ᐅ Floor Plan for a Single-Family Home, 240 m², with Partially Built-Over Garage
Created on: 3 Dec 2023 13:51
H
Haus 42
Hello everyone,
My wife and I are currently favoring the attached design for our house project. It is our own concept, inspired by forum discussions, catalogs, and model homes, but also discussed with architects and now unrecognizable compared to the first drafts.
A first detailed drawing is in progress (which may include structural and building services adjustments), so general criticism is welcome, but especially suggestions on potential problem areas or ways to achieve essential improvements through small changes: After all, we don’t want to build an expensive house only to regret it later, but rather invest in meaningful improvements (e.g., bay windows). At the bottom, I have listed some specific concerns.
Framework conditions:
Design:
Notes on the floor plans:
Development:
We had several designs, including with a basement, without construction over the garage (which was recently confirmed as possible), with open space, guest rooms on different sides, a 180° half-landing staircase, etc. – the current approach now seems quite logical to us and despite the naturally high costs, not extravagant. I grew up in a house with a full basement and converted attic, and the plan tries to provide similar spaces over two floors.
Ground floor details:
Upper floor details:
Concerns / Questions
We look forward to your comments!
My wife and I are currently favoring the attached design for our house project. It is our own concept, inspired by forum discussions, catalogs, and model homes, but also discussed with architects and now unrecognizable compared to the first drafts.
A first detailed drawing is in progress (which may include structural and building services adjustments), so general criticism is welcome, but especially suggestions on potential problem areas or ways to achieve essential improvements through small changes: After all, we don’t want to build an expensive house only to regret it later, but rather invest in meaningful improvements (e.g., bay windows). At the bottom, I have listed some specific concerns.
Framework conditions:
- Planned residents: two adults (working days home/office: 2/3 and 3/2), two (initially small) children, two cats, guests staying several weeks per year.
- Conditions: Small-town new development area in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, site coverage ratio 0.35, maximum one full story, eaves height max. 5m (16 ft 5 in), gable or half-hipped roof with 20°–50° pitch, minimum distance to street 5m (16 ft 5 in), to neighbors 3m (10 ft).
- Plot: 938 m² (10,094 sq ft), essentially flat, with utility garden and play lawn.
- Neighboring plots: Northeast (“right”) already developed (close to road and at distance from us, since their garage is on the side facing away from us), southwest (“left”) not yet sold.
Design:
- Footprint: approx. 15.5m×11m (51 ft × 36 ft) + garage overhang 2m×8m (6 ft 7 in × 26 ft), garage-boundary distance 1m (3 ft 3 in)
- Living and utility space: ground floor approx. 115 m² (1,238 sq ft), upper floor approx. 125 m² (1,345 sq ft), garage approx. 40 m² (430 sq ft)
- Ceiling height: ground floor approx. 2.60m (8 ft 6 in), upper floor approx. 2.50m (8 ft 2 in)
- Building services: ventilation system, photovoltaic panels on southeast roof, underfloor heating powered by air-source heat pump everywhere except garage/attic.
- Location: the house should be as close to the street as possible (see plan) with the main entrance facing it (southeast), to maximize garden space.
- Gable roof: rather flat (25°) to allow for a high knee wall (>1.20m (3 ft 11 in)), attic therefore only used for storage.
- We are foregoing a basement in favor of a larger footprint, which also enables a barrier-free guest area.
- Ground floor: the living area should get both sunlight and garden views, so it must be on the west side.
- Upper floor: usability of space is the priority, so we accept the narrow corridor (approx. 1.5m×8m (4 ft 11 in × 26 ft)). Still, generous dormers, including in the stairwell, should provide enough daylight.
- Exterior walls are brick-clad, interior rather modern: white walls/kitchen fronts, tiled floors on the ground floor, PVC on the upper floor.
Notes on the floor plans:
- Area measurements do not account for sloping ceilings on the upper floor.
