ᐅ Floor plan design for a single-family house including basement and double garage
Created on: 16 Mar 2026 19:52
M
Minerva121
Hello everyone,
I’m new here and would like to briefly introduce myself and especially the construction project in Franconia / Bavaria: We originally planned to start in 2022, but due to unexpected changes in my family situation, I put the project on hold. The plot was / is already owned by us (with an older building still standing – it still needs to be demolished), but the timing wasn’t right.
Now we are entering the second phase, and all signals are “green.”
The current floor plan was created back then; since then, we’ve had some minor change requests and questions, which I have added below. But first, some basic data about the floor plans (including basement).
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: 676m² (rectangular, approx. 26m wide and 26m long (86ft by 86ft))
Slope: none, completely flat
Site occupancy ratio (floor area ratio): 0.4
Plot ratio (floor space index): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: A front garden area of 5.00m (16ft) depth is defined that must remain free of construction; the building envelope starts from this 5-meter line and extends over the rear parts of the plot. The building envelope covers most of the plot’s width, but setback distances to the side plot boundaries (usually open construction, 3m / 10ft) must be maintained.
Edge construction: As far as I can see, permitted for trash storage shed, garage, and bike shelter
Number of parking spaces: space for 2 cars planned
Number of floors allowed: 2 full storeys allowed
Roof type: Gable roof with a pitch between 20° and 35°
Design style: no specific requirements
Orientation: no specific requirements
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall max 0.5m (1.6ft) measured from the top edge of the structural ceiling of the attic floor to where the exterior wall meets the roof covering; eaves height max 7.5m (25ft)
Additional requirements: roof extensions are allowed
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Gable roof house with relatively shallow roof slope, planned as a prefab house.
Basement, floors: basement planned; plus ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: 4 people (two adults around 45 years old, children aged 7 and 13)
Room requirements on GF, UF: GF --> living-dining area, guest toilet including small shower – ideally barrier-free, office (frequently used), small pantry (directly connected to kitchen), UF --> bathroom, 2 children's rooms, 1 bedroom with small walk-in closet, possibly small storage room, possibly small second workspace for occasional remote working by both adults (can usually be avoided).
Guest overnight stays per year: very few --> no guest room needed or could be solved with sofa bed in the office.
Open or closed architecture: GF rather open, UF rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: likely more conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen island, accessible from both sides.
Number of dining seats: dining table for 6 people
Fireplace: no (or optional)
Music / stereo system: flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in the living area
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage for two cars, with trash shed and bike shelter desired at the edge of the plot (but less urgent)
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be: The desire is for a classic single-family home for a family of four with a permanent home office. Designed pragmatically, not fancy or architecturally elaborate. The house should be built as a “climate-friendly new construction.”
About the house design
Who is the designer?
Initial design by an independent architect based on our sketch
What do you particularly like? Why?
What don’t you like? Why?
Price estimate from architect / planner: no estimate yet
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 750,000€ (house incl. basement, ancillary costs, kitchen, garage, driveway/terrace; demolition of the existing building is calculated separately)
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details / expansions?
Why is the design as it is?
We thought about room use in this family setup including home office needs, but we are not professionals. It is not something extravagant, just pragmatic.
Final comments
We appreciate honest assessments, tips, and constructive criticism – if we’ve missed important information, we’ll happily provide it. We plan to have the construction supervised by a prefab house expert, since we are complete novices regarding building inspections.
A heartfelt thanks in advance for your time and valuable feedback on our floor plan.
Minerva121
I’m new here and would like to briefly introduce myself and especially the construction project in Franconia / Bavaria: We originally planned to start in 2022, but due to unexpected changes in my family situation, I put the project on hold. The plot was / is already owned by us (with an older building still standing – it still needs to be demolished), but the timing wasn’t right.
Now we are entering the second phase, and all signals are “green.”
The current floor plan was created back then; since then, we’ve had some minor change requests and questions, which I have added below. But first, some basic data about the floor plans (including basement).
