ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home with Conservatory and Site Selection
Created on: 18 Dec 2017 15:13
N
Nanny Ogg
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 550 m² (5900 sq ft)
Slope: slightly descending from west to east; approx. 1-2 m (3-7 ft)?
Plot ratio (floor space index):
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Building envelope: 15 x 15 m (49 x 49 ft); distance to the street 5 m (16 ft); distance to the right neighbor 3 m (10 ft); plot width at street side approx. 18 m (59 ft); plot length approx. 30 m (98 ft)
Edge development: Garage may be built directly on the left property boundary (viewed from the street)
Number of parking spaces:
Number of storeys: number of full storeys not specified
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: gable end either perpendicular or parallel to the street
Maximum heights / limits: wall height 4-7 m (13-23 ft); upper edge of building 7.3 - 10.5 m (24-34 ft)
Further requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof; single-family house
Basement, storeys: no basement; 1.5 storeys with attic
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 adults (30, 31 years) and one child (1.5 years); second child planned; space reserved for a third child desired
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area; utility room; small bathroom with shower; bedroom
Upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, guest room, office, bathroom with bathtub
Office: family use or home office? family use
Overnight guests per year: parents visit about 10 times a year for long weekends
Open or closed architecture: ?
Conservative or modern construction: ?
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: daily 5; expandable to at least 8-10
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport for 2 cars; bicycle garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned for now
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why or why not:
- The ground floor bedroom should fit a family bed with two 140 cm (55 inch) mattresses; side access along the long side is sufficient.
- Fitness area with climbing wall bars and rings attached to the ceiling
- Guest room should be convertible into a children’s room if a third child arrives
- Conservatory adjacent to the dining area
- Mudroom behind the entrance door should not be a thoroughfare (stairs not directly behind the front door)
- Preferred construction method: solid wood house (methods like Holz100, only wood, etc.)
- Central ventilation system with heat recovery
House Design
Who designed the plan: do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why?
- Good use of space; all rooms accommodated without the house becoming too large
- Entire living and dining area faces the garden
- Separate entrance vestibule for muddy shoes
- Equally sized children’s rooms
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: not available
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: not yet defined
Preferred heating system: not yet decided; preferably with much renewable energy (geothermal?)
Key data of house design:
- Living area 135 m² (1453 sq ft); footprint 144 m² (1550 sq ft); building area 88 m² (947 sq ft) + 4 m² (43 sq ft) conservatory
- Roof pitch 38°
- Knee wall 1.15 m (3.8 ft)
- Tilt-and-slide door in conservatory
- Exterior walls 35 cm (14 in); interior wall next to kitchen 20 cm (8 in), otherwise 12 cm (5 in)
If you had to give up, which details or additional features
- you could do without:
- you could not do without:
Why was the design created as it is now?
Inspired by various standard plans and then modified independently.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
We want to build in a newly developed neighborhood that is not yet fully serviced. We have not yet chosen a plot (currently not for sale).
So I’m looking for advice both on the floor plan and choosing a suitable plot. Any of the shown plots are possible except those in the area with the city villas (for some I have entered approximate size and lengths). I initially selected a plot where the garden faces roughly west to catch the evening sun. The current floor plan would also fit the other green-marked plots.
Plot size: approx. 550 m² (5900 sq ft)
Slope: slightly descending from west to east; approx. 1-2 m (3-7 ft)?
Plot ratio (floor space index):
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Building envelope: 15 x 15 m (49 x 49 ft); distance to the street 5 m (16 ft); distance to the right neighbor 3 m (10 ft); plot width at street side approx. 18 m (59 ft); plot length approx. 30 m (98 ft)
Edge development: Garage may be built directly on the left property boundary (viewed from the street)
Number of parking spaces:
Number of storeys: number of full storeys not specified
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: gable end either perpendicular or parallel to the street
Maximum heights / limits: wall height 4-7 m (13-23 ft); upper edge of building 7.3 - 10.5 m (24-34 ft)
Further requirements:
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof; single-family house
Basement, storeys: no basement; 1.5 storeys with attic
Number of occupants, ages: currently 2 adults (30, 31 years) and one child (1.5 years); second child planned; space reserved for a third child desired
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area; utility room; small bathroom with shower; bedroom
Upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, guest room, office, bathroom with bathtub
Office: family use or home office? family use
Overnight guests per year: parents visit about 10 times a year for long weekends
Open or closed architecture: ?
