ᐅ Floor Plan Planning: Who Has the Master Bedroom on the Ground Floor?
Created on: 27 May 2024 17:46
P
Pfefferfisch
Hello everyone,
Since we (M31 / W24) will soon have the notary appointment to purchase our desired 463 m2 (4991 sq ft) building plot in our hometown in southern Baden-Württemberg, we are currently starting to think about the plot and floor plan design. Fortunately, we are not in a hurry to start construction due to a very favorable rental situation.
First of all: we are already in contact with an architect who will create a preliminary design for us. Nevertheless, we are curious about completed projects that reflect our ideas.
We would like a classic single-family home of medium size (170–180 m2 (1830–1940 sq ft)?), for which there are countless proposals. However, it is very rare to see our wish realized: in addition to a large living/dining/kitchen area, a guest WC, and a utility/technical room serving as a passage to the attached garage, the master bedroom with a walk-in closet and a suitable bathroom (WC, double sink, large shower) should also be located on the ground floor — not just as a “possible option for old age,” but right from the start.
We understand that such a design will naturally consume a rare amount of space on the ground floor, while there is plenty of space available upstairs. This wish comes from my physical condition, as climbing stairs is sometimes difficult for me (balance issues, etc.).
Since we do not yet know whether having children is in the cards, we are considering planning only an office and a storage room upstairs, with the larger remaining area designed as a possible granny flat or separate apartment, which could be integrated back into the main living space during the “20 years with children” phase if a family develops.
As an example, the Living Haus Sunshine 210 is in this class but seems quite large to us.
So, what do you think? Has anyone implemented something similar and can share pictures, advice, or tips that should be considered for this specific kind of planning?
Good luck,
David
Since we (M31 / W24) will soon have the notary appointment to purchase our desired 463 m2 (4991 sq ft) building plot in our hometown in southern Baden-Württemberg, we are currently starting to think about the plot and floor plan design. Fortunately, we are not in a hurry to start construction due to a very favorable rental situation.
First of all: we are already in contact with an architect who will create a preliminary design for us. Nevertheless, we are curious about completed projects that reflect our ideas.
We would like a classic single-family home of medium size (170–180 m2 (1830–1940 sq ft)?), for which there are countless proposals. However, it is very rare to see our wish realized: in addition to a large living/dining/kitchen area, a guest WC, and a utility/technical room serving as a passage to the attached garage, the master bedroom with a walk-in closet and a suitable bathroom (WC, double sink, large shower) should also be located on the ground floor — not just as a “possible option for old age,” but right from the start.
We understand that such a design will naturally consume a rare amount of space on the ground floor, while there is plenty of space available upstairs. This wish comes from my physical condition, as climbing stairs is sometimes difficult for me (balance issues, etc.).
Since we do not yet know whether having children is in the cards, we are considering planning only an office and a storage room upstairs, with the larger remaining area designed as a possible granny flat or separate apartment, which could be integrated back into the main living space during the “20 years with children” phase if a family develops.
As an example, the Living Haus Sunshine 210 is in this class but seems quite large to us.
So, what do you think? Has anyone implemented something similar and can share pictures, advice, or tips that should be considered for this specific kind of planning?
Good luck,
David
Pfefferfisch schrieb:
Please don't focus too much on the Sunshine 210 I mentioned – we only really liked the ground floor layout on the first Google search. That’s all. Pfefferfisch schrieb:
To begin with: we are already in contact with an architect who will prepare a preliminary design for us. Maybe you shouldn’t stick too closely to standard house types, but simply tell the architect your wishes and needs. They have the site plan, they have the training and expertise. This way, you stay open to what’s possible. Whether someone sleeps well or poorly upstairs or downstairs shouldn’t concern them or you.
P
Pfefferfisch15 May 2025 15:22Hello everyone,
in case anyone is still interested in this topic: after many planning rounds, we have now reached this design draft together with our architect, which we like quite a lot.
