ᐅ Floor plan of a new country house in a large garden under Section 34 (including demolition)

Created on: 19 Jan 2025 18:39

Hello dear community,

Last year, we purchased a house in Brandenburg. Initially, we planned to renovate and remodel the existing building. After receiving initial quotes exceeding 500,000€ (approximately 500,000 USD), we decided to change course and are now planning a new build.

We first contacted a few prefabricated house providers, but were not satisfied with the proposed plans. So, we downloaded the app Home Design 3D and kept designing until we achieved a result we were really happy with.

We would appreciate any feedback, ideas, and criticism. Our next step is to find a suitable contractor based on the floor plan. Attached are the questionnaire and some additional thoughts behind the planning.

Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 3000 sqm (approximately 32,000 sq ft)
Further requirements: §34, details not yet known

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: rather country house style, gable roof
Basement, floors: No basement, 1.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults, 1 child, possibly +1 child
Space needs on ground and upper floors: –
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guests per year: occasional
Open or closed layout: rather closed
Conservative or modern design: rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: existing garage stays, carport for camper
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: large garden

House design
Who created the plan: Self-designed using iPad app
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you like most? Why? Orientation of all main rooms to the south
What don’t you like? Why? Bedroom entrance from hallway
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: in progress

Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: 500,000€ (approximately 500,000 USD)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump

If you have to give up something, which details/features could you do without? Balcony
Which are essential? Terrace, easy access to the garden

Why is the design the way it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? We refined it until we really liked it.

Which of your wishes were realized by the architect?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines...

What makes this design particularly good or bad in your opinion?
Maximum space optimization

Additional notes from us:

General

Gable roof with east-west solar panels
Similar to neighboring buildings

Ground Floor

General

Wide doors on the ground floor, at least 1 m (3.3 ft) wide
The ground floor is wheelchair accessible
Patio roof in front of kitchen and half of the living room

Hallway

Entrance area offers a niche for coats and shoes
Space under the stairs usable as storage
Stairwell and hallway on the first floor receive natural light

Utility Room

Large utility room planned with at least 12 m² (130 sq ft)
Northeast orientation, so the heat pump can be placed behind the carport

Bathroom

Adjacent to the utility room
Outdoor water tap

Kitchen

Short walking distances:
Kitchen accessible from entrance and dining room
Pantry accessible through a cupboard in the kitchen
Patio door leading from kitchen to garden
Sliding door to separate kitchen acoustically and for odors from living room
Small seating area in kitchen with enough space for quick meals (possible with a window seat?)
Outdoor water tap

Living Room

Floor-to-ceiling windows in living and dining area
Fireplace planned
Space for TV in a niche
Area for cabinets
One lift-and-slide door

Guest Room

Option to use as bedroom
At least 12 m² (130 sq ft)

Upper Floor:

General

Balcony on the first floor facing south
Accessible from two rooms

Bathroom

Separate toilet and bathroom
Bathroom has a bathtub
Built-in cabinet behind the sink

Bedroom

Floor-to-ceiling windows in living and sleeping areas, i.e., all south-facing rooms
Does not border directly on the toilet or bathroom

Study

Two almost equally sized rooms on the first floor serve as studies

Guest Room

Another room on the upper floor can be used as a guest or hobby room

Detailed floor plan of a house with kitchen, dining area, living room, and bedroom.

Floor plan of an apartment with two bedrooms, living room, balcony, and bathroom.

Top view of a house: living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, stairs, terrace.

Isometric floor plan of a house with living room, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, hallway, terrace.

Two-story house with red tiled roof, wooden facade, and glazed wooden veranda.

Two-story house with wooden facade, gray base, red roof, carport with car.

Two-story house with red tiled roof, wooden cladding, gray base, and carport.

Living room with dining table, sofa, armchair, fireplace, TV, plant, and garden view.

Isometric floor plan of a house: living room, kitchen, hallway, bathroom, bedroom, balcony.

Aerial view of a plot with buildings and garden; red outline marks the site.

kbt0910 Feb 2025 11:10

#31

Hmm, the south is probably at the bottom of the plan.

