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!
Do you have a cross-section of the house? Our house is 8.60 m (28.2 ft) deep at the gable and has a ridge height of 7.80 m (25.6 ft) with an eaves height of 3.50 m (11.5 ft), resulting in a knee wall height of 50 cm (20 inches). You mentioned a ridge height of 8.50 m (27.9 ft), but that probably refers to the top edge of the road surface. You probably don’t want the front door at road level, which means you need to subtract about 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) here. That leaves about 8.20 m (26.9 ft) with some tolerance, making your knee wall height around 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 inches).
Nordlys schrieb:
So, I think, dear community, you always complain about floor plans. And my view on this one is that it’s good. Simple, clear, functional, livable rooms, no strange corners or angles. Why get rid of it? I don’t see any argument that convinces me it’s bad. KarstenI wouldn’t throw it away… only one person here said that. I would just move the chimney if the room at the bottom right remains the bedroom… and definitely install a built-in closet opposite the stairs. Also, plan the windows properly.
Nordlys schrieb:
Why throw it away? I don’t see any convincing argument why it should be bad. The floor plan is by no means bad; it just differs significantly from the desired preferences. In a way, it is exactly right—just unfortunately for other people.
Egon12 schrieb:
Do you have a cross-section of the house? Our house is 8.60 m (28 ft) deep (the gable) [...] 8.55 m (28 ft) building depth / 2 × tan 30° equals 2.47 m (8 ft), × tan 40° equals 3.59 m (12 ft) – calculated back from an 8.50 m (28 ft) ridge height results in 6.03 m (20 ft) or 4.91 m (16 ft) eave height. Minus 1.38 m (4.5 ft) knee wall gives, in the worst case, 3.53 m (11.5 ft), minus 2.85 m (9.3 ft) floor-to-ceiling height leaves 68 cm (27 inches) (four steps) above the reference level. With the flatness of the plot, this is comfortably achievable.
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11ant schrieb:
8.55 m (28 ft) house depth / 2 x tan30° equals 2.47 m (8 ft), x tan40° equals 3.59 m (12 ft) - starting from a 8.50 m (28 ft) ridge height, this results in eave heights of 6.03 m (20 ft) and 4.91 m (16 ft). Minus 1.38 m (4.5 ft) knee wall, so in the worst case 3.53 m (11.5 ft), minus 2.85 m (9.3 ft) story height leaves 68 cm (27 inches) (four steps) above reference level. Given the flatness of the plot, this is easily achievable.All clear?I always like having a bright, wide entrance area. That’s why I tried a different staircase with an almost identical ground floor layout. The upper floor includes a master bathroom, which could optionally be converted into an office.
If it were my house, I would prefer to do without the shower downstairs — only a guest toilet there, guests sleep upstairs (meaning the kids have to share a room), and the office stays downstairs. Then a nice master bathroom with a large soaking tub.
11ant schrieb:
The floor plan is by no means bad; it just differs significantly from the desired requirements. In a way, it’s actually quite suitable, but unfortunately for someone else.
8.55 m (28 ft) building depth / 2 x tan 30° equals 2.47 m (8 ft), multiplied by tan 40° equals 3.59 m (12 ft) – when recalculating from a ridge height of 8.50 m (28 ft), this results in eave heights of 6.03 m (20 ft) and 4.91 m (16 ft), respectively. Subtracting a knee wall height of 1.38 m (4.5 ft) leaves in the worst case 3.53 m (11.5 ft), minus a story height of 2.85 m (9.3 ft), there remain 68 cm (27 inches) (four steps) above the reference level. Given the flatness of the site, this is comfortably manageable.Sure, it is possible to live with this floor plan; however, I will try to incorporate some of the requested changes.Thanks for the quick calculation of the ridge height—I’m relieved to know it’s not as tight as I feared.
kaho674 schrieb:
All clear?
I always like having a bright, spacious entrance area. So I tried a different staircase while keeping the ground floor almost the same. Upstairs, there is a master bathroom, which could also optionally be converted into an office.
If it were my house, I would rather leave out the shower downstairs – just a toilet there, guests would sleep upstairs (the kids would have to share then) and the office would stay downstairs. Then a nice master bathroom with a large cozy bathtub. Thanks for the interesting floor plan! I would never have thought to install a straight staircase like that. I will really consider whether this or something similar could also work for us. The entrance area is really very nice, and there would be plenty of storage space under the stairs.
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