ᐅ Single-Family Home Floor Plan Nearly Ready for Detailed Design – Requesting Tips and Advice
Created on: 12 Aug 2022 00:10
X
xanthippa
Hello dear forum members,
We are about to start the detailed planning phase for our new house.
When we planned the house last year, we were unable to focus much on the floor plan due to our two small children.
Now that the detailed planning is approaching, we are wondering if and what improvements we could still make to the floor plan.
Therefore, we would like to share our house floor plan for discussion and ask for tips and advice.
The building permit / planning permission has been applied for. Fortunately, we still received confirmation for KFW funding. However, this means we should not change the dimensions of the exterior walls anymore, as otherwise there is a risk of losing the funding.
The ground floor is planned to include a second residential unit, but this will not be built initially (possibly later for our parents).
Since the storage room does not have a window, we want to omit it to create a more spacious feel at the stairway leading to the upper floor. Instead, tall cabinets with pull-out drawers will be placed on the wall between the kitchen and dining area. We might also separate the kitchen with double sliding glass doors.
The kitchen is planned in the upper left area because that is where the main access to the terrace is intended (west/north around the corner of the house).
Thank you very much in advance!
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 1000 sqm (approx. 0.25 acres)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: aligned with neighboring buildings
Building line: aligned with neighboring buildings
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof
Orientation:
Maximum heights/limits: no requirements (no development plan)
Owners’ requirements
Style: simple and straightforward
Basement, floors: basement yes, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people (2 adults + 2 toddlers)
Space requirements on ground floor: office, shower, large living/dining area
Space requirements on upper floor: small office/storage room, 2 normally sized children’s rooms, large bathroom, bedroom
Office: as we both work from home, we need 2 offices
Guest stays per year: regularly 1 person
Open or closed architecture: ideally the kitchen should be separable by a (sliding) door; the hallway should be separable from the living/dining area
Traditional or modern construction: rather traditional
Open kitchen, kitchen island: no kitchen island, one work island with 2 small seating places
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage (prefabricated garage), possibly a third prefabricated garage as a tool/bike room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something is or isn’t desired: -
House design
Planned by:
- designer from a construction company
What do you like most? Why?
- large living/dining area, large office with garden access, size of the children’s rooms
What do you not like? Why?
- kitchen layout is difficult despite its size of 16 sqm (172 sq ft)
- layout of the bathroom on the upper floor
- small entrance area
Price estimate according to architect/designer:
- about 600k
Personal budget for house including fittings:
- about 650k
Preferred heating system:
- air source heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/features
- could give up: smaller bedroom, smaller living/dining area
- cannot give up: 2 offices, size of the children’s rooms
Why did the design turn out this way? E.g.
Standard design from the planner?
- no
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
- office, 2 residential units, 2 bathrooms, size of the children’s rooms
What is the main question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We would appreciate tips, suggestions for improvement, and general feedback. Thank you very much!
We are about to start the detailed planning phase for our new house.
When we planned the house last year, we were unable to focus much on the floor plan due to our two small children.
Now that the detailed planning is approaching, we are wondering if and what improvements we could still make to the floor plan.
Therefore, we would like to share our house floor plan for discussion and ask for tips and advice.
The building permit / planning permission has been applied for. Fortunately, we still received confirmation for KFW funding. However, this means we should not change the dimensions of the exterior walls anymore, as otherwise there is a risk of losing the funding.
The ground floor is planned to include a second residential unit, but this will not be built initially (possibly later for our parents).
Since the storage room does not have a window, we want to omit it to create a more spacious feel at the stairway leading to the upper floor. Instead, tall cabinets with pull-out drawers will be placed on the wall between the kitchen and dining area. We might also separate the kitchen with double sliding glass doors.
The kitchen is planned in the upper left area because that is where the main access to the terrace is intended (west/north around the corner of the house).
Thank you very much in advance!
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 1000 sqm (approx. 0.25 acres)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: aligned with neighboring buildings
Building line: aligned with neighboring buildings
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof
Orientation:
Maximum heights/limits: no requirements (no development plan)
Owners’ requirements
Style: simple and straightforward
Basement, floors: basement yes, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people (2 adults + 2 toddlers)
Space requirements on ground floor: office, shower, large living/dining area
Space requirements on upper floor: small office/storage room, 2 normally sized children’s rooms, large bathroom, bedroom
Office: as we both work from home, we need 2 offices
Guest stays per year: regularly 1 person
Open or closed architecture: ideally the kitchen should be separable by a (sliding) door; the hallway should be separable from the living/dining area
Traditional or modern construction: rather traditional
Open kitchen, kitchen island: no kitchen island, one work island with 2 small seating places
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage (prefabricated garage), possibly a third prefabricated garage as a tool/bike room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something is or isn’t desired: -
House design
Planned by:
- designer from a construction company
What do you like most? Why?
- large living/dining area, large office with garden access, size of the children’s rooms
What do you not like? Why?
- kitchen layout is difficult despite its size of 16 sqm (172 sq ft)
- layout of the bathroom on the upper floor
- small entrance area
Price estimate according to architect/designer:
- about 600k
Personal budget for house including fittings:
- about 650k
Preferred heating system:
- air source heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/features
- could give up: smaller bedroom, smaller living/dining area
- cannot give up: 2 offices, size of the children’s rooms
Why did the design turn out this way? E.g.
