ᐅ Floor Plan Design – Two-Family House / Single-Family House with Basement or In-Law Apartment
Created on: 3 Jan 2021 13:11
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patrick_01P
patrick_013 Jan 2021 13:11Hello everyone! Basically, it’s about a two-family house, but the second living unit should be on one level with about 75m² (800 ft²).
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: rural area with 45m x 45m (2025m² (21,800 ft²))
Slope: no
Site occupancy index: -
Floor area ratio: -
Building window, building line, and boundary: -
Edge development: none
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: -
Roof shape: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: house can be freely rotated; currently entrances face north / northwest
Maximum heights/limits: -
(few restrictions due to rural area)
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type: rectangular floor plan with simple gable roof, no dormers/gables etc. due to economic reasons, style is plain country house, KfW 55 standard
Basement, floors: no basement for economic reasons, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age: 4 (30, 30, 60, 60 + up to 2 children)
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: ground floor second unit completely single level with about 75m² (800 ft²) of living space; main unit with ground + upper floor at least 150m² (1600 ft²) living space, a bit more preferred
Office: home office for 2 people
Overnight guests per year: none
Open or closed layout: tendency towards open
Conservative or modern construction: tendency towards conservative, country house style
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen, cooking island optional but not a must
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: highly desirable, chimney usable for both units if possible (therefore living rooms adjacent). However, not masonry; initially only the chimney. A freestanding wood stove would be added later.
Music/stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace is definitely an option, since ground floor space is limited (about 62m² (670 ft²)) and upper floor has much more (about 113m² (1215 ft²)). The idea is to enlarge the floor plan (e.g. by 2m (6.5 ft)) and then create a roof terrace above.
Garage, carport: waived for economic reasons
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
In the attached plan, the current idea is to remove the pantry and simply add it to the kitchen, also giving about 1m² (11 ft²) from the bathroom to the kitchen. This moves the kitchen further back so it no longer extends so much into the living/dining area (and adds a door from the hallway to the kitchen). Still, we find the roughly 62m² (670 ft²) on the ground floor a bit small, so we’re considering at least 10.99m x 17.11m (36 ft x 56 ft) to benefit our main unit. But that worsens the problem of the upper floor becoming even larger (which we already think is too big). Hence also the consideration of the roof terrace.
What we like:
Living/dining area + kitchen in an open L-shape.
Shower in the ground floor bathroom (outdoor area: often coming into the house dirty)
Small storage room for beverage crates and similar items
Dedicated “corner” as a cloakroom area to immediately get rid of dirty clothes
Deliberately two separate entrances (so it’s not really a classic secondary unit), this is essential.
We are not yet satisfied with the upper floor. The utility/technical room must be upstairs as well as a second larger storage room. Also, a spacious walk-in closet is mandatory. There should be one double office, not two separate rooms. Office 1/2 could then become a “hobby room.”
House Design
Source of the design: preliminary draft by architect
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump (AWHP)
If you have to do without anything, which details or features
-cannot be done without: ground floor secondary unit with 75m² (800 ft²), shower in ground floor bathroom, cloakroom corner, two separate entrances.
Otherwise, we are quite flexible, especially regarding the layout upstairs.
Why is the design the way it is?
Preliminary draft by architect after discussion
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The key questions are:
1) If we enlarge the ground floor and plan a (simple) roof terrace upstairs, is this economically sensible? Or is it cheaper just to build out? I.e., does the savings from the roof terrace upstairs offset the extra sqm on the ground floor?
2) How would you solve the problem that the main unit on the ground floor has rather little space and too much upstairs? The second unit must be single-level at about 75m² (800 ft²), and a basement is not an option. Also, the floor plan should remain as rectangular as possible for economic reasons.
3) A glazed extension on the ground floor to create space is conceivable. But is enlarging the floor plan more economical than adding about 15m² (160 ft²) via a glazed extension, e.g. in the dining area? The glazed extension would have to be fully insulated to be useful, which would increase costs significantly.
4) What’s your estimate of the construction costs? 🙂
Additional: The design of the second unit can be accepted as it is for now.
Thanks in advance...
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: rural area with 45m x 45m (2025m² (21,800 ft²))
Slope: no
Site occupancy index: -
Floor area ratio: -
Building window, building line, and boundary: -
Edge development: none
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: -
Roof shape: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: house can be freely rotated; currently entrances face north / northwest
Maximum heights/limits: -
(few restrictions due to rural area)
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof shape, building type: rectangular floor plan with simple gable roof, no dormers/gables etc. due to economic reasons, style is plain country house, KfW 55 standard
Basement, floors: no basement for economic reasons, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, age: 4 (30, 30, 60, 60 + up to 2 children)
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: ground floor second unit completely single level with about 75m² (800 ft²) of living space; main unit with ground + upper floor at least 150m² (1600 ft²) living space, a bit more preferred
Office: home office for 2 people
Overnight guests per year: none
Open or closed layout: tendency towards open
Conservative or modern construction: tendency towards conservative, country house style
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen, cooking island optional but not a must
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: highly desirable, chimney usable for both units if possible (therefore living rooms adjacent). However, not masonry; initially only the chimney. A freestanding wood stove would be added later.
Music/stereo wall: -
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace is definitely an option, since ground floor space is limited (about 62m² (670 ft²)) and upper floor has much more (about 113m² (1215 ft²)). The idea is to enlarge the floor plan (e.g. by 2m (6.5 ft)) and then create a roof terrace above.
