ᐅ Floor Plan and House Positioning for a Bungalow with 120 sqm on a Corner Plot

Hello dear forum community,

I have been a silent reader for quite some time and would now like to ask for your help. We are currently planning to build our house and received the first draft from the architect of our general contractor (GC) yesterday, which I would like to share here for discussion.
In addition, I am hoping to get some input on the positioning of the house on the plot. So far, I was sure that we would position the house along the northern side street, with the driveway at the new eastern boundary. However, the homeowner prefers to place the house along the western main road because this would provide a larger garden, allow use of the “dead corner” in the northwest, and also offer visual and noise protection from the main road to the west. I am concerned, though, that the house might become too dark.
The site plan is oriented to the north, as is the aerial photo.

Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 600 sqm (6460 sq ft)
Slope: no slope
Floor space index: §34 applies, but the floor space index should not exceed 0.4
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary
Boundary development
Number of parking spaces: 2 required, although we only need 1
Number of storeys
Roof type
Architectural style
Orientation
Maximum height / limits
Additional requirements

Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: bungalow approximately 120 sqm (1300 sq ft)
Basement, storeys: only ground floor
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults (40/43), 1 child (almost 4)
Room requirements on ground floor: living/dining/cooking, bedroom, children’s room, guest room, bathroom, guest toilet
Office: family use or home office? Home office up to 2 days a week, the office should be integrated into the guest room
Guests per year: several
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern style: modern
Open kitchen with island: open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 6, expandable to up to 10
Fireplace: yes, preferred
Music/surround sound wall: no, but 5.1 system at the TV
Balcony, roof terrace
Garage, carport: long term a carport
Vegetable garden, greenhouse
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why or why not: Cooking together is very important to us, so we would like a sufficiently large kitchen, preferably with an island. The husband grills all year round, so the terrace and the entire outdoor area are very important to him.

House Design
Who created the design:
-Planner from a construction company The design comes from the architect of our GC but is unfortunately based on a rough sketch from us (we had no alternative with our GC)
-Architect
-Do-it-yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? It is already based on our rough plan; I like the cloakroom space at the entrance (though it could probably be a bit smaller) and the size of the children’s room, although 1-2 sqm (10-20 sq ft) less would also be fine.
What do you dislike? Why? The bedroom feels a bit cramped (Is there enough space at the foot end of the bed? The bed is only 2x1.80 m (6 ft 7 in x 5 ft 11 in), but the headboard also adds bulk), the hallway is rather narrow at 1.20 m (4 ft), the terrace is too long and narrow, there is quite a bit of unused open space at the entrance to the open-plan area, and I would like some storage space behind the door in the guest room.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house, including fixtures and fittings: €430,000
Preferred heating system: heat pump with controlled mechanical ventilation

If you had to give up on something, which details/features
-could you do without: the cloakroom could be 1.5-2 m (5-6.5 ft) wide, the children’s room could be around 13-14 sqm (140-150 sq ft) if that means we could save a few square meters elsewhere
-could you not do without: a good-sized kitchen directly adjacent to the terrace

Why has the design ended up like this? For example:
Standard design from the planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? First draft based on a rough sketch from us. This was based on floor plans from friends and acquaintances and standard designs found online.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?

Lurchi2025 schrieb:

Until now, I was certain that we would position the house along the northern side street, with the driveway on the new eastern boundary.

Then please mark that accordingly.

First quick impression... Children’s room next to the terrace? Is that a good idea if the parents want to stay outside in the evening during summer?

Kitchen... as the plan already shows, the island isn’t very practical.

Living room... please try furnishing it; I find the shape unfavorable.

Nice coat closet.

I would position it like this. 100m2 (1,076 sq ft) and an L shape seem appropriate with 34cm (13 inches).

Attached are the two possible house positions based on the current design. We placed the terrace next to the children’s room according to the cardinal directions in the version “house by the side street,” considering that our little one is a very deep sleeper. Even in front of the tent, you can celebrate the soccer European Championship with several people, and he keeps sleeping.

I doubt that you are allowed to position the house like that. You should check with the building authority / planning department. In my opinion, the neighbors’ building line applies.

The eastern neighboring plot is also being redeveloped, with a bungalow of approximately 110 sqm (1,184 sq ft). As far as I know the plans, these neighbors are aligning their building at the northern boundary, similar to your suggestion @hanghaus2023. These neighbors were even informed by the building authority that they only need to maintain a 2-meter (6.6 feet) setback from the street.

I have roughly furnished the living room here; I generously sized the dining table at 2 x 1 m (6.6 x 3.3 ft), and the kitchen island is also 2 x 1 m (6.6 x 3.3 ft). However, the living room doesn’t really appeal to me.