ᐅ Floor Plan Ideas for New Build 2026: Modern House with Single-Slope Roof, South-Facing Terrace & Garage
Created on: 7 Dec 2025 14:01
J
jannick93
Hello everyone,
I have been a silent reader for a long time, but next year we plan to build a new house after looking at numerous old houses and coming to this decision. Hopefully, there will be a KfW EH55 subsidy available again in 2026.
Regarding the questionnaire:
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 860m² (0.21 acres)
Slope: Unfortunately yes; within the buildable area, there is a 2m (6.5 ft) drop across a width of 11m (36 ft) from east to west, but this provides a nice southwest view.
Otherwise, no zoning plan or restrictions. The surrounding houses were built in the 1950s.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof design, building type:
- Modern with variation in the facade depth and integration of the garage with a flat roof. The plan is for a mono-pitched roof with an 8° slope facing south to maximize solar panels.
Basement, stories:
- No basement, ground floor on the east side partly embedded 1-1.5m (3-5 ft) into the ground. Garage at the rear fully underground. Two stories in total.
Number and age of occupants:
- 4 people aged 36, 32, 4 years, and a toddler of 7 months.
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
- Due to no basement, a large garage is included. 160-180m² (1720-1940 sq ft) would suffice, but I couldn’t manage that size exactly.
Office:
- Home office use.
Guests per year:
- Almost none, but children and godchildren will likely sleep in the children’s rooms.
Open or closed layout:
- Open layout with the option to separate the upper floor and create a separate entrance from the east (future option in 20-25 years; something to plan for, but not a pressing concern).
Conservative or modern construction:
- Modern.
Open kitchen, kitchen island:
- Both yes, definitely. However, given the kitchen width, I don’t think a freestanding island is possible. Most of our daily life happens in the kitchen and dining-living area, so this is designed generously. We cook daily.
Number of dining seats:
- 6-8 seats for a large family (3m (10 ft) long dining table) plus 2-3 seats at the island.
Fireplace:
- No.
Music / stereo wall:
- No.
Balcony, roof terrace:
- Yes, on the south side. Possibly with an outdoor kitchen in the future (preparatory plumbing should be planned).
Garage / carport:
- Yes, double garage with additional storage space for shelves and possibly future technology, where a separate room can be added later. The garage has separate walls (is this advisable?) and is not within the insulated envelope of the house.
Kitchen garden, greenhouse:
- Raised bed.
Other wishes, special features, daily routine, reasons why certain things are included or excluded:
- Short and practical route from the garage to the kitchen for groceries. I’ve drawn a very small pantry, reducing it by 60cm (2 ft) from the former 2.20m (7 ft) wide hallway, and I’d appreciate your advice on whether this makes sense.
Laundry room on the upper floor where laundry is handled; in summer, clothes will be dried outside on the garage roof.
Regarding the technical room, I’m unsure if it is large enough for: heat pump indoor unit, domestic hot water heat pump, inverter, battery storage, meter cabinet, server cabinet, ventilation system. Less sensitive equipment could be placed in a separate room in the garage.
Regarding technical room location: I know the main connection is covered and not located closest to the street, but perhaps it can be argued that the small room between the two masonry walls of house and garage works. Also, neighboring houses have rooftop antennas, and the type of connection I will receive is yet to be clarified.
House design
Who created the design:
- Former head of the building authority, adjusted by me.
What do you particularly like? Why?
- The open kitchen with dining-living area and the layout of the upper floor with the utility room including shelf space and the size of the children’s rooms. Terrace facing south with a nice view.
What do you dislike? Why?
- The very long and large “expensive” hallway on the ground floor. I am still looking for a solution here. The main issue is the location of the staircase. When trying to place it next to the kitchen, I reached my design limits on the upper floor. This is the main reason I am turning to you.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: about 450,000 with a lot of own labor on the shell work.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: My biggest wish is to build the house mostly myself to reach around 2000€/m² (185 sq ft) . Next year, I have already arranged 78 days off for this.
Preferred heating system: Heat pump with underfloor heating (flow30) and domestic hot water heat pump. I am still looking for a suitable location for the outdoor unit, possibly on the garage roof. Air conditioning will be installed in both floors’ hallways.
If you had to give up certain details or extras, what could you omit
- Could give up: hallway 😉, size of the master bedroom (we only need about 1m (3 ft) space around the bed if we have a separate room for clothes), large bathrooms.
- Cannot give up: kitchen size, preferably even more generous.
Why is the design the way it is?
For example, based on sun orientation of the south-facing terrace and views from the upper floor. The garage location follows from the driveway and the entrance location. I couldn’t find any other combination that makes sense.
I have been a silent reader for a long time, but next year we plan to build a new house after looking at numerous old houses and coming to this decision. Hopefully, there will be a KfW EH55 subsidy available again in 2026.
