ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home / Bungalow – 155 sqm
Created on: 16 Oct 2022 21:50
F
Frennie
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
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
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
Frennie schrieb:
We haven’t quite come to terms with leaving out the office. On one hand, you never know how work might change in the coming years – it would be quite frustrating to have a job with home office and a new build where the office space was saved on. You have to draw the line somewhere. For example, I prefer working at the dining table rather than in an office.
If I had to choose or plan alternatives, I would partially separate the living room and set up a work corner there for daytime use. Mail is collected in a basket in the kitchen or hallway before being filed away in folders, the printer can go in the utility room, and so on. Overall, the house has to work as a whole, not each room separately for single functions.
ypg schrieb:
Yes, the room layout. Combining the utility room and office can’t be furnished with a double bed and a family wardrobe. That’s true, but if the knee wall is higher, this issue changes. On the other hand, the guest toilet can be used as the master bathroom, which is already there anyway. Having only one bathroom for five people on the upper floor would be very tight. As long as the children are small, one of the kids’ rooms can be used as a bedroom.
Frennie schrieb:
The general contractor works with timber frame construction, using 33.5 cm (13 inches) exterior walls and 13 cm (5 inches) interior walls. This also saves a few centimeters on the external dimensions. The external dimensions don’t matter for the price, except for groundwork. But there, a few centimeters don’t make much difference.
Frennie schrieb:
The neighbor from #49 apparently got approval for raising the knee wall from 50 to 80 cm (20 to 31 inches). This could also be used to save a few square meters. Then I would seriously negotiate with a 1.30 m (4 feet 3 inches) knee wall right away. Honestly – your land is flatter and has no basement – so maybe there is still some room to adjust.
Frennie schrieb:
Back then, the price per square meter was about €3,200 – and that was before the economic upheavals... Oh dear. 😱
That’s too expensive. Who else is available?
Frennie schrieb:
Children as a luxury good. They are – I think everyone would agree on that. Especially if each child should have their own room. 😉
K a t j a schrieb:
On the other hand, this way you use the guest toilet as the master bathroom, which is already there anyway.…And having the utility room on the main living level ensures short distances without stairs.You would also have a bit more peace there when the children reach a rebellious age 😉
ypg schrieb:
Somewhere you have to put the brakes on fun. For example, I prefer working at the dining table rather than in an office.That’s true. The office would probably be the room you could most easily do without. If only two children are planned, you’d still have a spacious office that could also serve as a guest room. Although you do have to wonder if those 8 square meters really make that much difference... but yes... every square meter costs money...
ypg schrieb:
If I had to choose or plan alternatives, I would partially separate the living room and create a workspace there for daytime use.We like that idea, but wouldn’t a workspace in a 16 sqm (172 sq ft) living room still feel cramped? Then you’d need to allocate a few more square meters to the living room to fit the workspace. Would it not be better to keep the separate office room after all?
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Currently, you have three or four extra rooms in your plans since there’s no child yet and working from home isn’t mandatory.Yes, compromises are necessary, of course. By the way, child number one is already here 🙂
K a t j a schrieb:
Then I would seriously go into negotiations with a knee wall height of 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in). Honestly – your land is flatter and without a basement, maybe there’s some room for adjustment.I’ll check whether it’s possible to get an informal statement about this exception rule. But even 80 cm (31 in) would already be better than 50 cm (20 in).
K a t j a schrieb:
That’s true, but if the knee wall is higher, this issue changes again. On the other hand, you would use the guest toilet as the parents’ bathroom, which is already there anyway. Just one bathroom for five people upstairs would be very tight. As long as the kids are small, you could use one of the children’s rooms as a bedroom.We actually liked that idea, that the downstairs guest bathroom could also be used as the parents’ bathroom.
K a t j a schrieb:
Oh dear. 😱
That’s too expensive. Who else is available?Right now, we’re worried it’s expensive everywhere. We also got some quotes for comparison; the prices weren’t much different. It’s always hard to compare directly since the services differ, though. Maybe we’ll look around again in another forum topic for recommendations on companies...
For our bungalow design, we had planned a covered entrance through an indentation in the exterior wall. Do you think in @K a t j a’s design it would be possible to extend the roof over the double garage to create a kind of covered access to the front door?
And a general question for floor plan experts: is a nearly square floor plan (like Katja’s design) probably the most space-efficient compared to a more rectangular, elongated layout? Since the latter would likely require longer corridors?
Frennie schrieb:
A nearly square floor plan (like Katja’s design) is probably the most space-saving compared to a more rectangular, elongated floor plan? Since the latter would require longer corridors?No. There are different floor plan concepts. The deeper the house, the higher the roof. The slope should probably determine the house shape here. Katja’s design is just one example among many possibilities.The design ended up being more square than rectangular due to the low knee wall at the top. This requires more depth while keeping the same width; otherwise, you lose usable space because of the sloped ceiling. As Yvonne already mentioned, this is not the only possible solution. It is a common standard option that could fit your project quite well.
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