ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home (Urban Villa) Approx. 140 m² (3 Children’s Bedrooms)
Created on: 5 Jul 2018 10:59
R
rbommes
Hello everyone,
We were fortunate to be allocated a building plot and are currently working intensively on the floor plan design.
I have been following the forum for a while and have already implemented some ideas.
We are now entering the critical phase and I would like to share our planning with you. I would appreciate your feedback.
For example, would a narrow, tall window for the staircase make sense (if the door with the light strip is rotated)?
The windows at the front are rather small due to the floor plan. Do you see a better solution here? (Otherwise, it can stay as it is since we don’t spend much time there and it would mainly be for show.)
Where should the outdoor unit of the air-to-water heat pump be placed?
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 430m2 (4628 ft2)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: 0.8
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 11m x 14m (36 ft x 46 ft)
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 1-2 (in front of the garage and beside the house)
Number of storeys: 2
Roof style: No restrictions
Architectural style: No restrictions
Orientation: No restrictions
Maximum heights/limits: Eave height 6m (20 ft), ridge height 11m (36 ft). Distance to neighbors 3m (10 ft), garage must be set back 5m (16 ft) to the rear. Construction beyond the building envelope with bay windows, canopies, solar panels, etc. is allowed.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Urban villa, hipped roof
Basement, storeys: No basement, 2 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: 4-5 (34; 30; 1.5; 1.5)
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: Upper floor: 3 children’s bedrooms for future family planning
Office, family use or home office?: Guest room initially as office/hobby room, later possibly as children’s room/playroom
Guests per year: Rarely
Open or closed architecture: Open downstairs, rather closed upstairs
Traditional or modern design: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: Minimum 6, possibility for a long dining table (large family)
Fireplace: No
Music/sound wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes (possibly at the garden shed)
Other: Storage space needed due to no basement (long garage, garden shed & utility room, unheated attic)
House Design
Planner: - Planner from a construction company & do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why? Lots of house on a small footprint, wishes well implemented. Floor-to-ceiling windows downstairs, only in the master bedroom upstairs.
What do you dislike? Why?: Possibly minor things we may have overlooked, optimizing windows?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 230,000 – 240,000€
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 240,000€
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating
If you have to give up on certain details/finishes
-Can give up: Bathroom can be designed differently, walk-in closet
-Can’t give up: Large kitchen, dining area, three children’s bedrooms
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner which we optimized with other plans from the internet.
Thank you very much
We were fortunate to be allocated a building plot and are currently working intensively on the floor plan design.
I have been following the forum for a while and have already implemented some ideas.
We are now entering the critical phase and I would like to share our planning with you. I would appreciate your feedback.
For example, would a narrow, tall window for the staircase make sense (if the door with the light strip is rotated)?
The windows at the front are rather small due to the floor plan. Do you see a better solution here? (Otherwise, it can stay as it is since we don’t spend much time there and it would mainly be for show.)
Where should the outdoor unit of the air-to-water heat pump be placed?
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 430m2 (4628 ft2)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: 0.8
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 11m x 14m (36 ft x 46 ft)
Edge development: No
Number of parking spaces: 1-2 (in front of the garage and beside the house)
Number of storeys: 2
Roof style: No restrictions
Architectural style: No restrictions
Orientation: No restrictions
Maximum heights/limits: Eave height 6m (20 ft), ridge height 11m (36 ft). Distance to neighbors 3m (10 ft), garage must be set back 5m (16 ft) to the rear. Construction beyond the building envelope with bay windows, canopies, solar panels, etc. is allowed.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Urban villa, hipped roof
Basement, storeys: No basement, 2 storeys
Number of occupants, ages: 4-5 (34; 30; 1.5; 1.5)
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: Upper floor: 3 children’s bedrooms for future family planning
Office, family use or home office?: Guest room initially as office/hobby room, later possibly as children’s room/playroom
Guests per year: Rarely
Open or closed architecture: Open downstairs, rather closed upstairs
Traditional or modern design: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: Minimum 6, possibility for a long dining table (large family)
Fireplace: No
Music/sound wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes (possibly at the garden shed)
Other: Storage space needed due to no basement (long garage, garden shed & utility room, unheated attic)
House Design
Planner: - Planner from a construction company & do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why? Lots of house on a small footprint, wishes well implemented. Floor-to-ceiling windows downstairs, only in the master bedroom upstairs.
What do you dislike? Why?: Possibly minor things we may have overlooked, optimizing windows?
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 230,000 – 240,000€
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: 240,000€
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating
If you have to give up on certain details/finishes
-Can give up: Bathroom can be designed differently, walk-in closet
-Can’t give up: Large kitchen, dining area, three children’s bedrooms
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner which we optimized with other plans from the internet.
