ᐅ Modernist House: Two Full Floors plus Setback Floor (approx. 200 sqm) – Optimization

Hello everyone,

after successfully purchasing the plot, my husband and I are now in the middle of planning our single-family home and would appreciate any tips regarding the attached designs.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 680 sqm (7,326 sq ft)
No slope
Site occupancy index 0.25
Building window, building line, and boundary: from 5 m (16 ft) away from the street, 12 m (39 ft) long, see attachment
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2 full floors + optional recessed floor
Roof type: flat roof
Architectural style: cube
Maximum height/limits: 10 m (33 ft)

Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Bauhaus, flat roof
Basement, floors: no basement; two full floors plus recessed floor
Number of residents, age: 2 adults, 2 babies
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: approx. 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft)
Office: 2 home offices
Guest bedrooms per year: limited, can use offices
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Roof terrace
Garage

House design
Designed by: planner from a construction company and DIY
What do you particularly like? Why? The large window fronts on the west and north sides and the kitchen window on the south side, because we like bright rooms with plenty of sunlight and want to be able to see the street from the kitchen.
What do you dislike? The living-dining-kitchen area feels cramped; a larger floor plan is not desired due to the wish to have as much garden as possible. The exterior view could still be improved because the house looks very tall due to the three floors, and the facades with the windows are not always entirely harmonious. To visually soften the house, we are considering cladding the recessed floor with wood. If this turns out too costly, we are thinking about a color accent instead.

If you have to give up, which details/features
- can you do without: We could do without the half-landing stairs if using a different stair design improves space efficiency. Also, the utility room could be smaller.
- cannot do without: We don’t want to give up a generous living/dining/kitchen area with at least 50 sqm (538 sq ft) and a wide kitchen (at least 5 m (16 ft)) with a kitchen island.

Why did the design turn out this way?
The planning is based on our own wishes, especially the desire for an open living/dining/kitchen area with large windows (sliding doors) and a kitchen with a window facing south. We particularly like the corner window in the living room and the parents’ area in the recessed floor. It is also important to us that there is no direct view from the entrance area into the living room.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the ground floor layout be better optimized to achieve a more spacious living/dining/kitchen area?

We would be very happy to receive feedback. Thank you very much!

Here is another version. The top floor now features wooden cladding, which significantly enhances the house’s exterior appearance. Additionally, the entrance and staircase have been slightly modified. Background: we wanted to make the staircase and utility room a bit narrower to widen the living room. We also felt that the wardrobe was located a bit too far from the entrance. Overall, the entrance and staircase area still does not feel completely balanced to us. We would greatly appreciate any suggestions for improvement.

Best regards
Lena

Wow, that’s quite a bulky design. Are you sure you want the master area all the way at the top? I wouldn’t recommend that, since you’ll have to go up and down two flights of stairs all the time. Are you certain you want a rooftop terrace? Usually, people hardly use it if they already have a terrace with a garden below.

You mention cardinal directions, but unfortunately, they are not indicated on the plans.

In my opinion, a view from the kitchen onto the street is overrated (for what purpose?), I would prioritize proximity to the terrace for easier access.

Where is your storage space? Or do you have a basement?

I just quickly looked over it. If you consider the size of the furniture in the master bedroom, you should check all the furniture and draw it in with realistic dimensions.

@Pinky0301 North arrow in the "hand-drawn site plan"

Hello Lena,

a very interesting design.

To be honest, I find the exterior appearance quite unsettling. I don’t see any Bauhaus style. Simply using a flat roof combined with setbacks does not create a Bauhaus design.
The building form, especially one elevation, reminds me more of a Tetris block.
You’ve actually already noticed this yourself. The house has too little footprint for three floors, and combined with the many setbacks, it looks like Tetris.

I haven’t looked closely at the floor plan in detail yet. At first glance, it’s a typical prefab house / production house standard— a two-story layout for a family of four. That’s not bad, but a bit conventional. However, since your space requirements and wishes don’t fit the footprint, you simply added another floor.

Sure, you can try to optimize the individual floors now, but in my opinion, you will only soften the massing a little. It will be somewhat less problematic, but not really better.

Even though you didn’t mention it... you have a very generous budget, right? That’s a lot of square meters and glass and roof terraces, etc... depending on the region, you’re clearly heading toward 3000 €/m² (or more).

Maybe you can provide the measurements of your plot. I don’t see the problem yet.
Remove the first floor and give the house more footprint.

Pinky0301 schrieb:

Wow, that’s quite a bulky design. Are you sure you want the master area all the way upstairs? I wouldn’t want that since it means constantly going up and down two floors. Are you sure you want a rooftop terrace? Usually, people hardly ever use it if there’s a terrace with a garden below.
You mention cardinal directions, but unfortunately, they’re not shown on the plans.
In my opinion, having a kitchen view overlooking the street is overrated (for what purpose?), I would prioritize proximity to the terrace for shorter walking distances.
Where is your storage space? Or do you have a basement?

Thank you! Yes, it is quite a bulky design. That worries us a bit too.

We are quite certain about the master area. The rooftop terrace is partly dictated by the zoning regulations, since the upper recessed floor can only cover 75% of the floor area below. We probably won’t use the terrace very much, though.

Regarding the cardinal directions: sorry. The street is to the south.

Why a kitchen view onto the street: that’s how we currently live, and we quite like it. To have a shorter route from the kitchen to the terrace, it would be possible to extend the terrace up to the kitchen door.

About storage space: there is no basement. Storage is planned in the utility room, the rear part of the garage, and the laundry room on the upper floor. Additionally, the rooms offer some storage space due to their size.

Best regards,
Lena