Hello everyone,
finally, we have reached an important step… the plot is signed for.
We want to build with an architect and already have some ideas about what we like and what we don’t.
We definitely want to give the architect the opportunity to apply their expertise regarding the floor plan… maybe they can convince us.
But if not, we are currently (almost) quite happy with this self-drawn floor plan.
A few key facts…
Plot size: 660 sqm (about 7100 sq ft), floor area ratio 0.4, no slope, approximately 26m x 25m (85 ft x 82 ft)
Longest building side allowed: max. 15m (about 49 ft)
L-shaped bungalow with covered terrace (southwest side)
We want to build with a basement. This should have windows with natural daylight behind the garage on the east side. There will be 2–3 living rooms down there (playroom, hobby room, later for the kids or grandparents if necessary).
The roof will not be converted into a living space — 20-22° (degrees) pitch, hip roof, for aesthetic reasons.
We know that a basement is more expensive than a second floor, etc. The budget is roughly 650,000–700,000 (currency).
Utility room, laundry room, sauna, etc. will all be located in the basement since there is enough space. 🙂
Now to the floor plan:
We like an open design with a large entrance area.
What we like about this floor plan:
Children’s area separated from parents
Connection from the garage with access to the storage room and basement
Access from kitchen and living room to the terrace possible
Master bedroom with direct view of the garden on the southeast side (in summer the shutters are closed anyway)
Children’s rooms with windows facing west, slightly southwest.
Open questions…
Are the children’s rooms too narrow at almost 3m (about 10 ft)?
Is the living room too narrow at almost 4.5m (about 15 ft)?
The L-shape at the terrace is about 3m (10 ft) deep — here we could possibly adjust a bit to enlarge the children’s rooms.
My wife doesn’t like that the kitchen is visible directly from the entrance area.
(I prefer the kitchen visibility over the living room couch). What do you think is better or worse?
The kitchen window is on the south side, possibly too much sun… maybe we should add an awning if needed.
I can’t fit a second toilet elsewhere without making the children’s rooms even smaller… so it will remain a guest toilet for the parents.
Is a door between the entrance area and the living area for a windbreak useful, or unnecessary? (We have underfloor heating.)
(Maybe a hidden interior door, but I’m unsure what happens if it gets damaged.)
The floor area ratio will be tight… 15m x 15m = 225 sqm (about 11,200 sq ft) + garage + driveway… we might need to reduce the width a bit.
660 sqm x 0.4 = 264 sqm (about 2,840 sq ft).
I have seen many floor plans here… wishes and practicality have to match somewhere.
I’m really curious about the experts’ opinions…
Is it rubbish or usable?
Thanks
finally, we have reached an important step… the plot is signed for.
We want to build with an architect and already have some ideas about what we like and what we don’t.
We definitely want to give the architect the opportunity to apply their expertise regarding the floor plan… maybe they can convince us.
But if not, we are currently (almost) quite happy with this self-drawn floor plan.
A few key facts…
Plot size: 660 sqm (about 7100 sq ft), floor area ratio 0.4, no slope, approximately 26m x 25m (85 ft x 82 ft)
Longest building side allowed: max. 15m (about 49 ft)
L-shaped bungalow with covered terrace (southwest side)
We want to build with a basement. This should have windows with natural daylight behind the garage on the east side. There will be 2–3 living rooms down there (playroom, hobby room, later for the kids or grandparents if necessary).
The roof will not be converted into a living space — 20-22° (degrees) pitch, hip roof, for aesthetic reasons.
We know that a basement is more expensive than a second floor, etc. The budget is roughly 650,000–700,000 (currency).
Utility room, laundry room, sauna, etc. will all be located in the basement since there is enough space. 🙂
Now to the floor plan:
We like an open design with a large entrance area.
What we like about this floor plan:
Children’s area separated from parents
Connection from the garage with access to the storage room and basement
Access from kitchen and living room to the terrace possible
Master bedroom with direct view of the garden on the southeast side (in summer the shutters are closed anyway)
Children’s rooms with windows facing west, slightly southwest.
Open questions…
Are the children’s rooms too narrow at almost 3m (about 10 ft)?
Is the living room too narrow at almost 4.5m (about 15 ft)?
The L-shape at the terrace is about 3m (10 ft) deep — here we could possibly adjust a bit to enlarge the children’s rooms.
My wife doesn’t like that the kitchen is visible directly from the entrance area.
(I prefer the kitchen visibility over the living room couch). What do you think is better or worse?
The kitchen window is on the south side, possibly too much sun… maybe we should add an awning if needed.
I can’t fit a second toilet elsewhere without making the children’s rooms even smaller… so it will remain a guest toilet for the parents.
Is a door between the entrance area and the living area for a windbreak useful, or unnecessary? (We have underfloor heating.)
