ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home of Approximately 150 m²
Created on: 12 Feb 2018 18:09
C
chrisw81
Hello,
After a long search, we signed the notarized contract for the land purchase at the end of December. We are now actively planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat awkwardly shaped (not rectangular), which creates some limitations for the layout from our perspective. We already have a first draft, but there are several areas we don’t like and are unsure how to improve. Maybe you have some ideas; we would appreciate your input.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 601 m² (6465 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line, boundary: Building line with the house on the west side
Peripheral setbacks: 7 m (23 ft) from the street (north), otherwise the usual 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired
Number of floors: 1 full story allowed
Roof style: Gable roof
Design style: open construction method
Orientation: South
Maximum heights / limits: Ridge height max. 8.5 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: Max. 100 m² (1076 sq ft) of built-up area
Client Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: Solid construction house, rectangular, no bay windows, no projections, etc., gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 stories
Number and age of residents: 2 people, age between 30 and 40, possibly children later
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor – living/dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, utility room, office
Office: family use or home office?: family use
Guest stays per year: 20 days
Open or closed architecture: open living area, closed hallway
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, island without cooktop
Number of dining seats: 2-4
Fireplace: yes, chimney planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, and reasons for preferences:
- A wardrobe area on the ground floor is important where coats can be stored relatively out of sight.
- On the upper floor, it would be nice to have an open gallery with a desk or similar (not a must and not necessarily next to the stairs).
- A walk-in closet would be nice but not essential.
- A storage room on the upper floor is very important since we do not have a basement.
House Design
Who created the design:
- Basic design by the construction company (FIBAV Stadthaus Vision Studio)
- DIY modifications based on online floor plans (especially Viebrockhaus Maxime 330)
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Layout of the living/dining area and the narrowing kitchen reduces the hallway effect a bit
- Many windows in the living/dining area
- Wide hallway on the ground floor
What do you dislike? Why?:
- Few options to place furniture (dresser, wardrobe) in the ground floor hallway due to many doors
- Very large hallway upstairs, considered wasted space
- Bedroom is quite small; should be the largest room upstairs (preferably 16 m² (172 sq ft), children’s rooms rather 14 m² (151 sq ft))
- Stair placement limited by chimney location
- Door placement upstairs limited by chimney
- A staircase rotated 90 degrees (entrance next to front door) would appeal more
- Difficult to align windows upstairs and downstairs on the gable end vertically
- Floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs; wider windows with a sill height around 100 cm (40 inches) would be preferred
Price estimate by architect/planner: 200,000 €
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 210,000 €
Preferred heating technology: gas heating
What details or expansions could you give up?
- Can do without: gallery next to stairs upstairs. Living area could also be narrower (e.g., 4.20 m (14 ft) instead of 4.47 m (15 ft))
- Cannot do without: storage room upstairs, shower in guest toilet, extra natural light in the ground floor hallway (e.g., side panel on front door or window)
Why was the design made this way? For example, standard plan from planner?
- Since the house has very little space on the south side, the house should be very narrow in order not to waste more space to the south. It should be wider so that living, dining, and kitchen areas face south as much as possible.
Were corresponding wishes from the architect implemented? No architect meeting has taken place yet.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor hallway be better designed to fit a wardrobe? Can the stairs be positioned better or replaced? Should the hallway be enlarged and living space reduced? How can the upstairs hallway be better utilized? Can the bedroom be enlarged? Is it possible to swap the bedroom with another room, e.g., move it to the southeast to allow a walk-in closet?
Thank you very much in advance for your criticism and suggestions!
After a long search, we signed the notarized contract for the land purchase at the end of December. We are now actively planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat awkwardly shaped (not rectangular), which creates some limitations for the layout from our perspective. We already have a first draft, but there are several areas we don’t like and are unsure how to improve. Maybe you have some ideas; we would appreciate your input.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 601 m² (6465 sq ft)
Building envelope, building line, boundary: Building line with the house on the west side
Peripheral setbacks: 7 m (23 ft) from the street (north), otherwise the usual 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2 desired
Number of floors: 1 full story allowed
Roof style: Gable roof
Design style: open construction method
Orientation: South
Maximum heights / limits: Ridge height max. 8.5 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: Max. 100 m² (1076 sq ft) of built-up area
Client Requirements
Style, roof form, building type: Solid construction house, rectangular, no bay windows, no projections, etc., gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 stories
Number and age of residents: 2 people, age between 30 and 40, possibly children later
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: Ground floor – living/dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, utility room, office
Office: family use or home office?: family use
Guest stays per year: 20 days
Open or closed architecture: open living area, closed hallway
Conservative or modern style: conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, island without cooktop
Number of dining seats: 2-4
Fireplace: yes, chimney planned
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, and reasons for preferences:
- A wardrobe area on the ground floor is important where coats can be stored relatively out of sight.
