ᐅ Evaluation of floor plan for approximately 145 sqm single-family house with basement, ground floor, and upper floor

Hello everyone,

Zoning plan/restrictions: Zoning plan and restrictions considered by the architect
Plot size: 675m² (7260 sq ft)
Slope: yes, running diagonally across the plot (see elevation plan)
Building window, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 feet) on all sides
Edge development: yes, neighbor to the southeast
Number of parking spaces: 2 in garage and 2 in front of garage
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof, 36 degrees
Architectural style: simple
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights/limits: same as neighboring buildings, sufficiently high
Other requirements: none
Street: cul-de-sac; our house is at the end, with neighbors on one side and open view of forest, meadow, and valley on the other

Owners’ requirements

Style, roof type, building type: interior as open and straightforward as possible, exterior simple
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: currently 2 (both 28 years old), planning 1-2 children
Space requirements for GF, UF: approx. 140 m² (1507 sq ft) of living space
Office: absolutely necessary due to 80% remote work
Guest bedrooms: very rare use
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: conservative (mostly because it’s usually more affordable)
Open kitchen, cooking island: open kitchen with bar or island (due to space and layout, more likely a bar)
Dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: planned but not mandatory
Music/stereo wall: standard TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace: small terrace on the slightly extended garage towards southwest, terrace towards southeast
Garage, carport: double garage with a single door
Utility garden, greenhouse: standard
Other wishes/notes/daily routine, including reasons why some things are wanted or not: a small shower in the guest WC is very important to us, as well as a small room for the home office. Since I work from home 80% of the time, this is essential. Also, a small storage room for vacuum cleaner etc.

House design

Who designed it: architect
What do you particularly like? The dining and living area looks bright and cozy in our opinion. Not too big and not too small with a great view.
What don’t you like? Why? Bathroom layout feels too tight and awkward, hallway in the upper floor too narrow?
Preferred heating system: air source heat pump

If you had to give up some features, which ones?
Fireplace

Why did the design end up like it is now?

The original design was larger and included more details such as corner and roof windows, but it was optimized for cost.
However, the room layout and overall room concept basically remained unchanged.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?

I would appreciate further suggestions, especially regarding the aspects we don’t like. Overall, we are quite happy with it. Do you see any major “no-gos”?

If any information is incomplete or unclear, I’m happy to check it again.

Nice floor plan. I really like it. The layout makes it feel larger than 140 m² (1,500 sq ft). Are those two full stories, like a townhouse?

Without precise measurements and a north arrow (are the plans oriented north?) on the floor plan, you won’t get a more specific assessment here.

By the way: I don’t understand the top left corner in the main bathroom. What is planned there?

Thanks for your assessment. Yes, we’re also not really satisfied with the bathroom; it’s quite a weak spot.
A different layout is definitely needed. Any suggestions are welcome 🙂
The corner in the bathroom actually represents unused space. Overall, the bathroom feels a bit too tight and cramped.

The plans are oriented to true north. On the floor plans, you can basically imagine north in the top left corner and south in the bottom right corner. I will add labels later 🙂

We would have liked to build a townhouse-style villa, but the building regulations do not allow it. Only 1.5 floors are permitted, which makes the upper level a bit tighter due to the sloped ceilings.

The children's beds don't work in those spots because of the sloping roof. The bathroom is definitely better. The thing in the corner looks like a shaft for ??? Otherwise, a nice floor plan.

The house gives a very pleasant and livable impression overall. The long hallway on the ground floor could become a permanent bottleneck in everyday life, especially with small children, but that issue usually resolves over time. On the upper floor, I would omit the entrance alcoves to the bedroom and bathroom. In the bathroom, feel free to experiment a bit more with the layout of the fixtures. Does the laundry chute fit a comfortable standing height without bumping your head? Calling the dressing area a walk-in closet is fine, but getting dressed and undressed there will probably only be comfortable for very slender people like contortionists. Be glad you have a proper roof with a wide overhang, not a city townhouse-style roof. I really like the spatial arrangement of the terrace, which transitions into a balcony, along with the resulting setback in the dining area. This provides valuable outdoor terrace space and avoids the often awkward empty space between the kitchen and dining area found in square floor plans.

P.S. Toddler beds are fine if the pillow is placed on the other side.

Is there also a plan showing where the house is positioned on the plot?

Does the terrain slope down toward WNW?

Who planned this? A contractor?