Hello everyone,
we are a German-American family with three young children.
Here you can see our very first floor plan attempt.
We haven’t spoken to any architect yet; this is just the basic house model from ProHaus that we chose (including the exterior walls). The interior layout is entirely our own idea (so this is just the first try).
“Up” (where the garden and bay window are) is west, right is north, down is east, left is south.
The garage is on the property line (which is allowed).
Unfortunately, the software didn’t show me the exact wall dimensions, but I can tell you the house measures 8.48m x 10.30m (28ft x 34ft).
The knee wall height on the north and south sides is 1.60m (5 ft 3 in).
The wall thicknesses as well as all furniture (except those in the utility room) are carefully measured and were entered accordingly (it’s just not visible in the program). The square meter figures are correct.
For the staircase on the upper floor, there is obviously no wall in front of it. The software didn’t let me change that.
What must absolutely stay:
- No basement (decided after long discussions)
- An additional entrance through the garage (my American husband insisted on this)
- The staircase in the living area (we want to keep all hallways as small as possible and simply find it much cozier – of course, it’s a matter of taste). The staircase is open underneath, so there is space for bookshelves, etc.
- The glass bay window on the ground floor in the living room, which should have access to the garden
- The gable sides facing the street and the garden (this is required by the municipality, relating to the building permit / planning permission)
- All bedrooms on the upper floor (this is important for us as a family; we want to stay together and not be separated)
- The rooms themselves (meaning which rooms there are). Their sizes and exact locations can of course be changed
-- We need the three children’s rooms. I know they are quite small, but we think it’s more important that each child has their own personal space, especially as they grow older. Their bedrooms in our current apartment are much smaller.
-- Two bathrooms. We think this is practical because eventually, there will be five people needing a bathroom at the same time. No shower on the ground floor.
-- One bathroom & a walk-in closet that are only accessible from the master bedroom (again, the American style)
- The master bedroom can remain fairly small, maybe a bit bigger, but not much. We only sleep there and don’t care about size, as long as the bed fits.
- The storage room downstairs is intended for toy boxes, etc., to keep the children’s rooms less cluttered.
What we are not 100% happy with yet:
On the ground floor:
- My biggest problem: the utility room. 5.62 m² (60 sq ft) – is that really enough?
What needs / should fit in:
air source heat pump, hot water tank, ion exchanger (to remove lime scale from the water), laundry basket for dirty clothes, washing machine, dryer (stacked if necessary), if possible a sink for dirty boots, etc. (since this is also our entrance). Is the space enough? If not, how can I improve it?
- Kitchen is 12.03 m² (130 sq ft). Is that enough for five people? I know there is no wall between the kitchen and living room, but isn’t it a bit small? Or is it sufficient considering there is a pantry for supplies? The island has to stay; again, that’s our American influence.
- The bay window. Is it well positioned in the “middle” of the living room? Or should I move it all the way to the left? (Though the decorative fireplace is in the left corner). The door inside the bay window area can be moved individually, so it could be positioned so people don’t have to squeeze past the dining table – but this doesn’t really bother us anyway.
- The hallway still feels too large to me. (Not the part left towards the WC—there’s the coat closet there—but more the long one going from the entrance to the living room). What do you think?
On the upper floor:
- The children’s rooms. For “Child 1,” I don’t like the offset wall very much. (For “Child 3,” I think it’s okay; a wardrobe fits nicely there, saving space).
- Master bathroom. I would like it to be around 9 m² (97 sq ft). But how? The bathtub and so on are moved away from the exterior wall because cupboards (built-in shelves) are planned in the wall, and I would have to add another wall. I can’t do that on the exterior wall, can I? Or is that possible?
- Walk-in closet. I measured the dimensions today (2.25m x 1.12m / 7 ft 4 in x 3 ft 8 in) by using blankets on the floor and boxes as wardrobes (Pax units 60 cm (24 in) deep). There is still around 75 cm (30 in) of walking space, which is okay (of course, to open a drawer you have to stand to the side, but that’s fine—I don’t intend to live in there, just get my clothes in the morning). Still, bigger would be nicer.
Besides that, I’m completely open to entirely new floor plan ideas as long as the main requirements above can largely be maintained. I find everything a bit complicated and somehow crowded.