Standard design from the planner?
- no
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
- office, 2 residential units, 2 bathrooms, size of the children’s rooms
What is the main question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We would appreciate tips, suggestions for improvement, and general feedback. Thank you very much!
xanthippa schrieb:
@Würfel: Could you please upload a photo of it? Thanks!Here is a picture of my staircase with a glass wall. It had to be made in two parts; otherwise, it would have been too cumbersome. We have a ceiling height of 280 cm (9 ft 2 in). The raw steel staircase may not be to everyone’s taste, but I think the style is really cool 🙂
Given the constraints, in my opinion there isn’t much room for flexibility. Here is a proposal that closely follows the previous draft (which I personally consider a mistake due to the lack of garden orientation):
Improvements in my view:
- Arrangement of the guest apartment/office
- Wider access to the kitchen
- Dining area depth
- Cloakroom
- Shape/size of the ironing room
What remains:
- The living space is too large — you could even hang a swing from the ceiling and still have unused space.
- The entrance area is tight — not proportionate to the overall size — this is due to the priorities.
If it were mine, the entire northern side would be the living area with the kitchen on the right side of the plan with windows facing south, the living room on the left side of the plan with large windows facing west and north. The terrace would be northwest around the corner. The office/guest apartment and all the other miscellaneous spaces would be on the south side. But the client really wants the southern rooms to be living areas. That is a valid argument.
Improvements in my view:
- Arrangement of the guest apartment/office
- Wider access to the kitchen
- Dining area depth
- Cloakroom
- Shape/size of the ironing room
What remains:
- The living space is too large — you could even hang a swing from the ceiling and still have unused space.
- The entrance area is tight — not proportionate to the overall size — this is due to the priorities.
If it were mine, the entire northern side would be the living area with the kitchen on the right side of the plan with windows facing south, the living room on the left side of the plan with large windows facing west and north. The terrace would be northwest around the corner. The office/guest apartment and all the other miscellaneous spaces would be on the south side. But the client really wants the southern rooms to be living areas. That is a valid argument.
K a t j a schrieb:
4m would be okay, but 15 steps are not. Where do you see the 4m? I traced the floor plan at a 1:1 scale... then I can measure the staircase. Of course, it could also be 3.97 or 4.05 meters (13.0 or 13.3 feet). The software isn’t that precise.
K a t j a schrieb:
In #1 it explicitly said second dwelling unit for later. Right! I’ve completely ignored that now. I don’t see an apartment for two people, whether frail or not. Nor do I see a retirement residence for you… I already consider a 50m² (540 sq ft) granny flat too small for parents. That wouldn’t be my idea of a peaceful retirement home. Here, a granny flat can be for longer visits, grown-up children, separated partners, or snoring partners. Or yes, a person requiring care.
It is what it is: any amendments to the building permit / planning permission can now only concern interior changes or windows. I was about to give up until I remembered that the original poster wants a traditional kitchen, not a stylish room with an island... I think that works quite well with the corner terrace. Then in the north, there is a nice spot for kids to have lunch in the summer.
For the kitchen’s sliding door, I chose a closed one, and I gave the staircase a solid wall rather than glass because with a lot of glass and openness, you also need some wall and door (even though it looks great in the cube design).
Oh, and upstairs I left out the office because that can go under the dining area or living room in the basement with a nice light well, while a living room plus light well probably won’t work due to the required distance from the street.
What comes to mind in principle: a door between the hallway and the open living area makes no sense if you plan the staircase open or with glass.
K a t j a schrieb:
Given the specifications, there is, in my opinion, not much room for flexibility left. Here is a proposal that closely follows the previous design (which I personally consider a mistake due to the poor garden orientation): If you give up the ballroom at the bottom of the plan and align the living and dining areas in a single line, a larger entrance area could be created. The reading room then takes up the unused space; if the basement apartment were actually to be used, you would still have an office. However, it is not very space-efficient to create an additional room just because you don’t know what else to do with the space...
pkiensch schrieb:
If the ballroom on the lower floor is given up and living/dining areas are arranged in a line, a larger entrance area could also be created.I had initially planned it that way too, but it seemed very important to the original poster to focus on the bright south-facing rooms. That’s why I left it as is. If I have the time and motivation, I’ll create a complete alternative proposal with garden access this evening.X
xanthippa19 Aug 2022 13:20K a t j a schrieb:
It is difficult to make suggestions for rooms or life planning that you either don’t mention or only mention late. So it’s not meant to be a separate apartment, but an office. Only in an emergency should someone sleep there if they need care. You’d like to know that before you put in the effort.
In #1 you explicitly said a second living unit for later. You’re right, Katja, I should have described it more precisely.
Maybe that’s because this separate apartment was planned somewhat half-heartedly to qualify for funding.
I’ve thought about it again and something important occurred to me: perhaps a more likely use case for the separate apartment is that in old age we only need enough space on the ground floor (so we don’t have to rely on the upper floor).
K a t j a schrieb:
My software is called Architect 3D. Unfortunately, some important tools are missing or faulty. For example, you can’t draw spiral staircases, and the square meter areas are calculated incorrectly. Thanks. I assume good software costs a lot of money.
K a t j a schrieb:
What kind of office is it? Will you expect clients there, or could it be accessible via the south side through the living area? It’s a regular office where we sit at a desk and possibly take phone calls.
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