room should be a bit longer, but we really like the fireplace planned there because it can be enjoyed from both the dining area and the living room.
- With 20m² (215 sq ft), the living room is modest in size, but a media wall with a large TV and surround sound system is planned on the wall facing the office, so the distance to the wall shouldn’t be too large.
- At the entrance, the plan is for the coat rack to be on the right directly adjacent to the WC wall, and the WC door should be moved from the top wall (the WC should be a maximum of 2.5m² (27 sq ft) without a shower, since we already have two bathrooms and the children’s bathroom could be used by guests).
What don’t you like? Why?
We particularly like the open staircase but have heard differing opinions about it, which makes us a bit uncertain.
The parents’ bathroom is currently not quite how we want it. The bathtub should be placed in front of the window, and we have not yet finalized the placement of the toilet, shower, and sink.
Estimated budget according to architect/planner: n/a
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 390,000€
Preferred heating technology: geothermal energy with deep drilling
If you had to give up something, which details / extensions
- could you do without: -
- absolutely must keep: The 5-meter (16 feet) panoramic window wall must stay according to my wife.
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner? No
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
- We prepared our ideas with a technical draftsman (mostly based on Pinterest, magazines, Instagram, etc.) as a draft, which the architect adapted to comply with the development plan. We are currently adjusting some details.
- The window elements are not finalized yet and still need to be agreed upon.
- The same applies to the front door; a side and top window panel is currently planned as an idea.
What do you think makes the design especially good or bad?
We put a lot of thought into making the house as practical as possible, saving us walking distance and combining that with a modern design.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
What do you think of our ideas, and what experiences do you have with aspects like windows, home automation, heating, garage size, or kitchen/utility room flow? Any suggestions for the parents’ area on the upper floor? How would you design the room to accommodate a walk-in closet or wardrobes?
Thank you for your comments.
The floor plan is still a work in progress. Regarding the kitchen, the island is definitely planned to be a bit larger. I hope I was able to address some of your points; as you can see, we still have a few ideas that are either being implemented or will be. I have already discussed many of your suggestions with my wife. Thanks again for that. 🙂
We are still in the process of selecting the elements. We are flexible with having two elements, one of which would be a sliding door. The idea is that the window in the living room will be fixed glazing, and the dining area will have the window front, with sliding elements definitely included.
We deliberately agreed on the office recess to give the living room a bit more privacy when someone enters the living/dining area. Otherwise, you’d come in and immediately look left at the sofa, but with the recess, there’s a small visual shield there.
The partition wall with the fireplace is planned to be longer but remain open toward the exterior wall since the living room is somewhat smaller, and this could make the space feel more open. The entire wall will shift slightly toward the exterior wall so that the fireplace is positioned at the lower end.
My wife envisions a large glass door here, with a fixed part and the door opening to the left. Similar to the door shown here:
Maybe I didn’t express myself clearly. We gave him our ideas, which he started to implement, and we are currently discussing small adjustments we want to make in certain areas.
This issue is definitely on our list and still in progress. 😀
I would like to position the bed with the headboard facing the hallway, but unfortunately, then the length wouldn’t fit and it would be difficult or impossible to walk past the bed at the foot end. 🙁
The suggestion for a storage room came from our construction supervisor. He said that having some storage space upstairs is never a bad idea, and this spot was convenient.
The floor plan is still a work in progress. Regarding the kitchen, the island is definitely planned to be a bit larger. I hope I was able to address some of your points; as you can see, we still have a few ideas that are either being implemented or will be. I have already discussed many of your suggestions with my wife. Thanks again for that. 🙂
ypg schrieb:
I'm curious, as @pagoni2020 mentioned, about planning 5 meters as two elements. Do you know how heavy 5 square meters of glass are? Does that even exist?
We are still in the process of selecting the elements. We are flexible with having two elements, one of which would be a sliding door. The idea is that the window in the living room will be fixed glazing, and the dining area will have the window front, with sliding elements definitely included.
ypg schrieb:
Regarding the partition wall and door around the hallway/dining/stair area, I would completely omit it at the staircase start. Unlike @pagoni2020, I see the floor plan as narrower: the table across, the kitchen under 5 meters wide, and remove the offset between office and living room.
We deliberately agreed on the office recess to give the living room a bit more privacy when someone enters the living/dining area. Otherwise, you’d come in and immediately look left at the sofa, but with the recess, there’s a small visual shield there.
ypg schrieb:
I would probably separate the living room with a wall extending towards the exterior wall, place the fireplace at the end of that wall, and create a passage between the exterior wall and fireplace. Without a frame, possibly a sliding door.
