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! 🙂
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! 🙂
Ramona13 schrieb:
And otherwise, people just know each other from everyday life, at village festivals and so on.As @11ant already mentioned: be cautious when dealing with acquaintances, neighbors, or even friends and relatives. Building a house always involves conflicts to some extent. There are usually some issues somewhere for almost everyone. If you can’t argue with the contractor because they are too close to you personally, that can be problematic.K a t j a schrieb:
As @11ant already mentioned: be careful when working with acquaintances, neighbors, or even friends and family. Building a house always involves conflicts at some point. There are almost always some issues somewhere. And if you can’t argue with the contractor because they are too close to you personally, that can be a problem. In my experience, building with as many relatives and acquaintances as possible is normal, maybe because almost every trade is represented somewhere here. For example, if I didn’t have my father do all the electrical work myself and instead hired a company, it would cause tension at home 😉
I’m not particularly close to the carpentry company either, so disagreements are possible, and we wouldn’t hold back.
It was only the renovation of the attic for my apartment five years ago, but everything went perfectly — electrical work, insulation, drywall, flooring, and tiling were all completed as DIY projects with family and friends. The only downside is that it takes more time — but we can live with that. The future construction site is currently within walking distance of our current apartment 🙂
Kreisrund schrieb:
One more time on the topic: Is it possible to skip the architect? Yes, at twenty-five, twenty-eight, and minus five years you can do that. The stakes aren’t that high yet, townhouses are basically just baby teeth. With so little experience living in your own home, the potential gain from putting a master architect in charge isn’t really there yet.
cryptoki schrieb:
Most probably don’t know this, but I simply don’t like the generalization that a drafting genius will sort everything out. Period! A drafting genius would formally be a “real architect, but not a proper one,” and is hardly better than your experience and that of @Gerddieter 🙂 to confirm. Drafting geniuses miscalculate house heights and construction costs and are regularly the almost certain death of any detached house project. You really don’t “need” them any more than athlete’s foot. In that case, better the guy from the next town, whose work shows the house’s “hairdresser” but you know the bell will ring today.
K a t j a schrieb:
As @11ant already said: Be careful with acquaintances, neighbors, or even friends/relatives. Building a house always involves conflicts. There’s usually some bumps somewhere for almost everyone. If you can’t argue with the contractor because they’re too close to you, that’s a problem. I meant rather that such a “close” architect doesn’t really save you from more mistakes than a draftsman, so I don’t see the added value.
Ramona13 schrieb:
For example, if I don’t let my father handle all the electrical work but bring in a company for that, in the end the household peace is disturbed. A hotel owner once told me: “I know the electrician isn’t the best choice for the new phone system, but he books my big hall for all his godchildren’s communion parties.”
Ramona13 schrieb:
I just realized a misconception… I assumed the architect’s fee was 10-15% of my total costs and expenses, but if the architect only plans and supervises the house up to the “shell condition” stage, the applicable amount is lower, isn’t it? No, now you’re making the mistake.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Yes, with twenty-five, twenty-eight, and minus five years, it’s possible. At that point, it’s not really serious yet; middle houses are basically just baby teeth. With so little living experience under your belt, the risk of handing over control to a master builder for a significant advantage isn’t really there yet.I’m not quite sure I understand that sentence…? Fortunately, the architect is only loosely known to us, so we can say no at any time. But when you see 100 names on the big architect market, it made sense to first choose the one you at least know a little bit.
The electrician situation here isn’t really about company switching, like “you do this, I do that.” Within the family, I know it will work in my case, especially if I take the lead. The KNX planning is my responsibility, and finally my computer science degree is useful for more than just Mom’s laptop that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to 😉
Okay, I’ll go away again with my faulty thinking… 😳
I’m already actively reading your blog, really great 🙂
Ramona13 schrieb:
I’m not quite following that sentence right now...? Where exactly?
Ramona13 schrieb:
I’m already reading your blog with great interest, really great 🙂 Thank you! – but don’t you dare say the name here, or we’ll both be in trouble ;-)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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