ᐅ Floor plan for a single-family house of approximately 200 sqm with basement – rear development

Hello everyone,

After much silent reading, we would now like to draw on your experience and expertise and ask for your opinions and feedback on our project. We are still in the very early stages and are currently working on floor plans to visualize our ideas and to be prepared for upcoming discussions with various general contractors. Before I get to the questionnaire, I’d like to briefly describe the starting situation:

The plot is approximately 1600 m² (0.4 acres) in size, with an old building containing two apartments at the front. Two small garages with covered parking are located along the northern boundary and almost fully use up the buildable area along that border. We are currently not planning to subdivide the property, so for the new construction, taking into account the plot ratio already “used up” by the existing buildings, about 700 m² (7500 sq ft) of building area remains as a gap. The rear part of the plot is separated from the front by a tall hedge. The best view axis into the garden is to the south, although partially limited by the hedge and neighboring buildings. Therefore, in our plan, the new house is positioned as far north as possible with the living/dining area facing south.

Please have a look and share your feedback – we appreciate new ideas and opinions.

Thank you very much.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 700 m² (7500 sq ft)
Slope: no
Plot ratio (floor area ratio): 0.3, 50% increase allowed due to driveways
Floor space ratio: no specification
Building window, building line, and boundaries: no specification
Edge development: no specification
Number of parking spaces: no specification
Number of stories: 1 full story (according to Lower Saxony building regulations)
Roof pitch: 35–48°
Architectural style: no specification
Orientation: no specification
Maximum height / limits: ground floor max. 80 cm (31.5 inches) above street level
Other requirements: boundary development already fully utilized by existing buildings

Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house, gable roof, brick-clad
Basement, stories: basement, ground floor, attic
Number of people, ages: 4 people (34, 34, 3, 1)
Room needs on ground floor: kitchen, living/dining area, study, guest WC/bathroom
Room needs on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in closet, two children’s rooms, bathroom
Office: home office
Guest overnight stays per year: 2
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern construction: traditional exterior, modern interior
Open kitchen, kitchen island: island or peninsula
Number of dining seats: 10+
Fireplace: optional
Music/stereo wall: not necessary
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: garage: single garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: not necessary
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be included:

House Design
Who designed the plan: do-it-yourself
What do you like about it? Why?: we like the open layout of the ground floor
What do you not like? Why?: we are uncertain about the room sizes on the upper floor (large children’s rooms, relatively small bathroom), as well as the usability of the kitchen.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: not available yet
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures and fittings: €600,000
Preferred heating technology: ground-source heat pump (brine-water), air-source heat pump

If you have to give up certain features or extensions,
- Features you can do without: void spaces, guest room in the attic, seating lounge on the ground floor (winter garden replacement), fireplace
- Features you cannot do without: basement, access from house to garage (we are used to it and do not want to miss it), shower on the ground floor

Why is the design like it is now?
After many doubtful attempts at floor plans, the design we present here is primarily inspired by the Bien-Zenker Concept-M 172.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Feedback on the floor plan, possibilities for optimization. Can the room program be implemented more efficiently? Are there major planning mistakes or no-gos? Would you place the house completely differently?

Where should one even start? First of all, 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) plus a basement, wow....

600,000 € for 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) plus basement will probably only be possible with a lot of personal labor. Using a rough estimate (which is probably optimistic given current prices):
- 2,500 € x 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) = 500,000 €
- Basement: 80,000 €
- Additional costs: 50,000 €
- Outdoor landscaping: around 25,000 € to start with
- New furniture/kitchen: 40,000 €
Total: 695,000 €

And this is rather standard. My opinion on this: Why build so large? Why 21 sqm (225 sq ft) rooms for children? Aren’t they supposed to move out rather than stay in their rooms? Why wouldn’t 15 sqm (160 sq ft) be enough?

Then the lounge. What is it for? Isn’t the garden or the living room used more often? And how is the basement supposed to be used?

So, basically, it is doable: the walls line up structurally, the layout is nice, etc. The only major criticism I have is the bathroom, which is too small for four people and probably not very comfortable because it’s simply tiny in proportion.
I also find the U-shaped kitchen rather cramped in such a large room. The cloakroom for four is also relatively small.
It looks like the house was made bigger simply by increasing the length to fit in everything possible: open space above the entrance, a straight staircase, an aquarium, dormer window… by the way, the fireplace doesn’t have enough space. Yes, it’s furnished very, very tightly, I would say.

