ᐅ Floor Plan and House Positioning for a Bungalow with 120 sqm on a Corner Plot
Created on: 27 Nov 2025 08:58
L
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?
L
Lurchi20251 Dec 2025 13:18Yes, I’m probably thinking too narrowly, assuming fewer doors are better in the living area. However, I really like the idea of the gable roof, as it’s much more suitable for a photovoltaic system than a hip roof. Overall, your design strongly reminds me of Danwood bungalows, although there the kitchen is usually located right by the entrance.
Regarding the size: We currently live in about 60sqm (645 sq ft) in 2 ½ rooms, which has been perfectly adequate for the two of us. Therefore, we don’t want a huge house, and we see among acquaintances that bungalows of about 110sqm (1,184 sq ft) are sufficient for three people. Compared to our current home, the most important thing is that Junior gets a reasonably sized bedroom, we have an extra room for an office or guests, and the kitchen is a proper size, since it’s currently far too small for us. Also, the dining area should be large enough for 6 to 10 people in the future, and the lounge area should be big enough so that the next sofa can be bigger. Our current sofa will probably do for now, but as Junior grows older, we’ll definitely need a larger one.
Regarding the size: We currently live in about 60sqm (645 sq ft) in 2 ½ rooms, which has been perfectly adequate for the two of us. Therefore, we don’t want a huge house, and we see among acquaintances that bungalows of about 110sqm (1,184 sq ft) are sufficient for three people. Compared to our current home, the most important thing is that Junior gets a reasonably sized bedroom, we have an extra room for an office or guests, and the kitchen is a proper size, since it’s currently far too small for us. Also, the dining area should be large enough for 6 to 10 people in the future, and the lounge area should be big enough so that the next sofa can be bigger. Our current sofa will probably do for now, but as Junior grows older, we’ll definitely need a larger one.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
The current sofa will probably still be enough for now, but when junior grows up, we’ll need a larger one here as well. Exactly these kinds of individual details must be reflected in the floor plan. At the moment, I see an indicated smaller corner sofa that would never meet this need.
How do you think you will use this space? Is the TV of central importance, and how will it be used comfortably? Perhaps also plan ahead for the child’s area so that your daily life continues smoothly, even when they start acting differently, or according to their own opinion...
These details are very important and can still be planned now without extra costs; later it will either become uncomfortable or expensive.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
What matters most to us compared to now is just that, I find this choice of words worth considering, because of course you also have specific needs and your child will soon have their own as well. You can’t meet all of them, but I would make every effort to implement them fairly and appropriately for both child and parents. This doesn’t have to mean extra costs and can sometimes even be cheaper, but these individual aspects must be consciously and concretely taken into account.
L
Lurchi20251 Dec 2025 14:27No, the TV doesn’t play a major role for us. On weekdays, it only turns on around 8 p.m., while on weekends our son is allowed to watch TV during the day as well. Still, we try to keep it to a minimum and mostly only when the weather is bad. For soccer broadcasts (but not every minor friendly match), we sometimes watch earlier in the evening. In those cases, it would definitely be good to have enough space for friends. However, we don’t need a huge sectional sofa. When we do watch TV, the sound quality should be good, which is why we have a 5.1 surround sound system.
But I know what you mean – I made the mistake of only drawing in our current couch. Interestingly, I drew a large table measuring 2 x 1 m (6.6 x 3.3 ft) right away. In the future, I will plan for a large sectional sofa, better too big than not enough space in the end.
But I know what you mean – I made the mistake of only drawing in our current couch. Interestingly, I drew a large table measuring 2 x 1 m (6.6 x 3.3 ft) right away. In the future, I will plan for a large sectional sofa, better too big than not enough space in the end.
Lurchi2025 schrieb:
Your design is very similar to the Danwood bungalows, where the kitchen is usually located right by the entrance.Guilty 😀 I get inspiration from various sources, including Danwood, but Scanhaus Marlow now also offers good floor plans.
I experimented a bit more, and voilà, something has come together that was more or less already planned. There are some modifications, but the basics remain the same—yet somehow also different. Everything I tried kept getting bigger. This one is now about 125 square meters (1,345 square feet). However, I find the open-plan living area combined with the entrance more coherent.
I could also imagine the orientation from @hanghaus2023 in #11.
The hallway needs some adjustment in width; it turned out a bit narrow. I stuck to the central wall. You also have to consider the preferences of the other participants here: nice pictures on the walls, possibly a mirror, and a long runner carpet that connects the doors and emphasizes the narrow hallway positively.
The hallway cabinet is 2 meters (6.5 feet), the bedroom wardrobe 3 meters (10 feet), dining table 1 by 2 meters (3.3 by 6.5 feet), and sofa 2.7 meters (8.9 feet). The open-plan living area is about 50 square meters (540 square feet) or more, and the children's room is 16 square meters (170 square feet) or more.
My preference is still a gable roof with covered areas.
I could also imagine the orientation from @hanghaus2023 in #11.
The hallway needs some adjustment in width; it turned out a bit narrow. I stuck to the central wall. You also have to consider the preferences of the other participants here: nice pictures on the walls, possibly a mirror, and a long runner carpet that connects the doors and emphasizes the narrow hallway positively.
The hallway cabinet is 2 meters (6.5 feet), the bedroom wardrobe 3 meters (10 feet), dining table 1 by 2 meters (3.3 by 6.5 feet), and sofa 2.7 meters (8.9 feet). The open-plan living area is about 50 square meters (540 square feet) or more, and the children's room is 16 square meters (170 square feet) or more.
My preference is still a gable roof with covered areas.
L
Lurchi20254 Dec 2025 13:00Thank you for your draft @ypg, I can definitely see the design going in this direction. In the meantime, we have sent our feedback and requests to the architect, so let’s see what she comes up with. However, we expect this to be ready only next week. Otherwise, I am still waiting for a response from the building authority (building permit / planning permission office).
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