ᐅ Floor Plan Design Single-Family House approximately 170 m² plus Attic as a Modern Brick-Faced Home

Good evening,

as previously silent readers, we (a young family with 2 children) are now slowly reaching the point where we would like to ask for help, critique, and ideas here.
We plan to build a single-family house in early 2023 and have already been working with an architect on the design for some time (so far commissioned for phases 1–4).

Here is the forum questionnaire filled out to the best of our knowledge:

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 560m² (6027 sq ft), cul-de-sac location; parking spaces on the west side, wide pedestrian path on the east side, followed by a field (likely to become building land in 10–15 years)
Slope: none
Site occupancy index (Grundflächenzahl): 0.4
Floor area ratio (Geschossflächenzahl): 0.8
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 3m (10 ft) all around
Border grouping: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2 full floors + attic
Roof type: gable roof
Architectural style: modern brick construction with a simple building shape, no roof overhangs
Orientation: east-west
Maximum heights / limits: ridge height 6.5m (21 ft 4 in), eaves height 10m (33 ft)
Additional requirements: hedge on the left side limited to 1m (3 ft) height, distance from first parking space to street at least 5m (16 ft)

Rooms:
Ground floor: living/dining area with open kitchen, small workspace “corner,” utility/storage room, guest toilet
First floor: 2 children’s rooms, master bedroom (preferably with a separate closet area, main room oriented to the east side of the house!), master bathroom with shower and bathtub, children’s bathroom with shower, small laundry room for washing machine and drying rack
Attic: third children’s room, storage room, hobby/office room

Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house with gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, two full floors, attic to be used as living space
Number of people, age: 2 adults, 2 children (2 & 4 years old, another child planned)
Space needs on ground and first floor
Office: family use or home office? Home office space on the ground floor “close to the main activities,” additional more secluded space in the attic
Guests per year: none expected
Open or closed architecture: open living/dining area
Conservative or modern construction: modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island optional
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: space for a large TV (about 1.9m (6 ft 3 in) wide expected, no additional equipment like speakers planned)
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage for one parking space plus storage for garden tools and equipment inside
Utility garden, greenhouse: decorative garden
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are or are not chosen: Our current house has very small windows (timber-frame house), so we especially want more light in the house and attractive sightlines into the garden

House design
Who created the plan:
- Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
The arrangement of the south-facing rooms on the ground floor and the small study, which can feel connected to the living area when the door is open.
We also like that the staircase on the ground floor faces the living areas rather than the front door.

What do you dislike? Why?
We want to enjoy as much of our garden as possible, so our basic desire was to build a narrow but long house. In this design, however, the current platform staircase is very large and feels overwhelming in the hallway area.
On the practical side, this staircase also allows direct access to the attic with the same stair flight.

Price estimate according to architect/planner: €500,000
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: €550,000
Preferred heating technology: geothermal heat pump

If you have to give up anything, which details/finishes
- can you do without:
- can you not do without:

Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Which wishes from the architect have been implemented: spatial plan discussed with the architect
A mix of many examples from various magazines...

What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
We are worried about missing a good idea; we sometimes lack the creative input to find solutions that are a bit outside the box.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
The arrangement of the staircase and the spatial feeling when entering the house are our main concerns. The staircase shapes the entire concept upstairs.
I’ve attached an alternative ground floor plan, where we try to reach the upper floor with an L-shaped staircase. However, this requires a second stair flight to access the attic, which also takes up space...

We look forward to your critique and suggestions!

Best regards,
Stefan

Hmm.. to start with: I’m wondering which view the side elevation refers to. The windows don’t match.

Now at the beginning: I have issues with missing dimensions. Basically, many things fit well, but some do not. Dimensions are very important because this could lead to a redesign. Can you provide any additional measurements?

I quite like the ground floor and the overall concept. I also like the style.

But I am missing:
- a proper cloakroom for 5 people with enough space for bags, shoes, and coats. You should plan at least 60 cm (24 inches) of linear space per person. You will likely end up using the dining chairs and the dining table anyway, as there is no other option. The utility room is too far away.
- in the bedroom: sufficient wardrobe space. There is hardly room for 2.40 m (8 feet) of length. Where will the bedding, towels, etc. be stored? The area in front of the bed is more space than needed and not usable currently. One could rotate the shower so it doesn’t take space in the bedroom, but that does not solve the problem of the large empty space in front of the bed that is missing elsewhere.
- variation in the façade: it’s not just about symmetry, but also about the repetitive identical windows… you could try playing with having a window on each side, for example in the utility room, either a horizontal window instead of a vertical one or with a lower sill height. The same applies to the other façade and the eaves side. If you agree, I would suggest discussing with your architect to add some subtle liveliness.

As for your own idea: I don’t think the upper floor works at all.

Thank you for your reply.
The side view is a slightly outdated version (which I forgot to mention); here, I mainly want to show the general architectural style we have in mind. Ultimately, in this view, the large window would be at the bottom left, and the seating window facing the garden on the right.
We share your concerns regarding the façade and the effect of the windows, but we currently consider this more of a later stage task.
Regarding the cloakroom, we are thinking of not recessing the entrance area; this would make the hallway and consequently the wardrobe significantly wider (see the attachment with the ground floor plan including measurements, where I implemented this).
Less frequently used jackets and shoes would be stored in another closet in the storage/utility room. Having a utility room closer to the entrance would certainly be better suited for this purpose, but I lack the imagination for how this could be arranged sensibly 🙂
The bedroom is indeed rather average in terms of efficient use of space for wardrobe placement.

Best regards

Addition, since I can no longer edit my post:
Unfortunately, my basic planning tool doesn’t offer good options to set dimensions (it seems I can only create measurements in one place, but then can’t move them...), but I think most of the relevant dimensions should be included now.

Don’t you share our concerns about the staircase in the architect’s design for the ground floor? I’m really worried that it will feel like you’re always tripping over the bottom step when walking from the main entrance into the living area. Attached is a picture showing how we would envision the staircase. You would basically approach this staircase from the side when entering (I’ve tried to represent the situation somewhat in 3D).

Thank you for your sobering and honest assessment regarding the design of the upper floor. Is your evaluation of the ground floor the same (considered separately), or do you simply see the overall package as insufficient?

Best regards

I would have shelving units built into the stringer of the stairs. Not the entire length, but one larger shelf or two to three smaller ones to break up the surface. Then, you can place a decorative bowl, sculpture, fossil, or something similar in them. This way, there is a reason to look at it.

Varrader schrieb:

Don’t you share our concerns about the staircase in the architect’s ground floor design?

Personally, I don’t. Just because there is a bathtub in the bathroom doesn’t mean someone will fall into it. Children can also learn to overcome obstacles instead of always running. If you see a problem with that, you could change the direction of movement. That would be an option, also making use of the space under the stairs. As @Myrna_Loy already mentioned: cabinets. Personally, I don’t like bulky fixtures under a staircase. I’m also not sure how that would work with the step design.

Varrader schrieb:

Is your assessment the same for the ground floor alone, or do you just see the overall package as insufficient?

Overall. Direct line of sight from the toilet to the dining area, and the kitchen is no longer really a kitchen…

For the entrance, just cover half of it, and use the upper corner in the plan above 1.50m (5 feet) or so for a built-in wardrobe.