ᐅ Floor plan of a single-family house approximately 170 m², without a basement, featuring a carport

Questionnaire about your floor plan

Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size 477 m² (5,134 ft²)
Slope No
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary 14 x 14 meters (46 x 46 feet)
Setbacks South/North 5 m (16 ft); East/West 2.50 m (8 ft)
Number of parking spaces 2 (side by side)
Number of floors 2
Roof type Gable roof
Architectural style
Orientation East/West
Maximum heights / limits
Other regulations

Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type Gable roof
Basement, floors No basement, 2 floors
Number of people, ages 3: 33, 32, and 1.5 years (4th planned)
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor
Ground floor: kitchen, living room, guest room, guest WC/shower, utility room, storage room, pantry
Upper floor: bathroom, laundry room, work corner, bedroom, 2 children’s rooms
Office: family use or home office? Home office 3 days per week
Guests per year approx. once a month grandparents visit overnight; plus approx. 3–6 additional visits per year
Open or closed architecture open
Conservative or modern construction modern?
Open kitchen, kitchen island open, island preferred but not a must
Number of dining seats
Fireplace No
Music/home cinema wall Guest room to include “cinema”; 7.2.4 speakers + screen or TV
Balcony, roof terrace No
Garage, carport Double carport (5.50 m wide x 6 m long (18 x 20 ft) + storage room (5.5 m wide x 3 m long [18 x 10 ft])
Utility garden, greenhouse No

House design
Who designed it:
- Architect Architect of the house supplier
What do you like most? Why? Open layout; living room somewhat separated; straight staircase (not a must); guest WC not directly by the entrance but nicely connected to guest room; long corridor upstairs for window seat and extra play area for children; large children’s rooms; large bathroom; appealing corner terrace solution possible (NW)
What don’t you like? Why? Pantry too small – probably not very practical this way; guest room too small – integrating cinema difficult; living room too narrow (3.50 m / 11.5 ft); only 1 m (3.3 ft) width between staircase and wall (too narrow?); guest WC big enough?; kitchen too small? Kitchen (half) island probably hard to implement well; no dedicated home office space

Estimated price according to architect/planner: 500,000
Personal price limit for house including fixtures: 550,000
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump

If you have to give up, which details/extensions
- can you do without: straight staircase; guest WC not next to front door; kitchen island; possibly pantry accessible from kitchen; children’s rooms could be a bit smaller
- can’t you do without: guest room; open kitchen/dining area; guest WC with shower; home office space; bathroom with walk-in, level-access shower & bathtub

Why has the design turned out the way it is? E.g. standard design from planner? Developed jointly according to our wishes
What makes it especially good or bad in your view? Many of our wishes already implemented

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?

Are we overlooking anything fundamental? What changes should we make? Is a narrow corridor a big issue?

The carport is planned as a double carport on the south side adjoining the recess of the utility room. It is intended to be 5.5 m (18 ft) wide x 9 m (30 ft) long, including a storage room with a length of 3 m (10 ft). Is the planned width sufficient for two cars side by side assuming no SUVs? We plan to use a station wagon like a Skoda Superb and a small car such as a Mercedes A-Class or Toyota Leaf.
The carport positioning is planned as follows:

The house itself would be pushed fully to the eastern building boundary to maximize the western garden area.

The current floor plan from the architect looks like this:

We have already considered some optimizations.
Central to our considerations is adding a second recess on the north side where the living room is, measuring 1 m (3.3 ft) long and 4 m (13 ft) wide, and including a laundry room on the upper floor to house washer and dryer.
This would allow reducing the size of the utility room on the ground floor significantly. We would shorten the utility room by 0.7 m (2.3 ft), leaving about 9 m² (97 ft²). The freed-up space would benefit the guest WC, guest room, and living room.

In the kitchen, we would like to extend the pantry fully along the wall and place the kitchen before it. We have tried to mark our ideas on the floor plan:

Is the kitchen large enough for a household of 3 to 4 people? An island solution will probably be difficult to realize, right?

