ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for a 175 sqm Bungalow on a 579 sqm Plot

Hello everyone,

We have purchased a plot of land and are now considering how to build a bungalow on it that meets the KfW 40+ standard.
We have attached an initial floor plan. Currently, we are planning to position the bungalow with a 3m (10 feet) distance to the left neighbor within the building area and later construct a double carport on the left side. The terrace is planned to be built on the west and north sides.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 579 sqm (6,232 sq ft)
Slope: no
Building area, building line, and boundary: For one-story buildings, the maximum allowed size is 175 sqm (1,883 sq ft); for two-story buildings, a maximum of 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) is permitted. Building area is 23m (75 feet) wide by 14m (46 feet) deep. There must be a 3m (10 feet) distance on the left and right sides; carport/garage may be built on the boundary line. The house in this draft is planned at 14m (46 feet) x 12.5m (41 feet).
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: hipped roof
Style
Orientation: garden facing north
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements

Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: bungalow
Basement, floors: no basement, ground floor, attic may be converted later
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 adults (33 and 30), one baby, another child possible
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: ground floor 175 sqm (1,883 sq ft) including approx. 32 sqm (345 sq ft) granny flat; upper floor may be converted later, hence the staircase
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guests per year: guests will stay in the granny flat; otherwise used for holiday rentals
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern style: modern, although the bungalow is probably more conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, planned
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double carport planned later
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for these choices: Granny flat is intended for holiday rentals; open design with open kitchen/living/dining area desired.

House Design
Planner: ourselves
What do you like most? Why?: The open layout of kitchen/dining/living and the separation of private rooms
What do you dislike? Why? The granny flat bathroom has no window, private rooms feel cramped
Cost estimate by architect/planner: approx. 425,000 EUR (about 470,000 USD) excluding groundwork and painting
Personal price limit for house, including features: 470,000 EUR (about 520,000 USD)
Preferred heating system: air heat pump

If you had to give up, on which features / expansions
-can you give up:
-can you not give up: granny flat, open layout

Why is the design as it is now? For example: our own (limited) creativity.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we design the rooms so they don’t feel cramped, still have windows, and keep the kitchen/living/dining area open?

We look forward to your input and ideas. The floor plan currently reflects our concept and has not yet been planned down to the centimeter. The measurements are for rough orientation only.

Draw furniture to scale in realistic sizes.

In my opinion, there are too many requirements for this space!

Hmm, one area gets lost, while another has no space. For example, the dining area becomes insignificant, whereas the bedroom cannot be furnished. The center is dark. Try furnishing it yourself to scale. The guest toilet is smaller than the bathroom in the granny flat and about the same size as the bedroom...

With a normal ceiling height, the staircase needs to be at least 3.70 meters long (12 feet). Right now, only an emergency staircase is shown. If a second child comes, where will the home office go?

With an almost square floor plan, some areas end up without windows. You can achieve brightness through a creative roof design, such as adding a third gable or skylights, or you might want to consider a different house shape.

Does the granny flat have to be included? Is it meant to be a holiday haven for couples and singles with enough use to justify it?

Once the exterior and interior walls are drawn with realistic thicknesses, there won’t be much space left. Along the bedroom row, there are too many narrow rooms that allow almost no space loss.

No offense, but I find it rather unprofessional that anyone even gave you a price based on the drawing.

jonhebbe schrieb:

No offense, but I find it quite unprofessional that someone gave you a price just based on the drawing.

The price is calculated by saying: the house is 175 sq meters (1884 sq ft), it should be a bungalow with a hip roof.
Then the builder’s calculator does the rest:
They estimate 170 sq meters (1830 sq ft), multiply it by their flat rate of 2500 euros per square meter for a single-family home, and voilà, you get 425,000 euros 🙂
In my opinion, it’s not a plot suitable for a bungalow.

175 sq m (1887 sq ft) of floor area corresponds to a maximum of 140 sq m (1507 sq ft) of living space. After subtracting 30 sq m (323 sq ft) for the granny flat, 110 sq m (1184 sq ft) remain for you.

Living space right at the entrance, a small wardrobe/laundry room, no storage…

Some square meters are missing.

Please draw walls that are worthy of being called walls. Furniture has already been mentioned.

Also include the terrace, parking space, house entrance, etc. in the drawing.