ᐅ Floor plan for a 170 sqm single-family home / Bauhaus style house on a 520 sqm plot in North Rhine-Westphalia
Created on: 10 Nov 2020 13:28
T
thedensch
Hello everyone,
I’d like to share a floor plan idea from my partner and me. We’ve already gone through several rounds with an architect from a general contractor and are now at a point where I would like to use the collective intelligence of this forum to discuss possible errors or improvements in the floor plan.
First of all, I want to say how incredibly grateful I am that this community exists. I have spent many hours and days here reading up on various topics. Keep up the great work!
Our plot is marked with a star in the “Development Plan” photo. In the ground floor photo, you can see the dimensions. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything (but I’m sure you’ll point it out if I have)!
Here are the details of our building project:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 520 m² (5,600 sq ft)
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – 0.4
Floor area ratio –
Building envelope, building line, and boundary line
Setback from edge buildings – 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces – 2
Number of floors – 2
Roof type – gable roof, pitched roof, flat roof / shed roof
Architectural style – n/a
Orientation – n/a
Maximum heights / limits – main roof ridge = max. height 6.5 m (21 ft), total height 9.5 m (31 ft) + gable/hipped roof = max. height 7.0 m (23 ft)
Other requirements
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type – Bauhaus, gable roof, single-family house
Basement, number of stories – 2 full stories without basement
Number of occupants, ages – 3: 33 M + 30 F + 6-month-old child
Space requirement on ground floor, upper floor – 170 m² (1,830 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? – Home office
Number of overnight guests per year – 10-15
Open or closed architecture – open
Conservative or modern design – modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – yes, open to one side as shown
Number of dining seats – 8
Fireplace – no
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – carport
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, also reasons why certain things are or are not wanted
House Design
Who designed the plan:
– Planner from a construction company – yes
– Architect
– Do-it-yourself – ideas came from us
What do you like most? Why? – the angled living/dining area, staircase integrated into the living space, gallery, master area including bathroom
What do you dislike? Why? Kitchen, possibly too small, windows in the living/dining area not yet final, covered terrace still not quite right, exterior looks too boxy
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: $400k
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: $380k
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If You Have to Give Up
– Can give up:
– Cannot give up: office, 2 children’s rooms, large window fronts
Why is the design the way it is?
We love the spacious, open (yet angled) living/dining area with the open staircase integrated.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you see any serious flaws in the design? Any ideas or suggestions? What should we pay attention to?
I’d like to share a floor plan idea from my partner and me. We’ve already gone through several rounds with an architect from a general contractor and are now at a point where I would like to use the collective intelligence of this forum to discuss possible errors or improvements in the floor plan.
First of all, I want to say how incredibly grateful I am that this community exists. I have spent many hours and days here reading up on various topics. Keep up the great work!
Our plot is marked with a star in the “Development Plan” photo. In the ground floor photo, you can see the dimensions. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything (but I’m sure you’ll point it out if I have)!
Here are the details of our building project:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size – 520 m² (5,600 sq ft)
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – 0.4
Floor area ratio –
Building envelope, building line, and boundary line
Setback from edge buildings – 3 m (10 ft)
Number of parking spaces – 2
Number of floors – 2
Roof type – gable roof, pitched roof, flat roof / shed roof
Architectural style – n/a
Orientation – n/a
Maximum heights / limits – main roof ridge = max. height 6.5 m (21 ft), total height 9.5 m (31 ft) + gable/hipped roof = max. height 7.0 m (23 ft)
Other requirements
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type – Bauhaus, gable roof, single-family house
Basement, number of stories – 2 full stories without basement
Number of occupants, ages – 3: 33 M + 30 F + 6-month-old child
Space requirement on ground floor, upper floor – 170 m² (1,830 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? – Home office
Number of overnight guests per year – 10-15
Open or closed architecture – open
Conservative or modern design – modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island – yes, open to one side as shown
Number of dining seats – 8
Fireplace – no
Music / stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace – no
Garage, carport – carport
Utility garden, greenhouse – no
Other wishes / special features / daily routines, also reasons why certain things are or are not wanted
House Design
Who designed the plan:
– Planner from a construction company – yes
– Architect
– Do-it-yourself – ideas came from us
What do you like most? Why? – the angled living/dining area, staircase integrated into the living space, gallery, master area including bathroom
What do you dislike? Why? Kitchen, possibly too small, windows in the living/dining area not yet final, covered terrace still not quite right, exterior looks too boxy
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: $400k
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: $380k
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If You Have to Give Up
– Can give up:
– Cannot give up: office, 2 children’s rooms, large window fronts
Why is the design the way it is?
We love the spacious, open (yet angled) living/dining area with the open staircase integrated.
