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!

Lageplan eines Baugrundstücks mit Parzellen, Straßenverlauf und Gebäudestrukturen.


Grundriss: Kochen/Essen/Wohnen, HWR, WC, Diele, Gast, Treppenhaus, Schornstein.


Grundriss Obergeschoss: Zimmer 1, Zimmer 2, Schlafen, Bad, Flur/Galerie, Abstell, Schornstein.
11ant8 Mar 2018 13:47
kaho674 schrieb:
Are the 11.65m already measured from both sides at the building boundary?

The dimensions we are discussing mainly result from the floor area, which should approach but not exceed 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft). The critical factor here is not so much the building boundaries, but rather that with other measurements either the southeast corner of the house risks coming too close to the property line, or the basic rectangular shape would have to be changed (which wouldn’t be a big problem). A (possibly asymmetrically placed) bay window / dormer could break out interestingly from the current discussion framework, for example. This could result in a walk-in closet surrounded by tall cabinets.
chrisw81 schrieb:
By now I’m at my wit’s end and just want a finished design

We are still far from reaching the 300th post.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho6748 Mar 2018 13:52
11ant schrieb:
(which wouldn’t be a big deal). A (possibly asymmetrically positioned) bay window / dormer could break out interestingly from the current discussion framework, for example.
I agree with that, but until now I thought any deviation would immediately exceed the budget.
11ant schrieb:

We are still far from the 300th post.
I don’t get the impression that the original poster wants to change anything about their jagged floor plan anymore. So I do expect the discussion to end soon.
C
chrisw81
8 Mar 2018 14:01
kaho674 schrieb:
I agree with that, but until now I thought any deviation would immediately blow the budget.

I don’t get the feeling that the original poster wants to change anything about their jagged floor plan. So I do believe it’s close to completion.

If there is a really good reason for a bay window, I would be in favor. With the current floor plan, I had assumed that the staircase or storage room is located in the middle. I would rather not have an asymmetrical bay window. I’m also against forcing something like a walk-in closet. The upper floor is large enough to possibly take some space from another room to use as a walk-in closet. For example, that would apply if we don’t have two children, or if the children have moved out.
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chrisw81
8 Mar 2018 14:05
kaho674 schrieb:

I don’t get the impression that the OP intends to change anything about their sawtooth floor plan. So I do believe it will be finished soon.
Why not deviate a bit from straight lines? Nothing looks more boring than a straight wall with a shelf. What looks good is a shelf that appears built into the wall. This effect can be achieved by creating such recesses.
11ant8 Mar 2018 14:10
chrisw81 schrieb:
I’m not really keen on an asymmetrical bay window.

It doesn’t look more unusual than a rockfish either.

If the budget allows, I would slightly soften the basic gingerbread house design.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho6748 Mar 2018 14:10
Quote: What looks good is a shelf that appears to be recessed into the wall. This can be achieved by creating such indentations.

Sure, why not. I usually prefer to plan so that ready-made cabinets fit into the niches, but of course, you can also build a 20cm (8 inch) deep shelf yourself.