ᐅ Floor Plan Feedback Single-Family Home 140 sqm Two Full Stories

Created on: 4 Jul 2025 16:06

Hello everyone, following my last post about costs and so on, Ant11 suggested that I start with a floor plan here for evaluation. This plan has now existed for quite some time with a few minor adjustments, so the ideas have not changed. I’m looking forward to some feedback.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 654 sqm (7040 sq ft)
Slope no
Site occupancy index 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building setback, building line and boundary 3 m (10 ft)
Edge development only garages or carport
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of floors max 2
Roof pitch 0–48 degrees
Style single-family house
Orientation any
Maximum heights / limits 6 m (20 ft) wall and 9 m (30 ft) total
Other requirements cistern

Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type gable roof
Basement, floors 2
Number of people, age 2 adults and potentially 2 children, currently 1
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor
Office: family use or home office? Both
Guest sleeping per year, if so guests sleep in the children’s rooms
Open kitchen, kitchen island open kitchen
Number of dining seats 1
Fireplace no
Music / stereo wall no
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage, carport yes
Utility garden, greenhouse possible
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included

House Design
Who designed it:
- Initial draft by architect then adjustments with builder/architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Utility room with separate door (mudroom), large pantry
What do you dislike? Why?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 433k
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 500k
Preferred heating technology: air heat pump and central ventilation system

If you had to give up, which details / extensions
- Could you give up: if push comes to shove, the separate door for the utility room or the pantry could be omitted
- Could you not give up: guest WC with shower

Why did the design turn out the way it did? For example:
Build as small as possible but as large as necessary. The plot becomes wider toward the back.

So, this is a draft after a consultation appointment with the architect. It was then revised again with the builder.
We want a functional home that works for 2 adults and potentially 2 children (1 currently). In addition, we have a dog, but that obviously adapts too (the mudroom is also designed for this).
Home office is generally possible and planned. First, we have one child’s room reserved and intended for this purpose. Afterwards, the office niche or the bedroom upstairs. We don’t need much except a quiet place to work.
If all else fails, the pantry will become the office (possibly then accessible from the hallway).

The upstairs bathroom is somewhat elongated due to the narrow building footprint and straight staircase. The washing machine and dryer are shown upstairs and are planned to be there. There are also connections in the utility room. Otherwise, the space upstairs or downstairs will be used for storage.

I look forward to your opinions.

Floor plan of a house: living area, kitchen, hallway, technical room, WC, garage, and carport with dimensions.

Floor plan of a house with bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, hallway and office.

Modern two-story house view with garage, driveway and trees in the front yard (3D render)

Modern two-storey house with garden; two people sitting at the dining table on the terrace.

Milka01056 Jul 2025 00:29

#25

ypg schrieb:
Where? Okay, you’ve now gained some free space next to the sink by removing the door from a tall cabinet. (Does your wife already know how lucky she is not to have this feature anymore?) The real issue here is that in a kitchen, many items need to be kept within easy reach (knife block, frequently used spices, opened sparkling water bottles, the new kitchen appliance, and the coffee machine). The counter is less suitable for this, more so exactly that corner. There you place what needs to be chopped, then your cutting board, then the container where the chopped items go, plus other ingredients like liquids, seasonings, herbs. Nothing can really be stored optimally, even if only for a short time. Then maybe the cookbook or tablet with the recipe... the space between the stove and sink—the corner—is barely big enough for a grown person to fit in. And if someone does stand there, they block both sink and stove but can’t chop comfortably. And where do you set out small bowls, glasses, cups, and plates? No one wants to go to the pantry for those every time. A kitchen shouldn’t be so fragmented. A kitchen should function as such with storage options for cooking and dining essentials. Without a pantry. And if you have children, you already need enough storage space here for several lunch boxes and containers in all kinds of sizes, measuring cups, etc. Your family is growing, and the household must grow with it. I’m not trying to convince or persuade you to do things differently. It’s just necessary to clarify how much of a kitchen must be within reach. And if everything has to be moved from the back to the front first, you need counter space to set those things down temporarily.

