ᐅ Bungalow Floor Plan for 3 People, 130 sqm – Looking for Opinions...

Zweithaus schrieb:

Thanks, I agree with that. I also think you’re not just building for the children, and the added value comes from the garden and so on.

Zweithaus schrieb:

I didn’t have a huge kids’ room as a child either, and 12sqm (130 sq ft) is standard even in apartments. I really don’t see a big problem there.

This is a clear decision. The smaller you build, the more thought you need to put in to make it really good. We have an RV and manage very well with little space. From that RV experience, we included a few wishes into the architecture of our house. My question about whether it should stay that way was serious, even though a “Haha” was added.

My understanding of the architect’s task is as follows:
It should be a practical “space miracle” for a family of three, with small private rooms, a utility/technical room, a separate living room, a small office, and a combined kitchen and dining area where most family life takes place. Since the residents imagine their life as a connection between indoor and outdoor living, a special focus should be placed on connecting the “living spaces.” Entrances and circulation areas should be minimized and functional (cloakroom, guest toilet). The residents do not value representativeness or guest accommodation. Since the child’s room remains small, it is desirable that the growing child can use a private outdoor area with friends. An exit to the garden and space for a future garden design that meets their needs would be preferred. The residents want to incorporate the beautiful west-facing view into their daily life. The shape and positioning of the house on the plot will be determined by these requirements; there are no restrictions and plenty of creative freedom. There are also no specifications regarding wall construction or building services. Parking spaces near the main entrance are preferred. The residents are happy to consider ideas from the tiny house movement or other creative proposals that do not follow standard approaches, as long as they are not unusually costly. The residents enjoy spending time with ..., ... and .... The budget for the construction including xxx and yyy currently amounts to zzzt€.

Bet an architect can do this better than we can here?
Bet that with this planning freedom, architects will be interested not only in the budget but also in the brief that finally offers them creative freedom?
Bet that a creative, affordable solution for a likeable family is a portfolio piece an architect will be happy to show?
Bet that an interested architect is willing to design this for a fixed fee?

What comes out of a fresh-thinking architect (m/f/d) will exceed expectations (and the budget too, so propose 20% less than the pain threshold).

driver55 schrieb:

The floor plan is a complete disaster!

I’m not sure whether to “admire” your extraordinary talent for making yourself unpopular here. In any case, enlighten us and get to the point—where exactly do you see the disaster in Steffi33’s (!) floor plan? My three favorite bungalow designs are those from @Nordlys (minimal without feeling cramped), from @Evolith (works well even with children), and from @Steffi33 (clever but not expensive, and also the core of a successful overall concept).

Zweithaus schrieb:

I’ve attached a picture of various houses that inspired us.

Gudeen. schrieb:

I think you’ve clearly already put a lot of thought into this.

“Putting a lot of thought into it” is exactly the problem, because sometimes it doesn’t lead to a solution—it creates more complications instead. Just like having too many wishes per square meter, having too many ideas per possibility can hinder a successful result. The same applies to an excessive number of sources of inspiration intended to be “processed” into the design. If these references don’t harmonize well, they compete rather than complement each other. That is the direct path to a Frankenstein’s monster or at least deep frustration.

Zweithaus schrieb:

I cleared the floor plan now. The living room, kitchen, and terrace are the highest priorities, and maybe someone has a good idea for how to arrange the bedrooms around them to save hallway space.

If a design as a whole is not yet successful, it unfortunately doesn’t help to treat supposedly near-flawless areas as finalized and only allow redesign around them. Instead, the situation demands wiping the slate completely clean. Otherwise, the block of what is “checked off” will persist, and the healing reorganization won’t start flowing. You have to “sacrifice” the partial success in order to clear the way for the overall recovery. Structures that were truly good will naturally reform on their own.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

Therefore, the "partial success" must unfortunately be "sacrificed" in order to clear the way for the overall recovery. Structures that were truly good will naturally form again.

