ᐅ Initial Floor Plan Draft – Backyard Development – 1.5 Stories
Created on: 15 Oct 2025 14:31
S
Steiger
Hello everyone,
we would like to present our first floor plan draft and kindly ask for your honest feedback.
The house is designed for 2 adults plus potentially 2 children in the future and will be built on a rural plot of land. We are currently in the design phase and welcome all constructive comments and suggestions for improvement.
The plot is a backyard development, which means there are some restrictions. For example, we are not allowed to exceed a length of 7.0 m (23 feet) and an eave height of 3.7 m (12 feet). In addition, the assigned plots are not yet developed, so we will need to build a road access here.
On the site plan we were allocated plot number 4.
More details are included in the notes..
Building Plan / Restrictions
Homeowner Requirements
House Design
Why the design looks like this
We wanted a home that is family-friendly, functional, and suitable for aging in place, while complying with the building plan.
The basic idea: parents live fully on the ground floor, children live upstairs.
We are still optimizing and would appreciate feedback on:
We look forward to your honest feedback!
What would you improve or arrange differently?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and suggestions.
we would like to present our first floor plan draft and kindly ask for your honest feedback.
The house is designed for 2 adults plus potentially 2 children in the future and will be built on a rural plot of land. We are currently in the design phase and welcome all constructive comments and suggestions for improvement.
The plot is a backyard development, which means there are some restrictions. For example, we are not allowed to exceed a length of 7.0 m (23 feet) and an eave height of 3.7 m (12 feet). In addition, the assigned plots are not yet developed, so we will need to build a road access here.
On the site plan we were allocated plot number 4.
More details are included in the notes..
Building Plan / Restrictions
- Plot size: approximately 27.5 m (90 feet) wide × 41 m (135 feet) deep (~1,100 m² (12,000 sq ft))
- Terrain: flat, no slope
- Site coverage ratio (floor area ratio): 0.4
- Floor space index (floor area ratio): 0.4
- Building envelope / setbacks: 3 m (10 feet) boundary setback, house positioned on the right side, garage may be built on the boundary
- Number of floors: 1.5 stories (maximum ridge height 7 m (23 feet), eave height approx. 3.7 m (12 feet))
- Roof type: gable roof, minimum 25° pitch
- Architectural style: modern country house style
- Orientation: south is at the top of the plan
- Maximum heights: 7 m (23 feet) ridge, 3.7 m (12 feet) eave
- Additional requirements: the plot must be accessed via a new road. The style must blend with the neighborhood.
Homeowner Requirements
- Building type: single-family home, 1.5 stories, no basement
- Occupants: 2 adults, later 2 children
- Ground floor needs: parents’ area fully on the ground floor (bedroom, dressing room, bathroom), living/dining/kitchen area (living area preferably separate), utility room with access to the garage, guest toilet
- Upper floor needs: 2 children’s bedrooms, 1 office, 1 bathroom, storage room
- Office: for home office and flexible use
- Guest accommodation: rare (max. 2–3 times per year)
- Architecture: open, welcoming, with clear sightlines
- Construction method: rather conservative-modern (no flat roof, but light materials, clean lines)
- Kitchen: open kitchen with island
- Dining area: spacious, table for 6–8 people
- Fireplace: optional, mainly for design/coziness, probably no
- Music/stereo: no specific plans yet
- Balcony/roof terrace: no
- Garage/carport: double garage, direct access to utility room, cars might be parked under a covered entrance to keep the garage space free since there will be no attic
- Garden: usable garden area, south-facing terrace → I would like to plan a conservatory here for the future or optionally build it right away. Since we will have a south-facing garden with farmland behind, a conservatory is desired as a separated area to be used all year round.
- Special features:
- Smart home planned
- Parents’ area deliberately on the ground floor
- Conservatory desired either in the future or built-in from the start
House Design
- Designed by: architect
- What we particularly like:
- South orientation with bright rooms
- Functional floor plan and parents’ area
- What we don’t like (yet):
- Children’s bathroom upstairs might be too large
- Bedroom too small
- Pantry/storage room has a door to the utility room; maybe reduce utility room size to enlarge pantry
- Children’s bedroom closets block windows and might reduce lighting
- Driveway to garage is not ideal. The garage may need to be moved further back
- Price estimate from architect: not available yet
- Personal price limit (house + fittings): around 500,000 € (approximately), completely self-built, land already purchased
- Heating system: ground source heat pump with borehole, underfloor heating, technical room probably in the garage equipment room
Why the design looks like this
We wanted a home that is family-friendly, functional, and suitable for aging in place, while complying with the building plan.
