ᐅ Floor plan design for a single-family house including basement and double garage
Created on: 16 Mar 2026 19:52
M
Minerva121
Hello everyone,
I’m new here and would like to briefly introduce myself and especially the construction project in Franconia / Bavaria: We originally planned to start in 2022, but due to unexpected changes in my family situation, I put the project on hold. The plot was / is already owned by us (with an older building still standing – it still needs to be demolished), but the timing wasn’t right.
Now we are entering the second phase, and all signals are “green.”
The current floor plan was created back then; since then, we’ve had some minor change requests and questions, which I have added below. But first, some basic data about the floor plans (including basement).
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: 676m² (rectangular, approx. 26m wide and 26m long (86ft by 86ft))
Slope: none, completely flat
Site occupancy ratio (floor area ratio): 0.4
Plot ratio (floor space index): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: A front garden area of 5.00m (16ft) depth is defined that must remain free of construction; the building envelope starts from this 5-meter line and extends over the rear parts of the plot. The building envelope covers most of the plot’s width, but setback distances to the side plot boundaries (usually open construction, 3m / 10ft) must be maintained.
Edge construction: As far as I can see, permitted for trash storage shed, garage, and bike shelter
Number of parking spaces: space for 2 cars planned
Number of floors allowed: 2 full storeys allowed
Roof type: Gable roof with a pitch between 20° and 35°
Design style: no specific requirements
Orientation: no specific requirements
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall max 0.5m (1.6ft) measured from the top edge of the structural ceiling of the attic floor to where the exterior wall meets the roof covering; eaves height max 7.5m (25ft)
Additional requirements: roof extensions are allowed
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Gable roof house with relatively shallow roof slope, planned as a prefab house.
Basement, floors: basement planned; plus ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: 4 people (two adults around 45 years old, children aged 7 and 13)
Room requirements on GF, UF: GF --> living-dining area, guest toilet including small shower – ideally barrier-free, office (frequently used), small pantry (directly connected to kitchen), UF --> bathroom, 2 children's rooms, 1 bedroom with small walk-in closet, possibly small storage room, possibly small second workspace for occasional remote working by both adults (can usually be avoided).
Guest overnight stays per year: very few --> no guest room needed or could be solved with sofa bed in the office.
Open or closed architecture: GF rather open, UF rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: likely more conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen island, accessible from both sides.
Number of dining seats: dining table for 6 people
Fireplace: no (or optional)
Music / stereo system: flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in the living area
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage for two cars, with trash shed and bike shelter desired at the edge of the plot (but less urgent)
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be: The desire is for a classic single-family home for a family of four with a permanent home office. Designed pragmatically, not fancy or architecturally elaborate. The house should be built as a “climate-friendly new construction.”
About the house design
Who is the designer?
Initial design by an independent architect based on our sketch
What do you particularly like? Why?
What don’t you like? Why?
Price estimate from architect / planner: no estimate yet
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 750,000€ (house incl. basement, ancillary costs, kitchen, garage, driveway/terrace; demolition of the existing building is calculated separately)
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details / expansions?
Why is the design as it is?
We thought about room use in this family setup including home office needs, but we are not professionals. It is not something extravagant, just pragmatic.
Final comments
We appreciate honest assessments, tips, and constructive criticism – if we’ve missed important information, we’ll happily provide it. We plan to have the construction supervised by a prefab house expert, since we are complete novices regarding building inspections.
A heartfelt thanks in advance for your time and valuable feedback on our floor plan.
Minerva121
I’m new here and would like to briefly introduce myself and especially the construction project in Franconia / Bavaria: We originally planned to start in 2022, but due to unexpected changes in my family situation, I put the project on hold. The plot was / is already owned by us (with an older building still standing – it still needs to be demolished), but the timing wasn’t right.
Now we are entering the second phase, and all signals are “green.”
The current floor plan was created back then; since then, we’ve had some minor change requests and questions, which I have added below. But first, some basic data about the floor plans (including basement).
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: 676m² (rectangular, approx. 26m wide and 26m long (86ft by 86ft))
Slope: none, completely flat
Site occupancy ratio (floor area ratio): 0.4
Plot ratio (floor space index): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: A front garden area of 5.00m (16ft) depth is defined that must remain free of construction; the building envelope starts from this 5-meter line and extends over the rear parts of the plot. The building envelope covers most of the plot’s width, but setback distances to the side plot boundaries (usually open construction, 3m / 10ft) must be maintained.
Edge construction: As far as I can see, permitted for trash storage shed, garage, and bike shelter
Number of parking spaces: space for 2 cars planned
Number of floors allowed: 2 full storeys allowed
Roof type: Gable roof with a pitch between 20° and 35°
Design style: no specific requirements
Orientation: no specific requirements
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall max 0.5m (1.6ft) measured from the top edge of the structural ceiling of the attic floor to where the exterior wall meets the roof covering; eaves height max 7.5m (25ft)
Additional requirements: roof extensions are allowed
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Gable roof house with relatively shallow roof slope, planned as a prefab house.
