ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home / Bungalow – 155 sqm

Hello everyone,

We have been planning our own home for about a year now and have gone through many iterations (from basement to two-story, etc.). In the end, we want to build a bungalow and would appreciate some critical feedback and suggestions. So far, we have created the floor plan ourselves, but we will hand it over to the building company afterward. Thank you!

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 1,056 sqm (0.26 acres)
Slope – 2 m (6.6 ft) drop over 35 m (115 ft)
Site coverage ratio – 0.4 (according to §17 Federal Land Utilization Ordinance WR)
Floor area ratio – 1.2 (according to §17 Federal Land Utilization Ordinance WR)
Building setback line and boundaries – 4 m (13 ft) from property line
Adjacent development – NW, N, NE
Number of parking spaces – 2
Number of floors – 1
Roof style – gable or hipped roof with two small dormers + triangular windows facing SW
Architectural style – bungalow, because the plot is large enough, children within sight and hearing range, barrier-free possible
Orientation – SW (like neighboring houses)
Maximum heights / restrictions – 9 m (30 ft) height / 4 m (13 ft) to neighboring properties
Other specifications – roof pitch 25-40°

Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof form, building type – timber frame construction, bungalow with exposed roof beams in living and bedrooms (except entrance area + technical room, possibly to create storage space)
Basement, floors – no basement
Number of people, ages – 33, 29, <1 planned, planned
Space requirements on ground floor / upper floor // rooms

• Entrance area, shower/WC, bathroom, living-dining area, central kitchen, pantry, master bedroom, child 1, child 2, child 3, office, technical room, covered entrance, covered terrace
• Separated sleeping area accessed through hallway
• Central kitchen with island and access to terrace and roof windows, kitchen separable from living area with sliding door
• Children’s rooms all roughly equal in size (with possibility for bunk beds thanks to exposed roof beams)
• Technical and utility room: air-to-water heat pump, photovoltaics, battery storage, washing machine, and all other necessary connections/distribution (well away from main living areas)
• Office: soundproofed area

Office use: family or home office? – both, current home office not necessary but possibly in future
Guests per year – 6
Open or closed architecture – closed
Traditional or modern style – modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – kitchen island and separable kitchen with sliding door
Number of dining seats – 6-8
Fireplace – no
Music / stereo wall – no
Balcony, roof terrace – covered terrace between dormers
Garage, carport – garage (not prefab – timber frame with gable roof as additional storage area) with adjacent shed/workshop
Kitchen garden, greenhouse – kitchen garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be included
- Living area should not exceed 155 sqm (1,668 sq ft) (cost factor)

House Design
Who created the plan – do-it-yourself – floor plan DIY
What do you like in particular? Why? – separation of living and sleeping areas, covered terrace and entrance, small dormers and high ceilings due to exposed roof beams
What do you dislike? Why? – possibly the office is too small? Technical/utility room large enough
Personal price limit including equipment: 500,000 €
Preferred heating system: photovoltaics + battery with air-to-water heat pump + underfloor heating

If you have to give up certain features / expansions
-can you do without: actually all rooms should be as planned
-can’t do without: -

Why is the design as it is now? For example
After many iterations with a draftsman from a construction company and different styles (single-family house with two floors, with or without basement), we tried to fit all our wishes ourselves into one floor plan.

What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? – That’s the question for you 😉

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Critical feedback, thoughts, and suggestions regarding major issues, feasibility, and practicality.

Best regards
Frennie

Kitchen and guest areas serving as passageways and corridors for all family members who want privacy—that is more problematic than practical. Shower in the guest bathroom—what for? Living room for five people acting as a passageway to the office, which is supposed to be isolated?

Several areas do not work as intended, such as bathtub/shower arrangement, bedroom width, table length suitable for only two chairs over 2 to 2.5 meters (6.5 to 8 feet), etc. The layout is far too convoluted with many one-way routes, numerous traffic paths, including within the rooms themselves.

Edit: Exposed roof trusses do not automatically allow for a loft bed—at least not with the roof pitch you are showing.

Personal opinion: Children’s rooms should always face daylight, never north-facing!

The budget will be tight for what you want. Six months ago, a relative’s 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) bungalow in Baden-Württemberg was already estimated to cost 600,000. They have since put the project on hold.

Also, the floor plan is far too complicated for my taste. My first thought was a “rabbit warren.”

You have inspirational images of houses that look Australian or American; I would suggest looking for floor plans that match those styles.

By the way – exposed roof truss – stylish but usually significantly more expensive, as the structure has to be crafted more carefully and precisely.

Funny that it’s precisely the people with a sloped plot who really want to build a bungalow – and such a huge one at that. Before you start the floor plan discussion, I’m first (again) interested in how the outdoor area will be shaped. Where and how much earth needs to be built up? Two meters (6.6 feet) over 35 meters (115 feet) sounds moderate at first, but with a bungalow of that size, it already becomes tricky.

Very awkward layout, the house shape does not suit the plot.

The floor plan does not work well. The kitchen/dining area is just a passageway, and there is an unnecessary access to the office from the living room.

The budget will not be sufficient if you plan to build a turnkey house.

Myrna_Loy schrieb:

Oh, I see – exposed roof structure – stylish but usually considerably more expensive, as the construction must be executed more skillfully and precisely.

I also think it looks nice, but I see the problem that with 5 people living in a bungalow, storage space will become tight.
Where do you plan to store things that many people usually keep in the attic?
Suitcases, Christmas decorations, tree stands, ski boots, you name it. General storage space.
The utility room is likely intended to also serve as a laundry room in this floor plan, meaning all cleaning and washing supplies must fit there alongside the building’s technical equipment. Unless you and your 3 kids live extremely minimally, that will be a squeeze.

Furthermore, I agree with the previously mentioned criticisms. The floor plan is awkward, and the lack of a hallway means rooms become throughways. That’s not ideal. The budget could also be tight at 500,000 (all in). Is the plot included in that, or is the 500,000 only for the house?

My advice: write down everything that is important to you, point by point, and give that (without any self-drawn plans!) to a good architect. You will be surprised. 🙂

Edit: Also, make sure to provide accurate dimensions. For example, based on the pictures, I imagine the children’s rooms might be far too narrow and elongated. That will be a struggle to furnish.