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

Created on: 3 Jan 2022 18:41
V
Varrader
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

View of a two-story brick house with wooden ground floor extension, large windows and garage.


Two-story brick house with gable roof, left garage and glass facades.


Floor plan of a residential house: garage, terrace, garden, open kitchen/living area.


Floor plan of a residential house: hallway, master bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, children’s bath, laundry room.


3D floor plan of open living and dining area with kitchen, dining table, TV and staircase.


Floor plan: hallway leads to storage, toilet and home office; open living/dining area with table and sofa.


Modern entrance area with wooden steps, vase with dried flowers, LED light strips and wall art.


Upper floor: two children’s rooms, master bathroom, children’s bathroom, laundry room, hallway and stairs.
Y
ypg
10 Sep 2022 13:37
Varrader schrieb:

84m² (904 sq ft) ground floor
84m² (904 sq ft) upper floor
50m² (538 sq ft) attic
-> 218m² (2,346 sq ft) living/usable area

Hmm... I roughly reduced the dimensions by about one meter, and now it comes out to around 170m² (1,829 sq ft). Where is the mistake?
Anyway, I’ll show you the missing meters... I cut off about 1.70m (5 ft 7 in) in length at the top 😉
Island and table are 200cm (79 inches), wardrobe 150cm (59 inches), upper cabinets 100, 200, and 300cm (39, 79, and 118 inches). Sofa is just a placeholder...

Floor plan: kitchen/dining, hallway, living room with sofa, room 1, room 2, WC, terrace.


Apartment floor plan: room 5 in the middle, two bathrooms, storage, bedroom with bed.
H
Hausprojekt35
13 Sep 2022 16:18
@ mr.xyz1: Are the costs for the brick veneer façade listed separately in the general contractor's contract? If so, what is the amount for the brickwork? Are these brick slips or full bricks used for a double-wall construction?
11ant13 Sep 2022 17:07
Hausprojekt35 schrieb:

Are these brick slips or full bricks used in a cavity wall construction?
Brick slips are also "real" bricks, just cut into thin slices. Whether called thin bricks or brick tiles, the material is the same in both forms. The thicker version is not of higher quality, just installed differently. Both equally valid options are designed for different wall construction methods. What benefits do you expect from full bricks, or which important property do you think brick slips lack compared to facing bricks?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
mr.xyz1
13 Sep 2022 17:16
We have standard facing bricks, not brick slips. However, the shell construction and masonry work are included as one item. What we found was that with our budget (maximum €40 net per square meter), it was relatively difficult to find facing bricks that suited our needs.
Y
ypg
13 Sep 2022 17:39
Varrader schrieb:

And3: Thanks for your help.
Hmm… I’m not expecting thanks, but at least some feedback on my idea in #103 🙄
H
Hausprojekt35
13 Sep 2022 17:55
11ant schrieb:

Thin bricks are also "real" facing bricks, just cut into slices. Whether tablet or nib forms, the active material is identical in both. The thicker version is by no means of higher quality, just designed to be applied differently. Both equivalent options are intended and made for different wall construction concepts. What do you expect from "real" facing bricks, or which important property do you think thin bricks fulfill less well than full facing bricks?

It might be possible to meet certain KFW standards more easily with a double-walled construction using full facing bricks? But otherwise, if thin bricks are truly just "slices," I don’t see any advantages of full facing bricks compared to thin bricks. Quite the opposite: thin bricks are easier to install and also more cost-effective. Possibly another way to save costs for the original poster?

By the way, it is often claimed that thin bricks are visibly just thin bricks and not full facing bricks.