Upstairs, the gained space from the recess would be used for the laundry room. In the plan shown below, we placed the study next to the laundry room; however, we have reconsidered and now prefer to position the work corner where the storage space currently is. The work corner doesn’t need much space, primarily just a desk about 1.60 m (5.2 ft) wide. If there is room for a small cabinet, that’s nice but not essential. Where we marked the study, we would instead plan a walk-in closet. Unfortunately, we have not found a better location for the work corner. We also considered moving it near the children’s rooms, but then the child bedrooms would probably become rather small (about 12–13 m² / 130–140 ft²). These will definitely be adjusted to the same size regardless.
Maybe you have some ideas.
The windows on the ground and upper floor are not finalized yet; these are currently placeholders.
We welcome all comments 🙂.

P.S.: Here is the old planning thread:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/bebauung-Grundstück-keller-ja-oder-nein.42556/

The planning has fundamentally changed since then, and the plot has meanwhile been remeasured.

Here are some room dimensions after our adjustments:
Ground floor
Utility room 2.7 x 3.2 meters (9 x 10.5 feet)
WC 2.2 x 2.2 meters (7.2 x 7.2 feet)
Guest room 3.3 x 3.5 meters (10.8 x 11.5 feet)
Hallway 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide
Entrance area 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) wide
Kitchen 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) wide
Pantry 3.2 x 1.1 meters (10.5 x 3.6 feet)
Staircase to outer wall 3.5 meters (11.5 feet)

First floor
Laundry room 1.8 x 3.5 meters (6 x 11.5 feet)
Storage/work corner 2.1 x 2.1 meters (6.9 x 6.9 feet)
Children’s room 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) wide

Please let me know if you need any more information.

I’m having trouble getting used to the floor plan. The straight staircase creates an L-shaped living area that feels narrow and corridor-like everywhere. A lot of square meters are used up, yet there’s hardly any space, and it feels uncomfortable. You want to block out the south-facing sun, the neighbor is very close on the west side, the technical room is on the east, and the dark north side doesn’t bring in any light either. It’s going to be quite gloomy.

A pantry could also fit under the staircase if the door is on the opposite side. However, I’m not sure if that will be enough for you.
The floor area ratio isn’t very generous. What does the development plan say regarding garages, terraces, and paths?

I don’t quite understand why you prefer child 2 over child 1.
I also doubt that they play in the narrow hallway—wouldn’t they be constantly in the way there?

If it were me, I’d try to build wider rather than deeper to leave more space for the garden and terrace. Also, the carport could probably be made a bit wider that way.

K a t j a schrieb:

I’m having a hard time getting used to the floor plan. The straight staircase creates an L-shaped living wing that feels too narrow and corridor-like everywhere. A lot of square meters are used, yet there’s no space anywhere + it feels uncomfortable.

Do you think a width of 3.20 meters (10.5 feet) is too narrow for the dining room and kitchen?

K a t j a schrieb:

You want to block out the southern sun, the neighbor is very close on the west side, the technical room is on the east, and the dark north side doesn’t bring any light. It’s going to be pretty dark.

The plot to the west is privately owned but will not be developed. It’s just meadowland. According to the owner, it’s not for sale either. Of course, there’s no guarantee. Originally, we planned to put the carport on the west side and also have the main entrance there. However, the problem was that we couldn’t find a solution that provides enough space for a double carport. Also, we currently have a garden area to the south, but in summer the heat and sunlight there are simply too intense. That’s why we thought a west/north-facing garden would be a good solution, since the sun shines relatively long in the west and there is always sufficient light from the north. But we are open to all suggestions.

K a t j a schrieb:

A pantry could also be possible under the stairs if the door is on the other side of the staircase. Although it’s questionable whether that would be enough space for you.

That’s conceivable – but due to the height, the door is only possible quite far back, so the pantry would be somewhat far from the kitchen. Also, we are unsure if the space under the stairs is really enough for a pantry. A vacuum cleaner and other items would need to fit there as well.

K a t j a schrieb:

The site coverage ratio isn’t very generous. What does the zoning plan say about garages, terraces, and paths in this regard?