But there’s no point in debating, because it’s not a skill to draw all wishes on a large plot and repeatedly expand the exterior dimensions. The real skill is setting priorities and managing with what is feasible. In this case, with a budget of 600,000€ (around $600,000).

Acof1978 schrieb:

2,500 € x 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft) = 500,000 € ($500,000)
- Basement: 80,000 € ($80,000)
- Additional costs: 50,000 € ($50,000)
- Landscaping and external work: 25,000 € ($25,000) to start with

There’s a lot of truth in that.
However, I would estimate the basement cost higher, since the usable floor area is almost 140 sqm (1,507 sq ft)… and for the heated living area, the house size might be somewhat smaller.
Regarding landscaping, there will also be an expensive access road, right? So it will probably remain a dream house or a castle in the air.

Edit: I took a look at the Bien-Zenker 172 model—it’s a completely different class inside.

Hello Doh-Nuts

I had an aquarium measuring 180 x 70 x 70 centimeters (71 x 28 x 28 inches) until a few days ago. I gave it away due to lack of time. Set up the wastewater and supply water—ideally through an electric instantaneous water heater placed under the aquarium. Also, run the power supply there. Keep the technical equipment in the basement.

A Malawi tank would be a good option. The fish are robust, easy to care for, and nicely colorful. Don’t forget the fryers; otherwise, the stocking will explode.

Steven

Any feedback coming, @Doh-Nuts?

ypg schrieb:

Any feedback yet @Doh-Nuts?

Sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed, hence the late response.

Acof1978 schrieb:

Why 21sqm (226 sq ft) rooms for the kids? Then the lounge—what for? Wouldn’t the garden or living room be used more often? And how is the basement going to be used?

The large kids’ rooms are more a result of the elongated floor plan ypg mentioned than a deliberate choice. And since I suspected a window facing west or east might not get enough light, I planned a dormer there. I fully agree that 15sqm (161 sq ft) is sufficient for the kids.
Regarding the lounge: we currently only use the living room in the evenings for watching TV, so I placed that in the potentially darker northwest corner. To have a brighter, cozy seating area, I added the lounge space, basically as a winter garden substitute.

The basement is intended for technical installations, storage, hobbies (sports, aquarium), and if the project runs out of budget, maybe a small home theater. I’m aware the basement is a major cost driver, but I’m not prepared to cut it at this point. We tend to be “collectors” rather than “get rid of it” kind of people ;-)

Acof1978 schrieb:

600,000 € for 200sqm (2,153 sq ft) + basement will probably only work with a lot of DIY. If you apply the rough rule of thumb (probably optimistic with current prices):
- 2,500 € x 200 sqm = 500,000 €
- Basement: 80,000 €
- Additional costs: 50,000 €
- Outdoor areas: initially 25,000 €
- New furniture/kitchen: 40,000 €
Total: 695,000 €

And that’s rather standard.

For 2,500 €/sqm (232 $/sq ft) I would expect more than a standard house, it’s not supposed to be in Bavaria anyway ;-) But I realize 600,000 € will probably be tight.

ypg schrieb:

The site access will add a costly driveway, right? So more likely a dream home or a castle in the air.

Yes, it will be about 25m x 3m (82 ft x 10 ft).

ypg schrieb:

Edit: I looked at the Bien-Zenker 172 model and the interior is on a whole different level.

If I approach this hypothetically, trying to convert the floor plan with minimal changes into a single-story with a pitched roof, I see the following issues:

• The kids’ room windows facing east/west would have to be quite small because of the roof slope, as they need to be closer to the ridge → dormer with south-facing window as a solution?
• Bathroom would probably also only work with a dormer.
• Apart from that, the kitchen in the original is probably less fussy. Aside from adding a window there to have a view of the garden while cooking, it would get annoying by the fifth time of having to take the mixer out because there is no proper fixed spot for it in the kitchen. But I guess you have to live with that for such a design kitchen 🙂

Most likely the result is that the BZ 172 floor plan is not suitable for a pitched roof/single-story, and I’d better start from scratch 🙂

Steven schrieb:

A Malawi cichlid tank would be suitable.

Only saltwater species would go into the aquarium.