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
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
Mmh, so the tread depth and riser height are actually quite clear to me. What’s interesting, of course, is how the staircase underneath builds up in terms of height—most likely, a prefabricated concrete stair would be installed there.
We currently have 2.96 m (9 ft 9 in) floor-to-floor height, and with 16 steps, that results in a riser height of 18.5 cm (7.3 inches) per step. The door would be located beneath step number 12, so that’s about 2.22 m (7 ft 3 in). I think a standard door height of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) would work fine there (otherwise, I would prefer 2.11 m / 6 ft 11 in), but it’s still a bit tight.
Aside from that detail, I’m naturally interested in your opinion on the overall concept 🙂
We currently have 2.96 m (9 ft 9 in) floor-to-floor height, and with 16 steps, that results in a riser height of 18.5 cm (7.3 inches) per step. The door would be located beneath step number 12, so that’s about 2.22 m (7 ft 3 in). I think a standard door height of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) would work fine there (otherwise, I would prefer 2.11 m / 6 ft 11 in), but it’s still a bit tight.
Aside from that detail, I’m naturally interested in your opinion on the overall concept 🙂
Varrader schrieb:
But aside from the detailed question, of course I’m interested in your opinion on the concept 🙂Well, I wouldn’t build it. It’s a kind of makeshift solution. That’s okay but not really attractive. All your doors are 2.11 m (7 feet) high, and one pushes under the stairs with around 2 m (6.6 feet) – that immediately looks like a compromise. The door frame is probably already slightly covered by one of the steps. I would look for another solution or keep experimenting.What ceiling height do you have with a 2.96 m (9.7 feet) floor-to-floor height on the ground floor? How is the upper floor planned? It’s best to always include all information (sections and elevations) when sharing a new plan.
So, we have finalized the floor plan for the most part; the window layout is still under discussion. The only point that still bothers me a bit is the smaller children's bedroom on the upper floor.
The guest restroom is now 1.15 m (3.8 ft) wide. Is it possible to reduce it by 0.1 m (4 inches), or would we then have to make significant compromises in the hallway?
The guest restroom is now 1.15 m (3.8 ft) wide. Is it possible to reduce it by 0.1 m (4 inches), or would we then have to make significant compromises in the hallway?
I think it’s very good. I definitely wouldn’t make the guest WC any narrower. For me, 125cm (50 inches) is standard. 115cm (45 inches) is okay, but anything narrower is already close to an “outhouse.” 😉
I would have some concerns about the sliding door to the pantry. We constantly go in and out there. Sliding that door back and forth would be very annoying and time-consuming.
Why not give up your bedroom and swap it with the smaller children’s room? You only sleep there anyway. Whether the bathroom is right next door or 2m (6.5 feet) away hardly matters given the size of the house. I don’t think zoning is as important as equal access. 🙂
A slightly narrower children’s bathroom would also be enough space for the wardrobes.
I would have some concerns about the sliding door to the pantry. We constantly go in and out there. Sliding that door back and forth would be very annoying and time-consuming.
Why not give up your bedroom and swap it with the smaller children’s room? You only sleep there anyway. Whether the bathroom is right next door or 2m (6.5 feet) away hardly matters given the size of the house. I don’t think zoning is as important as equal access. 🙂
A slightly narrower children’s bathroom would also be enough space for the wardrobes.
Yes, the idea with the bedroom can work like that. It’s partly a mindset issue that I haven’t quite gotten comfortable with it yet, but in that way, it is a completely rational solution to the "problem."
What would you consider the minimum width for the children's bathroom? The furnishing can be different from what's shown; the main focus should be on functionality.
Alternatively, the lower rooms could also be made a little smaller.
What would you consider the minimum width for the children's bathroom? The furnishing can be different from what's shown; the main focus should be on functionality.
Alternatively, the lower rooms could also be made a little smaller.
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