ᐅ Small Bungalow Floor Plan – Potential for Improvement?

I would completely remove the short wall between the hallway and the open-plan living area.

motorradsilke schrieb:

I would completely remove the short wall between the hallway and the open-plan area.

Yes, the idea with the shelf/half-height partition was mainly to avoid having a side view, for example, of a coat closet/sideboard or something similar.
I don’t remember anymore, but wasn’t there an option to have the main entrance on the long eaves side? I wouldn’t be so keen on the entrance arrangement with this offset and the direct view of the wall right after entering the house. Also, the point from @motorradsilke about the toilet being "too far back" in the house seems quite valid to me, even if it probably wouldn’t be used very often.
On the other hand, I can’t agree with this comment from my perspective, especially since recently I’ve had both situations – one with a huge glass wall and the other with both showers fully tiled. For me, glass would only be acceptable from about waist height upward, if at all. But it’s good that the original poster can consider the reasons behind the different preferences for themselves.

motorradsilke schrieb:

Our shower has a glass wall, and I don’t find wiping it down problematic. I usually wipe the floor after showering anyway, so I quickly clean the wall too.

For me, I need to use things myself first to really understand if they suit my needs. Since we’ve designed several things over time, we know our needs, wishes, and habits quite well. This is something you need to figure out for yourself, and some things you only learn to like—or not—once you’ve experienced them… like controlled ventilation systems, climate control/heating (for me!), partly automated blinds, etc. And some things you simply don’t need at all.
Now, I see there is a bathtub in the bathroom, which I actually like at first glance, including the shower setup, but personally, I might prefer having an additional small guest toilet right near the entrance instead of a bathtub.
So many questions… it’s good that you’re taking your time with the planning and figuring out your real needs, wishes, and also what isn’t necessary.
@Newbee-BW
In this context, I would also start thinking about whether you want to heat your house with a wood stove or not. It needs a good place in the room and should be planned early enough if it’s going to play an important role in your heating concept. The type, model, or anything else can be decided much later, but you should already consider the “if” question.

@ypg I’m sharing a plan excerpt here. This shows our ground floor; I have removed the existing stairs leading to the upper floor.
I’m certainly no floor plan expert, so I wanted to ask if this somewhat similar situation might be useful for your designs, at least in part. I wasn’t always sure myself, but since we have now lived here for a while and like it, I think I would do it the same way or similar if I had to limit myself to just one level.
What I especially like is the direct view through the large window right after entering the house, which creates a really spacious feeling and almost brings the garden inside (or so the poet might say). That’s how I wanted it, and I could imagine having an office space there in front of the middle window, for example, behind a half-height wall/divider to avoid looking over the office worker’s shoulder and instead see something like a half-height plant or decorative feature inside the house. I hope I’ve made that clear.
The kitchen/utility room and living room would of course need to be swapped or the entire layout mirrored, or you could place the office on the current kitchen side. But I find the entrance area with the bathroom and the opposite bedroom very practical, though the door to that bedroom could also open from the main living area.
I can easily imagine this here, as I said, just a rough idea or possibly some useful aspects. The total size here is 90 sqm (970 sq ft) and could certainly be reduced by a few square meters without losing any substance, especially since the stairs are still included.
As I said, just an idea, because I’ve thought a few times whether something like this might be suitable for @Newbee-BW.
Using the tool to draw the plan also made it clear why my drawing teacher always smiled at me so kindly. But the neat office room divider is certainly not to be overlooked, just like the cross where an office could also fit. As I mentioned before, I would do this in favor of flexibility and aesthetics with movable furniture or shelving units.

motorradsilke schrieb:

I would leave out the short wall between the hallway and the open living area completely.

Personally, I also have no wall or door between the hallway and living area. But I draw them in for others. You can always leave them out. Everyone has to decide that for themselves.

Arauki11 schrieb:

What I particularly like is the straight view through the large window right after entering the house, which creates a really spacious feeling and basically brings the garden into the home.

That’s how it is in our home, too. I love our entrance with the view of the garden, but it also has downsides. I probably wouldn’t build it exactly the same way again. We were fortunate to have a courtyard between the street and the house, so no one can look directly at our dining table from the street.

Basically, you have to weigh things: on one hand, it’s nice to have an open view from the entrance to the garden, but on the other hand, the garden is not facing west but south. The entrance, however, is intended to be close to the carport, so on the east side.

You could also think outside the box and place the carport at the front, but honestly, it is quite well positioned on the east side.

Then there’s the dog factor. Not all dogs are calm or easy to train. It can be a very stressful life for the dog if, like ours, it clings to the door or doesn’t leave the door out of sight when a pack member is absent.

Or the Labrador might immediately go for the furniture or food in the kitchen when someone comes home.

So, for example, I would prefer to have a door to separate the areas. It could be a loft door, which is closed at the bottom but has windows at the top.

That makes things easier for everyone, including visitors.

Regarding the toilet near the entrance:

I agree with whoever said it’s practical to have quick access to a restroom right after coming home.

But is it really necessary to think about two toilets for one person? Of course, there is also the option to place the bathroom near the entrance.

Either you end up walking through the open living area between bedroom and bathroom again, or you put the bedroom near the entrance. Then the question arises: do you want that zoning, where the private area is by the entrance?

I guess it’s not the worst option, especially when living alone. But for me, it triggers a feeling of discomfort. For me, a front door always has a window, either in the door itself or next to it.

