Hello everyone,
Our house building plans are becoming more concrete. A plot of land is reserved, and now we are starting to consider possible floor plan options. For now, we want to focus only on the layout of the ground floor. The upper floor will likely be designed quite conservatively, with one bedroom, two children's rooms, and a bathroom.
Special features/conditions of the plot are:
- 845 sqm (around 9,100 sq ft)
- Corner plot
- Turning circle on the west side
- Access driveway on the west side
We have come up with two possible options. Both are attached, with each variation already positioned on the plot in what we consider the most advantageous way. The floor plans were created with an amateur program, so there are probably some errors.
- Variant_605 (11.5 m x 9.5 m [38 ft x 31 ft]): The kitchen is planned on the east side of the house. However, I am more inclined to switch it with the living/dining area, so that the kitchen would be in the southwest, providing a view of the turning circle. The main entrance is on the west side.
- Variant_BayWindow (11.0 m x 9.5 m [36 ft x 31 ft]; bay window 1.5 m x 4 m [5 ft x 13 ft]): The bay window or extension is only to be on the ground floor and not, for example, extended as a gable into the upper floor. The kitchen is located inside the bay window area. The main entrance is on the north side.
I am now curious about your opinions. I hope some of you can also offer a few tips.
Best regards and thanks in advance.
Our house building plans are becoming more concrete. A plot of land is reserved, and now we are starting to consider possible floor plan options. For now, we want to focus only on the layout of the ground floor. The upper floor will likely be designed quite conservatively, with one bedroom, two children's rooms, and a bathroom.
Special features/conditions of the plot are:
- 845 sqm (around 9,100 sq ft)
- Corner plot
- Turning circle on the west side
- Access driveway on the west side
We have come up with two possible options. Both are attached, with each variation already positioned on the plot in what we consider the most advantageous way. The floor plans were created with an amateur program, so there are probably some errors.
- Variant_605 (11.5 m x 9.5 m [38 ft x 31 ft]): The kitchen is planned on the east side of the house. However, I am more inclined to switch it with the living/dining area, so that the kitchen would be in the southwest, providing a view of the turning circle. The main entrance is on the west side.
- Variant_BayWindow (11.0 m x 9.5 m [36 ft x 31 ft]; bay window 1.5 m x 4 m [5 ft x 13 ft]): The bay window or extension is only to be on the ground floor and not, for example, extended as a gable into the upper floor. The kitchen is located inside the bay window area. The main entrance is on the north side.
I am now curious about your opinions. I hope some of you can also offer a few tips.
Best regards and thanks in advance.
Thank you for the many replies. Yes, the hallway on the ground floor feels too narrow to us as well, but so far we haven’t found a layout that would allow it to be widened without taking space away from the study.
The stairs might indeed become too tight, so we’ll ultimately have to see what the architect suggests.
And thanks for the good point about the 3.3m (10 feet 10 inches) in the bedroom—that really is too tight.
Swapping the bathroom and the bedroom wouldn’t work well for us in terms of orientation. As it is now, the bathroom faces east. I quite like having morning sun in the bathroom; that’s how it is in our current apartment too.
The stairs might indeed become too tight, so we’ll ultimately have to see what the architect suggests.
And thanks for the good point about the 3.3m (10 feet 10 inches) in the bedroom—that really is too tight.
Swapping the bathroom and the bedroom wouldn’t work well for us in terms of orientation. As it is now, the bathroom faces east. I quite like having morning sun in the bathroom; that’s how it is in our current apartment too.
The first rough draft (variant 605) is still my favorite.
Basically, it should be clear that a bay window costs money. In the latest designs, you have a dining area in the kitchen and another one right next to it, connected to the living room. So the kitchen could be smaller without this unnecessary dining space. Also, it’s inconvenient if you always have to walk around a table to reach plates or spices.
Designing the kitchen as a passageway from the entrance to the living room, while having a hallway right next to it, is also a waste of space.
What kind of rooms are on the ground floor? I can recognize a study, and the other one is probably the utility room.
For the bathroom downstairs (in the latest design), leave out that kink—the gap is too small for a cloakroom, so it’s unusable.
If you have two children, I can tell you from experience that having two bathrooms upstairs, if at all possible, is better than one very large bathroom with an oversized bathtub.
Oh, and the children’s rooms should be roughly the same size to avoid years of arguments.
Upstairs, don’t forget the roof slope (2 m (6.5 ft) line). It restricts where you can place furniture and so on.
You should definitely have an architect review the plans. 🙂
Basically, it should be clear that a bay window costs money. In the latest designs, you have a dining area in the kitchen and another one right next to it, connected to the living room. So the kitchen could be smaller without this unnecessary dining space. Also, it’s inconvenient if you always have to walk around a table to reach plates or spices.