I agree with that. Sometimes you have to let go of one problem in order to solve the bigger problem.

hampshire schrieb:

This is a clear decision. The smaller the build, the more careful planning is needed to make it really good. We have a camper van and manage very well with limited space. Drawing on that experience, we incorporated a few wishes into the architecture of our house. My question about whether it should stay that way was serious, even though a "Haha" was added.

My understanding of the architect’s brief is as follows:
It should be a practical “space miracle” for a family of three, with small private rooms, a technical/utility room, a separate living room, a small study, and a room with kitchen and dining table where most family life takes place. Since the residents envision their lives combining indoor and outdoor living, special focus should be placed on connecting the “living space” to the outside. Entrances and circulation areas should be minimal and practical (cloakroom, guest toilet). The residents do not prioritize representational spaces or guest accommodation. Since the child’s room will remain small, it is desirable that, as they grow up, the child has their own private outdoor area to use with friends. An exit to the garden and room for a future garden design that meets their needs would be welcome. The residents would like to incorporate the beautiful view to the west into their daily life. The shape and placement of the house on the plot will be determined by these requirements; there are no preset rules and there is freedom for creativity. Likewise, there are no specifications for wall construction or building services. Parking spaces near the front door are preferred. The residents are happy to consider ideas from the tiny house sector or other creative concepts that do not follow conventional standards, as long as they are not exceptionally costly. The residents enjoy spending their time with ..., ... and .... The budget for construction, including xxx and yyy, currently stands at zzzt€.

Bet an architect can do this better than we can here?
Bet that with this planning freedom, architects will be interested not only in the budget but also in the design brief, which finally allows them some creative freedom?
Bet that a creative, affordable solution for a likeable family will be a reference project an architect would be happy to showcase?
Bet that an interested architect would be willing to plan this for a fixed fee?

What a fresh-thinking architect (m/f/d) comes up with will exceed expectations (and the budget too, so aim 20% smaller than what feels comfortable).

Unfortunately, irony doesn’t help me here either. Although it rightly makes you think, it isn’t always constructive.

ypg schrieb:

For example, the dimensions of the plot and your budget expectations.
It doesn't help if someone here designs a low-budget house for you when you could and want to spend much more.
And vice versa: details in the floor plan are expensive – why should I suggest impressive sightlines that take up several square meters if you can't afford them?!

This is already a good starting point: the child has an adequate room on the ground floor for a few years, the office goes upstairs (in the attic under a shallow pitched roof), and when the child can and wants to sleep alone, the rooms can be swapped. A standard staircase is sufficient for this, for example, a steel stringer staircase, which is quite modern, timeless, and affordable. This way, you make good use of the attic space, which is already there anyway. You can reduce some space downstairs and balance that financially – and you also get spatial separation.
Later on, you'll have a nice room upstairs for hobbies (yoga, guests, etc.).
What about an architect?
I’ll check what I still have saved on my computer at home – once the plot width is known...
Although we currently have summer weather, so I’m not spending much time at the PC – but sketching while lying down works 😉

The plot is about 28 m (92 feet) wide at the street side and 35 m (115 feet) long. On the west side, it narrows to 18 m (59 feet).
The exact site plan will only be available after the final development and surveying at the end of the year.

The budget is a maximum of 300,000 € (approx. 300,000 USD). If needed, we can contribute as owner-builders by doing some wall work (filling, priming, plastering, painting).

haydee schrieb:

You have to be able to afford large rooms. Small children’s rooms are fine with a small floor area. But with 200+ sqm (2,150+ sq ft), a master bedroom of 50 sqm (540 sq ft), and a large gallery, 12 sqm (130 sq ft) children’s rooms are too small.

Here, the office is too small, the child and parents should swap, and the kitchen is too dark.

Thanks for this input. Swapping the child’s and parents’ rooms was also my thought, but then the children’s room is on the north side….