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: 676m² (rectangular, approx. 26m wide and 26m long (86ft by 86ft))
Slope: none, completely flat
Site occupancy ratio (floor area ratio): 0.4
Plot ratio (floor space index): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: A front garden area of 5.00m (16ft) depth is defined that must remain free of construction; the building envelope starts from this 5-meter line and extends over the rear parts of the plot. The building envelope covers most of the plot’s width, but setback distances to the side plot boundaries (usually open construction, 3m / 10ft) must be maintained.
Edge construction: As far as I can see, permitted for trash storage shed, garage, and bike shelter
Number of parking spaces: space for 2 cars planned
Number of floors allowed: 2 full storeys allowed
Roof type: Gable roof with a pitch between 20° and 35°
Design style: no specific requirements
Orientation: no specific requirements
Maximum heights / limits: Knee wall max 0.5m (1.6ft) measured from the top edge of the structural ceiling of the attic floor to where the exterior wall meets the roof covering; eaves height max 7.5m (25ft)
Additional requirements: roof extensions are allowed
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Gable roof house with relatively shallow roof slope, planned as a prefab house.
Basement, floors: basement planned; plus ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
Number and age of occupants: 4 people (two adults around 45 years old, children aged 7 and 13)
Room requirements on GF, UF: GF --> living-dining area, guest toilet including small shower – ideally barrier-free, office (frequently used), small pantry (directly connected to kitchen), UF --> bathroom, 2 children's rooms, 1 bedroom with small walk-in closet, possibly small storage room, possibly small second workspace for occasional remote working by both adults (can usually be avoided).
Guest overnight stays per year: very few --> no guest room needed or could be solved with sofa bed in the office.
Open or closed architecture: GF rather open, UF rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: likely more conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen island, accessible from both sides.
Number of dining seats: dining table for 6 people
Fireplace: no (or optional)
Music / stereo system: flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in the living area
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage for two cars, with trash shed and bike shelter desired at the edge of the plot (but less urgent)
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be: The desire is for a classic single-family home for a family of four with a permanent home office. Designed pragmatically, not fancy or architecturally elaborate. The house should be built as a “climate-friendly new construction.”
About the house design
Who is the designer?
Initial design by an independent architect based on our sketch
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Most of our basic concept and wishes have been implemented and, in our opinion, successfully
- Well-balanced room layout on the upper floor
What don’t you like? Why?
- For cost reasons, we might reduce to approximately 150m² (1615 sq ft) because the room sizes overall seem quite generous
- We would no longer want a granny flat; the basement should be purely utility space, not living space
- Are windows really necessary in the basement?
- The guest toilet on the ground floor should be barrier-free
- The glass façades in the living area on the ground floor are too large for us: this increases costs and limits usable space for placing the sofa – which would have to be right in front of the glass façade, not ideal from our point of view
- The section shows we originally wanted an open sloped ceiling; since this was described by many prefab house providers in early talks as a “major cost driver,” we would waive it (which would mean the roof windows would also be omitted)
Price estimate from architect / planner: no estimate yet
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 750,000€ (house incl. basement, ancillary costs, kitchen, garage, driveway/terrace; demolition of the existing building is calculated separately)
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you have to compromise, on which details / expansions?
- Can do without: granny flat, open sloped ceiling, large glass fronts on the ground floor, overall floor area can be smaller
- Cannot do without: basement, kitchen island
Why is the design as it is?
We thought about room use in this family setup including home office needs, but we are not professionals. It is not something extravagant, just pragmatic.
Final comments
We appreciate honest assessments, tips, and constructive criticism – if we’ve missed important information, we’ll happily provide it. We plan to have the construction supervised by a prefab house expert, since we are complete novices regarding building inspections.
A heartfelt thanks in advance for your time and valuable feedback on our floor plan.
Minerva121
M
Minerva12117 Mar 2026 15:24Thanks for the feedback so far – regarding the questions:
That was actually the architect’s idea to give it a bit more openness – but I see your point about the porch!
Unfortunately, doing a lot ourselves isn’t possible due to lack of time and skills in this area. Thanks for your detailed comments – there are some very important points we will definitely keep in mind!
