ᐅ Single-family house floor plan approximately 165 m² plus basement

Created on: 30 Aug 2022 21:16
G
Gregor_K
Hello everyone,

My wife and I purchased a plot of land last year and are now ready to start the construction project. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with four general contractors and gathered quotes. In the coming weeks, I plan to choose one general contractor; at the moment, two are in the final running. Several floor plans have been developed, and I have posted the one we like best here. The floor plan currently does not include furniture, but once we decide on a contractor, I will finalize it with the contractor/architect unless a better plan comes up.

Of the two general contractors we are considering, one offers a planning contract for service phases HOAI 1-4. The other does not provide this, so we will need to hire a separate architect (HOAI 1-3).

Having followed various discussions in this forum for a while, I would appreciate your feedback on the floor plan. This is our first build; my knowledge so far comes from seminars by the Builders’ Protection Association and this housebuilding forum.

Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot No. 194
Plot size: 680m² (7,300 sq ft)
Slope: yes, descending about 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5 feet) from the access road
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see blue line on the development plan; approximately 12.95m x 20m (42.5 ft x 66 ft)
Setback from boundary: 3m (10 feet)
Parking spaces: 1 to 2
Maximum building height: 2 full floors
Roof style: no specification in the development plan

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Single-family house, gabled roof with purlins if possible
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of occupants: 5 people, 2 adults and 3 children
Office: Home office room
Occasional guests: none or at most 1 to 2 per year
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes, open kitchen, but kitchen island not absolutely necessary
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: not required
Garage, carport: Single garage to be located on the east side, plus at least 2 additional parking spaces on the northwest side of the property

House Design
Designer:
- Design by a prefabricated house supplier

What do you particularly like? Why?
We like the appearance of the house with the bay window; it looks stylish to us. Overall, it includes everything we need, such as a pantry, a relatively spacious dining area combined with the living room, 3 children’s rooms, and an office.

What do you dislike? Why?
The staircase could be positioned further from the entrance, but this is acceptable. The bathroom design still looks unfinished.

Price estimate according to architect/designer: €620,000 without ancillary building costs (no price negotiation)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: €650,000 without ancillary building costs

If you had to give up certain details/extra features,
- what you could do without: Items we can omit have already been removed, e.g., walk-in closet and storage room
- what you cannot do without: 3 children’s rooms, pantry, office, landing staircase, basement

Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Design from the planner following these specifications:

  • House with basement:

- 2 full floors or 1.5 floors with a high knee wall (e.g., 180cm (70.9 inches))
- Flexible roof type; we like a gabled roof with purlins or alternatively a hip roof or flat roof
- Ground floor plus upper floor should be between 165m² and 175m² (1,776 to 1,884 sq ft)

  • Ground floor:

- open kitchen + living room + dining area
- guest bathroom with shower
- entrance area should be usable for 5 people (space for shoe cabinets)
- pantry
- office room that can later be used as a bedroom in older age
- dining area close to the kitchen
- kitchen and dining area should be near the terrace

  • Upper floor:

- 3 children’s rooms (2 rooms at least 15m² (161 sq ft), 1 room at least 12m² (129 sq ft))
- master bedroom with or without walk-in closet, depending on what fits better into the floor plan
- optional laundry chute would be great but not essential
- preferably no separate children’s bathroom
- bathroom at least 10m² (108 sq ft), better if 12 to 14m² (129 to 151 sq ft), depending on the layout

  • General:

- staircase should not be located in the entrance’s dirt zone. A comfortable staircase would be great; ideally a landing staircase
- space for a single garage on the plot, i.e., no double garage
- access from the garage to the pantry would be nice but not essential
- no gallery
- no conservatory/glass extension
- covered access from garage to front door is not absolutely necessary

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the staircase be placed further away from the entrance? What do you think about making windows in the bathroom, master bedroom, and office narrower (window sill height)? Are the basement windows well positioned, especially those near the terrace?

Lageplan eines Baugebiets mit Grundstücken, Straßen und Gebäuden.


Ausschnitt eines Katasterplans mit nummerierten Parzellen und Straßenverlauf.