Thank you very much
Phew, I actually don’t find the floor plan bad, to be honest. But everything is really small and cramped (except for the dining-living area). I really don’t like the T-shaped bathroom; you don’t get any natural light in the toilet or shower, so those are dark corners.
I wouldn’t even give a kids’ room of 8 m² (86 sq ft) to my cat; it should be at least 12-15 m² (130-160 sq ft).
You can tell the floor plan comes from a developer. It’s highly optimized for construction efficiency—they want to keep things as simple as possible. That’s not necessarily bad, but you have to be careful.
No double garage, no basement, attic? I definitely see a storage problem, even without kids.
The price estimate is not realistic. You’ll need to add at least another 100,000 on top of everything; it definitely won’t work otherwise.
Good luck
I wouldn’t even give a kids’ room of 8 m² (86 sq ft) to my cat; it should be at least 12-15 m² (130-160 sq ft).
You can tell the floor plan comes from a developer. It’s highly optimized for construction efficiency—they want to keep things as simple as possible. That’s not necessarily bad, but you have to be careful.
No double garage, no basement, attic? I definitely see a storage problem, even without kids.
The price estimate is not realistic. You’ll need to add at least another 100,000 on top of everything; it definitely won’t work otherwise.
Good luck
Bookstar schrieb:
You can tell the floor plan comes from a volume builder. Bookstar schrieb:
It is heavily optimized for construction efficiency, 1. Yes
2. No.
Katja’s repair attempt in #6 looks quite workable, but otherwise the design is rather poor. Not absolutely, but considering the family it is intended for here.
Three children are three children, not just two children and a relabeled guest room in order to fit a cookie-cutter floor plan. If you actually wanted the 3m (10 feet) shown in the children’s room, the house would have to be significantly wider. The bedroom isn’t good either; the person in the back bed has to squeeze along the wall to get there.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
... the design is pretty bad. Not absolutely, but considering the family it’s meant for here.
Three kids are three kids, You simply can’t force a 160m² (1,500 sq ft) budget out of a 140m² (1,500 sq ft) budget, whether that’s realistic or not. I do believe it’s possible to raise three children in 140m² (1,500 sq ft). And if three kids are planned, it wouldn’t make sense to build only two children’s rooms.
What would be the alternative? Not building at all? Try finding an apartment with three children’s rooms—and if you do, they definitely won’t be bigger.
I still maintain—while it’s small and certainly tight for five people, it’s not impossible. You just can’t accumulate too much stuff. I already planned storage upstairs instead of a dressing room. The attic has to be able to store Christmas decorations. Then it can work.
Apart from that, the windows need to be reconsidered. Corner rooms are nice because they can get light from two sides. Add an extra window each in the two corner children’s rooms and in the bathroom.
I also think that three children can be accommodated in 140m² (1507 sq ft); however, I doubt whether this is possible for a maximum of 240,000 euros.
I would like to suggest again the idea of moving one bedroom to the ground floor and reducing the size of the kitchen/living/dining area accordingly. If there is no third child, this room can be used as a guest room or office, but otherwise, the parents’ bedroom would move downstairs first, and later perhaps the oldest child's bedroom as well.
I would like to suggest again the idea of moving one bedroom to the ground floor and reducing the size of the kitchen/living/dining area accordingly. If there is no third child, this room can be used as a guest room or office, but otherwise, the parents’ bedroom would move downstairs first, and later perhaps the oldest child's bedroom as well.
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your feedback and ideas.
General:
We are aware that we have to make compromises. If we could have planned 160m² (1,722 sq ft), we would have done it. The building envelope is large enough. Unfortunately, our budget does not allow it.
Thank you, Katja, these are exactly the points that push us towards building a house. Apartments or rental properties are not better and are ultimately more expensive. Our need has arisen because of twins, and we cannot save any more equity. In addition, the city has now released the development area. All plots were gone within 24 hours.
Child’s Room 3: The size still doesn’t quite fit us. We had actually discussed 10m² (108 sq ft). Certainly at the expense of the other rooms. The plan is not finalized yet. It is currently planned as an office/hobby/playroom. Our two little ones are twins, and it’s very possible they will always want to share a room. But it could also turn out differently.
Measurements Child’s Room 1: I had included this line for orientation. You are right, the room would only be about 2.50m (8 ft) wide this way. I had not subtracted the interior walls.
The path around the parents’ bed is about 85cm (33 inches) wide, so it should fit. Not huge, but you can get through the door.
Windows: I also marked these two side windows in my rough draft. The planner removed them on their own. This needs to be checked again.
