ᐅ Floor plan design with some specific requirements – any ideas?

Created on: 29 Dec 2017 00:54
A
Anitra
Hello everyone,
the development of "our" new residential area is almost complete, and hopefully, we will be able to buy the plot soon.
I would really appreciate it if you could take a critical look at our planning:

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 740 sqm (about 8,000 sq ft)
Slope: gentle slope
Floor area ratio/Gross floor area ratio: no information in the development plan
Building area, building line, and boundary: see image, plot width according to the plan is unfortunately only 21.5 m (about 70.5 ft). We planned cautiously with 21 m (about 69 ft) width. So, it’s a very narrow, elongated plot...
Edge construction: garage
Number of parking spaces: unknown
Maximum number of floors: 2
Roof type: mono-pitched roof (10-25 degrees) or flat roof max. 5 degrees
Orientation: street to the north, garden to the south, main ridge direction must be parallel to the street; to the west is farmland, with probable expansion of the residential area soon
Maximum heights/limits: eaves height max. 6.5 m (about 21 ft)

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: no basement, preferably 2 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults, 3 children (2, 5, 6 years old)
Space requirements on the ground floor: master bedroom, children’s room, bathroom, guest toilet, kitchen/dining, living room, staircase with enough space for a platform lift to the upper floor, storage room (with space for utilities, washing machine, dryer, freezer)
Space requirements on the upper floor: 2 additional children’s rooms, bathroom, office, guest room, shower bathroom, technical room including mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, storage space; ideally a small separate room for sorting, washing, and drying laundry
Office: used by the family
Guests per year: roughly 1-2 guests once a month for 1-2 nights
Open or closed architecture: rather closed
Conservative or modern construction: mainly practical
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with plenty of storage, elevated plot, lots of workspace and room for a dining table extending to at least 2.40 m (about 7 ft 10 in)
Living room should preferably be separated but challenging to arrange
Number of dining seats: at least 5 for everyday use, sometimes 10-12 people
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage, max width according to plan 6.5 m (about 21 ft)
Kitchen garden yes, greenhouse rather no

Additional Wishes / Special Features / Daily routine; also reasons why something should or should not be included. Our daughter (age 2) has multiple severe disabilities and cannot operate her wheelchair independently. At night, she should be close to us. During the day, she usually does not stay in her room but with us. However, we need space for various assistive devices.

House Design:
Planner: architect from a construction company together with my ideas

What do you especially like? A direct view at night from my bed into hers. All rooms are well arranged according to the cardinal directions.

What do you not like? Living room is too long and narrow: a floor mat (1.25 x 2.0 m (about 4 ft 1 in x 6 ft 7 in)) is shown in the living room. In the long term, we want to build a raised platform with a border for her in the living room. This is difficult in the current plan. An additional utility room would be nice. Possibly the kitchen is too small.
On the upper floor, I’m not yet satisfied with the technical room/shower bathroom/office corner area.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment:
Preferred heating technology: gas, solar (?), mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

If you had to give up something, on which details or extensions could you do without?
- Can give up: the door from the garage will not lead into the house but under the front roof; bathtub on the upper floor (maybe a good place for a drying rack?)
- Cannot do without: wheelchair accessibility

Why was the design created as it is? Many considerations
What do you think is especially good or bad about it? Everything is already quite well arranged.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters? How could the open plan be redesigned, preferably with a better-separated living room? Where do you see room for improvement? Can circulation areas be further minimized?

A big thank you in advance!
Best regards
Anitra

Ground floor plan of a single-family house: living/dining/kitchen, sleeping, child, bathroom, garage.

Upper floor plan of a single-family house: two children’s rooms, guest, office, gallery, bathroom, utility room, storage.

Ground floor plan of a single-family house with living kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, hallway and garage.

Overview plan showing plots, boundaries, streets and buildings in a residential development.

Hand-drawn plot planning sketch with garden, boundary and street.
A
Alex85
3 Jan 2018 08:44
In the latest ideas, the bedroom and children's room would be swapped due to noise from the living area.
Y
ypg
3 Jan 2018 10:39
Alex85 schrieb:
In the latest plans, the bedroom and the children's room would be swapped because of noise from the living area.

I assume that access to the terrace from the children's room is desired and that social connection is prioritized over noise or sounds.
Personally, I find murmuring from the neighboring room comforting, and as a child in a small 3-room apartment, it always helped me sleep well.
11ant3 Jan 2018 19:14
kaho674 schrieb:
Huh? The children's room had to give up a few square meters. Is that what you mean?

Yes, did you really "return" them entirely to the living room? - because then they would have basically disappeared completely into the partition wall, at least from a visual perspective.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho6743 Jan 2018 19:54
Yes, there isn’t more space. On the other hand, it’s 50m² (540ft²) of open-plan living area. That shouldn’t be forgotten. Others have an entire apartment of that size, and we feel dividing it would make it less comfortable...
K
kbt09
3 Jan 2018 19:54
With Yvonne’s mirrored layout of the kitchen/living area, my biggest criticism, the “distance between sofa and TV wall,” is eliminated. I also like it because when you come in with groceries, you go straight into the kitchen without having to cross the living area first.

A bench and table placed across the island also works well and creates extra space.

Out of curiosity:
Anitra schrieb:
In the living room, a floor mat (1.25 x 2.0m (4.1 x 6.6 ft)) is marked. In the long term, we plan to build a raised platform with a surrounding border for it in the living room.
Is that for therapy exercises? And do you intend for it to be a permanent feature in the living room?
Y
ypg
3 Jan 2018 21:25
kbt09 schrieb:

Out of curiosity.

Is this meant for therapy exercises? And do you plan to install it as a fixed fixture in the living room?

I missed that.

I would find something mobile on casters more flexible.
I thought the rectangles only indicated possible placement options.