Hello,
attached is a floor plan for our planned single-family house, designed by my wife and me.
- approx. 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) living area + 80 sqm (861 sq ft) basement
- 2 full stories
- hipped roof (city villa style)
- fully basemented, basement also usable as living space
- large garage (approx. 9 m x 9 m (30 ft x 30 ft))
My thoughts on the floor plan:
- everything open towards the south (large plot with 2000 sqm (0.5 acres) – unobstructed south-facing view)
- street is to the north – so the house should be more closed off on that side
- neighboring buildings to the west and east
- west and south terraces → access from the kitchen, with a short path from the kitchen to the terrace
- direct access from the house to the garage
- large kitchen
- upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, separate toilet, bedroom with a not-too-small walk-in closet
- office in the basement (east side will get daylight through a light well)
- additional (children’s) room in the basement with daylight, in case a child wants to move to the basement later
The floor plan is square-shaped
Interior dimensions approximately 9.30 to 9.50 m (31 ft to 31 ft) + exterior walls
According to my calculations, the house has about 160–170 sqm (1,722–1,829 sq ft) of living area – but compared to other floor plans, it feels quite small. Am I mistaken, or is the layout just not good?
The drawing was made on standard graph paper since I haven’t really worked with drawing software yet (e.g. Arcon) to create something useful.
1 square = 50 cm (20 inches)
Maybe someone could share their thoughts?
attached is a floor plan for our planned single-family house, designed by my wife and me.
- approx. 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) living area + 80 sqm (861 sq ft) basement
- 2 full stories
- hipped roof (city villa style)
- fully basemented, basement also usable as living space
- large garage (approx. 9 m x 9 m (30 ft x 30 ft))
My thoughts on the floor plan:
- everything open towards the south (large plot with 2000 sqm (0.5 acres) – unobstructed south-facing view)
- street is to the north – so the house should be more closed off on that side
- neighboring buildings to the west and east
- west and south terraces → access from the kitchen, with a short path from the kitchen to the terrace
- direct access from the house to the garage
- large kitchen
- upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, separate toilet, bedroom with a not-too-small walk-in closet
- office in the basement (east side will get daylight through a light well)
- additional (children’s) room in the basement with daylight, in case a child wants to move to the basement later
The floor plan is square-shaped
Interior dimensions approximately 9.30 to 9.50 m (31 ft to 31 ft) + exterior walls
According to my calculations, the house has about 160–170 sqm (1,722–1,829 sq ft) of living area – but compared to other floor plans, it feels quite small. Am I mistaken, or is the layout just not good?
The drawing was made on standard graph paper since I haven’t really worked with drawing software yet (e.g. Arcon) to create something useful.
1 square = 50 cm (20 inches)
Maybe someone could share their thoughts?
Hello! Overall, I think the floor plan and your requirements are very nice. Having kitchen/dining/living areas combined is a matter of personal preference; I prefer them somewhat separated. Also, the staircase in the living area wouldn’t be my choice because odors and noise tend to travel upstairs. I would place both children’s bedrooms facing south, since adults usually spend little time in the bedroom during the day, but kids do.
Maybe you could get an initial quote to get an idea of the costs? 160m2 (1,722 sq ft) with a basement living area and a large garage won’t be cheap.
By the way, why do you want such a big garage?
Maybe you could get an initial quote to get an idea of the costs? 160m2 (1,722 sq ft) with a basement living area and a large garage won’t be cheap.
By the way, why do you want such a big garage?
There will be a small workshop in the garage for DIY projects and such. Possibly also a small, inexpensive wood stove to provide some heating. Additionally, space is needed for two cars, a trailer, bicycles, garden tools, and so on... So the garage will fill up quickly.
It should also be able to serve as a large party room.
To handle odors, there will be a controlled ventilation system for indoor air quality and an extractor hood.
I can’t fit the dressing room and bedroom on the north side.
I definitely want a heat pump, and I want the kitchen and bathroom stacked vertically, so I can avoid circulation losses with the short hot water pipes and don’t have to run plumbing all over the house.
In the basement, there’s a huge room with natural daylight. Later, a child can move down there and have their own space.
Maybe the small children’s room will become a shared bedroom with two beds, and the large south-facing room will be a playroom.
It should also be able to serve as a large party room.
To handle odors, there will be a controlled ventilation system for indoor air quality and an extractor hood.
I can’t fit the dressing room and bedroom on the north side.
I definitely want a heat pump, and I want the kitchen and bathroom stacked vertically, so I can avoid circulation losses with the short hot water pipes and don’t have to run plumbing all over the house.
In the basement, there’s a huge room with natural daylight. Later, a child can move down there and have their own space.
Maybe the small children’s room will become a shared bedroom with two beds, and the large south-facing room will be a playroom.
Overall, I think the plan is not bad; having a separate toilet from the bathroom upstairs also has its advantages. However, I would add a shower to the toilet on the ground floor. Is the pantry supposed to be combined with the utility room? I would prefer a direct access from the kitchen to the pantry; otherwise, you have to go through two doors each time. Although the distances are not long, I know from my parents’ experience that it was inconvenient.
I had already considered the pantry/laundry room. But since access from the garage to the house goes through this room, I thought a door to the entrance area would be more practical.
The kitchen should also provide enough storage space for all frequently used food items, so you wouldn’t need to go into the pantry as often while cooking. --> this way there would be more room for cupboards in the kitchen.
Access through the pantry/laundry room is more out of necessity, as I want to be able to go directly into the garage and the pantry is supposed to be located behind the kitchen. An additional hallway would actually be a waste of space and realistically wouldn’t fit anymore.
Also: I could bring drinks, etc. directly from the car to the pantry in the shortest possible way.
---> With these points in mind, is it still advisable to have access to the kitchen instead of the entrance area? I wanted to avoid three doors in the pantry/laundry room, since that would reduce the available space for shelves, etc.
I have also considered a shower in the ground floor restroom. But thinking about how often it would actually be used? There is no guest room or similar on the ground floor.
Therefore, I was thinking more about an additional shower in the basement (laundry room). It would be located directly under the pantry and the upstairs bathroom --> laundry chute and basement stairs leading out to the garage. This way, one could enter the laundry room directly with dirty work clothes and shower there.
Is an additional laundry chute opening on the ground floor useful? The only thing I can think of is that I could throw dirty kitchen towels down it?
The kitchen should also provide enough storage space for all frequently used food items, so you wouldn’t need to go into the pantry as often while cooking. --> this way there would be more room for cupboards in the kitchen.
Access through the pantry/laundry room is more out of necessity, as I want to be able to go directly into the garage and the pantry is supposed to be located behind the kitchen. An additional hallway would actually be a waste of space and realistically wouldn’t fit anymore.
Also: I could bring drinks, etc. directly from the car to the pantry in the shortest possible way.
---> With these points in mind, is it still advisable to have access to the kitchen instead of the entrance area? I wanted to avoid three doors in the pantry/laundry room, since that would reduce the available space for shelves, etc.
I have also considered a shower in the ground floor restroom. But thinking about how often it would actually be used? There is no guest room or similar on the ground floor.
Therefore, I was thinking more about an additional shower in the basement (laundry room). It would be located directly under the pantry and the upstairs bathroom --> laundry chute and basement stairs leading out to the garage. This way, one could enter the laundry room directly with dirty work clothes and shower there.
Is an additional laundry chute opening on the ground floor useful? The only thing I can think of is that I could throw dirty kitchen towels down it?
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