ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home, Urban Villa, 135 m²

Attached are the floor plans for our planned single-family house. It will be an urban villa with 135m² (1453 sq ft). We are 4 people (children aged 1 and 3 years) and need a home office. That is why the ground floor is rather compact, which we are aware of. We are building with a general contractor, using solid construction, Poroton bricks, and without a basement.

Important to us were large children’s rooms, an open kitchen, a bathroom with a shower on the ground floor, and a staircase that is not next to the door. The walk-in closet on the upper floor will become a storage room, but only the door will be moved. Additionally, we will use the space under the roof for storing some infrequently used items. The front door has been moved to the side; it was initially on the south side, but the hallway was very long and narrow there.

Northeast of the house and the door, there will be a double carport. The driveway is from the south, and the garden will be on the north side. There is a small slope with trees here, so we have a nice green view from the living room, even though there will be less light.

Phew, compact is definitely the right word.

- Utility room with less than 5m² (54 ft²) and a window – what kind of equipment do you expect to fit in there? Will there still be space for a washing machine and dryer?
- The hallway is probably going to be quite dark.
- Where do you plan to store shoes, coats, and other outerwear (umbrellas, gloves, hats, scarves) for four people?
- The toilet has a shower, right?

Personally, I think there is too little storage space. Is there at least a garden shed or something similar? But of course, that depends on personal preferences.

The utility room will contain a heat pump and a stacked washer and dryer. Besides the electrical subpanel, what other space requirements should we consider? I lack practical experience with this, meaning I haven’t seen comparable rooms in other houses. We also have floor plans from other providers (which we don’t really like), but their utility rooms are not planned any larger either.

We are also considering placing a cloakroom, probably on the side of the staircase.

The ground floor restroom includes a shower, which is why there is an indentation into the utility room.

The carport will have a storage room of about 3 x 6 m (10 x 20 ft) for garden tools, bicycles, car tires, and so on.

bratwurst schrieb:
I’m missing “real-life” experience here, meaning having seen similar rooms in person.

…but have you already visited a show home at least once???
And are you currently using a washing machine? … with laundry basket, drying rack, ironing board…
Where do you store your tools, light bulbs, batteries, gardening supplies, empty jars, full cans, kitchen appliances? Whatever the kitchen and hallway cannot accommodate must be handled by the utility room… recycling bags, empty bottles, drink crates!

And a question from me: why is the house pushed so close to the street?
And don’t come back with the argument: “so we have a large garden at the back.”
A few meters at the back don’t make much difference, but up front it gets really tight and far from comfortable or pleasant… I’m not a fan of the current layout; I miss orientation according to the sun. I consider the utility room and toilet on the south side unnecessary and pointless.

I agree with the previous commenters: the space will be tight, and there is a lack of storage that you definitely need with two small children (seasonal clothing, decorations, supplies, toys, tools, etc.).

It would also bother me that you have to carry groceries through the living/dining area to get to the kitchen. Usually, you don’t take off your shoes for that since you want to bring heavy items in all at once, which means you end up tracking dirt through the entire living space (our kitchen is located immediately to the left of the main entrance, which I find very practical).

Have you already furnished your floor plan realistically? If not, I would definitely recommend doing so, and especially give some thought to the kitchen layout. For example, if you plan to have a breakfast bar or seating area in the kitchen, it could make the space around the dining table feel cramped.

Yes, we already have the furniture, so that’s sorted. We also planned the kitchen at the kitchen studio. The dining table will be placed directly in front of it, so we don’t need a counter.

Is the house squeezed against the street? There is 3m (10 feet) of space here— or is that still too tight?

Regarding storage, we have a utility room under the concrete staircase, which I forgot to mention.