ᐅ Suggestions for the floor plan of a single-family house, approximately 175 sqm, with a pitched roof

Created on: 4 Nov 2022 22:51
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epinephrin
I’m venturing into this part of the forum to share our floor plan for discussion. I’m hoping for constructive feedback and ideas in case improvements would be advisable.

We want a bright house of about 160-170 sqm (1700-1830 sq ft). We would prefer an open staircase design, but it should not interfere with the floor plan. The flat roof dormer is more than just a nice-to-have... 🙂

Overall, we like the current floor plan very much, but since we are building novices, we would like to go over it with you experts to identify any possible issues. As we haven’t signed the contract with the general contractor yet, there are unfortunately no detailed dimensions available. The furnishing in the kitchen, bathroom, and living area is not yet fixed, so please don’t focus too much on those!

Orientation: the street and entrance are on the north side, terrace faces southwest.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 854 sqm (9190 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) from plot boundary
Edge development: garage approx. 1 m (3 ft) northeast
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: max. 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof 30-45°, hipped roof 25-35°, shed roof, flat roof possible
Style: modern
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height/building limits: ridge height 8.50 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: driveway max. 4 m (13 ft) wide

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof house (without eaves)
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 or 2 storeys; cold roof
Number of people, ages: 4 people (42, 41, 8, 5)
Room requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living, office, shower/WC, utility room; upper floor: sleeping, dressing room, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, reading corner
Office: used for family or home office? 1 home office
Number of overnight guests per year: max 2
Open or closed architecture: open and bright
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open (but no direct view to living area), kitchen island if possible
Number of dining seats: 6 (preferably extendable to at least 8)
Fireplace: bioethanol / water vapor fireplace
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no, but projecting bay window on upper floor
Garage, carport: garage or carport (6x9 m (20x30 ft) – position and storage room next to or behind garage not fixed yet – orientation on plot either lengthwise or widthwise)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for decisions:
  • Seating window on upper floor (bay window) – to hopefully bring plenty of light into the hallway and provide a nice view
  • Open staircase (straight or with landing, no preference)
  • Kitchen without direct line of sight from living area
  • Office preferably with garden access

House design
Origin of the design: original floor plan from Gussek House “Zypressenallee,” adapted to our needs and wishes by a general contractor’s planner

What do you like most and why? We like the layout and orientation of the ground floor, with sightlines from the entrance area

What do you like least and why? Uncertainty whether the kitchen is too tight; arrangement options for living room (sofa, piano!, bioethanol fireplace?) – possibly remove the middle square window in the living area on the ground floor in favor of more space for furniture?

Price estimate from architect/planner: 600,000 EUR (including garage, additional construction costs)
Personal price limit for house including equipment: 600,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump

If you have to give up on certain details or extras:
- Can give up: staircase, 10 sqm (110 sq ft) of living space
- Cannot give up: bay window on upper floor (I just really like this nesting box)

Why is the design as it is now? For example:
The desire for a bay window with reading window and open architecture was implemented, combining examples from various magazines...

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
see above

Floor plan of a house with garage, office, hallway, kitchen and open living area.


Floor plan of the upper floor with hallway, bathroom, dressing room, master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, office/reading area.


Cross-section through a multi-storey house with staircase, roof structure, and foundation.


Hand sketch of a floor plan: house with kitchen, living room, terrace and double garage.


Site plan of a housing development with yellow streets, red residential areas, and legend on the right.
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epinephrin
6 Nov 2022 13:01
RomeoZwo schrieb:

From around 14-16 years old, the space starts to feel too narrow for the "kids." At that age, the likelihood of sometimes sharing the bed suddenly increases ;-) .

The niche is about 140 cm (55 inches) deep, so they can only have a bed up to 200 x 140 cm (79 x 55 inches) max 😎
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Myrna_Loy
6 Nov 2022 13:31
How about a version like this?

Floor plan of an upper floor with two children's rooms, an office/reading area, hallway, bathroom, and bedroom.
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kbt09
6 Nov 2022 18:14
@Myrna_Loy .. what advantage is this supposed to bring? Parent and child not sharing a wall? I find the flow between dressing room/bedroom/bathroom very inconvenient in that case.
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Myrna_Loy
6 Nov 2022 18:46
I find the corner bedroom with many windows and two doors difficult to furnish. I would feel disturbed from all four sides.
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ypg
6 Nov 2022 18:59
Myrna_Loy schrieb:

I don’t think the corner bedroom with so many windows and two doors is easy to furnish. I would feel disturbed from all four sides.

The question is how the windows are supposed to be planned in terms of their dimensions and sill heights.

Why are you so focused on these window positions if they don’t allow for good furniture arrangements?

And then there is also the wish to save a few square meters…
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epinephrin
6 Nov 2022 19:51
ypg schrieb:

The question is how the windows should be planned regarding their dimensions and sill heights.

Why are you so fixated on these window positions when they don’t allow for a nice furniture layout at all?

And then there’s the desire to save a few square meters…

The sill height of these corner windows is quite low at 76cm (30 inches), the narrow window extends to the floor. Admittedly, we wanted them symmetrical to the ground floor. Yes, yes, I know – from the inside out…
Today we moved our 2x2m (6.5x6.5 ft) bed around and found we have no chance with this room. Even the door almost hits it. So I took up the suggestion from @Myrna_Loy and did some thinking. What came out you can see in the attachment. Walls are red, furniture blue. Closet space of 3m (10 ft) would be sufficient, 3.5m (11.5 ft) optimal. I would leave the connection to the walk-in closet open and plan a sliding door to the bathroom instead? Probably not ideal for everyone’s morning routine, but at least both get up at the same time and don’t work shifts. The bathtub definitely won’t stay there ;-)
Floor plan of a house: two children's rooms, bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, office, hallway, stairs.