Conservative or modern construction: ?
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: daily 5; expandable to at least 8-10
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport for 2 cars; bicycle garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: not planned for now
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why or why not:
- The ground floor bedroom should fit a family bed with two 140 cm (55 inch) mattresses; side access along the long side is sufficient.
- Fitness area with climbing wall bars and rings attached to the ceiling
- Guest room should be convertible into a children’s room if a third child arrives
- Conservatory adjacent to the dining area
- Mudroom behind the entrance door should not be a thoroughfare (stairs not directly behind the front door)
- Preferred construction method: solid wood house (methods like Holz100, only wood, etc.)
- Central ventilation system with heat recovery
House Design
Who designed the plan: do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why?
- Good use of space; all rooms accommodated without the house becoming too large
- Entire living and dining area faces the garden
- Separate entrance vestibule for muddy shoes
- Equally sized children’s rooms
What do you dislike? Why?
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: not available
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: not yet defined
Preferred heating system: not yet decided; preferably with much renewable energy (geothermal?)
Key data of house design:
- Living area 135 m² (1453 sq ft); footprint 144 m² (1550 sq ft); building area 88 m² (947 sq ft) + 4 m² (43 sq ft) conservatory
- Roof pitch 38°
- Knee wall 1.15 m (3.8 ft)
- Tilt-and-slide door in conservatory
- Exterior walls 35 cm (14 in); interior wall next to kitchen 20 cm (8 in), otherwise 12 cm (5 in)
If you had to give up, which details or additional features
- you could do without:
- you could not do without:
Why was the design created as it is now?
Inspired by various standard plans and then modified independently.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
We want to build in a newly developed neighborhood that is not yet fully serviced. We have not yet chosen a plot (currently not for sale).
So I’m looking for advice both on the floor plan and choosing a suitable plot. Any of the shown plots are possible except those in the area with the city villas (for some I have entered approximate size and lengths). I initially selected a plot where the garden faces roughly west to catch the evening sun. The current floor plan would also fit the other green-marked plots.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
But I wanted to keep the external shape fairly simple (with the exception of the conservatory), since I read that this significantly increases the costs. That’s commendable and earns a gold star from the penny-pincher.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
And the dormer is no longer centered on the house. Is it possible to do that without it looking visually “off”? In my opinion, it won’t look dramatically off.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
Or do you mean the ceiling height isn’t enough and you’d hit your head? Yes, I’d prefer having a 2m (6 ft 7 in) clearance along the entire staircase, not just over the middle of the walking line.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
Where possible, I’ve also planned for transom windows below the main windows. You probably mean glazed balustrades – those should be sufficient.
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55 cm (22 inches) of space on each side of the bed is a bit narrow and can cause discomfort or even stubbed toes.
Living/dining/kitchen areas designed for 4-5 people, and occasionally up to 7, feel cramped.
The wall between the utility/technical room and the bedroom should have extra soundproofing. Dryers, washing machines, and heating systems are not always quiet.
Is the small room between the bedroom and entrance intended as a storage room? Its contents should fit into a closet.
I would suggest relocating the sports corridor to the study. Exercising while 2-3 children/teenagers are jumping around with friends nearby can be distracting. That space could be better used elsewhere, for example, as a bathroom.
Living/dining/kitchen areas designed for 4-5 people, and occasionally up to 7, feel cramped.
The wall between the utility/technical room and the bedroom should have extra soundproofing. Dryers, washing machines, and heating systems are not always quiet.
Is the small room between the bedroom and entrance intended as a storage room? Its contents should fit into a closet.
