ᐅ Floor Plan Evaluation Single-Family Home 147 m² Gable Roof with Extension

Hello everyone,

I have been quietly following along for a while. Since our project is starting to take shape, I wanted to tap into the collective wisdom here and ask for feedback on our early design. Many details are not finalized yet, but the basic structure is becoming clear. Thanks!

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 381 m2 (4100 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site occupancy ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: The current design fully uses the building envelope (except for the terrace area) at approx. 13 x 14 m (43 x 46 ft)
Setback: max. 9 m (30 ft) per side (carport/tool shed fills this), 15 m (49 ft) total
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of stories: 2 (according to development plan)
Roof type: Gable roof with 45-50° pitch (design currently planned at 50°)
Architectural style: ?? It would be nice if it looks at least architecturally appealing
Orientation: Terrace faces west
Maximum heights / limits: Max eaves height 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Other requirements: - Red/brown brick is mandatory on the main building; 2 m (6.5 ft) minimum distance of roof structures from gable edge required

Owners’ Requirements
Architectural style: Somewhat modern / appealing
Roof type: Gable roof – no flexibility here
Building type: Single-family house

Basement: No
Number of floors: 2 (formally 1.5?)
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 1 child + 1 planned
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor: Standard room needs – 2 children’s bedrooms + master bedroom + office
Office: Family use or home office?: Office mandatory due to significant home office use (1 person)
Overnight guests per year: Few (should be accommodated in the office)
Open or closed floor plan: Basically open but with certain limits (I don’t want to see the kitchen from the sofa, hearing and smelling it is okay)
Conservative or modern construction: Leaning towards modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Both
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: Would be nice but removed due to budget
Music / stereo wall: No
Balcony / roof terrace: No
Garage / carport: Carport – possibly upgradable to garage (currently drawn as enclosed and without partition to tool shed; this will likely be changed)
Vegetable garden / greenhouse: Vegetable garden would be great but not relevant here due to space constraints
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for certain choices:

• We would like to realize an L-shaped layout to create a sheltered garden and find it visually appealing.
• The staircase should be open – depending on costs, as an attractive floating staircase (both of us come from homes with open stairs and find noise and odors acceptable).

House Design
Planner:
-Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?

• Long and narrow design. As a result, the house is clearly lower than the neighbors.
• Floor-to-ceiling windows
• Generally, I like the room layout

What do you dislike? Why?

• Unequal size children’s bedrooms (not ideal but acceptable), and one is borderline small.
• Master bedroom could be slightly smaller. Overall, we haven’t found a better arrangement.
• I don’t like the small utility room next to the pantry as it is. I would lower it and merge it with the utility room. The pantry would then be a bit higher and mirrored so the door can stay the same.
• Window sizes and distribution are not final. The office should get a larger glass door for garden access; the living room possibly a large window instead of two smaller ones. I would like wider dormer windows.
• I don’t like the street-facing elevation yet. It needs lighting near the entrance and the large blank area bothers me.
• Guest bathroom still needs natural light, possibly from above.

Price estimate according to architect/planner: Still too early. We have rough numbers that seem to be within budget.
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment:
Preferred heating technology: Ground-source heat pump with deep borehole, possibly a ventilation system with heat recovery. (I still need to research to decide my stance in the discussion)

If you have to give up on something, which details or extras
-Can you give up: Facade design. Currently an expensive clinker brick is planned and the wood cladding isn’t cheap either. Windows could be replaced with fixed glazing.
-Can’t give up: It shouldn’t be smaller.

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
I’m interested in a basic assessment. Please don’t hold back on pointing out mistakes/problems. It’s still early enough to make changes.