ᐅ Floor Plan Design for Urban Villa – Catalog Floor Plan Inspiration
Created on: 22 Sep 2021 10:45
M
miriam85
Hello dear members,
After a long time of quietly following the forum and officially reserving our preferred plot, we are now venturing into planning our urban villa. We have drawn inspiration from many catalog floor plans and sketched extensively on paper. The result is a design we are reasonably satisfied with. We would now like to have it reviewed by you to understand what works (or doesn’t).
First, the questionnaire:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size 600 sqm (20x30 m) (6460 sq ft, 66x98 ft)
Slope no
Building area, building line and boundary 3 m (10 ft) setback
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of floors max. 2
Roof style any
Architectural style modern
Orientation garden facing southwest
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type urban villa with hipped roof
Basement, floors 2 floors without basement
Number of occupants, ages 3 (36, 35, 2)
Room area on ground and upper floors approx. 85 sqm (915 sq ft) each
Office: family use or home office? home office
Overnight guests per year 4
Open or closed architecture open
Open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats 6, extendable to 10
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport double garage
House design
Who designed it? do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Our space requirements are met. Front entrance centered.
What do you dislike? Why? We are unsure if the upper floor works as planned. To make the fitness room functional in size, we had to move walls and reduce the upstairs hallway. Could this result in too little natural light on the upper floor? Also, we are uncertain if the utility room is adequately sized.
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump + controlled mechanical ventilation
If you had to give up, which details/ additions would you omit
-could you give up: pantry, door from utility room to garage, straight staircase (even though we like it for being easy to use and providing storage underneath)
-could you not give up: fitness room, two children's bedrooms, office
Why is the design the way it is? For example,
What do you consider particularly good or bad about it? See above. We have included all the required rooms but are not sure the upper floor layout works. We also have concerns about storage space.
Regarding orientation, the plan is to position the house as close as possible to the street (northeast) to maximize garden space in the southwest.
Enough said: we look forward to feedback from the lions’ den. ;-)
After a long time of quietly following the forum and officially reserving our preferred plot, we are now venturing into planning our urban villa. We have drawn inspiration from many catalog floor plans and sketched extensively on paper. The result is a design we are reasonably satisfied with. We would now like to have it reviewed by you to understand what works (or doesn’t).
First, the questionnaire:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size 600 sqm (20x30 m) (6460 sq ft, 66x98 ft)
Slope no
Building area, building line and boundary 3 m (10 ft) setback
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of floors max. 2
Roof style any
Architectural style modern
Orientation garden facing southwest
Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type urban villa with hipped roof
Basement, floors 2 floors without basement
Number of occupants, ages 3 (36, 35, 2)
Room area on ground and upper floors approx. 85 sqm (915 sq ft) each
Office: family use or home office? home office
Overnight guests per year 4
Open or closed architecture open
Open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats 6, extendable to 10
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport double garage
House design
Who designed it? do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Our space requirements are met. Front entrance centered.
What do you dislike? Why? We are unsure if the upper floor works as planned. To make the fitness room functional in size, we had to move walls and reduce the upstairs hallway. Could this result in too little natural light on the upper floor? Also, we are uncertain if the utility room is adequately sized.
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump + controlled mechanical ventilation
If you had to give up, which details/ additions would you omit
-could you give up: pantry, door from utility room to garage, straight staircase (even though we like it for being easy to use and providing storage underneath)
-could you not give up: fitness room, two children's bedrooms, office
Why is the design the way it is? For example,
What do you consider particularly good or bad about it? See above. We have included all the required rooms but are not sure the upper floor layout works. We also have concerns about storage space.
Regarding orientation, the plan is to position the house as close as possible to the street (northeast) to maximize garden space in the southwest.
Enough said: we look forward to feedback from the lions’ den. ;-)
G
Georgian201924 Sep 2021 10:43Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I hate it too, but my two boys and their friends are completely resistant to advice. From experience, I plan the storage space in the house entrance area according to the children’s usage habits. I even briefly considered having the kids use only the servant’s entrance, sorry, the back door. 😀 So the Empire dresser will stay in storage until the kids move out. What a pity about the dresser in storage! Our 3-year-old daughter neatly puts her shoes under the stairs (otherwise we do it) and brings her jacket to the utility room or lays it on the bench, then asks us if we will hang it up. It’s all a matter of conditioning. Let’s see how long it lasts.
G
Georgian201924 Sep 2021 10:49ypg schrieb:
But we live in the here and now.
