ᐅ Single-family house floor plan with basement, 150 sqm, only one single-story level permitted
Created on: 24 Nov 2024 13:20
G
GeraldG
Hello everyone,
we are approaching the final stage of the floor plan design and thought someone might take a look and provide some feedback.
What we wanted:
The house should be about 150-160 sqm (1,615-1,722 sq ft). Also, the attic level (according to the old development plan, i.e. the 2/3 rule in BW) must not count as a full story.
We actually like these Nordic-style houses with a central gable and also brick cladding, although we had to give up on the brick cladding because apparently no one here does it, and if they do, it’s incredibly expensive.
The architect advised us against a central bay window facing the garden because that would place one side of the terrace almost facing north.
Otherwise, we wanted a fairly classic layout:
An open living/kitchen/dining area, plus a shower restroom and an office on the ground floor. The attic should have two children’s bedrooms and a master bedroom. If there is space, also a walk-in closet and a large bathroom. I also wanted the knee wall to be as high as possible.
In the current round, the attached floor plans were developed. We only want to make minor adjustments now, so I thought this would be a good time for others to take a look.
There are several proposals for a laundry chute on WhatsApp.
I would appreciate your feedback.
Plot:
Ground floor:
Attic:
Basement:
3D views:
we are approaching the final stage of the floor plan design and thought someone might take a look and provide some feedback.
What we wanted:
The house should be about 150-160 sqm (1,615-1,722 sq ft). Also, the attic level (according to the old development plan, i.e. the 2/3 rule in BW) must not count as a full story.
We actually like these Nordic-style houses with a central gable and also brick cladding, although we had to give up on the brick cladding because apparently no one here does it, and if they do, it’s incredibly expensive.
The architect advised us against a central bay window facing the garden because that would place one side of the terrace almost facing north.
Otherwise, we wanted a fairly classic layout:
An open living/kitchen/dining area, plus a shower restroom and an office on the ground floor. The attic should have two children’s bedrooms and a master bedroom. If there is space, also a walk-in closet and a large bathroom. I also wanted the knee wall to be as high as possible.
In the current round, the attached floor plans were developed. We only want to make minor adjustments now, so I thought this would be a good time for others to take a look.
There are several proposals for a laundry chute on WhatsApp.
I would appreciate your feedback.
Plot:
Ground floor:
Attic:
Basement:
3D views:
It is not your job to find solutions for this. That is the architect’s role. They (hopefully) have studied this and need to consider these aspects.
Your task is to set the requirements and framework (budget, room layout, etc.). Implementing these is the architect’s responsibility.
Consider whether the house with the current critical points is what you want to live with for the next 20+ years. If not, then simply keep planning. Don’t let yourself be rushed or pressured.
Your task is to set the requirements and framework (budget, room layout, etc.). Implementing these is the architect’s responsibility.
Consider whether the house with the current critical points is what you want to live with for the next 20+ years. If not, then simply keep planning. Don’t let yourself be rushed or pressured.
GeraldG schrieb:
Fair enough: Thanks,
overall the design looks good and functional.
The more I look at it...
the wardrobe is personally too small for me. It is recommended to allow 50-60cm (20-24 inches) width per person. Then you still need a sideboard or dresser for small items. The view axis to the garden is missing. If there is one, that’s nice; if not, it’s just a pity.
The toilet door was mentioned.
Regarding the pantry: it needs checking—there is currently no space for a freezer or a second fridge due to insufficient depth. If you often use baking trays, then a 70cm (28 inches) door is actually not enough.
The path for groceries is somewhat long.
I find the kitchen too small. First, there is hardly any usable countertop space. If you only put a coffee machine and a Thermomix there, maybe three bottles and a fruit bowl, then no workspace remains. Also, the tall cabinets suggest more storage than actually available. They are not the 60cm (24 inches) widths needed for the fridge and oven. We are a two-person household and this kitchen would not be sufficient for us.
I would probably remove the pantry entirely on the ground floor and make the kitchen more practical.
The sliding door in the living area might not be passable if the sofa is placed there to watch TV comfortably without neck strain.