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you see any serious flaws in the design? Any ideas or suggestions? What should we pay attention to?
thedensch schrieb:
Cooking into the roomThis is often promoted as the ultimate solution through TV shows and brochures, but in reality, it is usually not that practical: with induction cooking, you rarely stand at the cooktop, you don’t need a cooktop for every meal, grease splatters in all directions, and an island requires a more expensive ventilation system... It’s worth reconsidering what is actually so great about it.A
Alessandro10 Nov 2020 15:33thedensch schrieb:
Thank you as well. We want to use the utility room as a "mudroom" to keep the entrance area as clean as possible.
You are right about the terrace. That is actually still on our "change list." We are not satisfied with it yet. Do you have any other ideas? The idea is commendable. We initially thought the same because our situation is similar.
The fact is, you will have the garbage bins located at the back near the carport, and the space there will be too tight if four people get out of the car to enter the utility room. Not to mention that if you want to carry cases of drinks from the car into the house, you won’t want to wrestle your way through cars (and possibly garbage bins). 😉
It’s better to create a windbreak as a mudroom at the entrance area.
In my opinion, you would have to extend the carport far enough to the east for the entrance to be practical. But that would be far too expensive.
Regarding the terrace, I would ask a landscape gardener—they have good ideas.
I might put a large lift-and-slide door on the lower side of the plan so that you can sit at the dining table in summer feeling like you are outdoors! Then place the terrace in front of it.
thedensch schrieb:
We want to use the utility room as a "mudroom" to keep the entrance area as clean as possible. Your desired mudroom was drawn by @Alessandro. What you have in the drawing is a mix of dirty laundry and washed whites. As A. illustrated, this makes sense—besides, you already have a wardrobe that is too small, which would be compensated by this solution.
Overall, I like the floor plan. I would definitely relocate the dressing room entrances to the lower side of the plan (near the stairs), so towards the front. This would allow for a better shower, although the bathroom would likely need to be rearranged due to the removal of the washbasin. I would reconsider having a free-standing bathtub. Who is going to clean behind it? And who from the street has to enjoy which view?
I don’t like the kitchen layout; the access is a bottleneck—any elegance that the open-plan living area could have is lost because of the peninsula.
I would consider trying to shift the main entrance about one meter (3 feet) upwards on the plan, and then add built-in wardrobes below the door. This way, the front door is not directly aligned with the continuous axis leading to the armchair. As it stands now, that probably won’t be the most comfortable spot.
This won’t feel open; it will feel like a hall. What’s the point of a small connecting door in a place where no one will stop to chat?
What might seem “clearly structured” to a layperson is actually poor planning. The utility room, which is oversized in proportion, alone is enough to destroy any sense of architectural appeal in this house. It looks very much like “we know exactly what we want (but unfortunately have zero photographic sense for spaces and little feeling for proportions).” Try working with the assumption of questioning all “beliefs” — preferably starting with the most confidently held ones.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
What might seem “clearly structured” to a layperson is actually poor planning. The utility room, which is oversized in proportion, alone is enough to destroy any sense of architectural appeal in this house. It looks very much like “we know exactly what we want (but unfortunately have zero photographic sense for spaces and little feeling for proportions).” Try working with the assumption of questioning all “beliefs” — preferably starting with the most confidently held ones.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello 🙂 Overall, I like the floor plan. However, I would plan the kitchen differently. The tip about the cooktop is very helpful. Usually, the most work in cooking is the preparation, not stirring the pots.
Additionally, I would recommend including a buffer in your budget. Are the additional construction costs and landscaping included within your budget limit? What about furniture and the kitchen? If not, I think the budget might be a bit tight.
Additionally, I would recommend including a buffer in your budget. Are the additional construction costs and landscaping included within your budget limit? What about furniture and the kitchen? If not, I think the budget might be a bit tight.
Or… what would probably work really well:
Move the staircase one meter (3 feet) toward the bottom of the plan, opposite the door. Freestanding. This leaves enough space along the utility room wall for a wardrobe cabinet. You enter the kitchen past the base of the stairs, and the staircase itself keeps the room feeling open.
Upstairs also works if you shift the stairs accordingly.
Basically, reconsider the length/rise of the stairs and, at the same time, the ceiling height.
What I actually wanted to say: the boiler/heating system/storage tank is usually installed on an exterior wall. I don’t know it any other way: shorter distances! 🙂
Move the staircase one meter (3 feet) toward the bottom of the plan, opposite the door. Freestanding. This leaves enough space along the utility room wall for a wardrobe cabinet. You enter the kitchen past the base of the stairs, and the staircase itself keeps the room feeling open.
Upstairs also works if you shift the stairs accordingly.
Basically, reconsider the length/rise of the stairs and, at the same time, the ceiling height.
What I actually wanted to say: the boiler/heating system/storage tank is usually installed on an exterior wall. I don’t know it any other way: shorter distances! 🙂
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