What I find problematic

Access to the terrace is either blocked by the stools at the kitchen counter or the dining table is placed in front of it.
Guest bedroom at the top left of the plan: I would position the entrance door as far up as possible so that the wall at the bottom of the plan can be fully used for cabinets. The closet in the hallway to the left can be relocated elsewhere.
Bathroom upstairs: when entering, you immediately face the shower wall; there is a narrow space between the shower wall and the washbasin.
Bedroom rough construction depth is 276 cm (109 inches), so approximately 270 cm (106 inches). I usually plan 220 cm (87 inches) for a bed including the headboard. Fifty centimeters (20 inches) of space at the foot of the bed seems quite tight to me. Also, I don’t understand why there are two floor-to-ceiling windows there.
Children’s room at the bottom left: position the entrance door as far down as possible to allow cabinets on the wall next to the staircase.

wiltshire10 Feb 2025 11:28

#32

@kbt09: Sometimes it’s the reminder of simple things that makes this forum so helpful. In this case, it’s your tip about closet-friendly door positioning, which helps homeowners for years without adding extra costs.

kbt09 schrieb:

Bedroom rough construction depth is 276 cm (9 ft), so roughly 270 cm (8 ft 10 in). I always factor in 220 cm (7 ft 3 in) for a bed with headboard, etc. For me, 50 cm (20 in) of space at the foot end is a bit tight. Also, I don’t quite understand why there are two floor-to-ceiling windows there.

We have 60 cm (24 in) between the foot of the bed and the wall, and that’s tight. It’s okay for walking through, but cleaning with a vacuum cleaner is awkward. The floor-to-ceiling windows create the feeling of waking up more outdoors. It’s definitely something you can forgo if you’re on a very tight budget, but I think it adds a very nice personal touch to the house.

K a t j a10 Feb 2025 17:34

#33

marcoblu schrieb:

Overnight guests are indeed a very important topic for us, but in our opinion, they can be well combined with the home office requirements and the two possible children's rooms (one is definitely necessary).

Could you please always label the rooms? I see two children's rooms, one bedroom, a bathroom, a walk-in closet, and an ambiguous room on the upper floor. What is the latter?

marcoblu schrieb:

We continue to work directly with the floor plan and not with a vague description of our situation because we already have a very clear idea of how large parts of the layout should be designed.

I find this "we know exactly what we want" statement together with this amateur draft quite presumptuous. For example, the living/dining area is tiny. Unfortunately, the many guests expected to stay overnight with you will never be able to sit at the table with you. The bathroom is a narrow corridor that is annoying right from the entrance. The bedroom is also too narrow. On the other hand, the staircase takes up too much space.

The builders and general contractors who see this design, or have already seen it, will not advise you but will just build this mess exactly as it is. They don’t care at all that you’ll have to squeeze past the bed your whole life. Why would they? If the client orders it like this, they avoid any discussion and don’t need to hire a professional with detailed plans.

ypg10 Feb 2025 18:17

#34

wiltshire schrieb:

We have 60cm (24 inches) between the foot of the bed and the wall, which is tight. It’s okay for just walking through,

After moving in, we had boxes next to the bed for a few weeks, and only then did we realize we had just 50cm (20 inches) of space. The result was a painful broken little toe.

K a t j a schrieb:

I find this "we know exactly what we want" statement quite presumptuous when paired with this amateur design. For example, the living/dining area is tiny. Unfortunately, the many guests who are supposed to stay with you will never be able to sit at one table together. The bathroom is a narrow corridor that is annoying as soon as you enter. The bedroom is also too narrow. On the other hand, the staircase takes up too much space.

But if that’s truly what they want, then it’s fine. That’s also how construction companies think.

K a t j a11 Feb 2025 07:08

#35

ypg schrieb:

But if they really want it that way, that’s fine. That’s also how many construction companies think.

I would recommend finding a trusted person with experience to advise you during the build. It should not be someone who makes money from you, but maybe a friend or relative.

ypg schrieb:

...if you only have €500,000 available.

Have the costs for demolition and disposal of the existing structure been calculated yet? What’s the plan regarding that? Did I miss something?

11ant11 Feb 2025 13:48

#36

K a t j a schrieb:

Have the costs for demolition and disposal of the existing structure already been calculated? What is the plan for that? Did I miss something?

The basement or foundation of an existing building has a condition that should be examined. That way, you at least get a preview of the cover sheet of a geotechnical report. The worst-case scenario is that the foundation turns out to be very expensive—or the basement might at least serve as a storage and utility room. Demolition is never free, and deep demolition even less so.

K a t j a schrieb:

I would recommend finding a trusted person with experience to advise you during construction. It shouldn’t be someone who profits from you, but perhaps a friend or relative.

Gaining and maintaining expertise costs money and time. Do you expect me to drive a taxi on the side just to offer my services as a freelance construction advisor free of charge? Beyond my open consultations in forums, I cannot provide that, and I don’t know any colleagues who work pro bono. The myths come mainly from family, friends, and fools—claims that solid masonry houses are more durable, prefab houses are faster, general contractors pass on mixed calculations and volume discounts, heavier structures provide the best sound insulation, and other persistent nonsense. Do these myths really help anyone seeking advice?
Should the original poster then try to solve one problem with another worse one (e.g., buying L-shaped blocks at the price of a basement) or build a bungalow just to avoid the costs of a staircase?

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

ᐅ Floor plan of a new country house in a large garden under Section 34 (including demolition)

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