The basic idea: parents live fully on the ground floor, children live upstairs.
We are still optimizing and would appreciate feedback on:
- Room layout on the ground floor (hallway, sleeping area)
- Living/dining/kitchen area: solution with an adjacent conservatory. Living area preferably separate, so children or adults can use different paths when guests visit.
- Garage size
- Children’s bathroom: size and whether the storage room could be bigger and the bathroom smaller. Possibly separate the toilet from the children’s bathroom?
We look forward to your honest feedback!
What would you improve or arrange differently?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and suggestions.
Papierturm15 Oct 2025 18:09Unsorted thoughts:
- Overall, I think many aspects here are quite good.
- I don’t like the kids’ bathroom. Maybe I just don’t understand it. It feels very strangely arranged and particularly empty. You enter, walk past the shower wall, and somewhere in the far corner is the toilet. No bathtub. Lots of unused space. The room could be significantly smaller or designed much better, including a bathtub.
- The size of the pantry doesn’t really make sense to me. Like others, I would add this space to the utility room. Alternatively, it could be merged with the kitchen and have cabinets installed there. This would also have other advantages (e.g., dishwasher at waist height, an additional steam oven, or other appliances). Even if you just built standard kitchen cabinets there, you could probably store twice as much as in the current pantry. Because of the required circulation space in the pantry, taking space from the utility room would have to be noticeable. I don’t think this is worthwhile.
- I would plan a pantry under the stairs. Also, the entrance hallway could be widened a bit so that a wardrobe cabinet fits next to the front door.
- The bedroom is already rather small; it would be sufficient if it’s only used for sleeping. But it limits the concept. The design intends to be barrier-reduced or fully accessible right away, which requires more space next to the bed. The same issue applies to the bathroom. Many people associate accessibility only with stairs, but if it actually becomes necessary, everyday challenges arise with the bed, toilet, shower, and more. (Therefore, I wouldn’t plan too far ahead here.)
- The house, as it is, is obviously not optimized for cost. Very large foundation slab, lots of roof area. I can’t estimate prices for “all DIY.”
- I would never plan floor-to-ceiling windows in children’s rooms. When I walk through neighborhoods here, all those windows are covered at the bottom with blinds or blocked by furniture.
- Lighting design: The entrance area will be quite dark (north-facing + covered area), the living room very bright (south and west windows, both appearing quite large). The kitchen, on the other hand, is rather dark (south window under the terrace roof, no east window due to the garage, which can hardly be changed as currently planned). Overall, I don’t like the layout here; I would place the kitchen more in the light and move the living area to the darker side.
- Upper floor: I would check if it’s possible for both kids’ rooms to be on the south side and the kids’ bathroom on the north side.
PS: I’m sleep-deprived and only partially coherent.
- Overall, I think many aspects here are quite good.
- I don’t like the kids’ bathroom. Maybe I just don’t understand it. It feels very strangely arranged and particularly empty. You enter, walk past the shower wall, and somewhere in the far corner is the toilet. No bathtub. Lots of unused space. The room could be significantly smaller or designed much better, including a bathtub.
- The size of the pantry doesn’t really make sense to me. Like others, I would add this space to the utility room. Alternatively, it could be merged with the kitchen and have cabinets installed there. This would also have other advantages (e.g., dishwasher at waist height, an additional steam oven, or other appliances). Even if you just built standard kitchen cabinets there, you could probably store twice as much as in the current pantry. Because of the required circulation space in the pantry, taking space from the utility room would have to be noticeable. I don’t think this is worthwhile.
- I would plan a pantry under the stairs. Also, the entrance hallway could be widened a bit so that a wardrobe cabinet fits next to the front door.
- The bedroom is already rather small; it would be sufficient if it’s only used for sleeping. But it limits the concept. The design intends to be barrier-reduced or fully accessible right away, which requires more space next to the bed. The same issue applies to the bathroom. Many people associate accessibility only with stairs, but if it actually becomes necessary, everyday challenges arise with the bed, toilet, shower, and more. (Therefore, I wouldn’t plan too far ahead here.)
- The house, as it is, is obviously not optimized for cost. Very large foundation slab, lots of roof area. I can’t estimate prices for “all DIY.”