I would suggest relocating the sports corridor to the study. Exercising while 2-3 children/teenagers are jumping around with friends nearby can be distracting. That space could be better used elsewhere, for example, as a bathroom.
I have a few questions:
Have you ever thought about what it’s like to enter the house and immediately bump into a door or wall? Then there’s another hallway wall blocking any open path toward the living area, family space...
There are many exterior walls, yet the bathroom with the shower has no window and is tucked in the middle of the house—why is that?
Why should the utility/heating room be accessible from the living area? Is that really appealing?
How is family life supposed to work for four or even five people in this cramped open-plan space? One person is cooking, another is doing homework at the dining table—can someone else watch TV quietly? Is it a good idea that everyone brings hustle and bustle into the chill-out area just to get a glass of juice from the kitchen?
Why is there only one shower for four or five people plus many guests? Where are those waiting to shower supposed to wait? Exercise can easily be done in the office/guest room; you don’t have to work out in front of the kids.
The fact is, this house will be very dark, at least in winter. The sun sets on the front door side. Also, the position of the “winter garden” is likely to pose an energy challenge, but that’s just speculation.
If you want the garden or terrace on the west side, the house can still face south—which has the advantage of sunlight. In the evenings, the sun shines very low from the west (or northwest in summer) and is usually blocked by surrounding houses.
If I were you, I’d take a look at floor plans from major home builders; most of them generally work well.
Have you ever thought about what it’s like to enter the house and immediately bump into a door or wall? Then there’s another hallway wall blocking any open path toward the living area, family space...
There are many exterior walls, yet the bathroom with the shower has no window and is tucked in the middle of the house—why is that?
Why should the utility/heating room be accessible from the living area? Is that really appealing?
How is family life supposed to work for four or even five people in this cramped open-plan space? One person is cooking, another is doing homework at the dining table—can someone else watch TV quietly? Is it a good idea that everyone brings hustle and bustle into the chill-out area just to get a glass of juice from the kitchen?
Why is there only one shower for four or five people plus many guests? Where are those waiting to shower supposed to wait? Exercise can easily be done in the office/guest room; you don’t have to work out in front of the kids.
The fact is, this house will be very dark, at least in winter. The sun sets on the front door side. Also, the position of the “winter garden” is likely to pose an energy challenge, but that’s just speculation.
If you want the garden or terrace on the west side, the house can still face south—which has the advantage of sunlight. In the evenings, the sun shines very low from the west (or northwest in summer) and is usually blocked by surrounding houses.
If I were you, I’d take a look at floor plans from major home builders; most of them generally work well.
I really don’t like the floor plan at all. From the bedroom, you first have to go through a dark entrance hallway to reach a shower room without a window. The living area with the kitchen is too small for my taste. With children, I also find the entrance and cloakroom area too cramped; to me, it feels more like a hallway or entrance of an apartment. Upstairs, the children don’t have a shower, and older children always need to shower.
Best regards,
Sabine
Best regards,
Sabine
N
Nanny Ogg19 Dec 2017 13:45@haydee:
- Thanks for the tip about sound insulation. How thick should I roughly plan the wall there?
- Yes, the small room is meant to be a storage room. I thought that instead of having such a long hallway, I could create some storage space. Would you rather avoid making an extra room and just put a closet at the end of the hallway?
- Moving the fitness area into the home office would be too tight. And it wouldn’t help the bathroom either, since I can’t move the wall any further down on the plan, or else there would be no access to the upper children’s room (at least with this floor plan).
One thing I forgot about the fitness area: it should also be possible to juggle, hula hoop, etc. there. It would be practical if the club couldn’t hit the computer right away.
We haven’t yet considered that the kids might be disturbed if sports are done there. It should be a shared area for everyone.
@ypg:
- It doesn’t bother me that you don’t walk directly from the front door into the living room. But the door between the entrance hall and the corridor is really unnecessary. I will probably just plan for an open doorway there.
- I couldn’t place the shower bathroom against an exterior wall anymore. If I swap it with the utility room, then you can only access the bathroom through the bedroom. → not ideal. If I give both the utility room and the shower bathroom a door to the corridor and a window, then they become two long, narrow rooms. Right now we don’t have a window in the bathroom and I don’t mind.