Kellergeschoss Grundriss mit Hobbyraum, Abstellraum, Vorplatz und Installation


Grundrissplan des Erdgeschosses mit Kueche, Essbereich, Wohnzimmer, Buero/Gaeste, Duschbad


Grundriss Obergeschoss eines Hauses mit drei Zimmern, Bad und Treppenzugang


Vorderfront eines zweistöckigen Hauses als Linienzeichnung mit Fenstern und Tür


Architekturzeichnung einer zweistöckigen Hausfassade mit drei Fensterachsen und zentralem Giebeldach.


Ansicht C: Linienzeichnung einer Hausfront mit Satteldach und drei Fenstern.


Frontansicht eines Hauses mit Satteldach, zwei Fenstern und Bodenlinie (Linienzeichnung).


Lageplan: Parzellen 190–204 an der Lindenstraße; rechteckige Grundstücke, Gebäudestrukturen.
Y
ypg
25 Jan 2023 22:02
Gregor_K schrieb:

Actually, I don't want to give the basement such a high priority.

Well, then?… How are we supposed to know that?
Gregor_K schrieb:

For me, a simple "potato cellar" is enough.

Expensive potato cellar…
Your presentation mentions living space, and that’s what you wanted feedback on.

By the way, I don't find the distance from carport to entrance too long. Those few meters shouldn’t be overestimated.
Y
ypg
25 Jan 2023 22:17
ypg schrieb:

In your presentation, it says living area
That was an optical character recognition error! Of course, it means _ready to move in_, as it says there.
11ant25 Jan 2023 23:40
On one hand, it is somewhat wasteful to use the basement so nonspecifically. On the other hand, the planning process needs to be wrapped up at some point, and at nearly every stage reached, there could always be improvements. In this sense, I believe the project has adequately approached the Pareto optimum, so it’s not worth chasing after the last tiny bit of potential through further rounds of planning. Smaller changes, like replacing the double door with single doors to the kitchen and living area, are acceptable, but no more major revisions should be made.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
G
Gregor_K
26 Jan 2023 07:37
ypg schrieb:

Kitchen door aligned with the front door, clearly define the kitchen layout and avoid using placeholders, plan proper windows in the basement. Daylight also belongs in living spaces, not views like a casemate.
ypg schrieb:

By the way, I don’t find the path from the carport/entrance too long. Those few meters shouldn’t be overestimated.


I also don’t find the path from the garage/carport to the entrance too long, but the route from the garage/carport to the kitchen is a bit long. On the other hand, the refrigerator will be placed where you plan the kitchen door. So I’m still not sure whether to include that additional door.
11ant schrieb:

On one hand, it’s a bit wasteful to use the basement so unspecifically. On the other hand, the planning process has to come to a close at some point, and for almost any stage reached, it’s true that it could still be improved. In this sense, I see it as sufficiently close to the Pareto optimum to stop chasing after the last bit of potential by making more rounds of planning. Small changes like replacing the double door with single doors to the kitchen and living area, yes, but no more major overhauls.


Thank you, that was nicely put. 🙂

I agree with you, the basement really is planned quite vaguely. Normally, another room would need to be moved from the ground floor or upper floor down to the basement, and everything else made a size smaller. Still, I’m very satisfied.
11ant26 Jan 2023 12:38
Gregor_K schrieb:

I agree with you, the basement is really unspecifically planned. Normally, an additional room from the ground floor / upper floor should be moved down to the basement level, and everything else scaled down accordingly. I’m still very satisfied though.

I’m glad that you’re still so satisfied, but that’s exactly what I wanted to point out: rearranging everything now to move half a room from each of the other two floors into the basement would, of course, be nonsense.

Examples like these clearly show interested readers the significant difference it makes whether you start planning with an architect traditionally in design phase 1 (and thereby develop a qualified room program in the building volume during design phase 2), or whether you take an amateur plan (or template) and have an “architect” prepare it ready for submission (essentially design phase 4 to 4_bis). In the end, you pay for about twenty or thirty extra square meters as a “fee saving” that never comes close to an adequate degree. Overall, you have caused a higher financing requirement, which hopefully you won’t try to “recover” later through the external construction supervisor.

And just to be absolutely clear (in case some know-it-all reads this): no, redesigning to a three-quarter basement now would be the biggest step backwards, and NOT a way to compensate for it 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Y
ypg
26 Jan 2023 13:12
Gregor_K schrieb:

Therefore, I am still not sure whether I will include this additional door.

I was referring to the line of sight.
And yes, that is why in #46 I recommended the kitchen layout rather than just placeholders.