Those times are over! 2021... 2022 is coming. The Rococo lady also didn’t model herself after the Middle Ages.
That might work individually for you, but others might prefer something more organized or structured.
I don’t want to step on your toes. Your house looks stylish, suits you, and many people like it because it’s different. But most would build the interior differently and more practically. It’s fine as it is, since you like it and it works. But it doesn’t have to be treated as sacred. There’s always room for improvement. Even with a small footprint. I completely agree with you. Everyone has their own preferences and should feel comfortable. I just wanted to give an example that 7.5m² (80.7 sq ft) can be enough (although I’ve seen many designs with even smaller utility rooms). Especially considering rising construction costs. Perhaps the trend toward downsizing might help here. It doesn’t have to be 150–200m² (1,615–2,153 sq ft) and then complain about high building costs. But everyone is entitled to their opinion. I finance construction projects daily and often have to shake my head internally: a minimum of 150m² (1,615 sq ft) in economically weak areas, and then there’s not enough left for proper landscaping.
M
Myrna_Loy24 Sep 2021 10:58Georgian2019 schrieb:
150sqm minimum (in a region with weak infrastructure) and then it’s still not enough for decent landscaping. You have studied historical architecture extensively – what is considered representative and important keeps changing. Currently, space-consuming features like walk-in closets, children’s bathrooms, and large open-plan areas are popular. This is despite the persistent German aversion to built-in wardrobes planned during construction. Interestingly, these wardrobes played a central role even in Bauhaus architecture, but that tradition has not continued with modern successors. So, everything just keeps getting bigger.
In our region, there’s been a spectacular villa for 10 years now. Slightly elevated, with a fantastic view, clearly visible. Truly good modern architecture. The site is still a construction zone with no progress. It couldn’t be clearer that the project was miscalculated.
G
Georgian201924 Sep 2021 11:18Myrna_Loy schrieb:
You have studied historical architecture extensively – what is considered representative and important is constantly changing. Currently, space-consuming features like walk-in closets, children’s bathrooms, and large open-plan areas are popular. This is despite the persistent German aversion to built-in wardrobes that are permanently installed during construction. Incidentally, these also played a central role in Bauhaus architecture, but this tradition was not carried on by modern successors. So everything keeps getting bigger.
In our region, there has been an impressive villa for 10 years now. Slightly elevated, great views, highly visible. Truly excellent modern architecture. The site is still a construction zone with no progress made. You couldn’t make it clearer that the project was miscalculated. Every house or building stands or falls with its surroundings. The environment can either enhance or ruin it. The overall picture just has to fit... and the budget. I could feel comfortable in 250 sq m (2,690 sq ft) if I had the money and the location allowed for resale or there was a solvent clientele. In our rural, economically weak area, it makes no sense to build a huge villa for 500,000–600,000 EUR, as there is no one who could pay that back to you. Here, 495,000 EUR is the limit for a large 200 sq m (2,150 sq ft) existing home with a pool, sauna, horse stable, outbuildings, etc. And I’m not even sure those asking prices have actually been realized. 200,000–300,000 EUR is more realistic here.
Georgian2019 schrieb:
Minimum 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) in a structurally weak area, and then it’s still not enough for decent landscaping.Myrna_Loy schrieb:
You couldn’t make it clearer that the budget was underestimated.Unfortunately, this is currently a topic in a parallel thread as well: underestimated costs, having to provide additional financing, and now it’s still the landscaping that there is no money for.Built-in cupboards, at least one row from the entrance to the open dining area, I also wanted, but we wouldn’t have been able to pay for them. Yes, that’s how it is with money. Although I have to correct myself: we would have had the money, but it wasn’t worth it to me.
M
Myrna_Loy24 Sep 2021 11:29ypg schrieb:
This is unfortunately currently a topic in a parallel thread: underestimating costs, needing additional financing, and now it's still the outdoor areas that have no budget.
Built-in wardrobes, at least a row from the entrance to the open dining area, I wanted as well, but we couldn’t afford it. Yes, that’s how it is with money. Although I should clarify: we did have the money, but to me it wasn’t worth it. I once had them, and they were extremely impractical because everything stored there got mixed up somehow. I meant built-in wardrobes that, for example, form the wall between the bathroom and bedroom, providing space for towels, etc. in the bathroom and housing the wardrobes in the bedroom. Or between the hallway and children’s rooms, so that in the hallway you can store bedding, blankets, small tools, or suitcases, and the children’s rooms have small built-in wardrobes.
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