(Maybe a hidden interior door, but I’m unsure what happens if it gets damaged.)
The floor area ratio will be tight… 15m x 15m = 225 sqm (about 11,200 sq ft) + garage + driveway… we might need to reduce the width a bit.
660 sqm x 0.4 = 264 sqm (about 2,840 sq ft).
I have seen many floor plans here… wishes and practicality have to match somewhere.
I’m really curious about the experts’ opinions…
Is it rubbish or usable?
Thanks
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Looks like the floor plan of the Palace of Knossos again. 🙂 Or those maze games with the little metal ball. Unfortunately, that is desired, or it’s simply not feasible with this large area and a maximum width of 15 meters (50 feet).
I might come up with another version if I rotate the whole thing by 90 degrees and place the entrance on a different side... provided the weather stays bad and my schedule allows it.
kbt09 schrieb:
I like
best ... in the other options, one of the children's rooms only has west-facing windows, which means less light in winter.
Also, I prefer the main terrace in the southwest ... very pleasant on nice summer evenings. I actually thought a bit about you when I designed the south-facing rooms 😉
It’s not really my favorite because I don’t like the entrance to the open-plan living area.
I think it has even more potential if everyone shares a bathroom in the middle, where the shower room is now? What do you think, Kerstin?
I
Iotafreak19 Apr 2021 13:51Evolith schrieb:
If you really want a basement (I understand, for the look), then think carefully about whether it should be a full basement. Then decide if it should have natural daylight or not. That makes a huge difference in cost. The sauna room and technical areas are compactly arranged. An office (which you had planned upstairs) would make sense downstairs, and if nicely furnished, it can be quite cozy there as well. A guest room with a small shower bath also doesn’t take up much space. I estimate about 70-80 sqm (750-860 sq ft). You can then still consider providing daylight to the office and guest room by using light wells. Keep in mind that light wells require a lot of space. I don’t find them particularly attractive either.
I believe every basement should have its own entrance. With a clever layout, you might even avoid the need for a light well.
I would really recommend planning all relevant rooms (bedrooms and children’s rooms, guest bathroom, main bathroom, storage room) upstairs. The rest can go downstairs, and where there is still some space, well-planned built-in cupboards can provide good additional storage. Thanks, that’s also the idea... whether full basement or partial basement, the architect still wants to calculate if that really makes sense...
I
Iotafreak19 Apr 2021 15:05ypg schrieb:
I had mentioned an idea inspired by "a la Vita, Weiss" and also implemented it:
Of course, I kept the desired basement in mind... but I have to say, it’s quite challenging to create a ground floor, meaning a bungalow with such a large area in the “middle” of such a footprint-heavy house, without ending up with very long corridors or dark niches. The basement is quite unsatisfactory. The rooms face inward and are dark, even though there is a light well constructed there and a panoramic window installed. Creating a separate apartment there would only be possible with a lot of effort, and even then, only by closing your eyes.
Anyway, I managed something in principle. Everything fits within the 15-meter (49 feet) side length. I didn’t pay attention to the overall area anymore... and with the light wells as well as the basement terrace mentioned by the original poster, I don’t see that possible anymore with the floor area ratio. The house feels like it takes up nearly the entire lot: the front and side setbacks of 3.7 or 6 meters (12 or 20 feet) — the required boundary clearance for the light well height — mean that hardly any garden space remains.
I’ll spare the details here—others joining the discussion are aware of such problems—but ultimately, the original poster must decide how to position the house on their property.
I only logically placed the terrace in the southeast. Since it’s covered, it’s at least protected from the wind there; a southwest terrace would be windier, and the covering wouldn’t help much. Also, I wanted to do something nice for the children on the west side 🙂
But basically, these plans could be adjusted; the garage could also be moved from west to east.
Many elements depend on each other, so shifting this or that rarely works without compromising something else.
As I understand it, the children don’t need their own separate bathroom?
Here are the plans. Note: interior walls are only a rough 10 cm (4 inches) thick, while the exterior walls are 38 cm (15 inches). The kitchen island is 2.40 m (8 feet) long, the bedroom windows are 1.80 m (6 feet) wide, the panoramic window measures 3 meters (10 feet).
North is at the top of the plans 🙂
I’m still available for any questions 🙂
[ATTACH alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021-04-18 um 12.15.59.png"]60347[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021-04-18 um 17.19.22.png"]60348[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021-04-18 um 19.50.19.png"]60349[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021-04-19 um 09.33.25.png"]60350[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Bildschirmfoto 2021-04-18 um 19.48.25.png"]60351[/ATTACH] Wow, first of all, thank you so much for your effort.
I really appreciate that members are trying to help here... thanks.