If the door was on the east side, this discomfort might be unfounded. But if the entrance faces the street, it is very likely you wouldn’t want to walk from the bedroom and bathroom back to the entrance in your underwear.

This is the same feeling as with floor-to-ceiling windows in bedrooms upstairs: no one should be able to look inside, but the occupant still doesn’t feel comfortable in their own home and behaves quite defensively.

Arauki11 schrieb:

I’m posting a plan excerpt here.

I knew we’d hear from you again, Walter!

However, the original poster has different needs than you do. Has the room on the ground floor now become a bedroom? It was originally planned upstairs for you.

Because of the different needs, I don’t necessarily see your ground floor plan, especially since there’s also an upper floor, as a suitable design for the original poster.

And it’s not my ground floor plan, nor Silke’s or Nida’s, that is the original poster’s plan, because the conditions, plot orientation, and wishes are different everywhere.

Arauki11 schrieb:

that, for example, a workspace could be created centrally in front of the middle window behind a half-height wall/partition system, so the office worker is not watched from behind but looks at a low plant or decorative feature inside the house.

Whether it’s a half-height wall or just plants: it will distract from exactly what you like—the direct view of the garden.

ypg schrieb:

Would it be worth it for you if I rework the last plan in a rotated version, meaning kitchen and living area mostly separated like in the last one?

The question referred to the fact that the open living area is more or less divided or zoned. In your initial drafts, you had one long open living area. Which do you prefer? Divided or combined?

Well, I actually wanted to plan again, but now I have to search through the forum of @Arauki11’s old account.

Arauki11 schrieb:

I might rather go for a half-height wall with a wooden top or even a half-height, attractive bookshelf usable from both sides as a room divider instead of the wall facing the open-plan area; partly because otherwise it would be quite dark there.

Do you mean the wall behind the couch or the one with the door to the open-plan area? Hmm, I’m not really a fan of bookshelves—they take a lot of effort to keep clean and I’m not much of a decorating person, so I’m not very good at it. It always ends up looking messy rather than nice... I also see the wall with the door as optional. Here I could imagine a half-height wall too, where you could nicely place a plant.

Arauki11 schrieb:

For me, I need to use things myself to find out if they really suit me.

That’s how I feel too. I’ve always had real glass shower walls, and wiping them off is just annoying. Even if you do it carefully every time after showering, every now and then you still have to do a “proper” clean, and it drives me almost crazy trying to get them streak-free. So I don’t want that anymore. Windows are enough for me… I really don’t need a guest toilet. I have one now, and I haven’t used it for about nine months. I’m not sure about the bathtub either. It fits pretty well here, but I’d prefer to place the wall that separates the shower at the door so that the shower gets daylight from the window. But then I can’t position the bathtub nicely anymore, see attachment.

Arauki11 schrieb:

You really should think about the “if.”

That’s a sore point. I still have no clear direction regarding the heating system. I’m also torn about the fireplace. It’s not easy or cheap for me to get firewood; I’d basically have to buy it regularly. Logistically, it’s not so simple—I don’t have a trailer for my car. On the other hand, a fireplace is really nice and creates a great atmosphere and warmth on cold days. But then there are the purchase costs, chimney sweeper fees, and the cost of the wood. Yeah, it’s complicated.

ypg schrieb:

so that no one from the street can look directly at our dining table.

Yes, that depends on the plot. We have a direct view of the open fields with sheep, which looks great. I wouldn’t want it any other way on other sides either.

ypg schrieb:

But is it really necessary to think about having two toilets for one person right now?

I would definitely consider that a personal preference rather than a must-have. When it comes to toilets, it’s more of a personal comfort thing that everyone can decide for themselves. Just decide one way or the other and be done with it.

ypg schrieb:

Do you want this zoning, with the quiet room at the entrance?

Exactly. You can want it one way or another, each option has its pros and cons, just like everything else. You have to sense and decide what fits you best. Period.
I can also understand the issue with ventilation, and there the plot or your personal feeling is important too. In your current design, it is rather concealed or calming—I like that too, including the direct access to the bathroom there.
In the end, you can live one way or the other; my intention was just to give the OP an idea because I’m currently in the same situation and can really feel what it’s like.
I was also aware of the trained intuition. Those dull, gray days with a lot of winter blues and TV shows like “Wetten, dass..?” don’t exist anymore...instead of online casinos or questionable websites, it’s that now, due to age, Gisela.

ypg schrieb:

Has the room on the ground floor now become a bedroom?

Multifunctional: guest/snoring/home gym/extra TV room or mostly empty.

ypg schrieb:

because different conditions, plot orientation, and preferences exist everywhere.

Yep, that’s why there are various suggestions thrown into the mix and the OP can pick what fits best. I could live differently too, it just has to suit me. Currently, I keep getting pictures of tiny houses with stairs leading to the upper floor with an open bedroom or living room. We had that while on vacation in Greece, and that was lovely as well.

ypg schrieb:

Whether a half-height wall or just plants: it will distract from what you actually like—the direct view of the garden.

Yes, that was more of a rough idea from me, especially if there should be a workspace in the middle there. Provided the partition is not too high. But that was more of a shot in the dark, since we once framed a bed in the bedroom similarly. I’m not claiming any special insight.

ypg schrieb:

So, I actually wanted to plan again, but now I have to search the forum for @Arauki11 old account.

Do we know each other from a past life, Heidrun? Then it would be much easier and more direct than back then in the castle park next to the Hercules monument.