ᐅ Floor Plan Assessment – Saving Square Meters in a Single-Family Home
Created on: 20 Mar 2022 10:11
S
Seb_Opf
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 751 sqm (about 27x27 m / 89x89 ft)
Slope: approximately 1.2 m (4 ft) across the entire width according to the map
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.70
Building window, building line, and boundary: present – accounted for in the plan
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: no regulation
Number of floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Roof type: any preferred
Architectural style: any preferred
Orientation: any preferred
Maximum heights / limits:
Additional specifications: basically, you can build as you want... bungalow, Tuscan style, gable roof, hip roof... can stand side by side. Orientation does not matter, etc. I can also send the development plan via private message if desired.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: gable roof 22°
Basement, number of floors: 2 full floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 2... 35 and 38 years old – third person in progress
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: we said 140-150 sqm (about 1500-1600 sq ft) living area
Office: family use or home office? both
Guests per year: 0-2?!
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace: optional
Music/system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with workshop since no basement
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: possibly later
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
House Design
Who created the design: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? shape, exterior appearance, utility room
What do you not like? Why? probably too large/expensive with 168 sqm (about 1810 sq ft)
Price estimate according to architect/planner: none so far
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 450k (without garage, outdoor areas)
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump... but possibly mandated district heating... nothing certain yet
If You Have to Give Up Something, which details / extensions
-can you give up:
-can you not give up:
Why is the design as it is now?
Example:
Standard design from planner? no
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? yes
What, in your opinion, makes it particularly good or bad?
We had expressed that it should have 140-150 sqm (about 1500-1600 sq ft) living area (we thought including the utility room) but it is now 168 sqm (about 1810 sq ft).
We would really like a kitchen island, and the kitchen planner noted that for the cabinet run opposite the island, at least 4 m (13 ft) is needed. Here it is 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), so that is fine. We just suspect the house will go over budget (however, we have not yet received an estimate). It will be built in northeastern Bavaria near the border with the Czech Republic.
We personally see potential savings mainly on the upper floor in the bedroom and bathroom... but then where to reduce space on the ground floor? According to the builder, the staircase is the most space-saving design. We are not fixed on the stair shape.
The utility room is planned to accommodate a central ventilation system, air-to-water heat pump, inverter, and perhaps later a battery storage system. Also, 2 m (6.5 ft) of wall space for various cabinets.
In your opinion, where could space be saved without ending up, for example, with only a 50 cm (20 inch) wide passage in the kitchen and everything feeling cramped?
The garage and outdoor areas are planned to be built in 1-2 years. So currently, it is only about the house itself.
Thank you for your opinions

Plot size: 751 sqm (about 27x27 m / 89x89 ft)
Slope: approximately 1.2 m (4 ft) across the entire width according to the map
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.70
Building window, building line, and boundary: present – accounted for in the plan
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: no regulation
Number of floors: basement, ground floor, upper floor
Roof type: any preferred
Architectural style: any preferred
Orientation: any preferred
Maximum heights / limits:
Additional specifications: basically, you can build as you want... bungalow, Tuscan style, gable roof, hip roof... can stand side by side. Orientation does not matter, etc. I can also send the development plan via private message if desired.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: gable roof 22°
Basement, number of floors: 2 full floors
Number of occupants, age: currently 2... 35 and 38 years old – third person in progress
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor: we said 140-150 sqm (about 1500-1600 sq ft) living area
Office: family use or home office? both
Guests per year: 0-2?!
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace: optional
Music/system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with workshop since no basement
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: possibly later
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
House Design
Who created the design: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why? shape, exterior appearance, utility room
What do you not like? Why? probably too large/expensive with 168 sqm (about 1810 sq ft)
Price estimate according to architect/planner: none so far
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 450k (without garage, outdoor areas)
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump... but possibly mandated district heating... nothing certain yet
If You Have to Give Up Something, which details / extensions
-can you give up:
-can you not give up:
Why is the design as it is now?
Example:
Standard design from planner? no
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? yes
What, in your opinion, makes it particularly good or bad?
We had expressed that it should have 140-150 sqm (about 1500-1600 sq ft) living area (we thought including the utility room) but it is now 168 sqm (about 1810 sq ft).
We would really like a kitchen island, and the kitchen planner noted that for the cabinet run opposite the island, at least 4 m (13 ft) is needed. Here it is 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), so that is fine. We just suspect the house will go over budget (however, we have not yet received an estimate). It will be built in northeastern Bavaria near the border with the Czech Republic.
We personally see potential savings mainly on the upper floor in the bedroom and bathroom... but then where to reduce space on the ground floor? According to the builder, the staircase is the most space-saving design. We are not fixed on the stair shape.
The utility room is planned to accommodate a central ventilation system, air-to-water heat pump, inverter, and perhaps later a battery storage system. Also, 2 m (6.5 ft) of wall space for various cabinets.
In your opinion, where could space be saved without ending up, for example, with only a 50 cm (20 inch) wide passage in the kitchen and everything feeling cramped?
The garage and outdoor areas are planned to be built in 1-2 years. So currently, it is only about the house itself.
Thank you for your opinions
Fuchsbau35 schrieb:
Yep. The door would be at that spot. Is it possible to place the chimney somewhere else? Is it absolutely necessary?I edited my post above because I had only just read the others.
F
Fuchsbau3520 Mar 2022 19:55I would leave out the fireplace. Once your little one starts becoming mobile and reaches the crawling stage, you might not use it very often due to the risk of burns. The topic of wood and ongoing costs was already mentioned above. Instead, I would recommend building a nice fire pit in the garden or on the terrace. That way, you can enjoy it throughout the entire year.
Seb_Opf schrieb:
In our current apartment, the corner measures 46x47cm (18x19 inches) with external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). [...] We would find it unfortunate to have a full meter of masonry in the corner. I would opt for a wall thickness of only 36.5 cm (14 inches) and see the ideal masonry pillar here as 75 cm (30 inches) long on the wider side (orientation doesn’t matter). With a 42.5 cm (17 inches) wall thickness, you can also make the pillar square at 36.5 cm (14 inches) and add 6 cm (2.5 inches) of insulation on top.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
I would choose a wall thickness of just 36.5cm (14.4 inches) and see the ideal load-bearing pillar here as 75cm (29.5 inches) in length on the wider side (orientation doesn’t matter). With a wall thickness of 42.5cm (16.7 inches), you can also make the pillar 36.5cm (14.4 inches) square and add 6cm (2.4 inches) of insulation on top.We want/will build without external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) / without external wall insulation...
M
motorradsilke20 Mar 2022 21:13ypg schrieb:
By the way, you can hardly buy wood anymore, except at high prices or through connections… Is firewood really like that where you live? Here (Berlin area), you can buy it anytime in many varieties and at various prices, whether through private or company classified ads or at hardware stores, freshly cut or already dry. Especially after the storms in winter, there is still plenty available, so it should not be a problem for a long time.
For me, the fireplace would be the last thing I would give up. An outdoor fire bowl wouldn’t be an alternative since it doesn’t provide any indoor warmth.
Seb_Opf schrieb:
We want/will build without ETICS... I already understand that, and when it comes to ETICS, I’m personally also a non-user. The discussion was about cladding just the column, so it could even be made of calcium silicate brick.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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