On the upper floor, the bedroom is currently a walk-through room, which should be avoided. I would move the door toward the dressing room. You could then use a glass door to bring some light into the hallway. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the dressing room are a design mistake. Possibly reconsider other floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms too, as they often feel uncomfortable and reduce usable space in children's rooms.
The balcony has to go; it’s a straightforward 1970s design mistake that causes trouble. All defects come together here, and it also looks dull.
The children’s rooms work—they don’t have to be identical.
The light wells in the basement should be secured as they would be life-threatening for children.
Why isn’t the entrance door centered? That would bother me unless there is a compensating factor.
Note: in summer, the sun sets in the northwest, so consider placing the bay window on the other side.
I also find the cloakroom area too small; it will quickly look untidy. With a bit more width there, you could, for example, place a wardrobe on the door hinge side and maybe even under the stairs, but that often doesn’t look good either. I would seriously consider what I/we actually need. We are two people, and this wouldn’t be enough. With a child, dog, etc., the entrance area quickly turns into a storage space. I wouldn’t sacrifice my desired exterior appearance for that; I would want to feel welcomed by a nice view when entering the house.
I would swap the shower and toilet in the guest bathroom; then it would work better. Having the door open outwards is acceptable if there is no other option, but so far this is just a plan.
The kitchen is probably too small as well. The door to the pantry wastes space and money that could be used for tall kitchen cabinets inside the kitchen. The current layout looks nice but is unnecessarily cramped, and I don’t see any advantages. Right now, the path to the kitchen is long, then you have to navigate around an open door, and then it’s even longer to get to the pantry—unless groceries are passed through a window directly into the pantry from outside.
For this kitchen or a revised layout, I would include a wide window over the sink area; above it, the wall is also wider.
The hallway will likely be quite dark, so reworking the kitchen could provide some opportunities, or a wider entrance area with more natural light.
The space between the living and dining areas feels somewhat unnecessarily large and underutilized to me, but maybe you already have furnishing ideas for that. I would plan the furniture in detail and realistically now. Currently, you enter the living room and face a useless space, looking partly at a wall and partly at windows. There’s room for more creativity here, and again, I wouldn’t let the exterior appearance dictate the interior layout. For the dining area, and possibly also for the living area, I would prefer wider windows, ideally on the south-facing side.
It may be picky, but for a realistic idea, I want my furniture and intended use to be drawn to scale and suited to the situation. For example, the sofa is placed completely wrong for watching TV. With the current layout, your sofa will stand with the long side directly in front of the window wall. Do you really want to watch TV like that? If that is a sliding door to the terrace, I would definitely save the cost and go for a regular hinged door with the option to open both sides (I can't think of the exact term). We chose to leave out sliding doors deliberately and happily when building our new house.
The upstairs bedroom feels like it was just arranged to fill the space, now trying to look decent. Floor-to-ceiling windows there are probably again for the exterior view but feel out of place.
I would have the upstairs bathroom redesigned. You walk through a tunnel directly facing the toilet, which is a no-go. At nearly 13 sqm (140 sq ft), the bathroom is huge in my opinion, yet it only has a very narrow shower. A 90cm (35 inch) shower would be a good size. Once the unwelcoming entrance tunnel is removed and the stylish basins in the room’s center are adjusted, it can become a beautiful bathroom, which might also give some space back to the children’s room.
The balcony, as mentioned, is a nice idea, but it doesn’t really fit visually, and the children already have large rooms and would probably only use the balcony for messing around.
If the balcony and some other elements were removed without making the house less functional or appealing, there might be enough budget left for genuinely suitable brickwork instead of trying to improve the exterior look with expensive, unnecessary substitutes. And if you want brickwork, you will find someone who can do it.
Please don’t get me wrong—I think the house is quite good and really functional. However, I believe it is time to pay more attention to detail in the different areas and, as I said, avoid unnecessary and costly compromises (like the balcony), especially since you originally wanted a stylish brick house, which I completely understand.
Don’t let yourselves be rushed, as another commenter already said. That’s the way to go.
