ᐅ Layout ideas for a modern single-family home of approximately 1,600 sq ft, without a basement

Created on: 26 Jun 2019 20:55
T
Thorsten78
Hello everyone,

we have just purchased a plot of land and are now in the planning phase of our house. Currently, we are in contact with a regional prefabricated house builder (timber frame) whom we met at a home show. We have already visited them and had the initial consultation. However, since we are not yet certain about the construction method (timber frame or solid construction), we will meet with a general contractor next week. At the moment, I see slight advantages in the timber frame option (larger living area with the same footprint, standard wall already meets KfW 40, easier to implement own work).

For our floor plan design, I used several sources, but unfortunately, we are still not satisfied with it.


Development Plan/Restrictions

Plot size
760m² (approx. 8,200 sq ft)
Slope
no
Floor area ratio
0.3 (not respected by previous buildings)
Floor space index
0.6 (not respected by previous buildings)
Building envelope, building line and boundaries
see attachment
Edge development
yes, garage
Number of parking spaces
two per plot, minimum 5m (16 ft) in front of the garage
Number of stories
knee wall max. 0.50m (1.6 ft) (not respected by previous buildings)
Roof type
gable roof 30-38°, hipped roof, mono-pitched/flat roof 25%
Style
---
Orientation
---
Maximum heights/limits
---
Additional requirements
natural red bricks

Homeowners’ Requirements

We are a small family, two adults aged 41 and one child aged 6. Our family planning is complete.
We would like a single-family house with two full floors, no basement, a double garage, and a storage room as a basement substitute.
The roof type is of secondary importance; it should simply fit well with the house and surroundings.
In the residential area, there are some hipped roofs and many gable roofs with slopes between 25-40°.
The architecture should be modern, bright, and have an open living/dining/kitchen area.
Since we only have one child, we want to set up a bedroom and a play/living room for the child on the upper floor.


Style, roof type, building type

modern, gable roof 20-25° with knee wall 1.80-2.20m (6-7 ft) or hipped roof, mono-pitched roof, flat roof
large windows for plenty of daylight, including external blinds (raffstores) for shading

Basement, floors
no basement, two full stories

Number of occupants, ages

2 adults (41 years) and 1 child (6 years)

Space requirements on ground and upper floor

total living area 150-160m² (1,615-1,720 sq ft)

Office: family use or home office?

office on ground floor, which could later be converted into a bedroom or used as a guest room

Guests per year
none planned

Open or closed architecture

open

Conservative or modern construction style

modern

Open kitchen, kitchen island

yes, yes

Number of dining seats

dining table to seat 6-8 people

Fireplace

no

Music/sound wall

if possible, multiroom audio system

Balcony, roof terrace

no

Garage, carport

double garage + storage room as basement substitute

Utility garden, greenhouse

low-maintenance garden with lawn and irrigation system, possibly raised beds

Additional wishes/special features:

photovoltaic system including battery storage, KNX smart home system

House design
Source of the floor plan:
- Builder’s planner

no
- Architect

no
- DIY

yes, ideas gathered from internet and magazines

What do you particularly like? Why?

vestibule to keep dirt out of the hallway,
dry access from garage to house,
spacious kitchen

What do you dislike? Why?
general appearance, could be a bit more modern, window layout not convincing yet

Estimated price according to architect/planner:

400,000 Euro (house KfW 40+ including double garage)

Personal total price limit:

520,000 Euro including land (65,000 Euro), outdoor area, kitchen, furnishings

Preferred heating system:

air source heat pump

If you had to give up something, which features or expansions
-can you give up:

smart home system and battery storage
-can’t give up:

two full stories, double garage, open modern design

Why is the design as it is?

A mixture of many examples from various magazines...
We wanted to make the most of the plot. We basically wanted the terrace facing southwest, but unfortunately the street is there, and I don’t want to be on full display. Also, the west side faces the weather with a lot of wind.

What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?

- good utilization of the plot (little free space on north and east sides)
- washing machine and dryer should still be in the utility room
- entrance should not be on the side but at the front with a small canopy towards the garage

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?

What do you think of the design and what could be done differently?
Should we rather plan a half-landing staircase?
Maybe raise the knee wall to 2.20m (7 ft) and have floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs?
Is the bathroom upstairs too large?
How large should the utility room be if it includes washing machine and dryer?
Is it allowed to build a utility room on the property boundary with the neighbor?
Where else could I possibly add a storage room as a basement substitute? I thought about extending the paved area behind the garage or a pitched roof on the garage?
If the entrance is moved to the front, I could imagine placing the pantry to the right of the vestibule. That would have the advantage of having more space in the kitchen.

We would be very grateful for any ideas or constructive criticism.

Site plan of plot with marked building areas, paths, and trees


Site plan of plot marked in red as plot no. 17 with garden


Ground floor layout: living room, kitchen, bathroom, office, hallway, garage, terrace, garden


Upper floor layout: parents’ bedroom, dressing room, child’s room, guest room, bathroom, hallway, terrace/balcony


Modern two-story house with white facade, red roof, wooden veranda and garden


Modern white single-family house with red roof, wooden side extension and garden


South view of modern two-story house with garage, windows, people and trees


Modern single-family house with white facade, red gable roof and wooden cladding, green lawn


Modern white single-family house with red gable roof, wooden garage and car in front
Y
ypg
27 Jun 2019 14:40
The kitchen layout is problematic. You have to walk the entire length of the house to serve. The island is in the way. It’s a bottleneck.
The path goes through the pantry... which has already been criticized.
Thorsten78 schrieb:

Knee wall max. 0.50m (was, however, altered by previous constructions

Are you referring to the neighboring buildings?
That doesn’t really matter. Maybe they had to pay a significant amount to the municipality?! Who knows?!

Otherwise, the applicable development plan specifies a site occupancy index (GRZ) of 0.3, a floor area ratio (GFZ) of 0.6, and a knee wall height of 50cm (20 inches). It should be possible to build two full stories and add an attic with a knee wall height of 0cm (0 inches) on top.
Alternatively, you could submit a preliminary building inquiry.
M
Mottenhausen
28 Jun 2019 10:10
I roughly illustrated the house positioning on the plot ( ^N = top of the plan); I’m not sure if the previous posters were aware of this.

I have rather mixed feelings here. The attempt to avoid a north-facing house orientation, while still staying within the permitted framework of building setbacks and the building line, results in an unsatisfactory outcome. How exactly do the building setbacks run, and where is the building line? I’m afraid the alternatives I’m considering fail because of this :-( I would have started entirely at the southern tip with the garage and then followed the east boundary with the house, leaving a triangular garden area on the west side. As mentioned, this probably won’t be allowed—please clarify for us.


Grundriss eines Hauses auf farbigem Grundstücksplan, Parzelle 17, mit Garten und Terrasse.
kaho67428 Jun 2019 10:27
If you position the terrace as shown here on the far east side, you end up sitting right next to the neighbor’s fence all the time. Who would want that? The plot also offers a large area directly to the south. Even if a tall privacy hedge is necessary, I would still place the terrace facing south in this case, despite the street.
Y
ypg
28 Jun 2019 10:35
Mottenhausen schrieb:

I would have started with the garage at the very southern tip and then worked my way along the eastern boundary with the house, leaving a triangular garden area on the west.
Me too.
face2628 Jun 2019 10:54
I haven’t tested whether this still works with the entrance, etc., but maybe just rotate the house by 90 degrees (keeping the garage as it is)?