Some rooms are still too narrow or not very straightforward.
Do you have better ideas or great solutions? Good suggestions?
It doesn’t help me if someone just says “everything is bad.” What I need is someone who tells me how to solve it better.
Our neighbors have three bedrooms upstairs (I attached their floor plan as OGneighbors – unfortunately drawn quickly and roughly in Paint). Of course, all bedrooms have doors leading to the hallway (including Child 2’s). To me, their master bedroom is too large, but the bathroom and walk-in closet are nicely sized. But how can I place the staircase in the middle without it blocking the ground floor layout?
Maybe someone here is super creative and can show me completely new possibilities I haven’t thought of yet or convince me to go in the opposite direction?
I would really appreciate that.
Thank you very much and best regards,
Anya
we are a German-American family with three young children.
Here you can see our very first floor plan attempt.
We haven’t spoken to any architect yet; this is just the basic house model from ProHaus that we chose (including the exterior walls). The interior layout is entirely our own idea (so this is just the first try).
“Up” (where the garden and bay window are) is west, right is north, down is east, left is south.
The garage is on the property line (which is allowed).
Unfortunately, the software didn’t show me the exact wall dimensions, but I can tell you the house measures 8.48m x 10.30m (28ft x 34ft).
The knee wall height on the north and south sides is 1.60m (5 ft 3 in).
The wall thicknesses as well as all furniture (except those in the utility room) are carefully measured and were entered accordingly (it’s just not visible in the program). The square meter figures are correct.
For the staircase on the upper floor, there is obviously no wall in front of it. The software didn’t let me change that.
What must absolutely stay:
- No basement (decided after long discussions)
- An additional entrance through the garage (my American husband insisted on this)
- The staircase in the living area (we want to keep all hallways as small as possible and simply find it much cozier – of course, it’s a matter of taste). The staircase is open underneath, so there is space for bookshelves, etc.
- The glass bay window on the ground floor in the living room, which should have access to the garden
- The gable sides facing the street and the garden (this is required by the municipality, relating to the building permit / planning permission)
- All bedrooms on the upper floor (this is important for us as a family; we want to stay together and not be separated)
- The rooms themselves (meaning which rooms there are). Their sizes and exact locations can of course be changed
-- We need the three children’s rooms. I know they are quite small, but we think it’s more important that each child has their own personal space, especially as they grow older. Their bedrooms in our current apartment are much smaller.
-- Two bathrooms. We think this is practical because eventually, there will be five people needing a bathroom at the same time. No shower on the ground floor.
-- One bathroom & a walk-in closet that are only accessible from the master bedroom (again, the American style)
- The master bedroom can remain fairly small, maybe a bit bigger, but not much. We only sleep there and don’t care about size, as long as the bed fits.
- The storage room downstairs is intended for toy boxes, etc., to keep the children’s rooms less cluttered.
What we are not 100% happy with yet:
On the ground floor:
- My biggest problem: the utility room. 5.62 m² (60 sq ft) – is that really enough?
What needs / should fit in:
air source heat pump, hot water tank, ion exchanger (to remove lime scale from the water), laundry basket for dirty clothes, washing machine, dryer (stacked if necessary), if possible a sink for dirty boots, etc. (since this is also our entrance). Is the space enough? If not, how can I improve it?
- Kitchen is 12.03 m² (130 sq ft). Is that enough for five people? I know there is no wall between the kitchen and living room, but isn’t it a bit small? Or is it sufficient considering there is a pantry for supplies? The island has to stay; again, that’s our American influence.
- The bay window. Is it well positioned in the “middle” of the living room? Or should I move it all the way to the left? (Though the decorative fireplace is in the left corner). The door inside the bay window area can be moved individually, so it could be positioned so people don’t have to squeeze past the dining table – but this doesn’t really bother us anyway.
- The hallway still feels too large to me. (Not the part left towards the WC—there’s the coat closet there—but more the long one going from the entrance to the living room). What do you think?
On the upper floor:
- The children’s rooms. For “Child 1,” I don’t like the offset wall very much. (For “Child 3,” I think it’s okay; a wardrobe fits nicely there, saving space).
