ᐅ Floor plan discussion of a medium-small single-family house with a pitched roof and a double garage
Created on: 9 Nov 2025 18:08
B
Baumweg32
Hello everyone,
we plan to build a single-family house in 2026/27. We are both 30 years old (and intend to stay that way), have no children, and work full-time in the office/from home. Below we have completed the questionnaire and look forward to you brutally roasting our current floor plan – what have we overlooked?
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – just under 400 m² (about 4300 sq ft), access and road to the south
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – no zoning plan, according to §34, neighbors have between 0.3-0.4
Floor area ratio – no zoning plan, according to §34
Building envelope, building line and boundary – no zoning plan, according to §34
Edge development – no, the surrounding area consists of other semi-detached and single-family houses
Number of parking spaces – double garage + carport + theoretically two spaces in front of the garage in the courtyard
Number of floors – 2 full stories + basement
Roof type – gable roof
Style – modern
Orientation – south
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements – development according to §34
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type – gable roof with sufficient eaves, otherwise the house looks like a thumb
Basement, floors – basement yes, ground floor, upper floor
Number of people, age – 2, 30 years
Room requirements on ground and upper floor – Ground floor: entrance, shower, WC, kitchen, dining area, living room; Upper floor: 2 offices, bathroom with bathtub, bedroom, walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office? – home office
Number of overnight guests per year – 1
Open or closed layout – preferably closed
Conservative or modern building method – solid construction, modern, no porous clay bricks (Poroton)
Open kitchen, kitchen island – closed kitchen
Number of dining seats – 4-6
Fireplace – yes, sometime when budget allows
Music/sound wall – yes, living room
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – yes and yes (carport only if budget allows)
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included – Ideally, when one person gets up, they leave the bedroom without having to go back in to get clothes, so the other can continue sleeping. Also, we work from home a lot. That means each person needs their own office so they don’t disturb each other during calls etc.
House Design
Who made the design: architect based on our initial PowerPoint sketches
What do you particularly like? Why? – We like the visual axes, from the staircase through the kitchen to the garden and from the hallway past the fireplace into the garden. A generous entrance area is important to avoid future frustration when entering the house and not knowing where to put groceries.
What don’t you like? Why? – The bedroom-walk-in closet situation is tight. We have thought and struggled with this a lot. Maybe we can expand the house by 50 cm (20 inches) to the south. Then a 1.5 m (59 inch) wide walk-in closet would fit.
Price estimate from architect/designer: 600,000 €
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 650,000 € (fittings? Kitchen and furniture on top)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If You Have to Give Up on which details/extensions
You can live without: laundry chute
You cannot live without: separate office rooms, walk-in closet, separate kitchen, staircase as straight as possible (in our case a half-landing staircase max?)
Why is the Design as It Is?
Standard design from the planner? – No, we came with a rough plan sketched in PowerPoint to the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? – All our wishes were implemented by the architect
What do you think is especially good or bad? – We actually like the floor plan very much. As mentioned, the walk-in closet is tight but so far we have not found a better alternative that still allows easy access around the bed. We would also like a T-shaped bathroom layout mainly to hide the WC. But probably there is no space for that, or maybe you have a sudden idea?
we plan to build a single-family house in 2026/27. We are both 30 years old (and intend to stay that way), have no children, and work full-time in the office/from home. Below we have completed the questionnaire and look forward to you brutally roasting our current floor plan – what have we overlooked?
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – just under 400 m² (about 4300 sq ft), access and road to the south
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – no zoning plan, according to §34, neighbors have between 0.3-0.4
Floor area ratio – no zoning plan, according to §34
Building envelope, building line and boundary – no zoning plan, according to §34
Edge development – no, the surrounding area consists of other semi-detached and single-family houses
Number of parking spaces – double garage + carport + theoretically two spaces in front of the garage in the courtyard
Number of floors – 2 full stories + basement
Roof type – gable roof
Style – modern
Orientation – south
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements – development according to §34
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type – gable roof with sufficient eaves, otherwise the house looks like a thumb
Basement, floors – basement yes, ground floor, upper floor
Number of people, age – 2, 30 years
Room requirements on ground and upper floor – Ground floor: entrance, shower, WC, kitchen, dining area, living room; Upper floor: 2 offices, bathroom with bathtub, bedroom, walk-in closet
Office: family use or home office? – home office
Number of overnight guests per year – 1
Open or closed layout – preferably closed
Conservative or modern building method – solid construction, modern, no porous clay bricks (Poroton)
Open kitchen, kitchen island – closed kitchen
Number of dining seats – 4-6
Fireplace – yes, sometime when budget allows
Music/sound wall – yes, living room
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – yes and yes (carport only if budget allows)
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be included – Ideally, when one person gets up, they leave the bedroom without having to go back in to get clothes, so the other can continue sleeping. Also, we work from home a lot. That means each person needs their own office so they don’t disturb each other during calls etc.