- On the upper floor, it would be nice to have an open gallery with a desk or similar (not a must and not necessarily next to the stairs).
- A walk-in closet would be nice but not essential.
- A storage room on the upper floor is very important since we do not have a basement.
House Design
Who created the design:
- Basic design by the construction company (FIBAV Stadthaus Vision Studio)
- DIY modifications based on online floor plans (especially Viebrockhaus Maxime 330)
What do you particularly like? Why?:
- Layout of the living/dining area and the narrowing kitchen reduces the hallway effect a bit
- Many windows in the living/dining area
- Wide hallway on the ground floor
What do you dislike? Why?:
- Few options to place furniture (dresser, wardrobe) in the ground floor hallway due to many doors
- Very large hallway upstairs, considered wasted space
- Bedroom is quite small; should be the largest room upstairs (preferably 16 m² (172 sq ft), children’s rooms rather 14 m² (151 sq ft))
- Stair placement limited by chimney location
- Door placement upstairs limited by chimney
- A staircase rotated 90 degrees (entrance next to front door) would appeal more
- Difficult to align windows upstairs and downstairs on the gable end vertically
- Floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs; wider windows with a sill height around 100 cm (40 inches) would be preferred
Price estimate by architect/planner: 200,000 €
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 210,000 €
Preferred heating technology: gas heating
What details or expansions could you give up?
- Can do without: gallery next to stairs upstairs. Living area could also be narrower (e.g., 4.20 m (14 ft) instead of 4.47 m (15 ft))
- Cannot do without: storage room upstairs, shower in guest toilet, extra natural light in the ground floor hallway (e.g., side panel on front door or window)
Why was the design made this way? For example, standard plan from planner?
- Since the house has very little space on the south side, the house should be very narrow in order not to waste more space to the south. It should be wider so that living, dining, and kitchen areas face south as much as possible.
Were corresponding wishes from the architect implemented? No architect meeting has taken place yet.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor hallway be better designed to fit a wardrobe? Can the stairs be positioned better or replaced? Should the hallway be enlarged and living space reduced? How can the upstairs hallway be better utilized? Can the bedroom be enlarged? Is it possible to swap the bedroom with another room, e.g., move it to the southeast to allow a walk-in closet?
Thank you very much in advance for your criticism and suggestions!
kaho674 schrieb:
So richtig, ist Dir nicht klar, was Du willst, oder? Very interesting design, thanks for sharing.
I have moved away a bit from the open gallery again, but I still think there should be a hallway or something similar to access the double casement window we’re planning there. Maybe a closet or shelving could fit, but a desk isn’t really necessary.
What I don’t like about your solution is that the bathroom upstairs ends up very narrow due to the width of the stairs/hallway. Also, I’m not sure if the chimney isn’t too far from the center of the house—it might need to be built very tall or require additional support. Overall, having the chimney in the adjacent room is a good idea, but you still need to consider whether its position is unfavorable.
chrisw81 schrieb:
...Maybe a cupboard/shelf could fit, but a desk doesn’t have to be there. Oh, so now it doesn’t?
chrisw81 schrieb:
With your solution, I don’t like that the width of the staircase/hallway makes the bathroom on the upper floor very narrow. The bathroom has over 11m² (118 sq ft) of floor area at 3m x 3.80m (10 ft x 12.5 ft), although the built-out wall for the toilet and bathtub can only be used as a shelf. Still, I would consider the word narrow an insult to anyone who, for example, has a bathroom of 7m² (75 sq ft). But okay.
chrisw81 schrieb:
I’m also not sure if the chimney isn’t too far from the center of the house; it will probably have to be extremely tall or require additional support, etc. In principle, it’s a good idea to have the chimney in the adjacent room, but you still have to check whether the position is not too unfavorable. That’s confusing. You want to support the chimney? How and why? It’s not centered enough? Huh? Do you want it right under the roof ridge? What position would be better then?
