ᐅ Floor plan for a two-story single-family house without a basement

@ Doc.Schnaggls: Looks like we crossed paths there.

@nordanney: Yes, it seems our opinions are quite similar.

Just a quick question... If you really don’t like the architect’s design at all (after all, there are certainly some boring architects out there), how do you proceed from there in terms of planning and costs?

Turbo D schrieb:
...
I definitely don’t want that, but I would like to go to my architect with some reasonable ideas and save him some work...

Why save him work if he charges thousands of euros? With his knowledge, he has many more possibilities than you can even dream of, simply because you don’t have that expertise at hand.

I don’t blame anyone for making drawings just for fun.
I did the same, although I have spent half my life working with floor plans.
It’s problematic if the architect ultimately adopts your design along with its mistakes (it’s easy money for him then). If he’s a good one, he would surely have many more ideas tailored to you. Otherwise, you risk having a poorly designed house built.

Guidelines are:
thoroughly study the plot and the building permit / planning permission,
be clear about the building’s shape and style,
consider sun positions, windows, views, and neighboring structures,
include lifestyle habits (warning: these can change quickly),
create a basic layout.
Place the stairs,
allocate rooms,
group drainage and plan it along the outer walls,
align walls vertically (for structural reasons), although timber framing/drywall is often used upstairs due to its lightness,
consider proximity of bathroom and bedrooms, guest rooms and toilets, stairs outside the dirt area near the entrance, sufficient cloakroom space, proximity of kitchen, utility/storage room to entrance, enough space for freezer, space requirements for different stair designs, possibilities for placing cupboards, adequate window areas (12%-15% of the room size), avoid unnecessary walls and corners, standard dimensions for doors and other fixtures, functional kitchen, possible barrier-free design (clearance space of 150cm (59 inches)), easily accessible storage for tools, trash, cleaning supplies, drinks, groceries, sports equipment, children’s items, etc., exits from the house to the garden, minimal projections/bays/corners/offsets/balconies/flat roofs that require special waterproofing.

But with the first five points of this list, simply go to the architect.

More economical alternative: look for a building contractor with model homes.
However, there may be little or no possibility to alter the floor plans because the structural calculations would have to be redone.
And what do you do with your design, into which you poured so much heart and soul—maybe even digitally furnished in color?

Steffi33 schrieb:
Just asking... If you don’t like the architect’s design at all (and surely there are dull architects too), how do you proceed (in terms of planning and costs)?

Then they should draw you a better one. Everything is regulated by HOAI.

Regards, Yvonne

Yes, what should you pay attention to? That depends on your needs. The most important thing, which has already been mentioned, is to have rooms with water pipes positioned above each other whenever possible.

Otherwise, make a list of everything you want and give it a try. For a house without a basement, be sure to plan enough storage space, as this is often saved on. You might even consider separating the technical room from the utility room. A dedicated technical room doesn’t need much space (ours is still less than 4m2 (43 sq ft)), but if it’s located in a 12m2 (129 sq ft) room, there won’t be much space left for a washing machine and a few cabinets. Our current combined utility and technical room is about 16m2 (172 sq ft), and besides the washer and dryer, there is only one small cabinet—there isn’t room for more because of all the pipes running everywhere. Don’t make the hallway too narrow, but also avoid making it huge. A floor plan usually stands or falls with the staircase. If that doesn’t work well, nothing else usually fits properly. So pay close attention to the dimensions. Think carefully about the staircase location in advance. Internal staircases often have the problem that the upper hallway becomes dark. Staircases located on an exterior wall usually cost you a room on the upper floor, and often they are placed right at the entrance, so you have to pass through the so-called dirt zone whenever you go up or down.

Consider the location of the utility room so that the laundry route isn’t too inconvenient. Maybe plan a laundry chute or even a laundry room on the upper floor next to the bathroom. I also find it practical when you can get from the utility room directly into the garden, so you can set up a mudroom for any children, for example.

Other points to keep in mind: Doors on 45-degree walls are not very practical. Plan doors with about 65cm (26 inches) of space from the wall so that a cabinet can fit behind them. Rooms isolated by doors on all sides are usually impractical—so better avoid those. Floor-to-ceiling windows limit your furniture placement. Large south-facing windows should be well shaded to prevent the room from overheating in summer.

That’s about all I can think of at the moment. So first write down everything and think it through, then just have some fun planning. But please don’t be too rigid and tell the architect it has to be exactly like that. Your design should only be a “guide” for the architect.

By the way, our architect also discarded the first draft, but the second one was already suitable, and only minor details needed to be changed after that.