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!
11ant schrieb:
But first, finalize the floor plan decision; we can clarify those kinds of details better at the construction drawing stage. What does the choice of wall material have to do with the floor plan? Isn’t that more of a gut feeling? Is it actually problematic or much more time-consuming to build with sand-lime brick walls, or is that also common in single-family home construction? I’ve heard that many solid house builders use drywall on the ground floor—I thought that might be because building with sand-lime bricks requires more work...?
chrisw81 schrieb:
What does the choice of wall material have to do with the floor plan? Only once you know where each wall is located can you say: "from section x to y, we will use a different material (or construct it differently, etc.)." The detailed planning phase always comes after the initial design has been finalized.
chrisw81 schrieb:
Isn't it more of a gut feeling? Absolutely. The two and a half decibel difference shown in some data sheets is either inaudible in real life or might even be experienced the other way around. That’s why it always comes down to a gut feeling—whether you trust masonry more than stud walls.
Objectively, neither is significantly better than the other; the bigger difference is your "feeling." Ideally, the option you prefer is the one the contractor has more experience with.
chrisw81 schrieb:
Is it actually problematic or much more time-consuming to install a sand-lime brick wall, or is it common practice in single-family house construction? There is a general trend to build non-load-bearing interior walls only after completing the exterior and load-bearing interior walls. Labor time matters most; material cost is relatively less important—fast installation is key. In small residential construction, sand-lime brick is used more often; in larger residential buildings, gypsum boards (drywall) are more common; and in commercial construction, lightweight construction is used as much as possible.
chrisw81 schrieb:
I hear that many solid house builders use drywall on the ground floor—is that because sand-lime brick requires so much more work? It’s more common on the upper floors and attic. On upper floors, it’s easier for structural reasons if the walls there don’t rest directly on the walls below. In attics, the trend toward lightweight construction relates to roof insulation: earlier, interior walls would be stepped into the rafter plane; now, interior walls are supposed to end in a straight angled line. This is easier to achieve with stud walls. Additionally, drywall installation has no requirement for a master craftsman license, which significantly simplifies subcontracting.
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chrisw81 schrieb:
What does the choice of wall material have to do with the floor plan? .....
for calcium silicate bricks...?I am also wondering what this question has to do with the topic "floor plan design." You are questioning your own question in your own thread [emoji23]
Hello,
if your concern is purely about noise or its transmission, I can reassure you regarding the drywall.
We covered the wall with gypsum board and OSB, and the bathroom is directly next to the bedroom. All the pipes were insulated, and insulation was added inside the wall. Apart from a very faint sound, you can’t hear anything.
Compared to a sand-lime brick wall (my mother’s guest room is also next to the bathroom), I find it noticeably quieter in our case.
Best regards, Tina
if your concern is purely about noise or its transmission, I can reassure you regarding the drywall.
We covered the wall with gypsum board and OSB, and the bathroom is directly next to the bedroom. All the pipes were insulated, and insulation was added inside the wall. Apart from a very faint sound, you can’t hear anything.
Compared to a sand-lime brick wall (my mother’s guest room is also next to the bathroom), I find it noticeably quieter in our case.
Best regards, Tina
Caidori schrieb:
Hi,
if your concern is purely about noise or its transmission, I can reassure you regarding drywall partitions.
We used gypsum board with OSB sheathing, and the bathroom is directly next to the bedroom. All the pipes were insulated, and insulation was added inside the wall. Apart from a very faint noise, you can’t hear anything.
Compared to a sand-lime brick wall (my mother’s guest room is also next to the bathroom), I find ours significantly quieter.
Best regards, Tina Thank you for your opinion.
It probably also depends on the quality of the drywall installation and how much noise you actually hear.
Also, the number of electrical outlets or other openings in the wall to the adjacent room will naturally increase sound transmission.
At the moment, we are leaning towards a drywall partition. If the price is reasonable, maybe even with higher-performance boards to achieve better insulation.
I have another question about our guest bathroom on the ground floor: the size is about 3 x 1.4 m (10 x 4.6 ft), and the corresponding window faces north. Currently, the window is planned to be the same size as the hallway window, 1 x 0.76 m (3.3 x 2.5 ft), and we’re wondering if that might be too small for the bathroom. On the north side of the house, there is another window measuring 1.13 x 1.38 m (3.7 x 4.5 ft), so we could potentially enlarge the bathroom window to 1 x 1.38 m (3.3 x 4.5 ft) or 1.13 x 1.38 m (3.7 x 4.5 ft) to keep things symmetrical. I would also like a double casement window (for example 1.51 x 1 m (5 x 3.3 ft)), but that would mean introducing a new window size on that side, which might look too busy.
We initially designed the window to be narrow (and tall) to avoid visibility from the street. But having the bathroom too dark would also be a problem...
We initially designed the window to be narrow (and tall) to avoid visibility from the street. But having the bathroom too dark would also be a problem...
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