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!
ypg schrieb:
We’ve been talking about the west wall the whole time. It’s good that you’re following the posts.
Is the west side the side of the house? So, the shorter wall?
Yes, you feel overwhelmed if you sit directly in front of a wall.
Um,… don’t I have a say in this? I would find it quite rude if my guest kept looking anywhere but at the table or the people sitting around it.
I don’t think so.
For example, you’re protected by a wall behind you, but the view can still be open.
The Facebook groups will be sent later via private message kaho674 schrieb:
Can you squeeze the Klafünf into the back corner?
[ATTACH alt="moving furniture.jpg"]41951[/ATTACH]
The table is meant to suggest the corner bench setup from @Tamstar. That would work! However, the TV setup is not just a TV stand; there is also a bookshelf that I don’t want to give up – the TV and bookshelf together are about 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide (each about 1.2 meters (4 feet)). So the TV would have to go (partly) under the window...
ltenzer schrieb:
And I assume it will be used more than once a year.Yes, that's why we wanted to have it in the living room.Climbee schrieb:
hmm, I really think that’s your main issue. You can see what you like somewhere, but you can’t imagine how it would look in your own situation. You’re not alone with this problem; many people struggle with it. Since you apparently do have some expectations about how the final result should look, I think you really should get someone to support you. Otherwise, you’ll end up buying a great sofa that is unfortunately completely unsuitable for your space.
The sofa in the picture is great, no doubt. But it’s simply a sofa that would never work for you. As 11ant already said: even the sofa you currently have is actually too bulky for the space. And it’s not just because it doesn’t have delicate legs. I don’t think that type of sofa is a good choice for your room. You already have a lot of wall space, and with such a sofa, you’re adding another “layer” of heaviness. So I would consciously look for a sofa solution that isn’t such a solid block, but rather feels “airier.” A slim two-seater sofa along the wall under the west-facing window, a single armchair where the sofa is now, because the small piano (really, that’s all it is *g*) also adds to the heaviness — I wouldn’t put another sofa beside it. Then add one chair in the room or maybe better a matching footstool instead of a chair. Between those, consider the light solutions I mentioned before — side tables with lamps, floor lamps or standing lamps.
The central coffee table in the middle is the least needed; I would keep it small and delicate (when lounging on the sofa, side tables are much more practical!). And please never put a doily on it *shudders*.
Clear the windowsills — definitely not that mix of withering plants. One well-placed decorative object or a beautiful orchid — nothing else. The windows aren’t big enough to have them crowded like that. Thanks for the honest words..
I honestly didn’t expect a corner sofa to feel that bulky in this context. I just saw the free space.
Thanks also for all the suggestions — they all sound really good. Less “mass” really is more here.
The sofa next to the piano does seem like too much now; the entire wall is blocked by tightly placed furniture.
And there are also two seating pieces there (the footstool in front of the piano).
The doily is only on the table because of Christmas...
And I agree, the flowers are too much and too different.
ypg schrieb:
Why isn’t the mysterious piece located in the guest room?
Putting aside that it’s not exactly stylish, a guest room is really ideal for such furniture. I play quite often and find that a piano adds something special to a living space. Sure, it would also work in a guest room, but then others wouldn’t get to enjoy it as much, which kind of goes against the purpose of making music. You don’t play just for yourself.
If space really doesn’t allow it, I would of course consider placing it in another room.
But since I planned it that way, it’s going to stay there for now.
ypg schrieb:
I planned two different layouts.
(The central ceiling light will have a hanging chair to the side. Unfortunately, the fireplace couldn’t be placed differently or it’s like yours. The piano will be moved elsewhere if not into the guest room. At Christmas, the piece with the dog can be placed in the living room). The idea for the table comes from here; it is 2 meters long (6.6 feet). Wow, thank you very much. I should have had 3D drawings like these created during the planning phase; then it might have been clearer how everything affects the space and where windows could still have been added, etc.
Well, now we have to live with the existing conditions, but these are very good suggestions.
I also really like option 1. Maybe a chair could be placed under the west-facing window?
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