- ⚡ means high-voltage electricity, W (waste) water
Development:
We had several designs, including with a basement, without construction over the garage (which was recently confirmed as possible), with open space, guest rooms on different sides, a 180° half-landing staircase, etc. – the current approach now seems quite logical to us and despite the naturally high costs, not extravagant. I grew up in a house with a full basement and converted attic, and the plan tries to provide similar spaces over two floors.
- What we like: the bright living room, purely functional generous sizing everywhere, especially for guests and thanks to the large room upstairs, the access from the garage.
- What we don’t like: see also the “Concerns” listed at the bottom. Otherwise, the “very generous” house (architect’s comment) might have few ‘eye-catchers’ for its price, e.g., no gallery or two bathrooms upstairs instead of one large. Therefore, general suggestions are welcome on how to enhance the design beyond the floor plan, for instance through lighting, mirrors, windows, external design.
Ground floor details:
- Living room with window fronts each with a door leading to terraces in the southwest (for sunlight) and northwest (toward the garden).
- Kitchen open to the living area; appliances located in a central niche—therefore, to minimize noise, the oven/microwave are there instead of the refrigerator.
- Room behind kitchen (separated by a slightly hidden door) serves as storage and a place for some kitchen appliances and an additional worktop.
- From the hallway, a doorless passage to the living room, doors to guest room, guest toilet, and utility room, also from there access to the garage.
- Large guest room with barrier-free bathroom and external access, potentially a one-room separate apartment.
- Garage for one car, e-scooter/bicycles and as a workshop/storage room, for example for garden tools.
Upper floor details:
- Children’s rooms on the sunnier gable side.
- Children’s bathroom with bathtub, master bathroom with washing machine/dryer (but space in utility room to allow for changes).
- Long dormers above bathrooms/stairwell and fitness/hobby room; no other roof windows.
- Access to attic via fitness/hobby room.
Concerns / Questions
- The (currently half-landing) staircase may need to be spiral to allow doors to fit under its end. Is preserving the half-landing for climbing safety worth a bay window?
- Prefabricated houses often have bay windows, although they might be energetically disadvantageous. Are they mainly for aesthetics, or have we missed practical opportunities by not including any?
- Is the staircase too close to the entrance, e.g., regarding dirt distribution?
- We would like remote/central control for roller shutters on all burglary-relevant windows. Would narrow windows be acceptable in the utility room, guest bathroom, and ground floor toilet, to prevent break-ins? Does anyone have experience with this?
- With a 25° pitch and 1.20m (3 ft 11 in) knee wall, is an overhanging roof suitable as a cover for the entrance and/or terrace without causing too much shading? What other canopy options would make sense, especially since the terrace is on the exposure-prone side?
- To prevent bicycles from scratching the car in the garage, should it be widened? This would reduce the remaining strip on the southwest side, where the tightest boundary distance (at the west corner, “top left”) is currently about 5m (16 ft 5 in).
- Is a TV placed directly next to the window front a problem due to the northwest orientation?
- Should the pantry behind the kitchen have a second sink?
- Would it be better to fill the garden-facing dormer entirely with windows rather than leaving corners open as planned?
- Which windows should be included in the bathroom dormer considering there are houses on the opposite side of the street?
We look forward to your comments!
ypg schrieb:
In my opinion, version 2 isn’t necessarily the final draft you have to work from – even though the architect tried to reconcile technical requirements and personal preferences. Do your professional standards always align with your personal preferences? Ignoring practical use or regulations, or creating inefficiencies regarding circulation space or construction effort, is objectively poor. But consciously following a real, existing subjective preference is basically the motto of a human life. You yourself write that priorities need to be set – or are you implying, based on your experience with stubborn clients in the past, that these priorities only seemingly exist and are later regretted by residents?
ypg schrieb:
I’ll throw in some objections regarding version 3 – whether these lead to improvements, changes, or even understanding and acceptance is another matter. But I think there’s still room for improvement. Thank you! I can understand those objections, although shelves in the “fitness room” (which is really supposed to be quite multifunctional) can be used without creating clutter – plus the garage and the (shallow) attic space. Regarding shelving and the dryer, the architect’s version of V2 also faced similar objections, which were addressed by increasing the space. (Obviously an expensive solution, but acceptable if the overall effect does not appear completely wasted.)
