Hello! We are currently on the third iteration of the plans for our house together with an architect. The two images below are based 90% on the architect’s proposals for the ground floor, while I have currently designed the upper floor myself. The orientation on the plot is fixed, meaning we get evening sun from the left side of the plan. At the moment, our terrace faces south, which is unbearable during summer, so we have moved the seating area to the northeast. That doesn’t bother us since we plan to have outdoor heaters anyway. The garage must remain on the left side of the plan because all utility connections are located there. The house will have an asymmetrical gable roof with a 35° pitch facing the street (southwest, for photovoltaic panels) and 25° facing the garden. The ridge runs parallel to the street. As a result, the garden side has almost no knee wall, while the street side is about 1.80 m (6 feet) high.
Here are the parameters first:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 780 m² (approximately 8,400 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, setback line, and boundary: 5.5 meters (approximately 18 feet) to the street (especially in front of the garage, though currently not quite enough in the plan), 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) on the right side of the plan
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: gable roof, pitch 25-35°
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: entrance 31° southwest
Maximum height / restrictions: two full storeys
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, storeys: no basement, slightly less than two full storeys
Number of residents, age: 1x 38, 1x 31, 1x dog, possibly 1x child
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: based on individual rooms, total just under 200 m² (about 2,150 sq ft)
Office: space for two persons needed
Guest bedrooms per year: 2-3
Open or closed architecture: rather closed, kitchen to be separable, possibly with sliding door
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: “semi-open,” cooking island integrated in a U-shape
Number of dining seats: 8 in dining area, 3 in kitchen
Fireplace: at least pre-installed
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage on left side of plan, carport on right
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: maybe, garden is large enough
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things are wanted or not: direct access from garage to house
House Design
Who designed the plans? Architect + own modifications
What do you like most? Why? Entry area, access through the garage (dog cleaning area), lots of glass in the living room, covered seating area outside
What do you dislike? Why? Upper floor, rooms possibly too small, guest WC on ground floor actually too big due to recessed front door
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 700,000 € without land (land already owned)
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 700,000 €
Preferred heating technology: heat pump + photovoltaic
If you have to give up on which details / expansions
-can give up: living room size, bedroom size, possibly a child’s room (we only want one child anyway, but life happens…)
-can’t give up: pantry
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is this a coherent and well-functioning plan?
Here are the images

Here are the parameters first:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 780 m² (approximately 8,400 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, setback line, and boundary: 5.5 meters (approximately 18 feet) to the street (especially in front of the garage, though currently not quite enough in the plan), 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) on the right side of the plan
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: gable roof, pitch 25-35°
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: entrance 31° southwest
Maximum height / restrictions: two full storeys
Other requirements: none
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, storeys: no basement, slightly less than two full storeys
Number of residents, age: 1x 38, 1x 31, 1x dog, possibly 1x child
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: based on individual rooms, total just under 200 m² (about 2,150 sq ft)
Office: space for two persons needed
Guest bedrooms per year: 2-3
Open or closed architecture: rather closed, kitchen to be separable, possibly with sliding door
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: “semi-open,” cooking island integrated in a U-shape
Number of dining seats: 8 in dining area, 3 in kitchen
Fireplace: at least pre-installed
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage on left side of plan, carport on right
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: maybe, garden is large enough
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things are wanted or not: direct access from garage to house
House Design
Who designed the plans? Architect + own modifications
What do you like most? Why? Entry area, access through the garage (dog cleaning area), lots of glass in the living room, covered seating area outside
What do you dislike? Why? Upper floor, rooms possibly too small, guest WC on ground floor actually too big due to recessed front door
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 700,000 € without land (land already owned)
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 700,000 €
Preferred heating technology: heat pump + photovoltaic
If you have to give up on which details / expansions
-can give up: living room size, bedroom size, possibly a child’s room (we only want one child anyway, but life happens…)
-can’t give up: pantry
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is this a coherent and well-functioning plan?
Here are the images
Designed for vampires.
The garage blocks your light. Usually, two parking spaces in a row are not approved. The boundary construction is too long.
You can bring sunlight from the south into the house without it serving as entertainment for passersby. Fortunately, I’m so uninteresting that no one looks curiously. The terrace only overlooks the parking lot of the bank and the family doctor.
The terrace roof turns the kitchen into a cave. You need natural light in the kitchen; the utility room still gets enough daylight. Even in summer, the roof blocks the light.
The outdoor heating is a sign that energy is still far too cheap.
Reduce the size of the garage, change the house shape, rearrange the rooms.
I would only keep the terrace at the back.
The garage blocks your light. Usually, two parking spaces in a row are not approved. The boundary construction is too long.
You can bring sunlight from the south into the house without it serving as entertainment for passersby. Fortunately, I’m so uninteresting that no one looks curiously. The terrace only overlooks the parking lot of the bank and the family doctor.
The terrace roof turns the kitchen into a cave. You need natural light in the kitchen; the utility room still gets enough daylight. Even in summer, the roof blocks the light.
The outdoor heating is a sign that energy is still far too cheap.
Reduce the size of the garage, change the house shape, rearrange the rooms.
I would only keep the terrace at the back.
X
xMisterDx29 Oct 2022 14:02Strange. I have a building permit / planning permission and indicated two parking spaces arranged one behind the other in the plans. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible on an 18m (59 feet) wide plot anyway—where would 6m (20 feet) width for two parking spaces side by side come from?
xMisterDx schrieb:
Strange. I have a building permit and planned for 2 parking spaces one behind the other. With an 18m (59 feet) wide plot, it wouldn’t be possible any other way—where would you get 6m (20 feet) width for 2 parking spaces side by side? I’m not sure what that has to do with your plot, but of course there are solutions. The simplest might be not placing the garage and house next to each other. It depends on your zoning plan / building regulations, but that’s not the topic of this thread.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Strange. I have a building permit / planning permission and in the plans, I specified 2 parking spaces arranged one behind the other. Otherwise, on an 18m (59 ft) wide lot, it wouldn’t work anyway—where would you get 6m (20 ft) width for 2 parking spaces side by side? I have an 11 (eleven) meter (36 ft) wide (narrow?) lot and 2 parking spaces side by side. Of course, that’s possible ;-)
X
xMisterDx29 Oct 2022 18:58K a t j a schrieb:
I’m not sure what this has to do with your property, but of course, there are solutions. The simplest would probably be not to place the garage and the house side by side. It depends on your zoning plan, which is not the topic of this thread.If that’s not the topic and it depends on the zoning plan, then why is it being said here that two parking spaces in a row are not allowed? So which is it?
xMisterDx schrieb:
If this isn’t the issue and it depends on the zoning plan, then why is it said here that two parking spaces arranged one behind the other are not allowed? Which is it? Good question. Someone mentioned it and then everyone else just jumped on it. Long story short: It’s not relevant and doesn’t need further discussion.
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