ᐅ Floor Plan – House with Two Separate Living Units for Rental

Hello everyone,
I would like to share our floor plan here for discussion. These are two designs from different general contractors, based on a concept we developed.

---------------------------------------------

Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 708 m² (7615 sq ft)
Location, orientation: I have already introduced the site situation in this thread.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Grundstück-teilen-langes-schmales-Grundstück.15277/

In the meantime, the following parameters have been established: Initially, one house with two rental units will be built. We plan to get approval for a second house as well, but won’t build it right away.
Specifications from the development plan: Floor area ratio 0.4, roof type: gable roof (SD), flat roof (FD), roof pitch: 28-32° or 0-5°, parking: state building code BW requires 1 car parking space per residential unit and 2 bicycle parking spaces per residential unit.

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: One house with two separate rental units, two-story design without sloped ceilings, gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, attic used as storage space
Balcony, roof terrace: yes, balcony for the upper floor unit

General: Since the property is intended purely for rental purposes, the floor plan should focus on the essential minimum requirements regarding room size, windows, technical aspects, etc. However, the house should still be modern and attractive to ensure good rental potential.

House design
Who designed it: General contractors
Likes/dislikes? We prefer design 2 because the living/dining/kitchen area has a well-usable size and both units include a storage room. However, there is little space in the hallway for things like a coat rack, and the bathroom only has a shower. For design 1, we are concerned that the living/dining/kitchen area might not be practical.

What are your thoughts on the designs? What would you improve?
Design 1

Design 2

Who are the apartments intended for? What is the target group? In the first proposal, I see a single person or a couple; in the second, I am uncertain because of the simple living/dining area (there is hardly any space for dining).

In the second option, at least cooking/dining and living can be arranged in the open-plan space, although living comes with some limitations 😉

In the first option, I really don’t see any good possibilities. The kitchen will be about 2x2 m (6.5x6.5 ft), while the room itself is basically 5x5 m (16.5x16.5 ft)... I find that distance too far for, for example, TV viewing, but there’s no alternative. Ideally, around 25 sq m (270 sq ft) divided approximately into 4x6.2 m (13x20 ft) works better.

Option 2 also needs revision since there are hardly any usable spots in the open-plan area (for TV or similar).

Option 2 on the upper floor really doesn’t offer any practical wardrobe space.

Exactly... In my first apartment, which I happened to visit again last week, the living room was 6 meters long (20 feet): dining table at the front, TV area at the back.
I don’t see anything like that here. At least not enough for family life with one child.

Hello everyone,

Yes, the target group would be a couple or a couple with one small child.
Of course, if I were building for myself, I would design it differently. But the approximately 30 square meters (approximately 320 square feet) in draft version 2 is not too bad – I looked at some brochures I have, and the space isn’t really any bigger there either.

Based on the second draft, I have slightly moved and modified the windows and walls in the living room so that there is now a space for a TV in the lower left area. In the adjacent room, I removed the door to create a proper space for a desk. In the utility/storage room, it would make sense to reverse the door swing to improve usability (although there is then a risk of collision with the main entrance door).

Do you have any further specific suggestions for improvement?