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?
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
We currently have exactly this 1.20 meters (4 feet) width in our apartment, even with a chest of drawers. I measured right away after receiving the floor plan. It’s definitely doable, but this chest of drawers is currently always a bottleneck. So you have experience then. However, you need to consider which rooms are connected by the hallway. If you always have to walk through this hallway to reach the living room or kitchen, or if it connects these two rooms, it can become quite inconvenient.
I don’t like these bungalow floor plans with long hallways anyway and would prefer a different bungalow style.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
Therefore, we would prefer a more square-shaped terrace or at least a depth of about 3-3.5 meters (10-11.5 feet). Do you mean covered? You should consider that with a 3 x 4 meter (10 x 13 feet) terrace, you also have about 7 meters (23 feet) of exterior wall, which—whether with or without windows—will be quite dark because the roof shades it. That would also make the house look a bit unattractive and the roof relatively expensive.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
I think the terrace would be optimal facing southwest. Hmm. Actually, a terrace on one side is usually enough, as it gets good sunlight from three sides. I would personally make sure that the open living space gets plenty of natural light, regardless of the terrace. Preferably from the south side, so the terrace could then be on the west, or the other way around.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
We are still not really happy with the current design though. Maybe someone here has an idea? As I said above, there are other bungalow concepts that don’t have these looong hallways with good planning. These conventional standard bungalows can feel a bit outdated. However, they can also be modernized with the right fittings—they aren’t fundamentally old-fashioned, but they usually don’t match today’s open lifestyles where not every room must be accessed from the hallway. Nowadays, the wall between the main corridor and the open living area is often removed, or the office is accessed through the living area. You can also access children’s rooms for kids who no longer need supervision directly from the main corridor and then only have a shorter hallway to the master area. A utility or technical room can be accessed from the kitchen or laundry room. However, hallways do have their purpose since they provide more privacy, which is important for larger households or frequent visitors.
If the builder is a very small company and relatively inexpensive, they probably don’t employ the best architect. Usually, that means only a part-time home office position, so there’s not much time for thorough planning. But as the client, you are in control of that. You can also hire an independent architect on a fee basis to produce the drawings, which the general contractor then builds from.
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Bertram10028 Nov 2025 23:09I’d like to make a case for long hallways: I find them attractive when they are wide enough and finished with quality materials. For example, the hallways in older Berlin buildings are very appealing to me.
If I were to build a bungalow, I would like to have a stylish hallway with many doors.
On the other hand, I don’t find it so nice to have an extra door in an open-plan space. I once had a combined dining and living area with four doors. It always felt uncomfortable. I ended up keeping two of those doors permanently closed.
If I were to build a bungalow, I would like to have a stylish hallway with many doors.
On the other hand, I don’t find it so nice to have an extra door in an open-plan space. I once had a combined dining and living area with four doors. It always felt uncomfortable. I ended up keeping two of those doors permanently closed.
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Lurchi202529 Nov 2025 14:57hanghaus2023 schrieb:
As I have described it, it is already quite good. You also need space for visitors and later for the child. In general, I would agree with you, but in our case it’s like this: We are in the comfortable position of only needing one car, and this will even improve with the move, as I will also be able to cycle to work. We have very good public transport connections. For visitors, there is the second parking space we have to plan anyway or the public parking lot on the other side of the street. Therefore, we would like to arrange the two parking spaces in tandem to use as little space as possible for this. Even if the child needs their own car in 15 years, there is still room for that.
ypg schrieb:
Then you have experience. However, you have to consider which rooms are connected to the hallway. If you always have to walk through this hallway to get to the living room or kitchen, or if the hallway connects these two, it can become a burden.
I don’t like these bungalow floor plans with long hallways anyway and would prefer another type of bungalow. And which type would you prefer? We are really open to suggestions here and can also imagine a T-shaped or more open hallway. This was just an idea to create a certain private area.
You mean covered? You should keep in mind that with a 3 x 4 (meters) [10 x 13 feet], you also have 7 meters (23 feet) of exterior wall, which—whether with or without windows—will be quite dark because the roof shades it. That would also make the house look a bit unattractive and make the roof relatively expensive.
Hmm. Actually, a terrace on one side is enough; it gets good sunlight from three sides anyway. Personally, I would make sure that a lot of light enters the open-plan living area, regardless of the terrace. Either from the south side, then the terrace can be on the west, or vice versa. A terrace directly adjacent to the house is completely sufficient for us. We just need enough space for a table and at least a standard grill.
As mentioned above: There are other bungalow concepts that, with good planning, don’t come with these very long hallways. These conventional standard bungalows seem somewhat outdated. However, they can be modernized in terms of features, so they are not fundamentally old-fashioned but usually don’t correspond with today’s open living style, where every room must be accessible from the hallway. Nowadays, the wall between the main hallway and the open-plan living area is often removed, or the office is accessed through the open area. You can also access a child’s room—once the child is independent—from the main hallway at the front, which then leaves only one hallway to the parents’ area, allowing it to be shortened. The technical or utility room can be accessed from the kitchen or laundry area. However, a hallway also has its justification, as it provides more privacy (important with more people or many visitors).
If the company is very small and quite affordable, they probably didn’t hire the best architect. Usually, this only allows for a part-time remote position, leaving no time for thorough planning.
But as the client, this is in your own hands. You can commission an architect on a fee basis who then delivers the drawings, and the general contractor builds according to those plans. I had the utility room directly by the kitchen in mind, but I wasn’t quite sure how to combine that with positioning the kitchen immediately next to the terrace. This is more important to us because we don’t just grill occasionally in the summer.
ypg schrieb:
@Lurchi2025
Is the shed really going to be removed? No, we would really like to keep it if possible. You definitely need space for the grill collection, the bicycles, and so on.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
In this respect, we would prefer to arrange the two parking spaces in tandem.If you are required to provide two parking spaces, a tandem parking space is usually not approved. This needs to be clarified with the building authority / planning permission office.Similar topics