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?
Hello everyone,
so this is roughly how we have planned the living room as shown below. I tested my digital skills and adjusted the floor plan a bit with regard to the fireplace and the living room. The TV is not supposed to be on the fireplace wall, but on the office wall instead. The reason is that multiple devices need to be accommodated there, which would be difficult otherwise. For example, subwoofer, sound receiver, TV receiver, consoles. That’s why the office wall should be extended a little and equipped with a media unit.
The windows on the left side of the living room should be narrow fixed-glass elements that serve as light sources and are positioned higher up. The rear window facing the terrace should also be fixed glass and the size should match the fixed element in the upper floor corridor (when you come up the stairs).
Thanks, at least for the door 😀
That’s true of course, but sometimes you just have to accept some compromises. My wife wanted the two bathrooms next to each other and above the utility room because of the laundry chutes.
We initially tried to plan that niche as a dressing room, but it was too small. That’s why the storage room remained, which I actually don’t find too bad in my “youthful” optimism.
I will take that into consideration and discuss it with the fireplace specialist or site manager.
My wife really wants a wood-burning fireplace; gas is currently not an option for her 😀
My wife thinks the space is sufficient. The room will be used exclusively as a utility room because I want to install the building services in the equipment room in the garage. (I also find it very good that the distance from the heat pump (I hope I’m naming the correct device) to the kitchen, bathrooms, and utility room is not too far in the end.)
The staircase is a difficult topic for me; it was a big wish of mine and a romantic idea that I still find very nice. The thought of (I’m exaggerating here) not having to walk through the cold hallway and past the front door to get upstairs seemed very appealing. I definitely understand the argument concerning the children and the hassle.
so this is roughly how we have planned the living room as shown below. I tested my digital skills and adjusted the floor plan a bit with regard to the fireplace and the living room. The TV is not supposed to be on the fireplace wall, but on the office wall instead. The reason is that multiple devices need to be accommodated there, which would be difficult otherwise. For example, subwoofer, sound receiver, TV receiver, consoles. That’s why the office wall should be extended a little and equipped with a media unit.
The windows on the left side of the living room should be narrow fixed-glass elements that serve as light sources and are positioned higher up. The rear window facing the terrace should also be fixed glass and the size should match the fixed element in the upper floor corridor (when you come up the stairs).
ypg schrieb:
However, I really like the door 🙂
Thanks, at least for the door 😀
ypg schrieb:
You can and should have storage space upstairs, but not just a leftover niche in the south, it needs to be planned.
That’s true of course, but sometimes you just have to accept some compromises. My wife wanted the two bathrooms next to each other and above the utility room because of the laundry chutes.
We initially tried to plan that niche as a dressing room, but it was too small. That’s why the storage room remained, which I actually don’t find too bad in my “youthful” optimism.
Alessandro schrieb:
Fireplaces always end up much larger than architects draw them.
I will take that into consideration and discuss it with the fireplace specialist or site manager.
Alessandro schrieb:
To save space, I would install a gas fireplace. Most people care more about the look than the heat.
With gas, the stove is on at the push of a button, it doesn’t give off that much heat, and you can make it as slim as shown in the plan.
My wife really wants a wood-burning fireplace; gas is currently not an option for her 😀
lastdrop schrieb:
50% of the utility room is circulation space. You can afford that, but the space is then missing elsewhere.
My wife thinks the space is sufficient. The room will be used exclusively as a utility room because I want to install the building services in the equipment room in the garage. (I also find it very good that the distance from the heat pump (I hope I’m naming the correct device) to the kitchen, bathrooms, and utility room is not too far in the end.)
lastdrop schrieb:
I definitely wouldn’t design the staircase like that, I see absolutely no added value.
The staircase is a difficult topic for me; it was a big wish of mine and a romantic idea that I still find very nice. The thought of (I’m exaggerating here) not having to walk through the cold hallway and past the front door to get upstairs seemed very appealing. I definitely understand the argument concerning the children and the hassle.
A
Alessandro16 Dec 2020 11:59If you watch a lot of TV, this couch layout with the TV on the office wall is not ideal. Because then only 2 people can directly watch the TV, while the other 3 end up walking around in a circle later, getting neck strain 😉
H
Hausbautraum2016 Dec 2020 12:48Ruksson schrieb:
A big wish of mine and a romantic idea that I still find very nice is not having to go through the cold hallway and past the front door to get upstairs (I might be exaggerating). I found that very appealing. I definitely understand the argument about children and nerves.Actually, I quite like your floor plan.
I would have had the same comments as ypg in the first post.
The staircase would be my biggest nightmare, but it has to please you.
We do understand the point about “seeing the front door” and going through the cold area, which is why we’re building a traditional entrance vestibule.
I’m just curious how this project will be realized for under 400,000 (currency). We’re building more modestly and we’re well above that.
Ruksson schrieb:
That’s true, of course, but sooner or later you have to face some kind of fate. Just hopefully not too many 😉
Ruksson schrieb:
Because I want to install the building services equipment in the utility room inside the garage. Thermal envelope! The equipment needs to be within the thermal envelope.
Hausbautraum20 schrieb:
A staircase would be my biggest nightmare, but it has to suit you. Yes, as I already said: cool (Pinterest) piece, but in everyday life with kids, it’s a no-go for me.
Keep in mind that Pinterest often only shows styled rooms, not real existing ones. Modern furniture stores and home magazines arrange a room and photograph it in wide shots and details in a way that fits almost any theme and encourages the desire to live (and buy). Much of it has nothing to do with real everyday rooms but only with everyday dreams.
Alessandro schrieb:
But if you watch a lot of TV, this sofa arrangement with the TV on the office wall isn’t ideal.
Because then only two people can watch the TV directly, while the other three have to turn their heads awkwardly and walk around the circle. 😉 Feel free to tell my wife that. That was exactly my argument, but unfortunately it didn’t convince her. 😀
I didn’t want the TV on the fireplace wall because the indirect lighting can be distracting while watching movies. I’m actually a bit of a movie junkie and want to enjoy it fully. That’s why I managed to persuade my wife to put the media unit against the office wall to fit everything in. The distance really bothers me, but unfortunately it’s one of those compromises I’m willing to accept if it means we can at least make it work. Well, I’m planning to upgrade to a 75" TV eventually, so the distance might actually work well then to enjoy 4K movies.
Hausbautraum20 schrieb:
I’m just curious how this project is supposed to be completed for under 400k. We are building more modestly and are well over that. I’ve mentioned our site manager a few times already. Well, I come from a family of skilled tradespeople, so on the one hand we have a lot of experience to fall back on, and on the other hand we can handle many tasks ourselves. My brother is a master mason and sometimes does turnkey projects, my other brother is a master carpenter, and we also have other tradespeople in the family circle that we can rely on.
What this will actually cost us, we will calculate in more detail soon, but we already got a rough estimate that was quite promising and indicated that we could stay within our budget. Where we will have to make compromises will become clear later. 😀
A
Alessandro16 Dec 2020 14:43As you wish. In my opinion, the sofa shown is not designed for movie lovers!
You can easily double the width of the fireplace in the plan to be able to plan realistically.
You can easily double the width of the fireplace in the plan to be able to plan realistically.
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