- Master bathroom. I would like it to be around 9 m² (97 sq ft). But how? The bathtub and so on are moved away from the exterior wall because cupboards (built-in shelves) are planned in the wall, and I would have to add another wall. I can’t do that on the exterior wall, can I? Or is that possible?
- Walk-in closet. I measured the dimensions today (2.25m x 1.12m / 7 ft 4 in x 3 ft 8 in) by using blankets on the floor and boxes as wardrobes (Pax units 60 cm (24 in) deep). There is still around 75 cm (30 in) of walking space, which is okay (of course, to open a drawer you have to stand to the side, but that’s fine—I don’t intend to live in there, just get my clothes in the morning). Still, bigger would be nicer.
Besides that, I’m completely open to entirely new floor plan ideas as long as the main requirements above can largely be maintained. I find everything a bit complicated and somehow crowded.
Some rooms are still too narrow or not very straightforward.
Do you have better ideas or great solutions? Good suggestions?
It doesn’t help me if someone just says “everything is bad.” What I need is someone who tells me how to solve it better.
Our neighbors have three bedrooms upstairs (I attached their floor plan as OGneighbors – unfortunately drawn quickly and roughly in Paint). Of course, all bedrooms have doors leading to the hallway (including Child 2’s). To me, their master bedroom is too large, but the bathroom and walk-in closet are nicely sized. But how can I place the staircase in the middle without it blocking the ground floor layout?
Maybe someone here is super creative and can show me completely new possibilities I haven’t thought of yet or convince me to go in the opposite direction?
I would really appreciate that.
Thank you very much and best regards,
Anya
Anya. schrieb:
Walk-in closet. Today I measured the dimensions (2.25 m x 1.12 m) using blankets on the floor and boxes as closets (PAX with 60 cm (24 inches) depth) and found there would still be about 75 cm (30 inches) of walkway left. Hello Anya,
112 cm (44 inches) width of the walk-in closet minus 60 cm (24 inches) closet depth leaves 52 cm (20 inches) for the walkway – and you have two closets drawn in… math might not be your strongest suit, right?
About 50 cm (20 inches) on each side of the bed?
The dining table also looks more like a small table to me…
This seems to apply to all rooms: a house of 8.50 x 10.30 meters (28 x 34 feet) is not very spacious.
Sorry, that won’t work, says Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
sorry, I’m not quite sure why I wrote down the dimensions for the walk-in closet incorrectly. It was a long text.
The correct dimensions are 2.25 m by 1.91 m (7 ft 5 in by 6 ft 3 in), which gives us a passage width of 71 cm (28 in). Please forgive the 4 cm (1.5 in) discrepancy.
I find 50 cm (20 in) on each side of the bed completely sufficient. We’re not that large.
The dining table has the actual dimensions it really has (as I mentioned above, all furniture was measured). So far, we’ve always had plenty of space for five people to eat. And even with a longer table, there’s still a lot of room in the bay window area.
As I said, the incorrect dimensions for the walk-in closet were my mistake. Otherwise, I can’t really take much from your criticism because it doesn’t offer a better option, but rather complains about the size of our dining table and my math skills (which, by the way, are better when I’m not surrounded by three kids running around).
That’s exactly what I meant by “everything’s bad”—it’s not very helpful. You can certainly say it, but please also provide a solution for how it could be better.
No hard feelings,
Anya.
sorry, I’m not quite sure why I wrote down the dimensions for the walk-in closet incorrectly. It was a long text.
The correct dimensions are 2.25 m by 1.91 m (7 ft 5 in by 6 ft 3 in), which gives us a passage width of 71 cm (28 in). Please forgive the 4 cm (1.5 in) discrepancy.
I find 50 cm (20 in) on each side of the bed completely sufficient. We’re not that large.
The dining table has the actual dimensions it really has (as I mentioned above, all furniture was measured). So far, we’ve always had plenty of space for five people to eat. And even with a longer table, there’s still a lot of room in the bay window area.
As I said, the incorrect dimensions for the walk-in closet were my mistake. Otherwise, I can’t really take much from your criticism because it doesn’t offer a better option, but rather complains about the size of our dining table and my math skills (which, by the way, are better when I’m not surrounded by three kids running around).