- I would never plan floor-to-ceiling windows in children’s rooms. When I walk through neighborhoods here, all those windows are covered at the bottom with blinds or blocked by furniture.
- Lighting design: The entrance area will be quite dark (north-facing + covered area), the living room very bright (south and west windows, both appearing quite large). The kitchen, on the other hand, is rather dark (south window under the terrace roof, no east window due to the garage, which can hardly be changed as currently planned). Overall, I don’t like the layout here; I would place the kitchen more in the light and move the living area to the darker side.
- Upper floor: I would check if it’s possible for both kids’ rooms to be on the south side and the kids’ bathroom on the north side.
PS: I’m sleep-deprived and only partially coherent.
That means all the plans would be aligned uniformly... more or less.
Now the darkness of the children's rooms becomes noticeable.
I would rather place the children's rooms towards the bottom of the plan, meaning facing east or even on the left side of the plan, facing south. However, together with the suggestions for the hallway (mentioned above), the utility room, and so on, this starts to indicate that it might be better to go back to the drawing board and also reconsider the staircase position.
Regarding the conservatory... you already have the living room designed as a separate space (which I think is good), and it should be bright, etc. So why would you need a conservatory (glass roof?) to create a similar use? Especially since the house is already quite large as it is.
Now the darkness of the children's rooms becomes noticeable.
I would rather place the children's rooms towards the bottom of the plan, meaning facing east or even on the left side of the plan, facing south. However, together with the suggestions for the hallway (mentioned above), the utility room, and so on, this starts to indicate that it might be better to go back to the drawing board and also reconsider the staircase position.
Regarding the conservatory... you already have the living room designed as a separate space (which I think is good), and it should be bright, etc. So why would you need a conservatory (glass roof?) to create a similar use? Especially since the house is already quite large as it is.
H
hanghaus202315 Oct 2025 18:32It might look something like this.
Steiger schrieb:
I'm attaching the site plan here. Hopefully, my amateur drawing helps a bit... Now, for comparison, here is the section of the development plan aligned to north, so everything should be clear.
Steiger schrieb:
Increasing or changing the storage space has already been noted. At least, I was not referring to the size, but rather the wall behind the shelf, without which it would be possible to refill it much more quickly. Therefore, I would not move this wall but simply remove it. Being able to move the shelf as well would just be a side effect.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
W
wiltshire15 Oct 2025 19:59The design is refreshing.
The children's bathroom is adequately sized. Keep in mind the sloping roof and, as @11ant mentioned, ensure a reasonable ceiling height above.
The bedroom is small; that would be acceptable for me if the walk-in closet provided enough space to dress comfortably. However, the space between the wardrobes is far too narrow. Without changing the building structure, a possible solution could be to extend the wall between the walk-in closet and the bedroom to only about half the width of the wardrobes and replace the two built-in wardrobes inside the room with a chest-of-drawers type unit. This would create space at torso level when dressing and make the bedroom appear larger visually.
If the kitchen and dining area is a central part of daily life and not just for short stays, there is too little natural light from outside—even if the terrace were to have a gas roof. If you want to implement the design as is, invest in very good lighting to help compensate for this.
Whether the size of the pantry is sufficient depends on what will be stored there. Entering it requires quite a bit of space. I would suggest turning it into a deep built-in cupboard accessible from both sides—kitchen and utility room. This is excellent for storing groceries and provides multiple times more storage capacity. With suitable doors, such a storage room can also be kept dry and cool.
The children's bathroom is adequately sized. Keep in mind the sloping roof and, as @11ant mentioned, ensure a reasonable ceiling height above.
The bedroom is small; that would be acceptable for me if the walk-in closet provided enough space to dress comfortably. However, the space between the wardrobes is far too narrow. Without changing the building structure, a possible solution could be to extend the wall between the walk-in closet and the bedroom to only about half the width of the wardrobes and replace the two built-in wardrobes inside the room with a chest-of-drawers type unit. This would create space at torso level when dressing and make the bedroom appear larger visually.
If the kitchen and dining area is a central part of daily life and not just for short stays, there is too little natural light from outside—even if the terrace were to have a gas roof. If you want to implement the design as is, invest in very good lighting to help compensate for this.
Whether the size of the pantry is sufficient depends on what will be stored there. Entering it requires quite a bit of space. I would suggest turning it into a deep built-in cupboard accessible from both sides—kitchen and utility room. This is excellent for storing groceries and provides multiple times more storage capacity. With suitable doors, such a storage room can also be kept dry and cool.
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