Don’t get me wrong. It’s completely fine if someone says, no, I find that ugly. I prefer it like this instead. However, your thoughts are hard to follow. First with a desk, then without. Chimney here and chimney there. When the real architect comes, you should definitely prioritize the key points. If they then hear “yes please that too” three times and later “just kidding, actually not,” they’ll get frustrated and quit. Maybe you should make a ranking of which points you absolutely want and which ones are less important. Because implementing everything will surely be difficult and you may have to give up on some things.
Anyway, everyone is still waiting for your upper floor.
kaho674 schrieb:
The bathroom has over 11m² (118 sq ft) of floor space with dimensions of 3m x 3.80m (10 ft x 12.5 ft), although the bulkhead for the toilet and bathtub can only really be used as shelf space. Still, I think calling it narrow is an insult to everyone who has a bathroom with, for example, 7m² (75 sq ft). But ok.Yes...maybe you’re right...it’s not that small. But because it’s 3m (10 ft) wide, there’s very little usable wall space along the gable wall/interior wall, but there is a large empty area in the middle. Something like 3.5 x 3.5 m (11.5 ft x 11.5 ft) would be better. But that’s just nitpicking.kaho674 schrieb:
This is so confusing. You want to support the chimney? How and why? Isn’t it centered enough? Huh? Do you want it right at the roof ridge? Which position would be better?I'm not a chimney specialist either, but currently the chimney is about 60-70 cm (24–28 inches) away from the roof ridge. According to regulations, it has to extend at least 40 cm (16 inches) above the roof ridge. That means the visible portion above the roof will be about 1m (3 ft), which might look a bit odd, don’t you think? The closer to the ridge, the less of the chimney is visible...and above a certain height, it has to be braced for wind load, since it has a large surface area exposed.kaho674 schrieb:
However, your thoughts are hard to follow. Chimney or not.I've always said that I wanted the chimney as close to the center of the house as possible, which was the case in my initial design and all following versions. Of course, I have no problem if it’s placed elsewhere due to better room planning, but it still has to fit, see above. Unfortunately, I am not an expert here.kaho674 schrieb:
When you finally get the right architect, you should definitely highlight the main points. If they hear “yes, please include this” three times and then “just kidding, never mind” later on, they’ll get frustrated and give up. Maybe prioritize which points are essential and which are less important. Implementing everything will certainly be difficult and you might have to compromise somewhere.You’re right, I shouldn’t confuse them. As you suggested, I’ll try to sort the points by importance.kaho674 schrieb:
Besides, everyone is still waiting for your upper floor plans.Coming soonHere is the U-shaped staircase again, with the chimney moved closer to the ridge, and the bathroom and bedroom enlarged. The storage room upstairs is smaller. However, there is now a 4.50m (15 feet) wardrobe in the bedroom. The children's rooms have exactly 14m² (150 square feet) of floor space each. Additionally, there is a 3.50m (11.5 feet) wardrobe in the guest room and a 2m (6.5 feet) coat closet in the hallway.
I wouldn’t really see any gain in space or functionality compared to the L-shaped staircase version. I’m curious to see if the architect can get more out of this design.
I wouldn’t really see any gain in space or functionality compared to the L-shaped staircase version. I’m curious to see if the architect can get more out of this design.
chrisw81 schrieb:
Yes... maybe you’re right... it’s not that small. But with the 3m (10 feet) dimension, there is very little usable space along the gable wall/interior wall, while there’s a huge empty area in between. Something like 3.5 x 3.5 m (11.5 x 11.5 feet) would be better. But that’s just nitpicking at a high level
I’m not a chimney builder either,.... 3.5 x 3.5 m (11.5 x 11.5 feet) is fine; with 3.0 x 3.8 m (10 x 12.5 feet) you start to complain!
12 square meters (129 square feet) with built-in cabinets is too small, but 13 point something is acceptable.
And then everything is built around the chimney, which probably won’t fit into the budget anyway once you add a pressure monitor and so on?
If I were you, I’d try not to lose focus and create a definitive written room program. This indecisiveness can silence even the most patient forum users.
The patience of @kaho is remarkable.
She’s actually needed in another discussion [emoji12]
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