ᐅ Floor Plan for a Family. Comments, Criticism, and Suggestions for Improvement

Sivolefe schrieb:
Many thanks for the quick replies! We’re glad the floor plan is generally well received. We actually thought it turned out quite well, but since we don’t really have much experience, we wanted to consult the combined expertise of the forum to see if there might be any flaws we overlooked

If you’ve seen other threads discussing floor plans, it should be obvious that your plan is already great – given the sloping site and entrance on the basement level, I think the best possible result has been achieved.

Sivolefe schrieb:
Yes, our biggest concern is the relatively small living room. In addition, there is a patio door and three large floor-to-ceiling windows. This means we can hardly place furniture against the walls, so the already small room feels even more crowded. On the other side of the room, there is supposed to be a stove by the fireplace, which also requires some clearance, making the room feel tighter than expected. Our possible solutions might be to widen the house (which we probably cannot afford) or replace the large floor-to-ceiling windows with smaller ones, under which we could place a sideboard or a couch. Maybe the study could be made smaller as well (we need a proper study since my wife will be working from home a lot – the suggestion of a sliding door was very helpful).

Sivolefe schrieb:
Thanks for the suggestion about the tall cabinet in the kitchen. Having a pantry was our wish – mainly because we aren’t the tidiest, and this way the pantry can be a bit messy without it showing. But we’re not sure if it will make the kitchen too cramped. Carrying groceries is something we’re used to – if we’re lucky, our car is currently parked about 30 meters (100 feet) from our current home, which also has four floors to climb.

You could design the middle window with a lower wall section (a knee wall or half wall), which would give you more options for placing furniture.
What about the office in the basement? Is that enough space for your wife’s needs – files, desk, and computer?
I would consider dividing the large basement room with a half wall to separate the technical room (enclosed area) from a storage area at the front.
Still, I think it will be quite tight to enter the kitchen from the living room after coming home, navigating between couch, dining chairs, and the fireplace. That’s why the idea of a door to the kitchen is useful. Your storage room on the ground floor should be able to accommodate your pantry needs; usually a 1-meter (3-foot) shelf is enough for various food supplies and kitchen appliances. I would also run the kitchen units under the window on the left side of the plan.
There is a nice kitchen planner – I believe it is linked here in the forum as well.

Sivolefe schrieb:
We are also wondering where to fit a bathroom cabinet in the bathroom (attic floor). We like the “T-layout” but are open to ideas... what could be a smarter solution? And where can we find a good bathroom planner?

I’m not a fan of the T-layout as it takes away space within the room. With the generous knee wall height, almost anything is possible. Try searching online for bathroom planners and experiment a bit. We can help you with specific advice as well.
Storage is generally placed under the sink. I personally like shelves about 40 cm (16 inches) below the ceiling on the wall, where you can stack towels and store boxes with toiletries. This looks quite elegant over a whole wall if the colors match well.
If you move away from the T-layout, you may gain options for a dresser or cabinet.

Sivolefe schrieb:
And then there is the question of the right heating system for the house. We will probably go with the air-to-water heat pump suggested by the seller, but we’re not completely comfortable with this type of heating system. Has anyone had experience with it? Would gas be better? Or maybe the innovative cloud data server heating system (offered by a different provider; where a computer owned by a cloud company is placed in the basement, and its waste heat is used for heating the house and hot water – amazing what technology is available nowadays .

We went with our gut feeling! (...and chose a gas boiler again, combined with solar panels and controlled ventilation with heat recovery). Everything else felt too unfamiliar. Somehow, every heating system has its pros and cons.

Choose the one you feel most comfortable with – whether through good advice, conviction, or trust.

Best regards, Yvonne

I also noticed the distance between a potential fireplace and the dining area. You always have to go around the corner to get to the kitchen area.

The sofa in the architect’s plan is also drawn quite small... I have illustrated this here:

My suggestion would be to swap the kitchen and living areas. This also has the advantage that when teenage children have visitors and briefly take over the kitchen, you can still have privacy in the living area. From the sofa, you would also have a nice view of the fireplace.
The sofa is now drawn with somewhat more realistic dimensions, kitchen as a single-wall layout with an island.

I would also suggest a sliding door from the hallway. It could be a nice glass door.

I like kbt’s idea.

Another option could be to swap the home office and the kitchen.

As it is now, it’s really too tight for a family of four.

Manu1976 schrieb:

As it is now, it really is too tight for a family of four.

I think that’s a bit of complaining at a very high level. The majority of families in Germany still live in apartments – often only 75-100 m² (800-1,100 sq ft) are available for the entire family. This is, for example, the whole ground floor area, where children’s bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom have to fit.

The house is suitable, the floor plan is good (details can always be adjusted to personal preference). Period.

Personally, I would, however, add the study (if it is not absolutely necessary) to the living area and set up a small workspace instead.

nordanney schrieb:
I believe that’s just complaining at a very high level. The majority of families in Germany still live in apartments – often with only 75-100 sqm (807-1,076 sq ft) available for the whole family. For example, that’s usually the entire ground floor area where the children’s rooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom all have to fit.
The house fits, the floor plan is good (details can always be adjusted according to personal preferences). Period.
Personally, unless you absolutely need the home office, I would add that room to the living area and just set up a small workspace there.

I don’t have to understand that, right??? You criticize me for suggesting swapping two rooms, call it complaining at a high level, yet you yourself suggest adding the home office to the living room???? Why, if the living room is already big enough??? Also, your suggestion was already made in earlier posts, and the original poster said the home office is needed. So much for that.

Besides, it’s still a different matter whether you have a small living room in a rental apartment or in your own house.

Manu1976 schrieb:
You criticize me because I suggest swapping two rooms, calling it complaining at a high level,

Besides, it’s still a different matter whether I have a small living room in a rental apartment or in my own house.

No, I am criticizing what I consider an elitist opinion when you write, "As it is now, it is really too small for a family of four." Objectively, this is not the case – of course, subjective impressions may differ.
And no, there is no difference whether I have a small living room in a rental apartment or in my own house. Both a) have to be paid for and b) depend on the preferences of the occupants.

We ourselves lived for many years with four and later five people in a semi-detached house with a floor area of 7 x 10 m (23 x 33 ft) – so I can compare our old living room well with the current floor plan. It’s not a ballroom, but completely adequate.