ᐅ Floor plan of a 172 m² bungalow in Brandenburg, south of Berlin

One more comment, since you will have a purlin roof. It is of course ideal for photovoltaic panels, as you can fully cover both sides. If you are planning to do this, consider whether you might skip the expensive clay roof tiles and opt for a more cost-effective solution.

I share the same view as @Würfel*: this is less about personal preference and more about protecting the plot. Even if you plan an exit from the bedroom for a morning greeting, the area, especially in the northeast, is hardly usable. The "home theater" room also divides the plot into two halves. As a result, the southwest garden becomes rather cramped. You hardly get anything from the remaining upper part of the plot—not even a visual connection from the terrace, let alone from the interior, except through the home theater window. However, the home theater is not really used during the day as a living area but serves more of a functional purpose.

The living room area, which is furnished, lacks terrace space… this should be checked by drawing it furnished with a typical daily routine. The daily routine is not about just relaxing and taking it easy…

The bedroom as a passageway is often criticized in detail, as it is considered not very conducive for someone who is still sleeping.

ypg schrieb:

This is less about personal preference and more about the property being spoiled.

"Spoiled" is a strong term. We definitely don’t see it that way, and I’m sure not all experts in architectural planning would agree either. I appreciate straightforward opinions, but your wording implies that we are ruining the property or that we are foolish. Your phrasing feels too objective and overly generalized, as if this plan is unanimously agreed by all experts to spoil the property. Whether a majority consensus forms on this, I’ll leave open.

ypg schrieb:

Even if you plan an exit from the bedroom for a morning greeting, the area, especially in the northeast, is almost unusable.

We really like the idea of a “morning greeting” spot. It means a lot to us. We want it that way. Regarding the northeast area, we have ideas—it will be a sauna, and if necessary, a small garden shed, which we do not want to place at the top of the plan. I believe you could come up with ideas as well; I trust you can.

ypg schrieb:

The “home theater” room also splits the property into two halves.

Not exactly. You’re attributing too much to the home theater. The house divides the property into two parts over about 20 meters. Since we want a bungalow, a fairly large part of the property is naturally separated by the house.

ypg schrieb:

The consequence is that the southwest garden becomes rather cramped.

We definitely don’t find it cramped. 5.29 meters (17.4 feet) to the boundary is very reasonable. We are probably among the few in the development who have this luxury issue due to such a long property frontage. This actually gives us the opportunity to place the utility room outside and plan a double carport. We don’t want to see the cars on two sides—an absolute no-go for us. Others typically design a standard townhouse here with 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) on one side and 3 meters (10 feet) on the other. The southwest area can be very nicely landscaped—it is still typical. There are many ways to create visual separation from neighbors. Also, the neighbors build with lower heights. To the left of the terrace, there is no house; that’s just lawn. Sure, we could build further to the right, but then the utility room would have to be inside the house again. We’d lose the storage room and no longer have a double carport. The utility room would become oversized again, and then the home theater is questionable. Then we might consider a one-and-a-half story house. No-go. Bungalow, home theater, and the large bathroom are a must!

ypg schrieb:

You hardly have any views from the rest of the property at the top of the plan.

You say that, but we will plant that area extensively with trees, flowers, herbs, etc. It will be a flower and herb garden with raised beds. It won’t just be a bare lawn up there. There is almost 10 meters (33 feet) of space above. Should I not use it just because it’s out of direct view?

ypg schrieb:

No direct line of sight from the terrace, let alone from the interior, except for the home theater window.

In the upper part of the living area, there will be small seating spots to read a book or have evening conversations with friends or cozy moments by the fireplace. Below that is a long dining table. We have a great view to the west—that’s the best view. You see into the development. The landscape is flat here in Brandenburg. We don’t have mountains in sight, mainly distant single-family houses and clouds. Far away, sometimes a wind turbine. The neighbor’s house is even more to the south from the living area’s perspective, as they are building a two-story house right up to the property line. We see that from the guest bathroom window and the kitchen.