Basement, floors: basement planned; plus ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: 4 people (two adults around 45 years old, children aged 7 and 13)
Room requirements on GF, UF: GF --> living-dining area, guest toilet including small shower – ideally barrier-free, office (frequently used), small pantry (directly connected to kitchen), UF --> bathroom, 2 children's rooms, 1 bedroom with small walk-in closet, possibly small storage room, possibly small second workspace for occasional remote working by both adults (can usually be avoided).
Guest overnight stays per year: very few --> no guest room needed or could be solved with sofa bed in the office.
Open or closed architecture: GF rather open, UF rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: likely more conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen island, accessible from both sides.
Number of dining seats: dining table for 6 people
Fireplace: no (or optional)
Music / stereo system: flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in the living area
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage for two cars, with trash shed and bike shelter desired at the edge of the plot (but less urgent)
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be: The desire is for a classic single-family home for a family of four with a permanent home office. Designed pragmatically, not fancy or architecturally elaborate. The house should be built as a “climate-friendly new construction.”
About the house design
Who is the designer?
Initial design by an independent architect based on our sketch
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Most of our basic concept and wishes have been implemented and, in our opinion, successfully
- Well-balanced room layout on the upper floor
What don’t you like? Why?
- For cost reasons, we might reduce to approximately 150m² (1615 sq ft) because the room sizes overall seem quite generous
- We would no longer want a granny flat; the basement should be purely utility space, not living space
- Are windows really necessary in the basement?
- The guest toilet on the ground floor should be barrier-free
- The glass façades in the living area on the ground floor are too large for us: this increases costs and limits usable space for placing the sofa – which would have to be right in front of the glass façade, not ideal from our point of view
- The section shows we originally wanted an open sloped ceiling; since this was described by many prefab house providers in early talks as a “major cost driver,” we would waive it (which would mean the roof windows would also be omitted)
Price estimate from architect / planner: no estimate yet
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 750,000€ (house incl. basement, ancillary costs, kitchen, garage, driveway/terrace; demolition of the existing building is calculated separately)
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details / expansions?
- Can do without: granny flat, open sloped ceiling, large glass fronts on the ground floor, overall floor area can be smaller
- Cannot do without: basement, kitchen island
Why is the design as it is?
We thought about room use in this family setup including home office needs, but we are not professionals. It is not something extravagant, just pragmatic.
Final comments
We appreciate honest assessments, tips, and constructive criticism – if we’ve missed important information, we’ll happily provide it. We plan to have the construction supervised by a prefab house expert, since we are complete novices regarding building inspections.
A heartfelt thanks in advance for your time and valuable feedback on our floor plan.
Minerva121
derdietmar schrieb:
Basically, the floor plan is quite good, but I see some minor potential for improvements and necessary changes: Your thoughts listed below are generally good, but I would generally avoid discussing any design that currently exists only on paper as if it were the remodeling of an existing building. You can remodel houses, but not plans: instead, you create new plans – and I strongly recommend starting from a blank sheet, meaning not to carry over anything from a previous design (not just nothing bad, but nothing good either, truly nothing at all), see post #14:
11ant schrieb:
Follow my "House Building Roadmap, also for you: the HOAI phase model!" starting with the first two steps "Module A" and "Resting Dough with Decision-Making" – of course only if you don’t have too much money and want to get rid of it. An important principle is: "Plan first, then draw"! (meaning that before any drawing, the proper conceptual phase must be completed, which in turn is based on a qualified spatial program). The architect should be independent and, as mentioned, be capable of both halves (otherwise, they’ll give you unrealistic cost estimates).https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
derdietmar schrieb:
This should work out budget-wise. With nearly 200 sqm (2150 sq ft) plus an external freezer room, I am well over the possible 590,000€ if you calculate 3500€/sqm.
D
derdietmar18 Mar 2026 20:33Hello,
To be honest, I didn’t check the dimensions; I assumed the house is 170 m2 (1,830 sq ft). Of course, 200 m2 (2,150 sq ft) would require more budget. Although there is probably some room to reduce costs, as the floor plan is quite spacious.
Best regards
ypg schrieb:
I end up well above the possible 590,000€ with nearly 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) plus an external freezer room, if you estimate 3,500€/sqm.
To be honest, I didn’t check the dimensions; I assumed the house is 170 m2 (1,830 sq ft). Of course, 200 m2 (2,150 sq ft) would require more budget. Although there is probably some room to reduce costs, as the floor plan is quite spacious.