Regarding the issue of “bringing in protection,” I hope to address that with doormats and cleaning robots. It might be even more challenging at the terrace entrance than from the garage.
ypg schrieb:
And I doubt the single-story layout. With dormers and this knee wall, it should be a two-story house (estimated, without calculations). The interior height beneath the dormers is limited to 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in), so these areas would count as part of the low-height zones.
ypg schrieb:
You seem to prefer V2, is that correct?Yes, at least we initially continued discussing and refining V2. The main reason wasn’t so much the interior layout but rather the division of the garden and its openness towards the street, which we couldn’t quite accept. Also, there’s the factor of the roof ridge direction diverging from the rest of the layout. On the other hand, with V2 I mainly see some inefficiency in space usage on the ground floor (hallway, dining area, guest room), but visually and functionally it seems good to me. In your version of V3, the connection from the study to the kitchen is definitely unbeatable, just like in our current three-room apartment.Haus 42 schrieb:
In your version of V3, the route from the study to the kitchen is unbeatable,That’s very convenient when you want to quickly make a coffee or, conversely, quickly access the internet. Haus 42 schrieb:
Yes, at least we have continued discussing and ‘refined’ V2 first.Yes, essentially V2 offers more house. I would definitely shorten the hallway on the ground floor properly.
Haus 42 schrieb:
Shelving space yes, in the "fitness room"Uh… no… shelves with a depth of 30cm (12 inches) or garage shelves don’t replace wardrobes where seasonal clothes are stored or boxes can be kept. That needs to be differentiated.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
The floor plans are hopefully not finalized yet. If you have understood and followed my house construction schedule, then of course not.
Haus 42 schrieb:
Not addressing the other topics is meant to help think more objectively about the design? On the other hand, insights relevant to the floor plan might arise from the side topics after all. The meditative/contemplative rest of the builders along with the dough is a crucial and integral part of the dough’s resting phase; otherwise, it benefits the builders significantly less. Reflecting in resonance is naturally a "desired" effect of this measure. Keep in mind that here peace must be made with the alternatives no longer pursued. Without this "grieving process," they repeatedly resurface like zombies, driving your planner to the brink of madness just like Princess @Shiny86.
Relevant insights for the floor plan emerge inevitably during the setting of major decisions, or they may remain silent forever.
I doubt you fully understand the process. If necessary, there is also a way to engage in dialogue in the posts about "A House Construction Schedule, also for you: the HOAI phase model!"
Keep in mind that I did not vote for V2 as the "winner," but merely recommended it as the candidate for further selective refinement of the distillation after the major decisions are made. Impulses will naturally continue to come from these decisions and will then flow into the design (that is, design phase 3)—far from yet entering design phase 5, in which minor details like canopies will be addressed.
Haus 42 schrieb:
The interior height beneath the dormers is supposed to be limited to 2.29m (7 ft 6 in), so these areas would belong to the lower third. This is an explicitly unfair trick to fall below full storey height, which would lead to disqualification accordingly.
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I rarely say this, but in this case, I would vote in favor of having a basement. Otherwise, it would be very cramped, and in the end, you would end up with lots of tiny bathrooms and very small offices.
The fitness room can go down there easily, along with the technical room and laundry, which already take up two-thirds of the basement.
The fitness room can go down there easily, along with the technical room and laundry, which already take up two-thirds of the basement.
K a t j a schrieb:
I rarely say this, but in this case, I would vote in favor of having a basement.I haven’t explicitly “checked” what the plot says regarding the basement option. Of course, you can disregard a “would be a luxury” vote for a basement based on the plot’s conditions. However, before deciding (after design phase 1, before design phase 2) whether it will be two levels or two plus a basement = three levels for distributing the floor plan, this should be considered. My vote for option V2, as a guiding principle for making this key decision, assumes that design phase 2 has been properly completed—that is, the architect has presented a proposal where the location (on which floor) and sizes of the rooms have already been thoroughly reviewed.
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