That’s exactly what I meant by “everything’s bad”—it’s not very helpful. You can certainly say it, but please also provide a solution for how it could be better.
No hard feelings,
Anya.
A dimensioned floor plan would be helpful.
If there is limited space, you simply have to save ("What absolutely must remain:" does not apply):
- I would keep the children's bathroom; it only takes up space.
- The utility room is too small, yes. About 50% of that is circulation space. Remove the door to the garage.
- Remove the pantry.
If there is limited space, you simply have to save ("What absolutely must remain:" does not apply):
- I would keep the children's bathroom; it only takes up space.
- The utility room is too small, yes. About 50% of that is circulation space. Remove the door to the garage.
- Remove the pantry.
Hello lastdrop,
Can you recommend a program where I can view the measurements?
- If I remove the pantry, won’t the kitchen become too small? Is there a way to include a smaller pantry somewhere? I don’t need it that large.
- Utility room – do you mean there would be too little space to walk through? From removing the door, I only see room for one more appliance. Do you think that makes a big difference?
- Assuming I remove the kids’ bathroom, how exactly would that create more space in the dressing room and bathroom? At the moment, that would only allow me to enlarge the kids’ bedroom. And: how would I make the bathroom accessible to everyone then?
Best regards,
Anya
Can you recommend a program where I can view the measurements?
- If I remove the pantry, won’t the kitchen become too small? Is there a way to include a smaller pantry somewhere? I don’t need it that large.
- Utility room – do you mean there would be too little space to walk through? From removing the door, I only see room for one more appliance. Do you think that makes a big difference?
- Assuming I remove the kids’ bathroom, how exactly would that create more space in the dressing room and bathroom? At the moment, that would only allow me to enlarge the kids’ bedroom. And: how would I make the bathroom accessible to everyone then?
Best regards,
Anya
Yes, adding dimensions would be helpful (often you can enable this in a view menu of such programs... which software are you using?). I agree with Yvonne that the space around the table is too small. The depth there should be a maximum of 250 cm (98 inches). For a practical dining table measuring 90 to 100 cm by 180 cm (35 to 39 inches by 71 inches), you should allow about 300 by 350 cm (118 by 138 inches) for chairs and circulation space.
I also find the passage to the stairs upstairs too narrow.
If the available floor area is already limited, I wouldn’t reduce the technical room even more with an additional doorway.
It would be better to combine the storage room and pantry.
A wardrobe for five people also seems too small, as it needs to hold all shoes and other items as well.
Is the office really necessary?
The bedroom can only be up to 300 cm (118 inches) wide, right? If the mattress is 200 cm (79 inches) wide, then the bed itself will be at least 210 cm (83 inches) wide. I think that’s really too tight. Also, the bedroom door opening outward into the stairwell won’t work. Or are you planning to install a glass door there?
I do consider having two bathrooms practical for a family with three children, but a bathtub in a knee wall area of 160 cm (63 inches) as a shower alternative only works until about fourth grade. If the children are older, they won’t be able to shower there at all. And in the master bathroom, a double vanity, corner bathtub, and all the other fixtures seem oversized. I’m afraid your house planning software places furniture visually inaccurately even if the dimensions are correct.
Is the house footprint restricted to these external dimensions?
I also find the passage to the stairs upstairs too narrow.
If the available floor area is already limited, I wouldn’t reduce the technical room even more with an additional doorway.
It would be better to combine the storage room and pantry.
A wardrobe for five people also seems too small, as it needs to hold all shoes and other items as well.
Is the office really necessary?
The bedroom can only be up to 300 cm (118 inches) wide, right? If the mattress is 200 cm (79 inches) wide, then the bed itself will be at least 210 cm (83 inches) wide. I think that’s really too tight. Also, the bedroom door opening outward into the stairwell won’t work. Or are you planning to install a glass door there?
I do consider having two bathrooms practical for a family with three children, but a bathtub in a knee wall area of 160 cm (63 inches) as a shower alternative only works until about fourth grade. If the children are older, they won’t be able to shower there at all. And in the master bathroom, a double vanity, corner bathtub, and all the other fixtures seem oversized. I’m afraid your house planning software places furniture visually inaccurately even if the dimensions are correct.
Is the house footprint restricted to these external dimensions?
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