I sketched out the kitchen today using a tape measure and also measured my current kitchen for reference.

And now I understand what you mean! Yes, the kitchen is not large and I am currently completely uncertain. It’s a question of whether the space is sufficient or if it should be a bit larger.

In fact, I could entirely do without the pantry and extend the kitchen fully. Then I would have a decent amount of countertop space and could add a smaller interim surface between the sink and the cooktop.

On the other hand, I do find a pantry or storage room set up as a “second” kitchen or extension to be great. To briefly explain my thinking: dishes, cutlery, spices, glasses, and cups belong in the kitchen. The coffee machine and soda maker stand on the kitchen countertop—nothing else.

In the pantry, as shown in my drawing, there were 60cm (24 inches) base cabinets with a countertop. On that surface, I currently have a hand mixer, air fryer, and not much else. These appliances are either brought forward into the kitchen for use or, ideally, operated directly in the pantry. Food storage containers as well as baking sheets and cake pans are also kept in the pantry.

I am not a fan of wall cabinets and prefer open shelves above—that’s simply my style. Open shelves next to the window in the kitchen would hold glasses and cups.

I am still unsure about the pantry. Alternatively, two 60cm (24 inches) base cabinets could be swapped for two 60cm (24 inches) tall cabinets to create some countertop work space and additional storage for food and miscellaneous items. Possibly a second refrigerator or freezer as well.

Essentially, a small secondary kitchen behind the door where you can also set things down on the countertop without making the main kitchen look cluttered. Those are my current thoughts about the kitchen. I’m still giving it a lot of thought.

Milka01056 Jul 2025 00:40

#26

kbt09 schrieb:

Utility room – door can also open into the hallway.
Stairs – space under the stairs for a pantry cupboard and vacuum cleaner/mop storage.
Office and emergency guest room on the ground floor.
200 cm (79 inches) wardrobe space.
Kitchen with enough space.
Sofa area arranged so you can also look out the windows.

[IMG alt="1751699739896.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/data/attachments/91/91430-698aac2e1ec51e3aa77f14a8858c9abe.jpg[/IMG]
The room called "walk-in closet" can accommodate a washing machine, vacuum cleaner/mop for the upper floor, etc. But also suitcases, certain seasonal items for the whole family, and so on.

I find your design really interesting and can see the advantages as well.

Our architect had said at the time that the aim was to build a “shotgun” style layout. Ideally, you would have a clear line of sight from the entrance to the garden.

We were also told everywhere, and confirmed by friends and acquaintances, that the distance from the living room sofa to the TV should be at least 4 m (13 feet). This is also the common recommendation you find online.

For that to work, you would always have to walk through the kitchen to get to the living room or garden. Any slightly untidy kitchen would immediately be noticeable to everyone.

The floor plan upstairs is great. I really like it.

You pick up ideas here and there and also ask friends in newly built houses. The points I mentioned above keep coming up. Many things start to contradict each other when you talk to too many people…

Milka01056 Jul 2025 00:42

#27

11ant schrieb:

and why are you then unwilling to go back to the preliminary design phase

To be honest, I don’t want to spend thousands of euros again. I can see that my floor plan apparently causes problems. And I also read in other threads that architects have planned, but the designs have many mistakes and weaknesses.

ypg6 Jul 2025 02:01

#28

Milka0105 schrieb:

You pick up bits and pieces here and there and also ask friends who have newly built houses. And these points mentioned above were always brought up. Many things end up contradicting each other when you talk to too many people...

Sure. Everyone has a different plot of land, different needs, different sofas, or different experiences. Functional rooms are not even mentioned. People who work efficiently in the kitchen don’t talk about it and don’t have problems with messy kitchens. Others have sofas where it looks messy not just underneath, like in the saying, they would probably prefer a separate room where everyone lets themselves go.

