ᐅ Floor Plan Feedback Single-Family Home 140 sqm Two Full Stories
Created on: 4 Jul 2025 16:06
M
Milka0105
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.
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.
Milka0105 schrieb:
Yes, I hadn’t realized that. But it doesn’t really help me with the floor plan itself. Apparently, everything fits anyway. Actually, it does help you: You initially complained (with a straight staircase floor plan) that the bathroom was going to be too narrow. That’s why I pointed out that the building envelope allows for widening the house at that spot.
Milka0105 schrieb:
Whether it’s 9.5 x 9.5 or 10.5 x 8.6, it seems my idea doesn’t match the size. I specifically suggested “diagonal or stepped” so you could break out of the rectangular floor plan mindset. I would definitely stick to a reasonable self-limit of 140 square meters.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Milka01058 Jul 2025 22:3011ant schrieb:
I specifically mentioned "angled or stepped" to encourage you to think beyond the rectangular floor plan.
I would stick firmly to the sensible self-limit of 140 sqm (1507 sq ft). I really appreciate that people are responding. But all this vague talk doesn’t help me, and I don’t understand it.
I’m guessing here and trying to make some changes here and there. A clear statement or a suggestion would be helpful. Otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense.
What do you mean by angled or stepped if I’m not supposed to change the size of the house?
M
Milka01058 Jul 2025 22:38ypg schrieb:
Where exactly? Where is a hill, and where is a forest?
This should be in the initial post. We keep going in circles here because facts are only given after asking three times and five pages later.
Is this a reason why you don’t want a terrace at all? I mean, you can’t really plan one like that if you only leave a narrow strip of land for it.
Also, a terrace has nothing to do with sunlight. A terrace means an outdoor seating area. The first one belongs to the house.
If someone wants to sunbathe, they go out on the lawn. Again, what does the terrace matter now? The terrace should face south. Where it is drawn on the floor plan, that’s where it should be. It doesn’t matter if there are trees or a hill around it. Topics keep coming up, but my real issue is with the floor plan.
The stairs, the kitchen, and the bathroom were mentioned. Correct, I’m trying to solve these, as you can see, or I’m open to other floor plans with the terrace at the back (as shown on the plan). The entrance can be from the side or the front. I’m open to that too. The total size should be about 140 sqm (1,507 sq ft).
The surroundings, the garden, are my concern and there is still plenty of open space available. I’m happy to redraw the floor plan with everything included and the entire surroundings once the design is finalized.
But this does not solve my main problem.
Milka0105 schrieb:
But my actual problem is not being solved by that. Wait a minute! It’s not enough to just move some walls around. If you’re aiming for a staircase in a really awkward location, don’t be surprised if somewhere in the house you end up with a room just about 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide gross. That’s a design flaw from the start, both with the staircase and a few other basic principles that I won’t repeat now. You’re free to make what you want out of the comments.
The basic idea comes from considering the entire plot of land, not just a part of it.
ypg schrieb:
By the way, I’m not the only one who supports having the kitchen next to the terrace.
I think it’s a charming idea to place the terrace on the southwest side and then use the planned larger covered area on the west side now and then in the summer for dining outdoors. There is something to take from that one as well.
Milka0105 schrieb:
It doesn’t matter if there are trees or a mountain around it. That’s exactly what you brought up!
If the starting point is already wrong and doesn’t take everything into account, including options, then many other things can go off track.
I’m stepping out of this for now. The discussion is too cumbersome for me.
W
wiltshire9 Jul 2025 07:43Milka0105 schrieb:
Topics keep being opened here and there, but my real problem was with the floor plan. I don’t think that’s the case. Your real problem is that you find it difficult to make decisions and don’t get the certainty you need from either the planner or from us.
I can understand how that can be overwhelming at first and then frustrating, especially since some arguments are so strong that they seem to set you back in your decision-making. Then you get the feeling: “I ask for help and end up with even more questions.”
Ultimately, it’s pointless to resist the complexity of a building project. The fact that a group on a forum can’t consistently guide you to decision confidence is inherent to the system. I’m grateful to have received some ideas here, but the basics my wife and I discussed thoroughly with our architect, taking plenty of time. We talked very little about floor plans and much more about how we want to live. We are the experts on our own lifestyle. We brought that expertise to the table, and the architect understood it well. The floor plan we now have and like is something we could never have created on our own.
H
hanghaus20239 Jul 2025 09:12If there is a zoning plan, there should also be a building envelope. Please show us the site plan with the building envelope for the plot. Answers to questions are helpful.
Similar topics