To the northwest and north are old three- to four-story blocks in ruins that will soon be demolished. There will be a daycare center and three-story senior housing complexes built there. The view won’t be the best, but the view westward into the development will be nicer.

Besides, who says the terrace above and behind the home theater won’t be extended to create private outdoor seating? We are planning an outdoor lounge area and a typical dining table on the terrace shown in the plan. That way, you could look past the home theater. But actually, the westward view is what really matters to us.

ypg schrieb:

The home theater itself isn’t really used as a living space during the day; it serves more of a functional purpose.

The home theater will be a central place in everyday life when we’re not eating or cooking. We’re fans of movies, music, and gaming. The room is separated from the living area mainly for audio reasons. We will use this space very often, more than you might think. It was important for it to be on the north side. We want to make use of the southwest side for the evening sun.

We want these areas inside the rooms; we want the home theater; we want it all on one level. No stairs anywhere. We no longer want a massive square block with a hip roof. We prefer this relaxed design: a bit of the house projecting forward, the home theater set back at the rear, breaking up the building’s length. The double carport is also planned. The small wall for the home theater is well worth it to us.

ypg schrieb:

The daily routine isn’t really about chilling and relaxing...

Oh yes, it is, at least for us. Not just that, of course, but that’s how we see it. So far, in our free time we enjoy life very well—gardening, working around the house on weekends, and cooking good meals.

ypg schrieb:

The bedroom as a passageway is often argued against in detail because it’s not beneficial for someone still sleeping.

Würfel* schrieb:

Feng Shui experts would be horrified: living room as a pass-through room, bedroom as a pass-through room with three doors. But why don’t you try placing the furniture in kitchen and living/dining area so we can see your idea?

Well, you can’t please everyone. Luckily, we don’t care about Feng Shui at all. More pseudoscience than science, sorry—we’re natural scientists.

We think the layout of our sleeping area is very well done and won’t change it. There is a guest bathroom where one can shower and brush their teeth if the other person is already deep asleep. If you design the private bathroom so it is accessible from the hallway, you worry about long paths and then recommend making it accessible from the bedroom to save space and hallway. If you plan it like we do, you get concerns about Feng Shui and through traffic. So what now???

What through traffic? There are just two of us and we stay mostly at home. Our apartment will definitely not be like a highway during holiday periods. When we have visitors, it’s usually no more than four people who leave after six hours.

Besides, the bathroom is intended to bring a private spa experience home. That’s why it is separated. The bathtub there is a bit oversized. The shower will be 1.13 by 2.26 meters (3.7 by 7.4 feet).

Viewing the living and sleeping areas as pass-through rooms for a two-person household is highly questionable to us. When sitting together, no one walks through. When one person reads and the other plays games, the reader surely won’t loudly complain about someone getting up to use the bathroom or get a drink. If one is sick and resting in the bedroom or someone arrives late, the guest bathroom is available as a fallback.

That argument really doesn’t hold.

Sorrow87 schrieb:

"Ruined" is a strong word.

Yes, but that's how it is.

Sorrow87 schrieb:

That argument really doesn’t hold up.

Which one?

Just as an example

Sorrow87 schrieb:

We find the layout of our sleeping area extremely well designed. That won’t change.

You said the same about the first draft… everything was great and well thought out… Sorry, but your reflection on criticism leaves much to be desired.
But:
Build it as planned, and in 3 years you’ll understand what’s meant 😉

I understand that you feel attacked, and that’s okay. However, you shouldn’t defend your floor plan stubbornly. Try to stay open to new ideas. When you say that the southwest side is the highlight, then create space there for the garden. You have a nice, large plot, so you can get more out of it than just 5.29 m (17.4 ft). You never know what the neighbor or a future owner might decide. They could put a shed right in front of your view, or a playground or pool where their children play loudly. Or eventually even build a house.

I’m not really into Feng Shui either, but people tend to feel more comfortable and sleep better when the bedroom doesn’t have doors on three sides, especially not behind the headboard. A central, spacious walk-in closet acting as a distribution area with a window or door leading outside would be much more practical in my opinion. We’re just two people as well, but it’s still nice if one has to get up early or go to bed late without having to run back and forth between the bathroom and closet, so the other can keep sleeping.

