ᐅ Floor Plan for a 150 m² Corner Bungalow with Expansion Options

Created on: 5 Feb 2022 01:31
R
Ramona13
Hello 🙂

After what felt like hundreds of crumpled drafts in the recycle bin, we finally have a floor plan that we like and that fits our size requirements. Initially, we planned way too large, sometimes over 250m² (2700 sq ft) of living space... oops... Now we have settled on a nice 150m² (1600 sq ft) 🙂

We mainly reduced the number of rooms. Originally, we planned 2 offices and 2 future children’s rooms, but now only 2 offices remain, with at least one definitely convertible into a children’s room. This makes more sense since we don’t want to seriously consider having children before at least 5 years from now. We also initially planned a small wellness area with a sauna, loungers, and a hot tub inside the house, but this will now be a separate building in the garden.

More generally, I have already written here https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/vereinigung-zweier-Grundstücke-baufenster-neu-legen.42280/ about our plots. The request for merging them is still in progress, so we don’t have a definitive location for the house yet. Ideally, we’d like it centered on the current boundary line or, alternatively, on the rear building plot with border development facing the neighboring property.

Fortunately, regarding the development plan/planning restrictions, we will have quite a bit of flexibility. We can submit a preliminary building inquiry to check if everything is acceptable. The last house built here in the village about 4 years ago had 2 full floors, a different roof pitch, and presumably got some exceptions approved without problems. The community is generally happy that we want to fill a building gap 😉

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 1500m² (0.37 acres)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio & plot ratio... very confusing 🤨

Building window, building line and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of floors: 1
Roof shape: gable roof, half-hip roof
Style
Ridge orientation parallel to street
Maximum heights/limits
Additional requirements: knee wall 0-50cm (0-20 inches)

Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Corner bungalow with gable roof, modern with Japanese elements
Timber construction by local carpentry with the possibility of contributing a lot of own work.

Basement, floors
No basement, 1 floor

Number of people, age
25 (female) and 28 (male) + 2 cats
Children not planned initially, earliest in 5 years

Space needs ground floor / upper floor
Office: family use or home office?
Separate offices for home office

Guest bedrooms per year
Very few

Open or closed layout
Open living area

Conservative or modern design
Modern

Open kitchen, kitchen island
Kitchen island facing the garden, pantry as a separate room behind the kitchen

Number of dining seats
4-6

Fireplace
No

Music / stereo wall
No

Balcony, roof terrace
No

Garage, carport
Probably carport, but not decided yet

Utility garden, greenhouse
Vegetable garden with large greenhouse definitely planned on the property

Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why some things are or are not desired
- A gallery in the roof, open to the living area, would be a big dream of mine, but only if financially feasible. Otherwise, this part of the roof will be storage space or intended for later expansion.
- Smart home with KNX installed by ourselves (all electrical work will be DIY in cooperation with a certified electrician who will inspect and approve)
- Controlled mechanical ventilation and a separate split air conditioning system
- Photovoltaic system on the roof facing south and east
- Garden must be cat-proof fenced since our cats are not outdoor cats (currently strictly indoor cats)
- Exposed beam ceiling in the open living area

House Design
Designer:
- Do-it-Yourself

What do you particularly like? Why?
The open living area with the possibility to use both the south and north terraces.
Small “reading nook” at the end of the hallway with a large seat window (-> if there is a gallery, the staircase will lead upstairs here and the reading nook will be located there)

What don’t you like? Why?
Maybe the hallway is too long...

Estimated cost according to architect/planner: none yet, appointment with architect next week.
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: we hope to stay under €500,000 (approx. $540,000)
Preferred heating technology: air-water heat pump with underfloor heating

If you had to give up, which details / expansions
- could you do without:
- Gallery would be nice but is not essential
- Wellness area in the garden can be built later
- Reading nook

- could you not do without:
- Air conditioning
- KNX system
- Separate offices
- Cat-proof garden

Why did the design turn out this way? e.g.
Standard draft from planner?
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?

