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!
chrisw81 schrieb:
Yes, there is definitely still plenty of budget available afterwards. I also really like the idea of a conservatory, which I would attach to the kitchen exit,Yippy! You’re a potential candidate to join our anonymous group of construction enthusiasts. Can we already tweak the plans for your new house a bit? So, the conservatory would be the first addition... I know a team from Romania that builds conservatories almost for free.
kaho674 schrieb:
But we still don’t have any pictures of that.I can gladly take some pictures and upload them. The grouper turned out pretty well.
chrisw81 schrieb:
Unfortunately, as a "home planner," you are often overwhelmed with trying to imagine and simulate all possible scenarios. [...]
And it’s precisely those small details, like the width of our sliding door, that later make all the difference in how comfortable living in a house can be. [...]
because you spend 99% of your active time in the living room. That’s where 99% of the planning effort should go. Other contributors mainly bring their own life experience to the table—and don’t have a crystal ball showing yours. For me, the foundation of the day is that it starts well; in that sense, the center of my planning world is my bathroom window. I’m sitting here in my imagination next to Yvonne, envisioning a homeowner of the “relaxed lord of the manor” type—because I also consider it a misjudgment that only 1% of the spouse’s free time at the living room, the center of the universe, goes toward laundry logistics. So, do you really think we owe you a poorly sized sliding door?
kaho674 schrieb:
Your original post doesn’t mention a piano, nor is one visible. We only found out about it after the house was already built. So you can keep that black mark. A piano, a piano! Our thanks for early notice of that would surely have traveled all the way to Massachusetts.
chrisw81 schrieb:
There is, after all, a time after having children, and as a retiree, one probably spends a lot more time in the living room—and then would appreciate a nice layout. From an occupational health perspective, there is a clear connection between excessive idling during retirement and becoming frail. At least then you should personally clean your sunroom, and minimizing dirt entry will become even more important to you than not bumping into the piano with your belly.
Men, tsk ...
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho674 schrieb:
But we still don’t have any pictures of that. And the little table isn’t the same one you have, right? Looks like the model furniture from the draftsman. Attached is a picture of the dining table situation:
The table is still too far to the left here, but this way you can easily reach the sliding door. If it is lengthened, it needs to move further to the right (at least 40-50cm (16-20 inches)) to still allow good access through the kitchen entrance, otherwise it would block the way.
So comfortable and “open” is something different. Maybe a round table actually makes more sense, or a very short one that can be extended a lot.
The next picture shows the window situation in the living area. I feel the windows appear quite lost here and perhaps they should have been arranged differently or made larger. Especially above the sofa it looks a bit small.
Well, there will be a corner sofa here that will reach up to the small window, as well as pictures and so on, so maybe that will help.
Unfortunately, the situation with the neighboring house was quite difficult to create something larger on the west side.
Overall, everything feels a bit wall-heavy; more or larger windows would definitely have been better.
chrisw81 schrieb:
The next picture shows the window arrangement in the living area. Here, I find the windows look rather lost and perhaps should have been arranged differently or made larger. Especially above the sofa, it seems a bit small. You really wanted the windows stacked vertically... and to have a smaller living room...
I have to admit, it’s not my style.
But I’m not planning for myself, I’m planning for the original poster, and you already had the preliminary design from the architect. The dimensions were more or less fixed since you only wanted to spend 200,000 on the house.
I don’t interfere much with window sizes or external dimensions, especially if it’s clear that 150cm (5 feet) windows are wanted or the window sills... For me, low sills are fine and good for privacy, for example on the upper floor. And the external dimensions ultimately reflect the budget.
A lot can be achieved with more money. I would say you have fully utilized the 200,000… or how much did it end up costing? That would be interesting to know. If you had increased one meter (3 feet), perhaps an extra 20,000 to 30,000 would have been added.
I think many things have probably turned out well that you might not even realize right now. What would happen if the hallway or utility room didn’t work???
As the saying goes: the first house is for the enemy, the second for the friend, and the third one is for you.
Good goddess, I would never, ever call this little organ a piano. It clearly hasn’t been cared for by a woman for long either; it’s as bare as a bachelor pad.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics