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.
ypg schrieb:
Plan the rooms to be bright and airy; that way, you’ll enjoy spending time there.
At 250cm (98 inches) wide, it’s wide enough to hop on one leg, then bend over and take off your pants with room to spare between two wardrobes facing each other.
Lack of sleep doesn’t affect your perception: I also don’t like the layout or natural light in the hallway, open space, and living room.My father offers and builds conservatories, so that would be an option. Of course, it’s not free, but given the larger garden and the field behind it, I believe a conservatory could add good value.
Thanks also for the vivid example with the dressing area 😀
Do you have any tips on how you would change the open space and living room regarding natural light? We are open to any ideas.
Steiger schrieb:
that a conservatory can add good value. Well, then just build it. But don’t reduce the value of the main house in the process. A conservatory can be nice if it is planned along with the house itself, not just added on to an already finished design.
You already have generous extensions on the house. At some point, it starts to look odd to just expand a rectangular building form everywhere. Personally, I find the living room added next to the master suite unattractive—it also suggests poor planning. However, I don’t want to criticize that here.
Steiger schrieb:
Do you have any tips on how you would change the open-plan area and living room regarding daylight? We are open to any ideas. Well, I’m a fan—and usually it’s the better choice—to rearrange the whole floor. The hallway should be a reasonable size (a bit smaller) with daylight where it’s needed. My first approach, without reviewing the plan again, would be to position the designated living area above the bedroom in terms of the floor plan to create a larger window facade or more opportunities for natural light.
I’m currently the only one left working on planning here—if you can be patient for a few days. I’m trying to develop an idea for a parallel thread right now.
G
Gerddieter17 Oct 2025 00:00A long line runs through your storage room – that would be exactly the point where I would allocate it proportionally between the kitchen and the utility room. Then, in the kitchen, you still have a huge wall of cabinets for the oven, steam oven, etc., or simply cupboards.
On the back side, there is a shelf for kitchen supplies that you can access through the utility room....
GD
On the back side, there is a shelf for kitchen supplies that you can access through the utility room....
GD
I just can’t get used to the look. Somehow, it feels like a small 1950s suburban house that has been poorly extended multiple times, with a simple cube added to the ground floor. The small gable roof seems lost and undersized.
On one hand, this is due to the large footprint on the ground floor, and on the other hand, for example, the long roof overhang above the entrance and garage.
Is there a particular reason why you want to have bedrooms on the ground floor?
On one hand, this is due to the large footprint on the ground floor, and on the other hand, for example, the long roof overhang above the entrance and garage.
Is there a particular reason why you want to have bedrooms on the ground floor?
H
hanghaus202317 Oct 2025 09:21In my opinion, the garage should be located on the north side, along with the sleeping area. The entrance would then be on the west side.
Something like this.
Something like this.
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