I don’t quite understand why a basement would only make sense on a sloped plot – but maybe I misinterpreted the comment. To explain: this is the architect’s design based on our ideas (“brought-in design”). At that time, we were still planning a solid masonry build, but we have since changed course for various reasons (shorter construction time, apparently better cost control due to fixed prices, easier to achieve energy efficiency, less coordination effort with trades).
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Is there a particular reason why the house is planned 70cm (28 inches) further back? That just makes the porch look awkward.
That was actually the architect’s idea to give it a bit more openness – but I see your point about the porch!
familie_s schrieb:
We’re also building in Bavaria, similar size, similar budget, but we are doing a lot ourselves. If that’s not an option, I would advise against it.
Unfortunately, doing a lot ourselves isn’t possible due to lack of time and skills in this area. Thanks for your detailed comments – there are some very important points we will definitely keep in mind!
11ant schrieb:
Ouch. Flat plot, but a basement. Independent architect, but a brought-in design. Pre-deciding on a "prefabricated" house (why?), but a stone construction plan. Someone educate the old guy on what you were thinking there.
I don’t quite understand why a basement would only make sense on a sloped plot – but maybe I misinterpreted the comment. To explain: this is the architect’s design based on our ideas (“brought-in design”). At that time, we were still planning a solid masonry build, but we have since changed course for various reasons (shorter construction time, apparently better cost control due to fixed prices, easier to achieve energy efficiency, less coordination effort with trades).
N
nordanney17 Mar 2026 15:53Minerva121 schrieb:
I don’t quite understand why a basement only makes sense on a sloped site Because a basement is extremely expensive relative to its benefits. Storage space under a pitched roof, for example, is almost free due to the roof shape alone. Or a few square meters more above ground, well planned, instead of the basement.
Minerva121 schrieb:
Back then we were still planning with solid construction, but have since moved away from that for various reasons (shorter construction time, seemingly better cost control due to fixed prices, easier achievement of energy efficiency, less coordination effort with the trades). Someone has fallen for the advertising promises (except for the easier achievement of energy efficiency at KfW 40 level and better). While you wait 9 months for the scheduled erection date of the prefabricated house, the solid builder is already putting up the enclosed shell. The interior fitting takes the same amount of time. By the way, solid construction (general contractor/house provider) also offers fixed prices (and you can also build a prefab house using solid construction, just so you know). And building with a general contractor in solid construction involves the same coordination effort as with a prefab house builder. More effort comes with contracting individual trades – but that’s a completely different topic, and you usually hire external expertise to handle that work for you.
M
Minerva12117 Mar 2026 16:37nordanney schrieb:
Someone fell for the marketing promises (except for the easier achievement of energy efficiency at KfW 40 and above). I’d like to follow up with you: Would you say that a solid construction house has clear advantages compared to a prefabricated house? Nowadays, some prefabricated house providers also claim a high degree of customization, greater quality/durability, as well as stable wall construction and “breathability.”
N
nordanney17 Mar 2026 17:08Minerva121 schrieb:
I would like to follow up with you: Would you say that a solid house has clear advantages compared to a prefab house? No. Both have advantages and disadvantages. But in the end, both cost roughly the same, and you hardly notice any difference when living inside.
Both are well livable options. Neither has significant advantages or disadvantages.
Breathability is just marketing again ;-)
Prefab houses used to be more problematic decades ago (wood preservatives), but nowadays even banks don’t make a difference anymore.
M
Minerva12117 Mar 2026 17:22nordanney schrieb:
Vapor openness is advertising again ;-) I see that the marketing terms seem to be working on me. Thanks for the note.
Do you see any planning or other discrepancies aside from the decision to go with a prefabricated house, or have these already been addressed by the colleagues before?
N
nordanney17 Mar 2026 17:27Minerva121 schrieb:
Do you see any planning or other inconsistencies aside from the decision to go with a prefabricated house? I’m not the best with floor plans. The budget doesn’t match the house, and the basement is unnecessary. Those are my two points.
Similar topics