ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a 140-160 sqm Single-Family Home – Is the Draft Acceptable?

Development Plan / Restrictions

Plot size: 1004 sqm (10,804 sq ft)

Slope: no

Orientation: see attachment

Edge development etc.: no issues

Number of parking spaces: 2 (double garage)

Number of floors: 2 full stories

Roof type: gable roof

Architectural style: modern, clean lines, design

Maximum height / limits: none

Other requirements: no development plan


Clients’ Requirements

Architectural style, roof type, etc.: see above

Basement: fully basemented

Number of floors: 2 full stories

Number of occupants: currently 2 adults; planned with 2 children

Space requirements ground floor / upper floor: large living/dining area; children’s rooms minimum 15 sqm (160 sq ft); total approx. 140 sqm (1,507 sq ft)

Office: home office – planned in basement

Guest room: irrelevant

Open architecture

Modern construction

Open kitchen with island

Dining spaces: minimum 6 seats

Fireplace: yes

Balcony: generally facing west; subject to budget/design considerations

Garage: double garage


House Design:

Architectural design (3rd attempt)

What is not liked: layout on upper floor – requirement for separate walk-in closet not fulfilled; basement layout: kitchen should be separable by large sliding door; balcony access apparently only through children’s room (was not desired!)

What is liked: large windows in the extension, extension itself, upper floor layout: children’s rooms not next to master bedroom

Cost estimate: none yet

Personal budget limit including fittings: €500,000 (approx. $540,000)

Heating system: ground source heat pump with surface collectors


If you have to give up on details, which ones:

• Can give up on: balcony, corner window in extension
• Cannot give up on: separate walk-in closet, kitchen separability from rest of the house, passage from garage and front door to garden; if balcony, then access via hallway

Why is the design as it is now?

Own sketches regarding floor plan

Similar layout of a visited show house


What are the most important questions about the floor plan:

How would you implement the requested points (walk-in closet, separability of the kitchen)? Do you think the floor plan is feasible at all?

How do you assess the quality and accuracy of the floor plan – is this normal at this stage?

WARNING: The elevations in the plan are incorrect!! North is actually East; East = North; South = West; West = South (architect’s error)

I would rotate the staircase by 90° to open up the small living room corner towards the dining area. The staircase would then be located more in the pantry area, possibly as a corner staircase or something similar. On the upper floor, the access to the rooms would change, which could even save some unnecessary hallway space.

Just a few comments...

- How can a floor plan be 140-160 square meters (1505-1722 square feet)? What is the actual size?
- This is the third attempt, and fundamental wishes have not been taken into account? Don’t you find that odd? Is it because of the house shape you are insisting on, or is there another reason?
- Are these small bay windows really necessary? Do you want them like that? Why are you deliberately increasing your construction costs this way?
- The term “open kitchen” doesn’t match the desire for a partition!

Drainage from the upstairs bathroom down into the living room will still require a shaft or a boxed-in section (preferably in the hallway?).

I see the fireplace as unnecessary, especially in that position.

Entrance, hallway, and kitchen walkway need plenty of space; in practice, it will be quite comfortable. Gable entrances often feel a bit narrow, but that’s better than being too small 🙂

Separating the kitchen with a sliding door is hardly effective anyway. It provides visual separation, but not sound or odor isolation.

The garage could still include a storage or utility room if you don’t want to carry gardening equipment up and down from the basement every time... What other uses are planned for the basement besides technical installations?

Price limit 500 k excluding land?

Beyond personal preferences, I don’t think the floor plan is bad, as it avoids the typical mainstream layout.

Finally:
Mobile phones and similar devices don’t like PDFs.
So please upload the plans as jpg files.

Edit: Just saw above that the home office is also planned for the basement.

With that size and a straight staircase, including a walk-in closet might be difficult.

Do you have an independent architect? Or is it rather one from a general contractor? Your wishes are not fully met, and separating the kitchen is only possible in this floor plan if you consider the kitchen and dining area together (which, personally, I don't necessarily see as a bad approach!). I also think the idea of assigning the balcony to the children is not a bad one. ;-) That doesn’t mean it’s okay for the architect to make that decision if you intended it differently – but you should consider what you will gain from the balcony and whether the children are likely to use it more than you.

However, I’m still not quite clear on how the house and garage are supposed to be positioned on the plot. Offhand, I would say the main entrance should face the street to the west, but a garage positioned at a right angle to the street is far from ideal. If the basic orientation is already not right, I would probably start over. The same applies if you change the staircase; so much depends on it that you can’t just “do it like that.”

Edit: Having measurements would make this easier (or am I the only one who can’t find any?). Then it would be easier to judge if the dimensions fit. For example, I find a T-shaped layout in the bathroom rather too tight.