Regarding the questionnaire:
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 860m² (0.21 acres)
Slope: Unfortunately yes; within the buildable area, there is a 2m (6.5 ft) drop across a width of 11m (36 ft) from east to west, but this provides a nice southwest view.
Otherwise, no zoning plan or restrictions. The surrounding houses were built in the 1950s.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof design, building type:
- Modern with variation in the facade depth and integration of the garage with a flat roof. The plan is for a mono-pitched roof with an 8° slope facing south to maximize solar panels.
Basement, stories:
- No basement, ground floor on the east side partly embedded 1-1.5m (3-5 ft) into the ground. Garage at the rear fully underground. Two stories in total.
Number and age of occupants:
- 4 people aged 36, 32, 4 years, and a toddler of 7 months.
Room requirements on ground and upper floors:
- Due to no basement, a large garage is included. 160-180m² (1720-1940 sq ft) would suffice, but I couldn’t manage that size exactly.
Office:
- Home office use.
Guests per year:
- Almost none, but children and godchildren will likely sleep in the children’s rooms.
Open or closed layout:
- Open layout with the option to separate the upper floor and create a separate entrance from the east (future option in 20-25 years; something to plan for, but not a pressing concern).
Conservative or modern construction:
- Modern.
Open kitchen, kitchen island:
- Both yes, definitely. However, given the kitchen width, I don’t think a freestanding island is possible. Most of our daily life happens in the kitchen and dining-living area, so this is designed generously. We cook daily.
Number of dining seats:
- 6-8 seats for a large family (3m (10 ft) long dining table) plus 2-3 seats at the island.
Fireplace:
- No.
Music / stereo wall:
- No.
Balcony, roof terrace:
- Yes, on the south side. Possibly with an outdoor kitchen in the future (preparatory plumbing should be planned).
Garage / carport:
- Yes, double garage with additional storage space for shelves and possibly future technology, where a separate room can be added later. The garage has separate walls (is this advisable?) and is not within the insulated envelope of the house.
Kitchen garden, greenhouse:
- Raised bed.
Other wishes, special features, daily routine, reasons why certain things are included or excluded:
- Short and practical route from the garage to the kitchen for groceries. I’ve drawn a very small pantry, reducing it by 60cm (2 ft) from the former 2.20m (7 ft) wide hallway, and I’d appreciate your advice on whether this makes sense.
Laundry room on the upper floor where laundry is handled; in summer, clothes will be dried outside on the garage roof.
Regarding the technical room, I’m unsure if it is large enough for: heat pump indoor unit, domestic hot water heat pump, inverter, battery storage, meter cabinet, server cabinet, ventilation system. Less sensitive equipment could be placed in a separate room in the garage.
Regarding technical room location: I know the main connection is covered and not located closest to the street, but perhaps it can be argued that the small room between the two masonry walls of house and garage works. Also, neighboring houses have rooftop antennas, and the type of connection I will receive is yet to be clarified.
House design
Who created the design:
- Former head of the building authority, adjusted by me.
What do you particularly like? Why?
- The open kitchen with dining-living area and the layout of the upper floor with the utility room including shelf space and the size of the children’s rooms. Terrace facing south with a nice view.
What do you dislike? Why?
- The very long and large “expensive” hallway on the ground floor. I am still looking for a solution here. The main issue is the location of the staircase. When trying to place it next to the kitchen, I reached my design limits on the upper floor. This is the main reason I am turning to you.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: about 450,000 with a lot of own labor on the shell work.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: My biggest wish is to build the house mostly myself to reach around 2000€/m² (185 sq ft) . Next year, I have already arranged 78 days off for this.
Preferred heating system: Heat pump with underfloor heating (flow30) and domestic hot water heat pump. I am still looking for a suitable location for the outdoor unit, possibly on the garage roof. Air conditioning will be installed in both floors’ hallways.
If you had to give up certain details or extras, what could you omit
- Could give up: hallway 😉, size of the master bedroom (we only need about 1m (3 ft) space around the bed if we have a separate room for clothes), large bathrooms.
- Cannot give up: kitchen size, preferably even more generous.
Why is the design the way it is?
For example, based on sun orientation of the south-facing terrace and views from the upper floor. The garage location follows from the driveway and the entrance location. I couldn’t find any other combination that makes sense.
