ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Bungalow with Basement – 140 sqm – Gentle Slope

Created on: 11 Apr 2021 22:08

Hello everyone,

I have been a silent reader here for some time, but now our building project is becoming more concrete. That’s why I would like to share our floor plan here to get feedback from others. After days of drawing, discussing, etc. within a small group, you tend to become somewhat “blind” and might miss “the essentials” sometimes. Just a note: the furniture, kitchen, shower, toilet, etc., shown on the plan are only symbolic placeholders and do not reflect our actual planning.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 644 sqm (6,930 sq ft) – 23 m x 28 m (75 ft x 92 ft)
Slope: yes, descending from south to north. Approximately 2 m (6.5 ft) height difference.
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 5 m (16 ft) to the north, 3 m (10 ft) to the south
Edge development: -
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of floors: single-story
Roof type: gable roof, hip roof, flat roof
Architectural style: -
Orientation: ridge line east-west – parallel to the street
Maximum height / limits: 5.5 m (18 ft)
Other requirements:

Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: bungalow with hip roof
Basement, floors: ground floor with basement
Number of occupants, ages: 3 people (45 / 40 / 5)
Space requirement for ground floor, upper floor: approx. 140 sqm (1,507 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guest bedrooms per year: 4-6 times/year
Kitchen type, cooking island: closed kitchen, no island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: no

House Design
Who created the design: We made the initial draft, and the builder performed numerous changes according to our wishes.
What do you like most? All our wishes have been implemented so far.
What do you dislike? Actually, we like everything so far.
Price estimate according to the architect/planner: €560,000 (approx.) – including special requests (sanitary, electrical, sunshades, etc.)
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: €600,000 (approx.), excluding ancillary building costs, garden, etc.
Preferred heating technology: ground-source heat pump / air-to-water heat pump

If you had to forego something, which details/extras would they be?
- Could give up: actually nothing
- Could not give up: closed kitchen

Why did the design turn out like it is now?
Our requirements regarding room sizes and layout have been implemented as we wished.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
- We want to use the forum discussion to identify any “weaknesses” in the floor plan in advance.
- Has anything important been forgotten?
- What concerns do you have?
- What can still be improved?
- Suggestions/criticism are very welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Floor plan of a single-family house with living rooms, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, child’s room, office, hallway, and garage.

Floor plan of a building with workshop, guest room, bathroom, technical room, hallway, utility room, and storage.

Evolith14 Apr 2021 07:42

#67

ypg schrieb:

I think it’s wrong to persuade someone into an open kitchen if they actually want a closed one. In the end, the issue was the narrow hallway that formed and wasn’t planned out properly.

You really should see an open kitchen "in action" somewhere. The main argument was about odors and mess. But you can address that even with an open kitchen, and a closed kitchen doesn’t necessarily offer any real advantage.

Otherwise, I like the plan better, but the hallway is still awkward. You enter the house, and the first thing you see is the basement stairs. You won’t avoid having a U-shaped or L-shaped staircase. You could place that in the wardrobe niche. Access to the basement for large and bulky items would then be from outside.

I moved some things around in Paint to illustrate. What I’ve noticed in our bungalow (and any other house): having the toilet right next to a bedroom isn’t ideal. My husband sometimes wakes our daughter up with his farts. It also echoes nicely in the bowl.
In your case, the stairs should be reasonably central to the bedrooms and bathroom. You’ll be hauling dirty laundry downstairs, and after a while, every step gets annoying. You also have a guest bathroom downstairs, which you can use without being disturbed by visitors. Imagine quickly dashing to the basement in your underwear because your daughter’s blocking the bathroom, your son is occupying the small bathroom, your wife is chatting with the neighbor in the kitchen, and you urgently need to shower.
Basically, you might also want to consider whether you really need three bathrooms with showers, or if having one in the basement and just a small bathroom upstairs for basic needs would be enough.

House floor plan with bedroom, bathroom, children’s room, office, hallway, and garage

House floor plan: kitchen, living room, bedroom, children’s room, office, bathroom, shower room, garage.

Bike97514 Apr 2021 09:42

#68

Evolith schrieb:

Otherwise, I like the plan better, but the hallway is still not appealing. You enter the house and the first thing you see is the basement stairs. You’ll have to go with either a U-shaped or L-shaped staircase. You could also place it in the cloakroom recess. Access to the basement for large or bulky items would then be from outside.

We are currently also discussing the option of having the staircase at the front. Having it at the back is less of an option. I find it rather “inappropriate” in the private area.

Bike97514 Apr 2021 09:52

#69

ypg schrieb:

By placing the entrance on the side away from the living room, the hallway is created. Entrance where the kitchen currently is. Rotate the kitchen, dining, and living areas. Then have the office in the north. Rotate the stairs... this optimizes zoning and you don’t constantly have to pass through the private area when coming in from outside during the day to the kitchen. Ideally, the children’s room would also get a south-facing window.
Is the garage position not optimal due to the sloped site?

I like your ideas, but they can’t be implemented as such in our case.
Maybe a few thoughts from me on why the design ended up the way it is now.

In my view, the garages can only be where they currently are. Not in the southwest, because I don’t want a shade provider in front of the house 😉. Putting the garages at the back is not an option either, as that would require lowering them (I don’t want to drive “down” and having a large paved yard, which I don’t have or want) and raising ground level to bring the garages up to street level is not possible.

If the entrance is moved further to the left, it would come at the expense of the terrace and front garden.

Evolith14 Apr 2021 10:08

#70

Bike975 schrieb:

We are also currently discussing the option with the stairs at the front. Stairs at the back are rather not an option. I find those less suitable for private areas.

However, always keep in mind that you go up and down there daily and always pass through the dirt area at the entrance. My parents also have the stairs right next to the front door upstairs. After a while, you tend to jump onto the stairs at an angle to avoid getting sand on your socks (I have childhood trauma from this).

Bike97514 Apr 2021 10:23

#71

Evolith schrieb:

After a while, you tend to jump onto the stairs at an angle to avoid getting sand on your socks (I guess that’s because of my experience as a toddler).

Good point.

We just had another idea.
To position the straight staircase where the long corridor by the kitchen was in the first draft. I’m currently sketching how it might look.
The staircase would be a bit "darker," but it would be moved away from the hallway.

Nida35a14 Apr 2021 10:32

#72

Good idea, 1-1.2m (3.3-4 feet) wide,
plan for lighting (LED panels) with motion sensors, as hands are often full

ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Bungalow with Basement – 140 sqm – Gentle Slope

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