ᐅ Floor plan of a new country house in a large garden under Section 34 (including demolition)

Hello dear community,

Last year, we purchased a house in Brandenburg. Initially, we planned to renovate and remodel the existing building. After receiving initial quotes exceeding 500,000€ (approximately 500,000 USD), we decided to change course and are now planning a new build.

We first contacted a few prefabricated house providers, but were not satisfied with the proposed plans. So, we downloaded the app Home Design 3D and kept designing until we achieved a result we were really happy with.

We would appreciate any feedback, ideas, and criticism. Our next step is to find a suitable contractor based on the floor plan. Attached are the questionnaire and some additional thoughts behind the planning.

Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 3000 sqm (approximately 32,000 sq ft)
Further requirements: §34, details not yet known

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: rather country house style, gable roof
Basement, floors: No basement, 1.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults, 1 child, possibly +1 child
Space needs on ground and upper floors: –
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guests per year: occasional
Open or closed layout: rather closed
Conservative or modern design: rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: existing garage stays, carport for camper
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: large garden

House design
Who created the plan: Self-designed using iPad app
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Orientation of all main rooms to the south
What don’t you like? Why? Bedroom entrance from hallway
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: in progress

Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: 500,000€ (approximately 500,000 USD)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump

If you have to give up something, which details/features could you do without? Balcony
Which are essential? Terrace, easy access to the garden

Why is the design the way it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? We refined it until we really liked it.

Which of your wishes were realized by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines...

What makes this design particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Maximum space optimization

Additional notes from us:

General

• Gable roof with east-west solar panels
• Similar to neighboring buildings

Ground Floor

General

• Wide doors on the ground floor, at least 1 m (3.3 ft) wide
• The ground floor is wheelchair accessible
• Patio roof in front of kitchen and half of the living room

Hallway

• Entrance area offers a niche for coats and shoes
• Space under the stairs usable as storage
• Stairwell and hallway on the first floor receive natural light

Utility Room

• Large utility room planned with at least 12 m² (130 sq ft)
• Northeast orientation, so the heat pump can be placed behind the carport

Bathroom

• Adjacent to the utility room
• Outdoor water tap

Kitchen

• Short walking distances:
• Kitchen accessible from entrance and dining room
• Pantry accessible through a cupboard in the kitchen
• Patio door leading from kitchen to garden
• Sliding door to separate kitchen acoustically and for odors from living room
• Small seating area in kitchen with enough space for quick meals (possible with a window seat?)
• Outdoor water tap

Living Room

• Floor-to-ceiling windows in living and dining area
• Fireplace planned
• Space for TV in a niche
• Area for cabinets
• One lift-and-slide door

Guest Room

• Option to use as bedroom
• At least 12 m² (130 sq ft)

Upper Floor:

General

• Balcony on the first floor facing south
• Accessible from two rooms

Bathroom

• Separate toilet and bathroom
• Bathroom has a bathtub
• Built-in cabinet behind the sink

Bedroom

• Floor-to-ceiling windows in living and sleeping areas, i.e., all south-facing rooms
• Does not border directly on the toilet or bathroom

Study

• Two almost equally sized rooms on the first floor serve as studies

Guest Room

• Another room on the upper floor can be used as a guest or hobby room

marcoblu schrieb:

We first went through a round of prefabricated house suppliers, but we were not satisfied with the plans we received.

Just to make sure I understand correctly: You already received floor plans and found them so unsatisfactory that you put together your own here and now prefer those?

Yes, exactly.
We sent a list of things that are important to us.
However, these were not taken into account by the providers, and we were not convinced by the proposed ideas.

It is especially important for us that the house faces south toward the garden.
At first, we also considered building the living room with an open ceiling, but we have now opted for a more "practical" approach.

Others should evaluate the floor plan (which I don’t think is a good idea), but with exterior dimensions of 10 x 13 m (33 x 43 ft), the house will likely exceed the budget by about 50% including additional costs (excluding garage, terrace, and landscaping). That’s quite a small mansion.

Forget the unrealistic plan and hire a competent architect.
You won’t be able to afford this corner-heavy mansion with your budget...

marcoblu schrieb:

Basement, Floors No basement, 1.5 stories

For your information: This is a two-story building.

marcoblu schrieb:

The ground floor is wheelchair accessible

No, it is not. Not even a healthy person can use the restroom on the ground floor, let alone seniors or someone in a wheelchair.
Once the bedroom is furnished with a double bed, access there is also impossible.

marcoblu schrieb:

Maximum space optimization

No, it is awkwardly shaped and therefore inefficient.
I count about 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) plus this costly massive extension, which adds no visible value to a 160 sqm (1,720 sq ft) house.
That means at least 600,000 € plus additional construction costs, plus carport, plus the huge extension.

marcoblu schrieb:

Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor –

marcoblu schrieb:

We had sent a list of things that are important to us.

I believe a clear room plan is more important when you only have about 500,000 € available. If accessibility is important, because it is currently needed, then the design should be as simple and functional as possible. Conservatories, fireplaces, and balconies are major cost drivers.
You don’t need large south-facing windows in the bedroom.
Personally, I don’t like it. The hallway feels very busy because there are doors everywhere. It is basically fragmented. There is no quiet wall for a sideboard or mirror. The design seems to focus more on unrealistic aerial-view symmetry than on practical aspects. The carport is not located at the entrance, and the sofa area is a passageway. Although the office has its 12 sqm (130 sq ft), it cannot be furnished as a bedroom.
And so on.
The provided dimensions are almost useless. Important measurements are missing.