Since our zoning plan dates back to 1989, the site coverage ratio applies only to the footprint of the house. Garages, access paths, terraces, etc. are not counted in the site coverage ratio.

K a t j a schrieb:

I don’t quite understand why you seem to prefer child 2 over child 1.
I don’t really believe they play in the narrow hallway. They would be in the way constantly there.

That’s why I said the children’s rooms will definitely be adjusted to the same size. Do you mean because there is only 1 meter (3.3 feet) width between the staircase and the wall? Or do you already find 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) width too narrow?

K a t j a schrieb:

If it were mine, I would try to build wider rather than deeper, so that more space remains for the garden and terrace. Also, the carport could probably be a bit wider.

But then mostly the north garden would get larger and we would lose space on the sunny west side. Isn’t the west side more desirable since we already have at least 5 meters (16.4 feet) of garden width on the north side due to the zoning plan?

SandyBlack schrieb:

Do you think 3.20 meters (10.5 feet) width is too narrow for the dining room and kitchen?

Yes, if I’m designing my dream house for half a million, somehow it is. But it’s always relative. In a house with a floor plan of 9 by 8 meters (29.5 by 26.2 feet), it would be perfectly reasonable. But not for your size. Also, the width can’t be seen independently from the room length. The narrow tube-like feeling when entering the room feels uncomfortable and wastes space.

SandyBlack schrieb:

That’s why we thought a west/north garden would be a good solution, since the sun shines relatively long in the west.

Calling the strip of land to the left and right of the house a garden—okay, that leaves 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) if you build on the far east side. That’s not nothing, but I wouldn’t plan a terrace there. No matter what the neighbor says, you should expect that a house could be built on the west side.

SandyBlack schrieb:

And there is always enough sun in the north.

Did I miss something?

SandyBlack schrieb:

You mean because there is only 1 meter (3.3 feet) of width between the stairs and the wall?

Yes, in the hallway it’s awkward if mom and dad constantly have to squeeze past each other like they’re navigating around toy cars.

SandyBlack schrieb:

Or do you already find 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) width too narrow?

For what? Sure, it’s enough to scroll on the phone, but for a slot car track, I’m not optimistic.

SandyBlack schrieb:

That would mainly make the north garden bigger and we would lose space on the sunny west side. Isn’t the west side more desirable since according to the development plan we always have at least 5 meters (16.4 feet) of garden width on the north side anyway?

Of course, a west garden would be nicer. The question is, when does a garden start and when does a green strip end? If the west side of the plot indeed remains undeveloped for a while, you could consider planning a terrace there. But basically, I would assume the terrace will be on the north side—simply because the space directly by the garden fence with 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) to the neighbor won’t be very private once something is built.

To be more specific: I would always plan my house so that the contiguous garden area is as large as possible, to have a nice green space around the terrace and maximum distance to all neighbors. That said, I admit this is debatable on a 477 square meter (5,135 square feet) plot facing north. 😀

SandyBlack schrieb:

The current floor plan from the architect looks like this:

Sorry!!!! But when I see something like this, all I can say is: Change architects!
This afternoon, I came across several major planning no-gos, and before listing half a dozen, I just went outside for some fresh air. Starting with a bathroom above the living room, a kitchen corner that’s too narrow, a wardrobe right after the staircase, a north-facing orientation, a cramped pantry squeezed in an S-shape, a living room without a TV spot… and so on. Keep in mind, this is from a professional. Unbelievable 🙁

You can’t fix it if the staircase already divides the house into two parts that are too narrow, and you're stuck with a hallway that serves no real purpose. Is the house supposed to be inspired by Jette Joop?
Personally, I would build entirely towards the east and make use of the approximately 14 meters (46 feet) length as much as possible. Or place it entirely in the north in a transverse position. Then, keep the house as narrow as possible. The design needs a lot of passion and dedication! You probably won’t be happy with a standard layout on a whim.

There is a related neighbor thread by @Samsonite, who faces a very similar problem with a comparable orientation.