Designing the kitchen as a passageway from the entrance to the living room, while having a hallway right next to it, is also a waste of space.
What kind of rooms are on the ground floor? I can recognize a study, and the other one is probably the utility room.
For the bathroom downstairs (in the latest design), leave out that kink—the gap is too small for a cloakroom, so it’s unusable.
If you have two children, I can tell you from experience that having two bathrooms upstairs, if at all possible, is better than one very large bathroom with an oversized bathtub.
Oh, and the children’s rooms should be roughly the same size to avoid years of arguments.
Upstairs, don’t forget the roof slope (2 m (6.5 ft) line). It restricts where you can place furniture and so on.
You should definitely have an architect review the plans. 🙂
marv45 schrieb:
I still like the first rough draft (version 605) best.
Basically, it should be clear that a bay window costs extra. In the latest drafts, you have a dining area in the kitchen and another one right next to it, connected to the living room. So the kitchen could be made smaller by removing that unnecessary dining area. Also, it’s not very practical if you always have to walk around a table to get to plates or spices.That’s not supposed to be a table, but a kitchen island 🙂
marv45 schrieb:
The fact that you design the kitchen as a passageway from the entrance to the living room, while having a hallway running parallel to it, is a wasted space.We have the extra door in the kitchen so you don’t have to walk through the living room carrying groceries first. Or did I misunderstand you?marv45 schrieb:
What rooms are these on the ground floor? I recognize a study, and the other one is probably the utility room.Yes, exactly.marv45 schrieb:
For the downstairs bathroom (in the latest draft), remove that kink—the gap is too small for a coat closet, so it’s useless.For the coat closet, we assumed a minimum width of 1 meter (about 3 feet). I’d say that’s enough to hang a few jackets. How wide did you plan your coat closet?marv45 schrieb:
If you have two children, I can tell you from experience that having two bathrooms upstairs is better than one very large bathroom with an oversized bathtub, if possible.In the original floor plan we found from a provider, there were also two bathrooms planned upstairs. Personally, I don’t think children need their own bathroom. On the one hand, it still has to be cleaned 😕, and on the other hand, kids eventually move out, and then I wouldn’t really need that bathroom anymore.marv45 schrieb:
You should definitely have an architect involved in the planning. 🙂Exactly, that’s our plan. We just want to work in our wishes beforehand so that during the meeting with the architect, we can start with the same basis.Salomea schrieb:
That wasn’t supposed to be a table, but a kitchen island 🙂Okay, I like kitchen islands, they look nice, but they shouldn’t restrict your movement in the kitchen—like always having to walk all the way around just to grab a fork. For those reasons, even with a pretty large kitchen, I decided against an island. But if you cook and chop a lot, maybe even together, then sure.
One more thing I wanted to ask… have you roughly estimated the cost of the house? With a bay window and kitchen island and all the fancy stuff, it won’t come cheap. A house also needs access paths—like paving work, for example—and a fence.
Salomea schrieb:
We put the extra door in the kitchen so you don’t have to run through the living room with groceries. Or did I misunderstand you?That makes sense regarding groceries, but that’s why I prefer the first design. There, you only have to go through the hallway to get to the kitchen. The living area, including kitchen, dining, and living rooms, is on one side, and the utility room and study are on the other. It’s a clear separation.
Salomea schrieb:
The original floor plan we found from a provider included two bathrooms on the upper floor. Personally, I don’t think kids need their own bathroom. For one thing, someone has to clean them 😕, and for another, the kids will eventually move out, and then I wouldn’t have a use for the extra bathroom.You might want to reconsider whether you’re building for now and the near future, or if you’re planning for retirement or how things might be later on. Nothing lasts forever, and when the kids move out, the house might feel too big. Then people usually move anyway; otherwise, you have to clean several empty rooms 😉 By the way, teenagers often have friends stay overnight. If you don’t mind them all using your shower, that’s fine. 🙂
marv45 schrieb:
Okay, I like kitchen islands, they look good, but they shouldn’t limit you in the kitchen, like always having to walk around to grab a fork somewhere. For these reasons, even though I have a fairly large kitchen, I decided against having an island. But if you cook and chop a lot, maybe even together, then it’s fine. Now I have taken another look at the kitchen island. It doesn’t work as easily as I had drawn it. The pathways would be too narrow, so we need to come up with a better solution.
marv45 schrieb:
One more thing I wanted to ask... have you roughly calculated the costs for the house? With a bay window, kitchen island, and all the extras, it won’t be cheap. A house also requires access paths, like paving work, and a fence. For this house, we have a quote of about 230,000€ (euros). The kitchen and other extras are included in the additional costs.
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