- Open-plan living area: Isn’t the problem with any open-plan room that you can’t watch TV quietly? At the moment, we don’t even have a TV; I don’t think we will suddenly watch much TV. Okay, it’s not ideal that you always have to go through the living room first.
- Showers: The plan is to have a folding shower screen in the upstairs bathtub so you can shower there too. We have done it that way for several years and it works well. I didn’t want to reduce the size of the upstairs bathroom even more by adding another shower. And having two showers in the house is quite comfortable. Standard houses usually have only one.
- The issue with the dark house is really a drawback and not intentional. I need to reconsider that. Does orienting the house south mean I have to rotate the gable by 90°? Or does it simply mean that there should be many windows on the south side?
@Curly:
- It’s quite normal to have to go through the corridor to reach the bathroom. The alternative would be to put the bathroom behind the bedroom with a direct door. But then anyone on the ground floor who needs to use the toilet would have to go through the bedroom first. I wouldn’t like that. I planned for two floor-to-ceiling windows in the stairwell; do you think that won’t make the corridor bright enough?
Your suggestions have given me a few new ideas, especially concerning the open-plan living area. I will post again once I have had the chance to implement them.
- Thanks for the tip about sound insulation. How thick should I roughly plan the wall there?
- Yes, the small room is meant to be a storage room. I thought that instead of having such a long hallway, I could create some storage space. Would you rather avoid making an extra room and just put a closet at the end of the hallway?
- Moving the fitness area into the home office would be too tight. And it wouldn’t help the bathroom either, since I can’t move the wall any further down on the plan, or else there would be no access to the upper children’s room (at least with this floor plan).
One thing I forgot about the fitness area: it should also be possible to juggle, hula hoop, etc. there. It would be practical if the club couldn’t hit the computer right away.
We haven’t yet considered that the kids might be disturbed if sports are done there. It should be a shared area for everyone.
@ypg:
- It doesn’t bother me that you don’t walk directly from the front door into the living room. But the door between the entrance hall and the corridor is really unnecessary. I will probably just plan for an open doorway there.
- I couldn’t place the shower bathroom against an exterior wall anymore. If I swap it with the utility room, then you can only access the bathroom through the bedroom. → not ideal. If I give both the utility room and the shower bathroom a door to the corridor and a window, then they become two long, narrow rooms. Right now we don’t have a window in the bathroom and I don’t mind.
- Open-plan living area: Isn’t the problem with any open-plan room that you can’t watch TV quietly? At the moment, we don’t even have a TV; I don’t think we will suddenly watch much TV. Okay, it’s not ideal that you always have to go through the living room first.
- Showers: The plan is to have a folding shower screen in the upstairs bathtub so you can shower there too. We have done it that way for several years and it works well. I didn’t want to reduce the size of the upstairs bathroom even more by adding another shower. And having two showers in the house is quite comfortable. Standard houses usually have only one.
- The issue with the dark house is really a drawback and not intentional. I need to reconsider that. Does orienting the house south mean I have to rotate the gable by 90°? Or does it simply mean that there should be many windows on the south side?
@Curly:
- It’s quite normal to have to go through the corridor to reach the bathroom. The alternative would be to put the bathroom behind the bedroom with a direct door. But then anyone on the ground floor who needs to use the toilet would have to go through the bedroom first. I wouldn’t like that. I planned for two floor-to-ceiling windows in the stairwell; do you think that won’t make the corridor bright enough?
Your suggestions have given me a few new ideas, especially concerning the open-plan living area. I will post again once I have had the chance to implement them.
My apologies... I usually don’t tinker, but this seemed like a good opportunity:
So you want to enter your house through a storage room?
That’s what you call a design flaw and should be started over. In a family bathroom, you should at least be able to fit the standard setup: bathtub next to shower.
The ceiling will probably stop you from doing that 😉
For that purpose, the open-plan living and dining area should be used – upstairs should be quieter retreat spaces for family members.