Just as a reminder, in case anyone asks about the site orientation: our plot is almost exactly aligned to true north, with a very slight slope towards the south.
The basement will be a pure technical floor with laundry, storage, and utility rooms.
The attic floor, with knee walls of 1.40m (4 ft 7 in), will be divided into an office, two potential children’s bedrooms, and an additional bathroom.
We are currently considering whether to install floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the attic floor or only on the south-facing dormer, while using standard windows on the gable ends.
Pfefferfisch schrieb:
In case anyone is still interested in this topic: after many planning rounds, we have now arrived at this design draft together with our architect, which we quite like 🙂 ]...]
The basement will be a purely technical floor with laundry, storage, and utility rooms.
The attic with a knee wall of 1.40 m (4 ft 7 in) will be divided into an office, two potential children's rooms, and an additional bathroom.
We are currently considering whether to install floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the attic or only on the south dormer and use standard windows on the gable ends...I am also interested in the other two floors.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello,
You have clearly spent a long time discussing the design with the architect, so you’ll probably like it just as it is, even though I would do many things differently. Just my two cents:
You have clearly spent a long time discussing the design with the architect, so you’ll probably like it just as it is, even though I would do many things differently. Just my two cents:
- Is the garage located outside the building perimeter? Will you get approval for that?
- The paved area seems extremely large to me. Do you have a site coverage ratio of 0.7-0.8? You will probably need that...
- If you place the master bedroom on the ground floor (which is very good for aging in place), then design the door widths to be 0.9-1 meter (3-3.3 feet) wide so that a walker or wheelchair can pass through.
- Floor-to-ceiling windows with external glass protection may look nice at first glance, but in my opinion, they combine all possible disadvantages. They add extra window surfaces to clean, cleaning them is dangerous, they don’t provide more fresh air when ventilating than a normal window, and they reduce usable floor space in the room.
- Best regards, Andreas
P
Pfefferfisch15 May 2025 16:3611ant schrieb:
I am actually interested in the other two floors as well.Unfortunately, they are not fully planned yet – we are still in the process of "moving walls" 🙂
Unfortunately, the dimensions are not visible. Are the living room and dining room really 15 m² (161 sq ft) each, while the kitchen is 22 m² (237 sq ft), or am I misunderstanding that? If so, the (foyer) area on the other side near the bedroom entrance seems unnecessarily large.
The bathroom, on the other hand, is quite spacious but is cramped between the sink and the door. This apparently requires an expensive and less comfortable sliding door, which I would not prefer.
I would rather reconsider the pool and allocate a bit more space to the open-plan area, similar to the kitchen zone, even if it’s not strictly necessary.
Overall, I can imagine it looking very stylish if furnished sparsely and simply, but the generous kitchen and transition area contrasts with the relatively small living and dining rooms. It feels like the design runs out of space somewhere, which is also reflected in the sliding door, the bedroom door opening outward, the narrow bathroom access, and the door sizes that @andimann rightly pointed out.
By the way, how did you arrive at the 18 m² (194 sq ft) terrace measurement?
If you are looking for constructive and critical feedback, it would help to provide the dimensions, including those of the actual furniture.
The bathroom, on the other hand, is quite spacious but is cramped between the sink and the door. This apparently requires an expensive and less comfortable sliding door, which I would not prefer.
I would rather reconsider the pool and allocate a bit more space to the open-plan area, similar to the kitchen zone, even if it’s not strictly necessary.
Overall, I can imagine it looking very stylish if furnished sparsely and simply, but the generous kitchen and transition area contrasts with the relatively small living and dining rooms. It feels like the design runs out of space somewhere, which is also reflected in the sliding door, the bedroom door opening outward, the narrow bathroom access, and the door sizes that @andimann rightly pointed out.
By the way, how did you arrive at the 18 m² (194 sq ft) terrace measurement?
If you are looking for constructive and critical feedback, it would help to provide the dimensions, including those of the actual furniture.
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