ᐅ Floor plan of a semi-detached house, 7 by 16 meters, on a 390-square-meter plot in a residential development
Created on: 8 Oct 2021 10:28
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Marc1990
Hello everyone,
we are currently in the middle of planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, I don’t have the architect’s drawing yet, but I wanted to get your opinions already. I’m afraid the house might be too dark because of the north-facing side, so I actually want to include as many windows as possible.
Thanks in advance!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 390
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary fully utilized
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof 38 degrees
Requirements of the builders
Style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, floors: ground floor, first floor, attic
Number of occupants, age: 4 (2 adults + 2 children aged 4 & 3), but more children are planned
Office: family use or home office?
Guest bedrooms per year: 5-10
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open & island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Carport later: yes
Utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are desired or not: I would like everything open on the ground floor. Since we have the north side, I’m worried it will be too dark, so I try to plan windows everywhere or doors with side panels. The utility/technical room must be behind the kitchen. First floor: knee wall at 50cm (20 inches). 2 children’s bedrooms & 1 bedroom with walk-in closet. If more children come, the parents will move to the attic. I also want a laundry/utility room upstairs.
Attic: to be finished later.
House design
Planning by: self-planned
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area
What do you not like? Why? Bathroom and toilet arrangement bothers me
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, probably heat pump
If you have to give up any details or additions
- can give up: upstairs utility room, freestanding bathtub
- cannot give up: kitchen layout, windows
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can I plan the windows better so it stays nice and bright? And I don’t like the bathroom 100%, would appreciate tips.
we are currently in the middle of planning the floor plan. Unfortunately, I don’t have the architect’s drawing yet, but I wanted to get your opinions already. I’m afraid the house might be too dark because of the north-facing side, so I actually want to include as many windows as possible.
Thanks in advance!
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 390
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary fully utilized
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof 38 degrees
Requirements of the builders
Style, roof type, building type: modern
Basement, floors: ground floor, first floor, attic
Number of occupants, age: 4 (2 adults + 2 children aged 4 & 3), but more children are planned
Office: family use or home office?
Guest bedrooms per year: 5-10
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open & island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Carport later: yes
Utility garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why certain things are desired or not: I would like everything open on the ground floor. Since we have the north side, I’m worried it will be too dark, so I try to plan windows everywhere or doors with side panels. The utility/technical room must be behind the kitchen. First floor: knee wall at 50cm (20 inches). 2 children’s bedrooms & 1 bedroom with walk-in closet. If more children come, the parents will move to the attic. I also want a laundry/utility room upstairs.
Attic: to be finished later.
House design
Planning by: self-planned
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area
What do you not like? Why? Bathroom and toilet arrangement bothers me
Preferred heating system: not decided yet, probably heat pump
If you have to give up any details or additions
- can give up: upstairs utility room, freestanding bathtub
- cannot give up: kitchen layout, windows
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Can I plan the windows better so it stays nice and bright? And I don’t like the bathroom 100%, would appreciate tips.
Marc1990 schrieb:
The 2.30-meter ceiling height By the way, our bathroom and bedroom upstairs also only have a ceiling height of 2.30 or 2.35 meters (7 ft 7 in or 7 ft 9 in). However, the large hallway upstairs extends all the way to the roof.
When selling our place, I am least concerned about the low ceiling height. If people like the house and the room layout works, they accept such a minor drawback in the bedrooms or other rooms. There are worse things than not being able to fit a Pax wardrobe, and the house itself features important attractive details.
Here, the spacious ground floor really shines. Although, with the room size, a 2.50-meter (8 ft 2 in) ceiling might actually feel a bit restrictive. But you can counter that by choosing a more muted wall color, adding a wide white baseboard along the ceiling, and using nice lighting—then it balances out nicely 🙂
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Myrna_Loy12 Oct 2021 13:33I would consider something like this: a pantry behind the kitchen with a hidden door. This way, you create zoning, can define different rooms, and still maintain a good flow.
ypg schrieb:
For us, it’s the opposite: she’s still not great with corners, but according to the doctor, she should be pretty good with pens 😀
I had that, which the original poster also likes. However, the staircase has to come out in the middle because of the load-bearing wall.
I don’t think he has a serious problem with his south-facing orientation. Besides, I’m willing to bet that if the plan is for a family, another room will be added downstairs, so the ceiling heights for rooms of “normal” open-plan size won’t be an issue.
I think your windows on the ground floor are sufficient. The standard is 1/10 of the room size. The windows facing east plus an additional 4–6 m² (43–65 sq ft) or 8 m² (86 sq ft) to the north, so that the center of the room is well lit, should be enough.
Having to turn on a light at your workspace in the middle of the room from around 3 p.m. or so, I experience that myself with a 4 m² (43 sq ft) south-facing window by the kitchen island.
You don’t need that. But maybe try to plan a bit more with the plot in mind, rather than rigidly sticking to old ideas. This especially applies to the living room!!! The neighbors have almost the same layout downstairs as I do. I don’t want to post the plan online now, but the living room and dining area are the same. The kitchen is right by the west-facing window. They are building with a half basement, so no problem there. The upper floor is also the same, only my bedroom is shared by two kids. The attic is also the same, just fully finished. They have four kids… plus a garage and a 3 by 3 m (10 by 10 ft) tool room attached to the house.
I also don’t like the way it’s distributed left and right.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I would consider something like this: a pantry with a hidden door behind the kitchen. This way you create zones, can separate rooms, and still maintain a good flow. But isn't that exactly what you criticize (was that you?), that you can see straight through to the couch?!
I have to say again, @Marc1990, without referring to any specific quote: it seems like you treat finishing the basement as a magic solution or a way to avoid careful planning, because you still have the basement to fix any shortcomings later. I see the basement more as a curse. You’ll have about 20 square meters (215 square feet) upstairs, which should ideally be used for what it’s meant for: seasonal clothing, suitcases, sports equipment, guest blankets, leftover paint, hobby storage, and tools. You need storage space—whether you have no children, two, or three.
Maybe you’ll rethink the use tonight over a glass of wine? 🙂
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I would consider something like this: a pantry with a concealed door behind the kitchen. This way, you create zoning, can define rooms, and still maintain a good flow. That’s similar to my drawing... but I still have the lighting problem here.
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Myrna_Loy12 Oct 2021 13:45Alternatively, you can shorten the pantry and integrate a wardrobe:
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