ᐅ Floor Plan and House Positioning for a Bungalow with 120 sqm on a Corner Plot
Created on: 27 Nov 2025 08:58
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Lurchi2025
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?
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?
I can understand your concerns about the living room, and the proposed furniture layout doesn’t seem quite suitable, as it wouldn’t comfortably seat three people on the modules shown. I would also question the placement of the fireplace, considering the required clearances and its interaction with the underfloor heating system. I would definitely examine that carefully. Maybe try moving the furniture to the opposite side to see how it feels, and also consider whether the TV’s visual dominance could be addressed differently.
Currently, the hallway is quite dark, so I might suggest installing a glass door to the bathroom/bedroom and possibly keeping the access to the open living area from the hallway open and slightly wider.
Barbecuing is obviously an important topic, which I can relate to personally. Therefore, I would plan that terrace area carefully and appropriately and also consider how to alleviate the kitchen workload. Naturally, this raises the question whether the children’s room is in the ideal location, or if you might prefer to swap it with your bedroom. The children’s room is located next to the kitchen wall, which might be better reversed.
Perhaps the wall next to the bathroom door could be set back a bit to widen the hallway; losing 1–2 square meters (10–20 square feet) would still leave a good-sized bathroom. Out of curiosity, I would also consider swapping the positions of the bathtub and shower—I can never quite visualize it before trying, so I would sketch it out. These might not be the best ideas, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Currently, the hallway is quite dark, so I might suggest installing a glass door to the bathroom/bedroom and possibly keeping the access to the open living area from the hallway open and slightly wider.
Barbecuing is obviously an important topic, which I can relate to personally. Therefore, I would plan that terrace area carefully and appropriately and also consider how to alleviate the kitchen workload. Naturally, this raises the question whether the children’s room is in the ideal location, or if you might prefer to swap it with your bedroom. The children’s room is located next to the kitchen wall, which might be better reversed.
Perhaps the wall next to the bathroom door could be set back a bit to widen the hallway; losing 1–2 square meters (10–20 square feet) would still leave a good-sized bathroom. Out of curiosity, I would also consider swapping the positions of the bathtub and shower—I can never quite visualize it before trying, so I would sketch it out. These might not be the best ideas, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Arauki11 schrieb:
The question naturally arises whether the children's room is located in the most suitable spot or if you might consider swapping it with your bedroom. I would swap it as well
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
Our son is quite a heavy sleeper, though. But the child will grow up, and conflicts of interest might occur in the evenings between the child being in the room and guests being on the terrace, or the child being on the terrace.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
However, the client would prefer the house to be on the western main street, Who is the client, if not you?
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
The hallway is rather narrow at 1.20m (4 feet). 1.20 m (4 ft) is not too narrow since it is not constantly used by several people at once. You could even place a chest of drawers there.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
The design is from the architect of our general contractor (GC). Do they have standard house designs? Which GC is it?
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
The terrace is too long and narrow. You could easily add a terrace roof to such a terrace. But beware: the roof might get in the way, so you would have to attach a prefabricated roof structure on top. That might not look quite as nice aesthetically.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
At the entrance to the open plan room, there is quite a bit of unused free space, and I would like some storage space in the guest room behind the door. You could already start the kitchen there.
But before considering the house orientation, you might want to choose a different house design. Then the room layout might change, and consequently the house position on the plot as well.
Basically, I would prefer the north side and then the terrace opening towards the southwest, just as @hanghaus2023 has drawn it.
L
Lurchi202528 Nov 2025 08:42ypg schrieb:
Who is the builder, if not you?That was a poor choice of words on my part—I meant my husband. 1.20 meters (4 feet) is not too narrow since it’s not constantly used by several people at once. You could even place a chest of drawers there.We currently have exactly that 1.20 meters (4 feet) in our apartment, even with a chest of drawers. I measured it right away after receiving the floor plan. Sure, it works, but especially at that chest of drawers, it’s always a bit of a tight spot at the moment. Are there standard house types? Which general contractor (GC) is it?It’s a small regional GC building roughly 20–25 houses per year. They have sample floor plans for the typical house types (is it allowed to post something like that here?). However, the two children’s rooms here are just under 11 square meters (about 118 square feet), but we wanted at least one of the children’s rooms to be around 13–14 square meters (140–150 square feet). The study/guest room at 10–11 square meters (108–118 square feet) doesn’t bother us. ? You could certainly add a patio roof to such a terrace. But be careful: the existing roof might get in the way, so you’d have to attach a prefabricated roof onto it. That might not look that great visually.Of course, you can add a roof, but just as you said: it’s not really that attractive visually. That’s why we’d prefer a more square-shaped terrace or at least a depth of about 3–3.5 meters (10–11.5 feet). In the end, there are plenty of expenses when it comes to the house and garden, so we saw it as a practical “bonus” of a corner bungalow that you don’t have to worry about the roof over the terrace. You could even start the kitchen there.That’s how I marked it on the plan, but there’s still some free space left. Of course, it shouldn’t be too cramped, but with the current furniture layout, there’s still about 1 meter (3.3 feet) of space between the kitchen and the door. But before you think about the house location, you could try a different house design. Maybe then the room arrangement changes, and so does the house position on the plot.
Basically, I would go for a north orientation and then open the terrace to the southwest, just like @hanghaus2023 drew it.Yes, we also wanted to broaden the floor plan a bit first before deciding on a final location. Especially since the house footprint can still change. Of course, we want to consider the cardinal directions in the floor plan, which is probably why we planned the children's room facing the terrace so it gets as much southwest sun as possible (with the house in a northern position and a southwest-facing terrace). We’re still not really happy with the current design. Maybe someone here has an idea? Because it’s a bungalow, we’re quite flexible with the layout since there’s no staircase dictating much.
Attached is the floor plan again, including furniture layout in the living room and kitchen, but now mirrored with the sofa and TV wall as recommended by @Arauki11.
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hanghaus202328 Nov 2025 09:34Maybe you can mirror it. Unless you prefer the terrace on the east side?
Here are some adjustments to the floor plan.
The entrance to the living room will have fixed glazing. The kitchen island with the sightline is slightly longer. If the house is mirrored, then the bedroom can also be moved to the bottom. That way, the children's room also faces southwest. All doors (except the WC) are at least 90cm (35 inches) wide.
Here are some adjustments to the floor plan.
The entrance to the living room will have fixed glazing. The kitchen island with the sightline is slightly longer. If the house is mirrored, then the bedroom can also be moved to the bottom. That way, the children's room also faces southwest. All doors (except the WC) are at least 90cm (35 inches) wide.
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hanghaus202328 Nov 2025 10:08Maybe the HTR could also be made somewhat more practical to use.
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