Milka0105 schrieb:

I really find your design very interesting and can see the advantages too.

There’s not just one design. It wouldn’t be my choice either; for me, the hallway is too narrow. But it is a good example of how simple and comfortable it could be with a different staircase.

Milka0105 schrieb:

There would be open shelves in the kitchen next to the window for glasses and cups.

Where? 60cm (24 inches) wide for two shelves?! Do a quick estimate of glass, cup, and mug usage... I’ll stop, you understand the problem.

Milka0105 schrieb:

On the other hand, I really like a pantry/storage room set up or extended as a ‘second’ kitchen.

‘Second kitchen’ because the main kitchen doesn’t work, multi-purpose technical room as a mudroom because the wardrobe in the hallway doesn’t work, shower in the WC because the main bathroom doesn’t work, washer and dryer in the bathroom because the utility room doesn’t work. You can convince yourself of anything if you’re clever enough.

Milka0105 schrieb:

Honestly, I don’t want to spend thousands € again. I see how my floor plan apparently causes problems. And in other threads I read that architects designed plans but the drafts have many flaws and weaknesses.

I’ll dare to say that almost every (second) general contractor or builder offers a functional (cost-neutral) design as a standard house. It may be that a wall or two could be moved, and the standard design might have one, two, or three weak spots, but it would still work better than this one.

Bertram1006 Jul 2025 08:07

#29

A second kitchen is usually a complete hassle in everyday life. With one or two young children, you don’t want to be stuck standing separately by a kitchen appliance all the time, and the main kitchen is going to look like a kitchen anyway: sometimes tidy, sometimes messy. The appliances can be stored in tall cabinets, having enough counter space and a dishwasher that can be loaded during cooking and then cleared away immediately is much more practical.

A second kitchen is really only worthwhile in special cases, such as for hunters, farmers, or serious baking enthusiasts. For everyday average life, they are mostly useless. You still need to keep things organized there, otherwise you won’t notice the chaos and everything becomes more complicated. It’s better to just keep order in the main kitchen from the start.

No one has ever died from seeing kitchen mess. It’s really not a big deal. It may look bad, but it’s usually cleaned up within a few minutes.

kbt096 Jul 2025 08:59

#30

ypg schrieb:

Mine wouldn’t be either, the hallway is too narrow for my taste.

Yes, it is a narrow hallway... but also without closets or similar, so the full width of 120 cm (47 inches) is available. And the original poster has 15 cm (6 inches) more house width in their current plan, which could easily be added to the hallway width. The actual hallway in the original example isn’t any wider either. It might appear wider due to the space under the stairs.

In my example, I would probably add a fixed window in the hallway towards the living room.

The room depth of 358 cm (141 inches) for the living room is actually sufficient for most TVs nowadays. Another advantage of this layout is that you still get some natural light from the windows. In the opening post, there is a window strip planned above the intended sofa position. For me, that gives a basement-like feeling in the living space. There is also a window like this planned above the double bed in the master bedroom… which I find very impractical.

Whether you enter such an open-plan room first through the living room or through the kitchen is somewhat a matter of personal preference. But as soon as you have teenagers in the house and want to sit quietly in the evening, having kitchen access has advantages. Teenagers helping themselves don’t have to pass by the chill-out sofa 😉.

You usually want to access the terrace or garden through the kitchen rather than the living room. Unfortunately, your floor plan doesn’t show a north arrow and the exact plot dimensions and boundaries can’t be seen either. I know you mentioned north somewhere earlier in this thread, but I don’t remember such things and don’t want to have to search for it. So it’s always best to include as much information as possible in the initial post, which can be quickly found. This is also pointed out in the pinned thread.

Regarding the home office spot on the upper floor: I worked from home for 20 years. That would not be a place I would want. A seat next to the stairway, maybe not ideal for video calls and very little space for a large monitor and other equipment.

ᐅ Floor Plan Feedback Single-Family Home 140 sqm Two Full Stories

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