So here’s a new idea. I basically just played Tetris with your rooms. Give the media room a southwest-facing window with a shutter—you might want to use that room differently someday. Compared to your original plan, you can see how much more southwest garden space you gain. In the northeast garden, you could put up a hedge or a tall fence and build a sauna in the protected area between the sauna and storage room. There’s also enough space for a shed.

Würfel* schrieb:
I understand that you feel attacked. Still, you shouldn’t defend your floor plan so stubbornly. Try to stay open to new ideas.

I guess that’s just human nature 😀

I am.

Würfel* schrieb:
If you say the southwest side is the highlight, then create space there for the garden. You have a nice, large plot—you can make more of it than just 5.29 m (17.4 ft).

But we really like to have those niches on both sides. We don’t need large open areas. I fully understand that argument and can totally see that others might want it differently. We prefer to use the rear area for planting useful plants.
On the southwest side, it doesn’t have to be that pronounced. On the bedroom side, we also want a hidden outdoor shower and possibly some other wellness features with matching plants and landscaping. I want space there when stepping outside.

Würfel* schrieb:
Give the media room a southwest window with a shutter; maybe you’ll want to use it differently one day.

That’s where the TV will be. A window behind the TV is not good. 😉 The media room will be the most frequently used room. That’s why the window faces northwest. It offers a better view during the day when relaxing and gaming. When watching a movie, we’ll darken the room. The home theater will be set up lengthwise. Entering the room, the TV and front speakers are on the left side, with the couch centered toward the back third on the right side. A sound system will be installed throughout, with cable runs in ceilings and walls. The room will never have a different use.

Würfel* schrieb:
So here’s a new idea. I basically just played Tetris with your rooms.

Thanks for that. It looks good, but we only have a building plot with a 20 m (66 ft) depth by frontage. The carport must be at least 5 m (16 ft) from the street boundary—so 1 m (3 ft) behind the building line. The house would be too long, and the parking spot wouldn’t be approved. We don’t want to see the car near the terrace. It should remain a double carport.

Having the utility room (HAR) inside the house means we can’t properly arrange the rooms. But a utility room outside the house cannot be built right on the boundary. That’s why we chose the solution with the utility room, double carport, and storage area next to it.

The architect also suggested the home theater in the southwest, but that would only allow a parking spot on one side, and the utility room would have to be inside again—plus we’d lose the nice southwest windows. So we rejected that option from the architect.

I just don’t see any other solution.

Würfel* schrieb:
I’m not really into Feng Shui either, but you simply feel more comfortable and sleep better if the bedroom doesn’t have doors on three sides, especially not directly behind the headboard. A central, spacious walk-in closet serving as a hub with a window or exit to the outside would be much more practical, in my opinion. We’re only two people, but it’s nice if one has to get up earlier or goes to bed later and doesn’t have to go back and forth between bathroom and closet, disturbing the other’s sleep.

I agree with you. Your solution looks very good, and your reasoning makes sense—you also present a solution. That’s why I appreciate this kind of exchange. But broadly stating things like “it’s less about preference and more about ruining the plot” or “Feng Shui experts would be horrified,” which wasn’t from you, I find inappropriate, somewhat condescending, and not helpful for a solution-focused discussion.

People often say you can seek help and support in forums. But I sometimes feel that for some it’s more about “Who can come up with the best comment?” or “Who writes most eloquently?” as a form of self-promotion rather than truly helping. Thought-provoking ideas are good, but I also expect concrete solutions.

Of course, you look for help and support when you’re stuck, and naturally hope to save money by approaching the project smarter and better prepared. That’s exactly the advantage of exchanging ideas in a forum. I expect something like this:

The thread starter has problem X and asks a question → forum members read → If I don’t know, I leave it be; if I know, I consider whether and how I can help → forum member writes an answer with a precise and straightforward problem statement and simple, understandable solutions.

In many comments, also in other forums on other topics, I mostly see elaborate prose describing the problem. Solutions are often missing or very brief, so you always have to ask again.