Our design developed step by step from many sketches, floor plans, and photos found online.
The interior furnishing in the 3D images is only a placeholder; the detailed interior design is still being planned.
Finally, this design gives us a satisfied feeling in terms of size and room layout 🙂

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
In your opinion, is our project achievable for a maximum of €500,000 (approx. $540,000), and is it sensible to plan smaller first and then expand by adding a loft conversion?

I am very grateful for your opinions, ideas, and suggestions for improvement! 🙂
N
Neubau2022
19 May 2022 07:27
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

Not every utility provider allows connections beneath the foundation slab (more than xx cm). This applies to water, gas, electricity, etc. This definitely needs to be clarified before proceeding with further planning steps; otherwise, it doesn’t make much sense.


In our case, the maximum is 15m (50 feet). Currently, our water meter is located in the garden because the connection into the house is about 16m (52.5 feet)... However, the site supervisor already has a plan on how to manage this 😎
K a t j a19 May 2022 08:34
Can you try placing the house on the plot?
Unfortunately, I can’t get behind this design. You reach the covered terrace and garden through the utility room? What kind of nonsense is that? And shouldn’t the two offices definitely not share a wall? Instead of getting caught up in minor details about the walk-in closet, I would first clarify the fundamentals.
D
driver55
19 May 2022 09:26
K a t j a schrieb:

Can you place the house on the plot?
Unfortunately, I don’t like the design at all. You access the covered terrace and garden through the utility room? What kind of nonsense is that? And shouldn’t the two offices definitely not share a common wall? Instead of getting caught up with minor details about the walk-in closet, I would first clarify the basics.

Agreed!
I also find the 25sqm (270 sq ft) T-shaped hallway access “terrible”…
…while there’s only 12sqm (130 sq ft) of living space 🙄
R
Ramona13
19 May 2022 09:43
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

Not all utility providers allow house connections to pass under the foundation slab (more than xx cm (xx inches))! This applies to water, gas, electricity, etc. This should definitely be clarified beforehand before any further planning steps, otherwise it doesn’t make sense.
According to the website and information sheets from the water and electricity providers, the location of the connection area is generally not an issue. However, prior coordination of the routing is necessary, and longer pipe or cable runs will be more expensive.
K a t j a schrieb:

Is the covered terrace and garden accessed through the utility room?
Yes, this is not our main terrace, but rather access to the north garden (a utility garden for, e.g., vegetables), a space for the drying rack even in bad weather, and storage for garden furniture.
The main terrace is at the front corner facing southwest but didn’t quite fit on the plan. Between the front door and the terrace there will be a privacy screen (or the 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high, cat-proof fence) and plants, visually separating the entrance from the garden.
K a t j a schrieb:

Shouldn’t the two offices definitely not share a common wall?
That was the original plan for soundproofing reasons. We have resolved this by decoupling the shared wall, adding wood fiber insulation on both sides of the service cavity, and using better drywall (Knauf Diamant or a similar product).

Here is a marked-up plan showing the house and a possible fence placement.
EDIT: It’s also possible to shift everything further north if building right on the boundary is not permitted. Building outside the designated building zone is allowed for us.

Site plan of a property with red outlines of buildings and location pin
R
Ramona13
19 May 2022 09:46
driver55 schrieb:

I also find the 25sqm (270 sq ft) T-shaped hallway access “terrible”…
…while there’s only 12sqm (130 sq ft) of living space 🙄
Do you have a better solution for the hallway? With a bungalow, you inevitably end up with more hallway space.
The living room is precisely tailored to our needs; the distance between the sofa and TV is based on our current apartment and preferences, and the width is enough for a nice sofa. Honestly, that’s all we really need 🙂
R
Ramona13
19 May 2022 10:03
Regarding the hallway: I also sketched an idea with access from the east side, but I really didn’t like the long corridor leading all the way to the living area.