I hope it’s okay as a new member to share my views here without them being misunderstood as inappropriate criticism.
I hadn’t even considered placing the bedroom on the north side, since it seems illogical to put the relaxation area just 4 meters (13 feet) from the street... Also, the terrace is way too small... It would barely fit 3-4 people comfortably... It would be quite tight with guests. In my design, it’s nearly 6 meters (20 feet) long.
Otherwise, interesting approaches that might actually help me... Thanks again.
Honestly, the orientation of the terrace is still not fixed... Southeast offers more protection and morning sun, but southwest means evening sun.
I have no idea which would be better...??? I guess there are different opinions about this...
If we agree that it is sufficient to separate the children’s rooms only by one bathroom plus possibly a walk-in closet from the bedroom, then @Evolith’s layout looks the most harmonious to me... Maybe just redesign the living room a bit and it could work for us...
I completely agree with you that very little garden space remains... We do have a 6-meter (20 feet) wide meadow behind the garden and then 6-meter (20 feet) high trees before the next properties will eventually be developed, but maybe we should consider reducing the depth a bit... Side setbacks could be larger, but I don’t find that problematic...
It’s really tough—when you talk to 10 people, you get 10 different opinions... Especially when trying to gather experience... Everyone praises their own way and would always do it the same again...
Thanks again!
Yes, everyone praises their own home. Here, you’re most likely to find homeowners who admit it wasn’t perfect.
Walk through apartments and houses with open eyes.
At your in-laws, the tight space at the dining table bothers you; at your friend’s place, you like the guest bathroom; the small distance between the bed and the wall in the bedroom annoys you; and yes, your cousin has to stand sideways to access the oven. Take these observations into account and make notes.
It goes without saying to ask diplomatically. For example: “Wow, your guest toilet is so compact—what are its dimensions?” You don’t have to say, “It’s so tiny, every time I almost have to climb over the toilet for the door to close, and no one can wash their hands at that tiny sink without getting wet.”
Everyone understands that you need a sense of scale and dimensions.
I’m afraid the floor area ratio might interfere with your plans. Bungalow, garage, terrace, light well, external staircase—those add up quickly.
A bedroom facing the street shouldn’t be a problem. At least in our case, not much noise is heard inside the house, and we live on a main road. Garbage trucks and refrigerated delivery vehicles at the bakery are the loudest sources.
Walk through apartments and houses with open eyes.
At your in-laws, the tight space at the dining table bothers you; at your friend’s place, you like the guest bathroom; the small distance between the bed and the wall in the bedroom annoys you; and yes, your cousin has to stand sideways to access the oven. Take these observations into account and make notes.
It goes without saying to ask diplomatically. For example: “Wow, your guest toilet is so compact—what are its dimensions?” You don’t have to say, “It’s so tiny, every time I almost have to climb over the toilet for the door to close, and no one can wash their hands at that tiny sink without getting wet.”
Everyone understands that you need a sense of scale and dimensions.
I’m afraid the floor area ratio might interfere with your plans. Bungalow, garage, terrace, light well, external staircase—those add up quickly.
A bedroom facing the street shouldn’t be a problem. At least in our case, not much noise is heard inside the house, and we live on a main road. Garbage trucks and refrigerated delivery vehicles at the bakery are the loudest sources.
I
Iotafreak19 Apr 2021 15:56haydee schrieb:
Yes, everyone praises their own. Here, you’re most likely to find homeowners who admit that things weren’t optimal.
Walk through apartments and houses with open eyes.
At your in-laws, the tight space around the dining table annoys you, at your friend’s place you like the guest bathroom, the small distance between the bed and wall in your bedroom bothers you, and yes, your cousin has to step aside to get to the oven. Take all this into account and make notes.
Of course, ask diplomatically. Wow, your guest toilet is so compact — what are its dimensions? You don’t have to say, “It’s tiny; every time I nearly have to climb over the toilet for the door to close, and no one can wash their hands at that tiny sink without getting wet.”
Everyone understands that you need a good sense of space and dimensions.
I’m just afraid the floor area ratio might mess up your plans. Bungalow, garage, terrace, light well, outdoor staircase — that all adds up.
A bedroom facing the street shouldn’t be a problem. At least in our house, you hardly hear anything, and we live on a main road. The loudest noises are from the garbage truck and the refrigerated delivery truck at the bakery. Yep, that’s exactly how we’ve been doing it for a while... You immediately notice what you like or dislike... I’ve already gotten floor plans from some acquaintances (not just bungalows) to get a better feel for the dimensions...
Floor area ratio is tight:
0.4 x 660 = 264
If we could compress things a bit:
For example, 14 x 14 = 196 (including terrace)
Garage = 36
Light well = about 10-15
Driveway, entrance?
I don’t think roof overhangs are considered very strictly...?
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