Even without the door, you would enter a narrow, dark space.
That’s another design flaw. @Curly basically meant the same as I did: you’d end up in a narrow hallway...
There are other options if you pack everything together and start fresh.
But it could bother you if more than two adults want to use that small space one after another or if it gets stuffy in there.
No, not really – that’s why you choose, for example, an L-shape layout or include buffers, meaning more space.
Yeah, that’s how we’ve always done it 😉
No, with four or more people, you usually check whether the extra cost of about 1500€ for a second shower is affordable.
Also not ideal... as I said, if you approach it more thoughtfully, you can find a solution. A good design takes months to develop 🙂
You should really have a professional handle this. Architects study these things and know the dimensions well to create practical plans that offer plenty of space. Sure, there are some who aren’t very good, but this design is definitely not what you would call quite nice or yes, nice. It might seem great to you at first because you don’t know better, but there will come a time when you put the kids to bed and want to give everyone their own privacy, including going to the bathroom... and having the bathroom in the middle of the house is just not practical.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel/house now 🙂
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
I thought that before leaving the hallway so long, I might create some storage space.
So you want to enter your house through a storage room?
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
And that wouldn’t help the bathroom either, since I can’t move the wall further down according to the plan.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
Otherwise, you can’t get to the upper children’s room anymore (at least with this floor plan).
That’s what you call a design flaw and should be started over. In a family bathroom, you should at least be able to fit the standard setup: bathtub next to shower.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
What I forgot to mention about the sports area: people should also be able to juggle there,
The ceiling will probably stop you from doing that 😉
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
It’s supposed to be a shared space for everyone.
For that purpose, the open-plan living and dining area should be used – upstairs should be quieter retreat spaces for family members.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
- I’m not bothered that you don’t walk straight from the front door into the living area. But the door between the vestibule and hallway really is a bit redundant.
Even without the door, you would enter a narrow, dark space.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
- I couldn’t place the shower bathroom on an outside wall anymore. If I swap it with the utility room, you can only get to the bathroom through the bedroom. → not ideal.
That’s another design flaw. @Curly basically meant the same as I did: you’d end up in a narrow hallway...
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
If I add doors to the hallway and windows to both the utility room and shower bathroom, they become two long, narrow rooms.
There are other options if you pack everything together and start fresh.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
At the moment, we don’t have a window in the bathroom and it doesn’t bother me.
But it could bother you if more than two adults want to use that small space one after another or if it gets stuffy in there.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
- Open-plan area: isn’t it a problem with every open-plan space that you can’t watch TV in peace?
No, not really – that’s why you choose, for example, an L-shape layout or include buffers, meaning more space.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
We have done it that way for several years and it works quite well.
Yeah, that’s how we’ve always done it 😉
Nanny Ogg schrieb:see above.
I didn’t want to make the upstairs bathroom even smaller with an additional shower.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
Standard houses usually only have one.
No, with four or more people, you usually check whether the extra cost of about 1500€ for a second shower is affordable.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:see above. That’s not what I meant.
- It’s normal to have to go through the hallway first to get to the bathroom.
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
But then anyone on the ground floor who needs the toilet has to go through the bedroom first. I wouldn’t like that.
Also not ideal... as I said, if you approach it more thoughtfully, you can find a solution. A good design takes months to develop 🙂
Nanny Ogg schrieb:Where exactly? Upstairs?
I planned two full-height windows in the stairwell;
Nanny Ogg schrieb:
I got some new ideas from the feedback, especially regarding the open-plan area. Once I manage to implement them, I’ll post again.
You should really have a professional handle this. Architects study these things and know the dimensions well to create practical plans that offer plenty of space. Sure, there are some who aren’t very good, but this design is definitely not what you would call quite nice or yes, nice. It might seem great to you at first because you don’t know better, but there will come a time when you put the kids to bed and want to give everyone their own privacy, including going to the bathroom... and having the bathroom in the middle of the house is just not practical.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel/house now 🙂
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