I would swap the shower and toilet in the guest bathroom; then it would work better. Having the door open outwards is acceptable if there is no other option, but so far this is just a plan.
The kitchen is probably too small as well. The door to the pantry wastes space and money that could be used for tall kitchen cabinets inside the kitchen. The current layout looks nice but is unnecessarily cramped, and I don’t see any advantages. Right now, the path to the kitchen is long, then you have to navigate around an open door, and then it’s even longer to get to the pantry—unless groceries are passed through a window directly into the pantry from outside.
For this kitchen or a revised layout, I would include a wide window over the sink area; above it, the wall is also wider.
The hallway will likely be quite dark, so reworking the kitchen could provide some opportunities, or a wider entrance area with more natural light.
The space between the living and dining areas feels somewhat unnecessarily large and underutilized to me, but maybe you already have furnishing ideas for that. I would plan the furniture in detail and realistically now. Currently, you enter the living room and face a useless space, looking partly at a wall and partly at windows. There’s room for more creativity here, and again, I wouldn’t let the exterior appearance dictate the interior layout. For the dining area, and possibly also for the living area, I would prefer wider windows, ideally on the south-facing side.
It may be picky, but for a realistic idea, I want my furniture and intended use to be drawn to scale and suited to the situation. For example, the sofa is placed completely wrong for watching TV. With the current layout, your sofa will stand with the long side directly in front of the window wall. Do you really want to watch TV like that? If that is a sliding door to the terrace, I would definitely save the cost and go for a regular hinged door with the option to open both sides (I can't think of the exact term). We chose to leave out sliding doors deliberately and happily when building our new house.
The upstairs bedroom feels like it was just arranged to fill the space, now trying to look decent. Floor-to-ceiling windows there are probably again for the exterior view but feel out of place.
I would have the upstairs bathroom redesigned. You walk through a tunnel directly facing the toilet, which is a no-go. At nearly 13 sqm (140 sq ft), the bathroom is huge in my opinion, yet it only has a very narrow shower. A 90cm (35 inch) shower would be a good size. Once the unwelcoming entrance tunnel is removed and the stylish basins in the room’s center are adjusted, it can become a beautiful bathroom, which might also give some space back to the children’s room.
The balcony, as mentioned, is a nice idea, but it doesn’t really fit visually, and the children already have large rooms and would probably only use the balcony for messing around.
If the balcony and some other elements were removed without making the house less functional or appealing, there might be enough budget left for genuinely suitable brickwork instead of trying to improve the exterior look with expensive, unnecessary substitutes. And if you want brickwork, you will find someone who can do it.
Please don’t get me wrong—I think the house is quite good and really functional. However, I believe it is time to pay more attention to detail in the different areas and, as I said, avoid unnecessary and costly compromises (like the balcony), especially since you originally wanted a stylish brick house, which I completely understand.
Don’t let yourselves be rushed, as another commenter already said. That’s the way to go.
S
Schorsch_baut24 Nov 2024 18:54I would plan for a slightly shorter dining table, perhaps a extendable one that can be turned 90 degrees when you have many guests. In exchange, give the sink area an additional base cabinet of 60cm (24 inches) or preferably 80cm (31 inches), so the kitchen island can extend further into the room. This will ease the narrow access to the kitchen and create more countertop space.
S
Schorsch_baut24 Nov 2024 18:57I would light the upstairs hallway with a roof dome or skylights.
Arauki11 schrieb:
maybe a bit under the stairs That is the basement staircase.
Schorsch_baut schrieb:
I would plan for a slightly shorter dining table, maybe an extendable one that you can turn 90 degrees when you have many guests, and in return add another base cabinet of 60 or preferably 80 cm (24 or 32 inches) to the sink area, so the kitchen island moves further into the room. This would also ease the tight access to the kitchen and create more workspace. Even for a house of a decent size like this one, I wouldn’t plan for an extendable table but rather go for a solid, fixed table. Good tables are usually very sturdy and not something you just move around easily.
Schorsch_baut schrieb:
I would illuminate the upstairs hallway with a roof lantern or skylight. There will still be an attic up there.
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