House Design
Who made the design: architect based on our initial PowerPoint sketches
What do you particularly like? Why? – We like the visual axes, from the staircase through the kitchen to the garden and from the hallway past the fireplace into the garden. A generous entrance area is important to avoid future frustration when entering the house and not knowing where to put groceries.
What don’t you like? Why? – The bedroom-walk-in closet situation is tight. We have thought and struggled with this a lot. Maybe we can expand the house by 50 cm (20 inches) to the south. Then a 1.5 m (59 inch) wide walk-in closet would fit.
Price estimate from architect/designer: 600,000 €
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 650,000 € (fittings? Kitchen and furniture on top)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If You Have to Give Up on which details/extensions
You can live without: laundry chute
You cannot live without: separate office rooms, walk-in closet, separate kitchen, staircase as straight as possible (in our case a half-landing staircase max?)
Why is the Design as It Is?
Standard design from the planner? – No, we came with a rough plan sketched in PowerPoint to the architect
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? – All our wishes were implemented by the architect
What do you think is especially good or bad? – We actually like the floor plan very much. As mentioned, the walk-in closet is tight but so far we have not found a better alternative that still allows easy access around the bed. We would also like a T-shaped bathroom layout mainly to hide the WC. But probably there is no space for that, or maybe you have a sudden idea?
I have a somewhat provocative question. Looking at your basement, it seems to have almost no practical use.
Wouldn't it be more sensible to remove the requirement for a basement and instead plan for a larger ground floor (and possibly upper floor)? The square meters in the basement cost roughly the same as living space on the ground floor. Even if you have a smaller plot, there should still be room for a "bigger house." This could result in a more comfortable living space that is still more economical.
Wouldn't it be more sensible to remove the requirement for a basement and instead plan for a larger ground floor (and possibly upper floor)? The square meters in the basement cost roughly the same as living space on the ground floor. Even if you have a smaller plot, there should still be room for a "bigger house." This could result in a more comfortable living space that is still more economical.
So, I think we should start over.
The walk-in closet on the upper floor is a problem. What is the point of that niche directly above the chimney shaft?
The office with the knee wall at 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) ... those will be poor-quality windows. When you enter the office, you won’t be able to see out the windows because the top edge of the glass will be around 150 cm (5 ft) high.
The dining table and the potential fireplace are too close to each other. If you’re sitting at the dining table and the fireplace is on, it will simply get too warm.
The walk-in closet on the upper floor is a problem. What is the point of that niche directly above the chimney shaft?
The office with the knee wall at 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) ... those will be poor-quality windows. When you enter the office, you won’t be able to see out the windows because the top edge of the glass will be around 150 cm (5 ft) high.
The dining table and the potential fireplace are too close to each other. If you’re sitting at the dining table and the fireplace is on, it will simply get too warm.
Baumweg32 schrieb:… and that brought a smile 🙂
We are both 30 years old (and want to stay that way),
Baumweg32 schrieb:
We, Hubert and Gisela (names changed by the editorial team), plan to build a single-family house in 2026/27. We are both 30 years old, Did the "editorial team" also change the ages? (These first names would be authentic for people four decades older).
Baumweg32 schrieb:
Who did the design: architect based on our initial PowerPoint plans Thanks for the reminder that we still too rarely (or too quietly?) advise against "vaccinating" the architect.
GeraldG schrieb:
Looking at your basement, it barely has any practical use. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to remove the “basement” requirement and rather plan a larger ground floor (and possibly also an attic floor)? Yes, the 11ant basement rule is often conveniently overlooked.
Baumweg32 schrieb:
Solid construction, modern, no Poroton bricks Those are actually two separate fixed choices that I consider unwise: construction method and specific wall material. Make the choice of construction method only after the >soft phase during the >proofing stage, and then follow the >stone mantra.
