ᐅ Floor plan design for a single-family house of approximately 125 square meters, with two full stories

We plan to build a single-family house with about 125sqm (1,345 sqft). We would like to include a small home office on the upper floor.

We prefer not to have the staircase directly next to the front door to avoid having to walk through the “dirty zone” all the time. However, an L-shaped staircase next to the front door might save space. This would allow for a larger utility room (the front door would be moved slightly).

The kitchen cabinet layout is not finalized yet. A place for a fireplace is also still missing (the challenge is integrating the chimney on the upper floor).

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 1000sqm (10,760 sqft)
Slope approx. 1 – 1.5m (3 – 5 ft) decline from north to south over 50m (164 ft).
Site and floor area ratio unknown, as §34 applies
Building envelope, boundary lines Building envelope 5m (16 ft) from the street on the north side, approx. 20 x 20m (66 x 66 ft), on the west side 15m (49 ft) distance to the neighbor’s building envelope, meaning the minimum distance to the west neighbor is 15m (49 ft), see site plan.
Edge development -
Number of parking spaces -
Number of floors 1–2
Roof type / Style / Orientation no restrictions
Maximum heights / limits -

Owners’ Requirements
Style, Roof type, Building type Urban villa, hipped roof or tent roof
Basement, floors no basement, 2 floors
Number and age of occupants 3 (33, 33, 3 years old)
Room requirements on the ground floor: Living/dining room, kitchen, utility room, WC
Upper floor: Bathroom, bedroom, child’s room, office, guest/hobby room

Office: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year 3–4
Open or closed architecture / conservative or modern design classic
Open kitchen, kitchen island semi-open, possibly with a kitchen island
Number of dining seats 4–6
Fireplace yes
Music/stereo wall -
Balcony, rooftop terrace -
Garage, carport Carport
Kitchen garden, greenhouse -

House Design
Designed by: > Do-it-Yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? What do you dislike? Why? The north and west elevations look a bit odd; maybe an additional window should be added there.
Personal budget for the house, including fittings: approx. 250,000€
Preferred heating system: Gas or air-to-water heat pump

If you had to give up anything, which details/extra features
- could you live without:
- could you not do without:

Why is the design like it is now? For example:
We used various floor plans from prefabricated house providers/contractors found online as templates.

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

The following questions:

1. Is the floor plan feasible and practical to use?
2. Would an L-shaped staircase be preferable to save space?
3. Do load-bearing walls on the upper and ground floors have to be aligned?
4. Where is the best place to position the carport on the plot, northeast or northwest?
5. How can the chimney for the upstairs fireplace be integrated without taking up too much space?

Floor plan:

Location:

Carport arrangement:

The utility room is too small to also serve as a technical room, and even less suitable as a basement substitute. However, if you consider the overall layout just as a sketch despite the dimensions, it is quite a decent start.

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I think two fundamental questions need to be clarified first.

1. With dimensions of 9m x 9.60m (29.5ft x 31.5ft), your total area is roughly 135-140m² (1,452-1,507 ft²). Calculating only half of the upstairs hallway does not help much. If you set the 125m² (1,345 ft²) limit because of a budget cap, then you already have a problem.

2. What type of heating system is planned? With a small floor area, there is often a tendency to cut costs on the HVAC system, which I personally think is the wrong approach, but be that as it may. So you should consider what equipment has to be included. With just 4m² (43 ft²), the washing machine and similar appliances will definitely have to be placed elsewhere (kitchen/bathroom?), and even then it is questionable whether there will be enough space for the technical installations.

kaho674 schrieb:
1. With 9m x 9.60m (30 ft x 31.5 ft), you will have about 135-140m² (1450-1505 sq ft). Counting only half of the hallway upstairs doesn’t help much. If you have set 125m² (1345 sq ft) as a limit due to budget, you already have a problem.
2. What type of heating is planned? With a small area, people often cut corners on the utility room, which I personally think is a mistake, but either way. You should consider carefully what needs to fit in there. With 4m² (43 sq ft), the washing machine and similar appliances definitely have to be located elsewhere (kitchen/bathroom?), and even then it’s questionable if there will be enough space for the technical equipment.

For the exterior dimensions, we based our plans on other floor plans. The 125m² (1345 sq ft) is a guideline; the house should not be significantly larger (more than 10m² (108 sq ft) extra), mainly for cost reasons.

How did you calculate the 135-140m² (1450-1505 sq ft)? When I add up the individual rooms, I get about 128m² (1378 sq ft) without including the staircase.

We have not decided on the heating system yet. Gas or an air-to-water heat pump are options. Are there significant differences between these two systems regarding space requirements in the utility room?

If we use an L-shaped staircase, we could shift the front door and slightly enlarge the utility room. What do you think of the following floor plan:

The upper floor revised accordingly with adjusted bedrooms:

I’m afraid the utility room is still quite small. Also, I would probably swap the children's room and the bedroom upstairs. You likely spend less time in the room than the child, who also has a desk in the room.