Best regards
M
Minerva12118 Mar 2026 23:0411ant schrieb:
The biggest planning inconsistency—which also prevents me from criticizing the concrete design at all—is our lack of knowledge about its origin. You started this thread as a complete newbie, so we know nothing about the planning history from 2022. It is clear that there have been some price increases in the meantime—what cost-saving approaches have been pursued to build with the reduced purchasing power of the budget (meaning smaller and/or simpler), or has there since been an inheritance, lottery win, or career-related salary increase? Reducing space requirements is one adjustment; career changes accompanied by long-term planning security and a larger financial scope are another. The 2022 origin involved planning with an independent architect, who would have tendered and commissioned individual trades for a solid construction method. However, the project could not be realized at that time due to external factors (price increases and uncertainties) as well as family changes, so we have now questioned these plans—that’s why we posted here in this forum, which we had previously only followed as readers.
derdietmar schrieb:
I honestly didn’t check the measurements; I assumed the house was 170 m² (about 1830 ft²). At 200 m² (about 2150 ft²), of course, that’s not enough. Although the floor plan is generous, so there is probably some room for adjustment. We have taken that on board and will significantly reduce the space—we intend the planned living area to be around 160 m² (about 1720 ft²). We do not want to give up on the basement yet. We are now searching for an independent architect to produce a new design that includes some ideas from these discussions.
The question of recommendations for finding an architect is probably hard to answer, but the wide range of options is currently making the search complicated for us—the proverbial needle in a haystack. Reference projects, fixed-price billing instead of fee structures like HOAI, independence from suppliers, and so forth—there are many possible decision criteria. There are even platforms that act as brokers for architects.
Perhaps you might have some tips or experiences to share.
Papierturm19 Mar 2026 06:38Minerva121 schrieb:
We don’t want to give up on the basement just yet. As a suggestion:
A basement, whether used as storage or living space, is generally the most expensive part of a house. If the property is on a slope that naturally requires a basement, then it makes sense.
On a flat plot, however, you can save anywhere from five to almost six figures by relocating the "basement space" either into the attic or other areas of the house.
I see this around me as well. Almost all of my wife’s family members have asked why we built without a basement. For our property, a basement would have likely cost close to six figures extra at best, and significantly more at worst (soil class 7 possibly in areas where the basement would have been).
Minerva121 schrieb:
The question about recommendations for finding an architect is probably difficult to answer, but the sheer number of options is making the search complicated for us right now – like finding a needle in a haystack.
Reference projects, fixed-price contracts instead of HOAI, independence from providers, etc. – there are many possible decision criteria. There are also platforms that "broker" architects.
Maybe you have some tips and personal experiences? We worked with an independent freelance architect on a fixed-price basis. He was really good, and I would definitely recommend him right away.
But: it’s often beneficial if an architect is at least somewhat familiar with local trades (e.g., civil engineering companies) and local conditions (e.g., building authority). That’s why I wouldn’t look too far outside the region.
Important: the architect should offer full services, not just planning. This way, they have realistic prices for the house and earthworks. Architects who only design houses tend to be quite optimistic about costs.
ypg schrieb:
Let's try calculating in reverse:
+750000 budget
- 50000 driveway/patio, shed and landscaping
- 30000 simple double garage
- 25000 kitchen
- 50000 additional construction costs
= 590000 for the house
/ 3500 = 170 sqm (1830 sq ft) house without basement (current, upscale standard)
/ 3200 = 185 sqm (1990 sq ft) house without basement (slightly above average standard)
/ 3000 = rounded up 200 sqm (2150 sq ft) without basement or 165 sqm (1775 sq ft) average standard with usable basement) Minerva121 schrieb:
We want to plan the living area at about 160 sqm (1720 sq ft). We’re not ready to give up on the basement yet. That statement provides a good basis to work from. At least in theory.
Included is a usable basement without a separate apartment, without heating, hobby room/office, or outside access.
The house itself is a townhouse villa in the style of Town & Country or Heinz von Heiden. Absolutely no structural challenges, no windows wider than 2 meters (6.5 feet)—rather with mullions—and no roof extension—basically all much simpler. This also applies to the fittings.
Upper floor:
Children’s rooms, each 15 sqm (160 sq ft)
Bedroom 15 sqm (160 sq ft)
Hallway 12 sqm (130 sq ft) (probably no way around the straight staircase)
Bathroom 13 sqm (140 sq ft)
Storage/dressing room 10 sqm (110 sq ft)
Check ✔️
Ground floor:
Hallway 12 sqm (130 sq ft)
Cloakroom area 3 sqm (32 sq ft)
Bathroom/pantry 10 sqm (110 sq ft)
Office 12 sqm (130 sq ft)
Open living/dining area 48 sqm (520 sq ft)
Check ✔️
Minerva121 schrieb:
Maybe you have tips or experience to share. I would think about this carefully: you configure a BMW SUV but end up buying a Dacia Duster because you have to, not because you want to. Priority is given to cargo space (the basement) rather than comfort in the driver’s compartment.
You need to decide if the cargo space (basement) is really justified.
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