ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization – Need Help

Hello everyone,

we need help or suggestions to optimize the floor plan.

What could be improved in this floor plan?

We definitely want a straight staircase on the ground floor and a pantry under the stairs for the kitchen. Since everything is centered around the staircase, we have currently created the following design.

The terrace is located on the north side of this property.

Without more detailed information about the plot, cardinal directions, surrounding buildings, and your specific needs, it’s naturally difficult to optimize the design effectively 😊

What immediately stands out to me:
- The kitchen and children’s rooms feel very narrow and corridor-like.
- The living area is challenging to furnish due to the short wall—especially if you want to include a typical corner sofa, which is the case for about 90% of families.
- The room layouts don’t work well for furniture placement yet. I would definitely recommend considering actual furniture sizes (for example, a 140 cm (55 inch) bed, wardrobes, desks, etc.).
- Although the bathroom is nominally 14 m² (150 sq ft), it still feels rather bland and lacks a coherent concept. There’s a lot of potential being wasted here.

And honestly:
Who created this plan? 😅
It looks like some things were designed “around the staircase” rather than with daily living in mind.

I could imagine that a completely different overall concept might make more sense for you—one that better integrates both the south side (sun, but possibly also the driveway or street?) and the north side (view? more quiet? garden?) into the living space.

At the moment, it feels like the straight staircase has dictated the entire floor plan—and that’s usually not a good sign.

Best regards
Natalie

I find the rooms on the upper floor (OG) to be unusually elongated as well.
And yes, the staircase dictates the layout.
When I’m at home, I’ll look for my favorite floor plan with a straight staircase and upload it. On the upper floor, the staircase was positioned closer to the wall, with the walk-in closet in between. This provided better space for the other rooms.
If you want to try it yourself, place the straight staircase in different positions on the upper floor and see how the layout could look. Then plan the ground floor (EG) afterwards.

Please fill out the questionnaire first.

Then you will need the site plan (with measurements), preferably including a north arrow, and the zoning plan (building permit / planning permission).

Thank you.

NAVIE schrieb:
Without detailed information about the plot, cardinal directions, surrounding buildings, and your specific needs, it’s naturally difficult to optimize effectively 😊

A long time ago, a helpful forum member created a questionnaire that could answer most of your questions. Unfortunately, many don’t even read the initial post or just type a question into the search bar. Thousands of floor plans have already been discussed here. It’s a pity.

Questionnaire

Hello NAVIE, welcome to the house building forum.

Regards from hanghaus2023

Thank you for the responses so far.

Development plan/restrictions: No development plan
Plot size: 1400 sqm (approximately 15,070 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: About 600 sqm (approximately 6,460 sq ft) allowed to be built according to the building authority
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary:
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of storeys: 2
Roof type: Hipped roof
Architectural style: Urban villa
Orientation: North-facing
Maximum height/limits: 10 m (33 ft)

Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Urban villa, hipped roof
Basement, storeys: No basement, 2 full storeys
Number of occupants, age: 4 people, including two toddlers
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor: 2 children's rooms and 1 bedroom
Office, family use or home office?: No office
Guest bedrooms per year:
Open or closed architecture
Conservative or modern construction style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: Yes
Music/speaker wall
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Yes, garage planned later
Utility garden, greenhouse:
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are wanted or not wanted

House design
Who planned it: Own design, adopted as draft by the house builder company
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What is especially liked? Why?: The straight staircase with the pantry
What is disliked? Why?: The narrow children’s rooms on the upper floor
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: 420,000
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 420,000
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump

If you have to give up something, which details/extensions
- Can be given up: Flexible
- Cannot be given up: Straight concrete staircase

Here is the site plan:

The plot is 20 m (66 ft) wide and 70 m (230 ft) long. In the neighborhood, there are urban villas and bungalows.