ᐅ Floor plan for a single-family house of approximately 200 sqm with basement – rear development
Created on: 17 Jun 2021 15:42
D
Doh-Nuts
Hello everyone,
After much silent reading, we would now like to draw on your experience and expertise and ask for your opinions and feedback on our project. We are still in the very early stages and are currently working on floor plans to visualize our ideas and to be prepared for upcoming discussions with various general contractors. Before I get to the questionnaire, I’d like to briefly describe the starting situation:
The plot is approximately 1600 m² (0.4 acres) in size, with an old building containing two apartments at the front. Two small garages with covered parking are located along the northern boundary and almost fully use up the buildable area along that border. We are currently not planning to subdivide the property, so for the new construction, taking into account the plot ratio already “used up” by the existing buildings, about 700 m² (7500 sq ft) of building area remains as a gap. The rear part of the plot is separated from the front by a tall hedge. The best view axis into the garden is to the south, although partially limited by the hedge and neighboring buildings. Therefore, in our plan, the new house is positioned as far north as possible with the living/dining area facing south.
Please have a look and share your feedback – we appreciate new ideas and opinions.
Thank you very much.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 700 m² (7500 sq ft)
Slope: no
Plot ratio (floor area ratio): 0.3, 50% increase allowed due to driveways
Floor space ratio: no specification
Building window, building line, and boundaries: no specification
Edge development: no specification
Number of parking spaces: no specification
Number of stories: 1 full story (according to Lower Saxony building regulations)
Roof pitch: 35–48°
Architectural style: no specification
Orientation: no specification
Maximum height / limits: ground floor max. 80 cm (31.5 inches) above street level
Other requirements: boundary development already fully utilized by existing buildings
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house, gable roof, brick-clad
Basement, stories: basement, ground floor, attic
Number of people, ages: 4 people (34, 34, 3, 1)
Room needs on ground floor: kitchen, living/dining area, study, guest WC/bathroom
Room needs on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in closet, two children’s rooms, bathroom
Office: home office
Guest overnight stays per year: 2
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern construction: traditional exterior, modern interior
Open kitchen, kitchen island: island or peninsula
Number of dining seats: 10+
Fireplace: optional
Music/stereo wall: not necessary
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: garage: single garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: not necessary
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be included:
House Design
Who designed the plan: do-it-yourself
What do you like about it? Why?: we like the open layout of the ground floor
What do you not like? Why?: we are uncertain about the room sizes on the upper floor (large children’s rooms, relatively small bathroom), as well as the usability of the kitchen.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: not available yet
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures and fittings: €600,000
Preferred heating technology: ground-source heat pump (brine-water), air-source heat pump
If you have to give up certain features or extensions,
- Features you can do without: void spaces, guest room in the attic, seating lounge on the ground floor (winter garden replacement), fireplace
- Features you cannot do without: basement, access from house to garage (we are used to it and do not want to miss it), shower on the ground floor
Why is the design like it is now?
After many doubtful attempts at floor plans, the design we present here is primarily inspired by the Bien-Zenker Concept-M 172.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Feedback on the floor plan, possibilities for optimization. Can the room program be implemented more efficiently? Are there major planning mistakes or no-gos? Would you place the house completely differently?
After much silent reading, we would now like to draw on your experience and expertise and ask for your opinions and feedback on our project. We are still in the very early stages and are currently working on floor plans to visualize our ideas and to be prepared for upcoming discussions with various general contractors. Before I get to the questionnaire, I’d like to briefly describe the starting situation:
The plot is approximately 1600 m² (0.4 acres) in size, with an old building containing two apartments at the front. Two small garages with covered parking are located along the northern boundary and almost fully use up the buildable area along that border. We are currently not planning to subdivide the property, so for the new construction, taking into account the plot ratio already “used up” by the existing buildings, about 700 m² (7500 sq ft) of building area remains as a gap. The rear part of the plot is separated from the front by a tall hedge. The best view axis into the garden is to the south, although partially limited by the hedge and neighboring buildings. Therefore, in our plan, the new house is positioned as far north as possible with the living/dining area facing south.
Please have a look and share your feedback – we appreciate new ideas and opinions.