Starting usually from 50 cm (20 inches), many building regulations include the roof overhang in the setback distance.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kbt09 schrieb:
.. and that was quite amusing 🙂 🙂A little admin comeback joke about real names that were supposedly changed by the editorial team...The phrase "(and want to stay that way)" should therefore be placed after "child-free"...
Papierturm9 Nov 2025 19:31Unsorted Thoughts:
Topic 1: The Walk-in Closet
- A central but unanswered question is: How large should/must the home office workspaces be?
- How much closet space is needed?
These two questions are connected. At the moment (unfortunately), I am assuming that the wardrobe space upstairs won’t work and will just be a waste of money and space. The room is simply too small to be used effectively. This can be changed, for example, we planned not to have wardrobes in the bedroom and accordingly made the bedroom smaller. Instead, we have a larger walk-in closet. Some space might also possibly be taken from the home office areas.
Topic 2: Financial Planning
- Fireplaces are expensive. If you love fire, great, it is your dream home after all. However, even KfW 55 energy-efficient houses tend to overheat quickly due to fireplaces. People around me who built with fireplaces in recent years hardly use them—and if they do, then very sporadically.
- I would carefully consider whether a basement investment is justified by the benefits. The plot does not require a basement. A basement is a major investment.
- Cars can survive outside in the fresh air or under carports. Double garages are also quite expensive.
Topic 3: Knee Wall:
- If not dictated by the building regulations/planning permission (which in this case does not apply), I would avoid using this knee wall area. Either make it tall enough to have a good outside view even with shading (usually possible from about 240cm [8 feet] knee wall height, or two full floors), or go for the classic one-and-a-half-story design with a low knee wall, steep roof, and dormer windows. When planning, in the line of sight on the upper floor, when standing, you usually only see the wall ahead.
Topic 4: Kitchen:
- A somewhat provocative idea: door directly between the entrance area and kitchen instead of in the hallway. The door as currently planned is an accident waiting to happen. At some point, someone will run into the door. And if the goal, I quote, is "We want a generous entrance area to avoid future frustration when entering the house and not knowing where to put the groceries," then I think... okay, then follow through consistently and avoid accident hazards. (And if you want to see the garden from the stairs, an interior window can also work. The upper kitchen door is directly in the line of travel between the stairs and the living area, which must also be passed to get to the bathroom. Alternatively: a glass sliding door with some frosted elements.)
Topic 1: The Walk-in Closet
- A central but unanswered question is: How large should/must the home office workspaces be?
- How much closet space is needed?
These two questions are connected. At the moment (unfortunately), I am assuming that the wardrobe space upstairs won’t work and will just be a waste of money and space. The room is simply too small to be used effectively. This can be changed, for example, we planned not to have wardrobes in the bedroom and accordingly made the bedroom smaller. Instead, we have a larger walk-in closet. Some space might also possibly be taken from the home office areas.
Topic 2: Financial Planning
- Fireplaces are expensive. If you love fire, great, it is your dream home after all. However, even KfW 55 energy-efficient houses tend to overheat quickly due to fireplaces. People around me who built with fireplaces in recent years hardly use them—and if they do, then very sporadically.
- I would carefully consider whether a basement investment is justified by the benefits. The plot does not require a basement. A basement is a major investment.
- Cars can survive outside in the fresh air or under carports. Double garages are also quite expensive.
Topic 3: Knee Wall:
- If not dictated by the building regulations/planning permission (which in this case does not apply), I would avoid using this knee wall area. Either make it tall enough to have a good outside view even with shading (usually possible from about 240cm [8 feet] knee wall height, or two full floors), or go for the classic one-and-a-half-story design with a low knee wall, steep roof, and dormer windows. When planning, in the line of sight on the upper floor, when standing, you usually only see the wall ahead.
Topic 4: Kitchen:
- A somewhat provocative idea: door directly between the entrance area and kitchen instead of in the hallway. The door as currently planned is an accident waiting to happen. At some point, someone will run into the door. And if the goal, I quote, is "We want a generous entrance area to avoid future frustration when entering the house and not knowing where to put the groceries," then I think... okay, then follow through consistently and avoid accident hazards. (And if you want to see the garden from the stairs, an interior window can also work. The upper kitchen door is directly in the line of travel between the stairs and the living area, which must also be passed to get to the bathroom. Alternatively: a glass sliding door with some frosted elements.)
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