Garage, carport: waived for economic reasons
Utility garden, greenhouse: -
In the attached plan, the current idea is to remove the pantry and simply add it to the kitchen, also giving about 1m² (11 ft²) from the bathroom to the kitchen. This moves the kitchen further back so it no longer extends so much into the living/dining area (and adds a door from the hallway to the kitchen). Still, we find the roughly 62m² (670 ft²) on the ground floor a bit small, so we’re considering at least 10.99m x 17.11m (36 ft x 56 ft) to benefit our main unit. But that worsens the problem of the upper floor becoming even larger (which we already think is too big). Hence also the consideration of the roof terrace.
What we like:
Living/dining area + kitchen in an open L-shape.
Shower in the ground floor bathroom (outdoor area: often coming into the house dirty)
Small storage room for beverage crates and similar items
Dedicated “corner” as a cloakroom area to immediately get rid of dirty clothes
Deliberately two separate entrances (so it’s not really a classic secondary unit), this is essential.
We are not yet satisfied with the upper floor. The utility/technical room must be upstairs as well as a second larger storage room. Also, a spacious walk-in closet is mandatory. There should be one double office, not two separate rooms. Office 1/2 could then become a “hobby room.”
House Design
Source of the design: preliminary draft by architect
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump (AWHP)
If you have to do without anything, which details or features
-cannot be done without: ground floor secondary unit with 75m² (800 ft²), shower in ground floor bathroom, cloakroom corner, two separate entrances.
Otherwise, we are quite flexible, especially regarding the layout upstairs.
Why is the design the way it is?
Preliminary draft by architect after discussion
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
The key questions are:
1) If we enlarge the ground floor and plan a (simple) roof terrace upstairs, is this economically sensible? Or is it cheaper just to build out? I.e., does the savings from the roof terrace upstairs offset the extra sqm on the ground floor?
2) How would you solve the problem that the main unit on the ground floor has rather little space and too much upstairs? The second unit must be single-level at about 75m² (800 ft²), and a basement is not an option. Also, the floor plan should remain as rectangular as possible for economic reasons.
3) A glazed extension on the ground floor to create space is conceivable. But is enlarging the floor plan more economical than adding about 15m² (160 ft²) via a glazed extension, e.g. in the dining area? The glazed extension would have to be fully insulated to be useful, which would increase costs significantly.
4) What’s your estimate of the construction costs? 🙂
Additional: The design of the second unit can be accepted as it is for now.
Thanks in advance...
patrick_01 schrieb:
Outdoor areaAnd why are you allowed to build there, and under what conditions? patrick_01 schrieb:
The house can be rotated freely, currently the entrances face north / northwestDo you mean it can be mirrored?https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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patrick_013 Jan 2021 15:0311ant schrieb:
And why are you allowed to build there, and under what conditions?
Do you mean mirrored? It would be a replacement new build including a retirement apartment.
The main condition is a maximum distance of 200m (650 feet) from the original main building. Normally, the maximum living area allowed is 250sqm (2,690 sq ft), but because the old main building will be repurposed (this is the condition), some of its area can be counted, so we should be allowed more than 300sqm (3,230 sq ft) of living space. By mirrored, I mean that the sides can be swapped, and the house can also be rotated freely in terms of orientation.
The permit process has not started yet, but according to the architect, we are not subject to any further restrictions (is there anyone experienced with building in rural areas around here – by the way, this is in NRW).
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patrick_014 Jan 2021 14:55Are there any details still missing? Or is the floor plan in its current design complete nonsense? Any suggestions for improvement are welcome, including criticism.
Well, it’s always difficult to understand something like this.
- Bathrooms on the ground floor ... why have windows in the showers?
- Bathroom upstairs - the shower is partially within the ceiling area, 150 to 200 cm (59 to 79 inches) high ==> not suitable
You keep mentioning this and that also for cost reasons ... so what is the budget? Maybe it’s possible to save some words about the roof terrace, etc. 😉
And the plot and location regarding the street, neighbors, etc. are always VERY important for evaluating a floor plan.
- Bathrooms on the ground floor ... why have windows in the showers?
- Bathroom upstairs - the shower is partially within the ceiling area, 150 to 200 cm (59 to 79 inches) high ==> not suitable
You keep mentioning this and that also for cost reasons ... so what is the budget? Maybe it’s possible to save some words about the roof terrace, etc. 😉
And the plot and location regarding the street, neighbors, etc. are always VERY important for evaluating a floor plan.
At first glance, the rooms appear to be arranged quite carelessly.
In the granny flat:
The living room seems too small to me. Would an open-plan kitchen and living area be an option?
Does it really have to be such a small walk-in closet? What is the advantage compared to the traditional option of having a wardrobe in the bedroom?
Is it intentional for the two terraces to be located right next to each other?
Perhaps in the granny flat, one could be on the east side?
Upper floor:
Here, too, the walk-in closet seems too small to me.
If you only need one office and two children’s rooms, I would plan accordingly and make all the rooms slightly larger.
In the granny flat:
The living room seems too small to me. Would an open-plan kitchen and living area be an option?
Does it really have to be such a small walk-in closet? What is the advantage compared to the traditional option of having a wardrobe in the bedroom?
Is it intentional for the two terraces to be located right next to each other?
Perhaps in the granny flat, one could be on the east side?
Upper floor:
Here, too, the walk-in closet seems too small to me.
If you only need one office and two children’s rooms, I would plan accordingly and make all the rooms slightly larger.
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