Thank you very much.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 700 m² (7500 sq ft)
Slope: no
Plot ratio (floor area ratio): 0.3, 50% increase allowed due to driveways
Floor space ratio: no specification
Building window, building line, and boundaries: no specification
Edge development: no specification
Number of parking spaces: no specification
Number of stories: 1 full story (according to Lower Saxony building regulations)
Roof pitch: 35–48°
Architectural style: no specification
Orientation: no specification
Maximum height / limits: ground floor max. 80 cm (31.5 inches) above street level
Other requirements: boundary development already fully utilized by existing buildings
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house, gable roof, brick-clad
Basement, stories: basement, ground floor, attic
Number of people, ages: 4 people (34, 34, 3, 1)
Room needs on ground floor: kitchen, living/dining area, study, guest WC/bathroom
Room needs on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in closet, two children’s rooms, bathroom
Office: home office
Guest overnight stays per year: 2
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern construction: traditional exterior, modern interior
Open kitchen, kitchen island: island or peninsula
Number of dining seats: 10+
Fireplace: optional
Music/stereo wall: not necessary
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: garage: single garage
Utility garden, greenhouse: not necessary
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also explanations why certain things should or should not be included:
House Design
Who designed the plan: do-it-yourself
What do you like about it? Why?: we like the open layout of the ground floor
What do you not like? Why?: we are uncertain about the room sizes on the upper floor (large children’s rooms, relatively small bathroom), as well as the usability of the kitchen.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: not available yet
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures and fittings: €600,000
Preferred heating technology: ground-source heat pump (brine-water), air-source heat pump
If you have to give up certain features or extensions,
- Features you can do without: void spaces, guest room in the attic, seating lounge on the ground floor (winter garden replacement), fireplace
- Features you cannot do without: basement, access from house to garage (we are used to it and do not want to miss it), shower on the ground floor
Why is the design like it is now?
After many doubtful attempts at floor plans, the design we present here is primarily inspired by the Bien-Zenker Concept-M 172.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Feedback on the floor plan, possibilities for optimization. Can the room program be implemented more efficiently? Are there major planning mistakes or no-gos? Would you place the house completely differently?
Doh-Nuts schrieb:
Regarding the lounge: We currently mainly use the living room in the evenings to watch TV, so I placed it in the potentially darker northwest corner. To have a brighter, cozy seating area, there is the seating lounge, practically serving as a conservatory replacement.And when will this brighter area be used then? 😉Doh-Nuts schrieb:
Sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed, so this response is late.
The large kids’ bedrooms are more a result of the plan being elongated, as ypg mentioned, rather than a deliberate choice. And since I suspected that a window facing west or east might be somewhat dark, I included a dormer there. I fully agree that 15sqm (161 sq ft) is enough for the kids.
Regarding the lounge: We currently only use the living room in the evenings for watching TV, so I placed it in the potentially darker northwest corner. To have a brighter, cozy seating area, there’s the sitting lounge, basically a winter garden substitute.
The basement would be used for technical equipment, storage, hobbies (sports, aquarium) and if the project runs out of money, possibly as a small home theater. I am aware that the basement is a major cost factor, but I wouldn’t consider dropping it at the moment. We tend to be collectors rather than “that doesn’t need to be kept anymore.”
For 2,500 €/sqm (232 $/sq ft) I would expect more than just standard, the house isn’t going to be in Bavaria ;-) But I realize with 600,000 € it will probably be tight.
Yes, approximately 25m x 3m (82 ft x 10 ft) should be about right.
If I now approach the hypothetical task of making the floor plan mostly unchanged but single-story with a gable roof, I see the following problems:
- The children’s bedroom windows facing east/west will have to be quite small due to the roof slope, as they need to be positioned closer to the ridge -> dormer with south-facing window as a solution?
- The bathroom would also likely only work with a dormer
- Apart from that, the kitchen in the original plan is probably not very practical. Besides adding a window to keep an eye on the garden while cooking, it would probably annoy me by the fifth time getting out the kitchen machine that there is no dedicated spot for it. But that’s something you have to accept with such a designer kitchen 🙂
Most likely the result will be that the Bien-Zenker 172 floor plan is not suitable for a gable roof / single-story design, and it would be better to start from scratch 🙂
Only saltwater would go into the aquarium 😉 We will start building in Brandenburg from August at old prices. The cost is about 2,750 €/sqm (255 $/sq ft) including a 12 kWp photovoltaic system, controlled residential ventilation, brine-water heat pump, fireplace, turnkey, etc. So I wouldn’t hope to build under 2,500 €/sqm (232 $/sq ft).
You can listen to or take on others’ arguments, but it is your house and your money. With a 600k budget, you have to build smaller.
In some cases, the children's rooms are simply larger than the living or dining areas for others. 😉 That’s fine if the budget allows it.
But overall, the layout isn’t balanced (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), as already mentioned. You can shift or even reduce some square meters. Sometimes less is more.
But overall, the layout isn’t balanced (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), as already mentioned. You can shift or even reduce some square meters. Sometimes less is more.
driver55 schrieb:
In some cases, the children's rooms are larger than the living or dining areas for others. 😉 That’s fine if the budget allows.
But overall, the floor plan isn’t well balanced (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), as has already been mentioned. You can shift or even reduce some square meters. Sometimes less is more. However, I have learned this is called a design flaw. When the kids move out, you end up with large empty rooms. And usually, you only build once in a lifetime. Besides, we don’t want to raise our child to be a room dweller. Most of the time, we spend together in the garden, on the terrace, or in the living room.
Or maybe it’s not a design flaw but a matter of personal taste? Then you’ve learned something new again.
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