J
jannick9310 Dec 2025 14:0611ant schrieb:
As I said: if you build with this provider, it makes sense to go with the proven design (at most: mirrored).The floor plan doesn't seem particularly complex to me – I think it can definitely be rebuilt using solid construction methods. Where do you see the challenges with this? I have already discussed the issue of the central supports with my structural engineer and am still waiting for a response.
jannick93 schrieb:
The floor plan doesn’t seem particularly complex to me – I think it can definitely be built using solid construction. Where do you see the difficulties with that?It’s not “difficult,” it simply falls into the category of “pointless”: experience gained from series production or troubleshooting is only relevant for a provider’s own products, not for those of others. If you like the design of the luxury house but want to build it with Baufritz, it’s better to look for a similar model in their range. If you want to port the design literally (i.e., replicate a timber house as a masonry house), you will immediately encounter issues related to structural engineering questions: jannick93 schrieb:
I have already discussed the issue of intermediate supports with my structural engineer and am still waiting for a response.Interviewing a structural engineer solely about supports is a complete waste of time for everyone involved. If I were a structural engineer, I would bill the response according to HOAI.My impression is that you are pushing your planning too far already. Take the preliminary draft from your independent architect first into the “resting phase,” during which you carry out—or have conducted—the essential “key decisions.” For more on this, read my “A Homebuilding Roadmap, for You Too: the Phase Model of HOAI!” (this roadmap applies regardless of whether you intend to use the fee schedule).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
The layout is already a suitable floor plan in terms of concept and division.
However, I am bothered by the lack of a proper cloakroom (those tiny cabinets won’t hold anything), the display kitchen without any significant countertop space, and the bedroom being used as a walk-through room.
These issues can be resolved through careful planning, including the cloakroom if the access to the technical room is slightly shifted.
I am not sure if this can actually be built with a mono-pitched roof.
That’s correct. Something has to support the ceiling. However, that would bother me the least since you don’t walk under the stairs there anyway, but beside them.
However, I am bothered by the lack of a proper cloakroom (those tiny cabinets won’t hold anything), the display kitchen without any significant countertop space, and the bedroom being used as a walk-through room.
These issues can be resolved through careful planning, including the cloakroom if the access to the technical room is slightly shifted.
I am not sure if this can actually be built with a mono-pitched roof.
jannick93 schrieb:
The structural calculations will probably require a steel beam in the middle of the hallway with a support column, if I interpret the plans of the show house correctly.
That’s correct. Something has to support the ceiling. However, that would bother me the least since you don’t walk under the stairs there anyway, but beside them.
N
neo-sciliar17 Dec 2025 15:31@jannick93 don’t get discouraged. People here tend to criticize if you don’t follow the market standard. I remember our beginnings, which admittedly were not great. But we never let that stop us and in the end, we built OUR house, which is still far from any mainstream design. And we like it. To this day. So: keep going, many things are possible.
J
jannick9317 Dec 2025 15:46No, on the contrary, people are actually helping here. The rough tone is just typical construction site style. 🙂
We will go with the latest draft, but we keep coming up with small yet valuable improvements, which is why the suggested resting time for the dough is important and makes sense.
By the way, I just saw in an Instagram story how the Luxhaus 171 was built with a steel beam in the middle, so I quickly took a screenshot. Regarding the structural engineering, the proposed floor plan doesn’t pose any major challenges either.
Now that the floor plan is set, we’re moving on to the detailed planning stage for ventilation, electrical systems, underfloor heating, air conditioning, and domestic hot water.
Best regards
Jannick
We will go with the latest draft, but we keep coming up with small yet valuable improvements, which is why the suggested resting time for the dough is important and makes sense.
By the way, I just saw in an Instagram story how the Luxhaus 171 was built with a steel beam in the middle, so I quickly took a screenshot. Regarding the structural engineering, the proposed floor plan doesn’t pose any major challenges either.
Now that the floor plan is set, we’re moving on to the detailed planning stage for ventilation, electrical systems, underfloor heating, air conditioning, and domestic hot water.
Best regards
Jannick
neo-sciliar schrieb:
@jannick93 don’t get discouraged.
N
neo-sciliar17 Dec 2025 15:58My two cents on the floor plan:
- If you’re planning to build a prefabricated house, consider whether you want the children’s bedrooms above your living area. Prefab ceilings are significantly less effective at reducing impact noise compared to reinforced concrete slabs.
- Review your daily routines carefully. In our case, we realized that neither a pantry nor a walk-in closet made sense; they only added costs (and happen to be trendy at the moment).
- Consult a kitchen planner before finalizing your plan (unless the kitchen is not important to you).
- Is it acceptable that every time the front door opens, the whole house gets ventilated?
- When sitting on the couch, do you only want to watch TV? Is your view outside limited to the window reflected in the TV screen?
- Where will you store empty water bottles, where will beer supplies and kitchen appliances that are not used frequently be kept? What about waste disposal?
- If you’re planning to build a prefabricated house, consider whether you want the children’s bedrooms above your living area. Prefab ceilings are significantly less effective at reducing impact noise compared to reinforced concrete slabs.
- Review your daily routines carefully. In our case, we realized that neither a pantry nor a walk-in closet made sense; they only added costs (and happen to be trendy at the moment).
- Consult a kitchen planner before finalizing your plan (unless the kitchen is not important to you).
- Is it acceptable that every time the front door opens, the whole house gets ventilated?
- When sitting on the couch, do you only want to watch TV? Is your view outside limited to the window reflected in the TV screen?
- Where will you store empty water bottles, where will beer supplies and kitchen appliances that are not used frequently be kept? What about waste disposal?
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