The partition wall with the fireplace is planned to be longer but remain open toward the exterior wall since the living room is somewhat smaller, and this could make the space feel more open. The entire wall will shift slightly toward the exterior wall so that the fireplace is positioned at the lower end.
ypg schrieb:
Regarding the partition wall and door in the hallway/dining/stair passage, I would omit it completely at the stair start.
My wife envisions a large glass door here, with a fixed part and the door opening to the left. Similar to the door shown here:
pagoni2020 schrieb:
If you hire an architect, why didn’t you let them plan freely first and just gave your textual ideas? I’d see that as a missed opportunity and a pity since they are trained and can think differently.
Maybe I didn’t express myself clearly. We gave him our ideas, which he started to implement, and we are currently discussing small adjustments we want to make in certain areas.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
From the bed, you look directly at the bathroom door. The bathroom itself needs more planning since the sink right behind the door is not ideal; also, the bathroom door conflicts with the shower door.
This issue is definitely on our list and still in progress. 😀
I would like to position the bed with the headboard facing the hallway, but unfortunately, then the length wouldn’t fit and it would be difficult or impossible to walk past the bed at the foot end. 🙁
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Upstairs, again the culprit is the staircase;) causing unnecessary hallway space. Does this mini storage room really need to be there? If it has a door, it probably isn’t much use, right?
The suggestion for a storage room came from our construction supervisor. He said that having some storage space upstairs is never a bad idea, and this spot was convenient.
Ruksson schrieb:
We intentionally agreed on the protrusion from the office to give the living room a bit more privacy when someone enters the living/dining area. Otherwise, you would come in and naturally look directly left at the sofa, but the protrusion creates a small visual barrier there. Definitely think carefully about where the TV and sofa will go. And draw in your actual furniture, not placeholders that don’t really fit there.
Your current thinking is counterproductive because those sitting there wouldn’t be able to see who is approaching from behind. That causes discomfort. People generally don’t want to sit with their backs to the door. Someone coming down the stairs faces a small section of wall, then the corner, then the sofa area. This setup might work if there are 2 meters (6.5 feet) of space in between, but not in a tight space. It doesn’t feel comfortable.
Ruksson schrieb:
My wife envisions a large glass door here, with one part fixed and the door opening to the left. Something similar to this door: However, that doesn’t really correspond to your layout. You don’t have a clear sightline to a distant piece of furniture; instead, the fireplace is immediately there. Because of the fireplace, your design lacks openness in this area. Still, I think the door looks great 🙂
Ruksson schrieb:
He said having some storage space upstairs can’t hurt, and this spot was convenient. Storage space upstairs is definitely useful and should be planned, but not just an arbitrary leftover nook on the south side. There’s much more potential overall. For the family, there isn’t much south-facing space left, right? … only where it’s not really needed. And one child benefits from it…
ypg schrieb:
As far as I know, the drawings were deleted at his request (if not the entire thread). So let’s drop mentioning old threads. Everyone has a right to be forgotten.Why do you care about what you said yesterday, Dr. Adenauer?ypg schrieb:
You can’t close a thread here. But you can just let your thread rest, then no one pays attention to it anymore, and it becomes a forum ghost.
What you’re doing now is inconsistent – you’re a blank slate here, and fittingly for Halloween, you’re waking up this ghost. Nothing can be traced anymore.
In the end, I couldn’t care less, but it had to be said. Have a nice weekend.:-) and by the way, this is also discussed in the mentioned thread: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/efh-172qm-fragen-zum-schnitt-dachstuhl-und-klinker.27213/page-9#post-445186
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A
Alessandro16 Dec 2020 07:42I think the floor plan is quite well done. But try drawing the sofa realistically for five people.
Fireplaces always end up looking much bulkier than what architects usually draw. With plaster and so on, you should actually allow at least 1 meter (3.3 feet) in width here.
As the architect has drawn it, only one log would fit inside.
So you need much more space to avoid sitting too close to the fireplace and overheating ;-)
To save space, I would install a gas fireplace. For most people, the look is more important than the heat anyway.
With gas, the fireplace turns on at the push of a button, it doesn’t give off as much heat, and you can keep it as slim as shown in the plan.
Fireplaces always end up looking much bulkier than what architects usually draw. With plaster and so on, you should actually allow at least 1 meter (3.3 feet) in width here.
As the architect has drawn it, only one log would fit inside.
So you need much more space to avoid sitting too close to the fireplace and overheating ;-)
To save space, I would install a gas fireplace. For most people, the look is more important than the heat anyway.
With gas, the fireplace turns on at the push of a button, it doesn’t give off as much heat, and you can keep it as slim as shown in the plan.
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Alessandro16 Dec 2020 07:51I would mount the TV above the gas fireplace and position the sofa facing into the room.
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