ᐅ Floor Plan Review for a 145 sqm Urban Villa

Hello building experts,

I have already browsed the forum a lot and found valuable information. Now that our building project is becoming more concrete, I hope to get your input on the current floor plan. Once things really get going, I will create a dedicated thread.

Basic details...

..about us:
- M, 30, engineer
- F, 30, social educator
no kids yet, 1 planned

..about the plot:
- Location NRW, 45xxx
- approx. 400 sqm (24x17 m / 79x56 ft), perfectly rectangular
- development plan available, up to 3 full stories, floor area ratio 0.8, site occupancy index 0.4, almost no restrictions
- building envelope 12x10 m (39x33 ft)

..about the desired house:
- city villa, 140-150 sqm (1500-1600 sq ft)
- monolithic construction or external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS / WDVS)
- minimum energy standard KfW55
- air-to-water heat pump + centralized controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
- open gallery above the entrance door (optional wish)
- no basement (budget and operating costs >6), therefore large utility room + storage room
- KNX (likely only pre-wiring)

Attached are my amateurish floor plans. Please feel free to take a look and share your thoughts.

Points that concern me and where I would especially appreciate suggestions or criticism:
- Is the living room with about 3.45 m (11 ft) depth too narrow for the half-height TV wall?
- Number of windows facing the garden? Different combinations possible?
- The “anteroom” guest toilet should also be usable as a cloakroom. Is there enough space?

Looking forward to your feedback!

I’m not an expert, so I don’t want to confuse you, but I find a few things a bit “odd.”

- Why is the storage room located before the utility room?
- The upstairs storage room also seems too large to me.
We have a 2.5 sq m (27 sq ft) pantry where we keep not only plenty of food but also the vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, and more.
But I’m not sure what this one is meant for.
- Why is the WC on the ground floor set so far back?
You should try drawing it with furniture to see if the toilet and washbasin fit well there.
- The walk-in closet looks very narrow to me. Is that really practical?

What I can definitely tell you:
We have a 3.4 m (11 ft) gap between our sofa wall and TV wall (cabinet wall). For cozy TV watching, it’s no problem for us. Doing yoga in front of the TV, however, is out of the question.
So, a bit more space might be nicer, but we find it okay.

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

So, I’m not an expert, so I don’t want to unsettle you, but I find a few things a bit “odd.”

Me neither, that’s why I’m contributing.

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

- Why place the storage room in front of the utility room?

We thought of using it as a pantry or an extended wardrobe. I wanted a physical separation from the utility room, which mainly contains technical equipment, laundry, tools, etc. You also gain additional wall space that can be fitted with shelves or cabinets.

Maybe this is nonsense, what would be the alternative?

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

- The storage room upstairs also seems too large to me.
We have a 2.5sqm (27 sqft) pantry that holds lots of food as well as the vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies...
But I don’t really know what this one is for.

Since we currently have a small cellar compartment in our rental apartment and I see how much stuff is just lying around there, I planned this one generously.

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

- Why is the WC on the ground floor so recessed?
You should try drawing in some furniture to see if the toilet and washbasin fit well there.

Originally, it was aligned with the door, but I thought, “what’s the point?” Maybe put a coat hook on the wall to hang a jacket?
I’ll add furniture to the drawing!

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

- The walk-in closet looks very narrow to me, will that work?

It’s about 150cm (59 inches). A wardrobe with some clearance from the wall is about 70cm (28 inches) – leaving roughly 80cm (31 inches). With sliding doors, that should work, right?

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

What I can definitely tell you:
We have a 3.4m (11 ft) distance between the sofa wall and the TV wall (cabinet wall). For comfortable TV watching, it’s no problem for us. Doing yoga in front of the TV won’t work, though.
A bit more space might be nicer, but we think it’s fine.

In my opinion, the distance between the TV and sofa is not super critical. What concerns me more is the passage width if you want to keep that partition wall. Unfortunately, our TV cabinet, which we want to keep, limits the width there.

Thanks for your thoughts so far.

flitzpiepe schrieb:

We were thinking of using these as a pantry or an extended wardrobe. I wanted a physical separation from the utility room, which mostly contains technical equipment, laundry, tools, etc. That also gives you more wall space to fill with shelves or cabinets.

With two doors, you probably can’t furnish the room very well, right? Especially since the pantry is quite far from the kitchen, and as a wardrobe it’s too far from the entrance.

The kitchen might be too deep. That’s why the wardrobe is often planned in the area where you’ve squeezed in the WC.

What are the dimensions of the individual rooms? Then it’s easier (especially with proper furniture) to see where the space is tight and where it’s more generous.

Ysop*** schrieb:

What are the dimensions of the individual rooms? That way, with proper furniture, it’s easier to see where the space is too tight and where it’s generously planned.

I’ll gladly add some more measurements tomorrow. For a rough reference, the graph paper is used. Thick lines represent 100cm (39 inches), thin lines correspond to 20cm (8 inches).

Hello,
Please refer to the pinned posts here in the subforum. This will also make you aware that your staircase is at least about one meter (3 feet) too short.
The budget and a few questions are still open.

A utility room accessed through two doors is not ideal, as it reduces usable space in the storage area.
The kitchen is not large enough for an island, if that is desired.
The living room is far too cramped. There are hardly any possibilities to rearrange furniture or move freely. It also feels quite dark.
It’s best to furnish everything using accurate measurements and real furniture.