Bathroom: We are not attached to the T-shaped bathroom layout. It was simply on the plan. The washbasin was just placed like that. It is only a preliminary draft. The showers on the ground and upper floors are standard size, 90x90cm (35x35 inches). I’d gladly take your experiences here.
Storage Problem/Possibilities: Thank you for your suggestions. This issue is also very important to us.
The basement is simply impossible within the budget, especially as the groundwater level is very high.
The attic offers a larger area (see picture), which can be used well (Christmas decorations, old toys, etc.).
Additionally, we have planned a long garage, 3x9m (10x30 ft), to store items (tools, bicycles) in the rear part.
Garden tools will be stored in the garden house/shed.
In the utility room, we also want to store drinks, laundry, and groceries. The kitchen should already accommodate a lot of storage.
Ground Floor Planning: We deliberately designed the ground floor a bit open. My wife does not want a bedroom on the ground floor. I have reserved the space as a possible spare room (living room) in case something happens later in life. But until then, the ground floor and garden can be enjoyed.
Ground Floor Shower Bathroom: With at least three women in the household, the man needs his retreat.
Hallway: This may be a bit large but offers space for a wardrobe and more (cabinets under the stairs, etc.).
Costs: We know our budget is not optimal. That’s why I have already spent some extra time finding the right building partner. With many, the conversation ended within the first 10 minutes. For this house, we received a fixed-price offer of €235,000 (approx. $250,000). House only, without land, garage, or additional building costs (those are separate). The Homeowners Protection Association so far has not raised major objections. Feel free to message me if interested or if you have questions.
@katja: Thank you for your idea and planning.
Feedback is welcome.
Thank you for your feedback and ideas.
General:
We are aware that we have to make compromises. If we could have planned 160m² (1,722 sq ft), we would have done it. The building envelope is large enough. Unfortunately, our budget does not allow it.
Thank you, Katja, these are exactly the points that push us towards building a house. Apartments or rental properties are not better and are ultimately more expensive. Our need has arisen because of twins, and we cannot save any more equity. In addition, the city has now released the development area. All plots were gone within 24 hours.
Child’s Room 3: The size still doesn’t quite fit us. We had actually discussed 10m² (108 sq ft). Certainly at the expense of the other rooms. The plan is not finalized yet. It is currently planned as an office/hobby/playroom. Our two little ones are twins, and it’s very possible they will always want to share a room. But it could also turn out differently.
Measurements Child’s Room 1: I had included this line for orientation. You are right, the room would only be about 2.50m (8 ft) wide this way. I had not subtracted the interior walls.
The path around the parents’ bed is about 85cm (33 inches) wide, so it should fit. Not huge, but you can get through the door.
Windows: I also marked these two side windows in my rough draft. The planner removed them on their own. This needs to be checked again.
Bathroom: We are not attached to the T-shaped bathroom layout. It was simply on the plan. The washbasin was just placed like that. It is only a preliminary draft. The showers on the ground and upper floors are standard size, 90x90cm (35x35 inches). I’d gladly take your experiences here.
Storage Problem/Possibilities: Thank you for your suggestions. This issue is also very important to us.
The basement is simply impossible within the budget, especially as the groundwater level is very high.
The attic offers a larger area (see picture), which can be used well (Christmas decorations, old toys, etc.).
Additionally, we have planned a long garage, 3x9m (10x30 ft), to store items (tools, bicycles) in the rear part.
Garden tools will be stored in the garden house/shed.
In the utility room, we also want to store drinks, laundry, and groceries. The kitchen should already accommodate a lot of storage.
Ground Floor Planning: We deliberately designed the ground floor a bit open. My wife does not want a bedroom on the ground floor. I have reserved the space as a possible spare room (living room) in case something happens later in life. But until then, the ground floor and garden can be enjoyed.
Ground Floor Shower Bathroom: With at least three women in the household, the man needs his retreat.
Hallway: This may be a bit large but offers space for a wardrobe and more (cabinets under the stairs, etc.).
Costs: We know our budget is not optimal. That’s why I have already spent some extra time finding the right building partner. With many, the conversation ended within the first 10 minutes. For this house, we received a fixed-price offer of €235,000 (approx. $250,000). House only, without land, garage, or additional building costs (those are separate). The Homeowners Protection Association so far has not raised major objections. Feel free to message me if interested or if you have questions.
@katja: Thank you for your idea and planning.
Feedback is welcome.
rbommes schrieb:
We are not attached to the T-shaped bathroom. That's already "half the battle" if no one misses the T-shaped bathroom. It makes redesigning much easier.
Take a look here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Grundriss-für-11m-x-8-25m-ok.24781/ – Zaba12 also has three children's rooms and only half a meter (0.5 meters) wider house, so maybe you can find some inspiration there.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics