Hello,
I have been reading along for some time now and finally dare to share a floor plan here.
First, here is the list of questions:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, slight. According to the site plan, the top "right" corner is at 295.4 meters (970 feet), lower at 293.88 meters (964 feet), left side goes from 295.17 meters (968 feet) to 293.43 meters (963 feet)
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Applies to house number 16
Surrounding buildings
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full floors required, plus optional recessed floor (setback floor)
Roof type: Flat roof, max. 5° pitch
Maximum height/limits: Max. 10 m (33 ft) high
Additional requirements: Equipment (heat pump) must be integrated, not external. Maximum of 2 residential units. Specific exterior colors required, rainwater should infiltrate (soil report says this is unlikely). Roofs must be greened. No oil or gas heating allowed.
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Actually, none specified.
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors.
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people — 2 adults, 2 children
Ground floor space needs: Daily life (living, kitchen, dining, technical room, guest room)
Upper floor: Family (2 children's rooms, master bedroom, separate bathrooms), home office
Office: Home office, second workspace for occasional use such as a work window sill for example in the bedroom
Guests per year: Currently few.
Open or closed architecture, conservative or modern style: Either is fine.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We are still considering. Initial wish was separate pantry like in the floor plan. An island would be nice if space allows.
Number of dining seats: Normally 4, rarely up to 8.
Fireplace: None.
Music/stereo wall: Multi-room audio with central unit in technical room.
Balcony, roof terrace: Neither.
Garage, carport: 1 garage
Other wishes: Central vacuum system, laundry chute, smart home (KNX) (I am mostly doing this myself, yes, I am a certified electrician, can program, but will also get additional help)
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Planner from a construction company: Correct, with some input from us. Based on an existing plan.
Price estimate by architect/planner: approx. 485,000 € (euros) for the house, approx. 210,000 € for the plot including basic services (survey, soil report, etc.)
Personal price limit for the house including features: approx. 800,000–850,000 € (including land)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump
If you had to give up, which details/extra features could you skip:
- Could skip:
- Cannot skip:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
Standard design by the planner? Yes, with minor wishes from us (wall between study and child’s room 2, T-walls in bathrooms, porch roof, conservatory, pantry)
What do you find especially good or bad about it? So far it seems to fit; apart from possibly the pantry/dining room, we don’t see major issues yet. But that’s why I’m here now.
Edit: The furniture shown in the floor plans can be safely ignored. Planners seem to like adding these.
Best regards
Ganneff
I have been reading along for some time now and finally dare to share a floor plan here.
First, here is the list of questions:
Zoning Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 576 sqm (6,200 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, slight. According to the site plan, the top "right" corner is at 295.4 meters (970 feet), lower at 293.88 meters (964 feet), left side goes from 295.17 meters (968 feet) to 293.43 meters (963 feet)
Floor area ratio: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Applies to house number 16
Surrounding buildings
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 full floors required, plus optional recessed floor (setback floor)
Roof type: Flat roof, max. 5° pitch
Maximum height/limits: Max. 10 m (33 ft) high
Additional requirements: Equipment (heat pump) must be integrated, not external. Maximum of 2 residential units. Specific exterior colors required, rainwater should infiltrate (soil report says this is unlikely). Roofs must be greened. No oil or gas heating allowed.
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Actually, none specified.
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors.
Number of occupants, ages: 4 people — 2 adults, 2 children
Ground floor space needs: Daily life (living, kitchen, dining, technical room, guest room)
Upper floor: Family (2 children's rooms, master bedroom, separate bathrooms), home office
Office: Home office, second workspace for occasional use such as a work window sill for example in the bedroom
Guests per year: Currently few.
Open or closed architecture, conservative or modern style: Either is fine.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: We are still considering. Initial wish was separate pantry like in the floor plan. An island would be nice if space allows.
Number of dining seats: Normally 4, rarely up to 8.
Fireplace: None.
Music/stereo wall: Multi-room audio with central unit in technical room.
Balcony, roof terrace: Neither.
Garage, carport: 1 garage
Other wishes: Central vacuum system, laundry chute, smart home (KNX) (I am mostly doing this myself, yes, I am a certified electrician, can program, but will also get additional help)
House design
Who designed the plan:
- Planner from a construction company: Correct, with some input from us. Based on an existing plan.
Price estimate by architect/planner: approx. 485,000 € (euros) for the house, approx. 210,000 € for the plot including basic services (survey, soil report, etc.)
Personal price limit for the house including features: approx. 800,000–850,000 € (including land)
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump
If you had to give up, which details/extra features could you skip:
- Could skip:
- Cannot skip:
Why is the design like it is now? For example:
Standard design by the planner? Yes, with minor wishes from us (wall between study and child’s room 2, T-walls in bathrooms, porch roof, conservatory, pantry)
What do you find especially good or bad about it? So far it seems to fit; apart from possibly the pantry/dining room, we don’t see major issues yet. But that’s why I’m here now.
Edit: The furniture shown in the floor plans can be safely ignored. Planners seem to like adding these.
Best regards
Ganneff
M
motorradsilke21 Jun 2025 08:24I like slanted walls, and if there were one here, I would build it that way too. It doesn’t all have to be modern, but it should suit your own taste.
However, I would remove that entire wall section if it’s structurally possible. That way, you’d have a clear line of sight to the outside when you enter.
Above all, I would take out the wall to the right of the sofa. It feels too oppressive to me.
Although I’m a big fan of a pantry (even a small one), I think it’s out of place here.
I would tidy up the utility room a bit, placing the appliances closer together to make space for shelves (for beverage crates, supplies, etc.).
However, I would remove that entire wall section if it’s structurally possible. That way, you’d have a clear line of sight to the outside when you enter.
Above all, I would take out the wall to the right of the sofa. It feels too oppressive to me.
Although I’m a big fan of a pantry (even a small one), I think it’s out of place here.
I would tidy up the utility room a bit, placing the appliances closer together to make space for shelves (for beverage crates, supplies, etc.).
motorradsilke schrieb:
I would tidy up the utility room a bit and place the appliances closer together, As far as I understand, an internal heat pump is planned there... so it might be necessary to have those distances.
M
motorradsilke21 Jun 2025 08:50kbt09 schrieb:
As far as I understand, an indoor heat pump is planned there... so it might be necessary for the distances to be like that.Yes, that might be the case. But "must" and "actually do" are sometimes two different things. At least bringing it up would be worthwhile.W
wiltshire21 Jun 2025 09:13At first glance, I like the design with the L-shaped hallway, the space under the stairs, and the secluded guest room. This is purely an emotional impression.
Here are some points I noticed and that have partly been discussed already:
Children’s rooms: By “today’s standards,” they are quite small. However, I agree with you that they are absolutely sufficient. It’s not like you are treating yourself to a mega spa while cramming the children into small rooms – the proportions of the rooms feel balanced to me. The upper children’s room has an awkward shape due to the wardrobe in the study. I would rather resolve this space conflict in favor of the children’s room. The children’s rooms gain more space if you also make the guest room accessible to the children, for example, for anything related to desk work. Saving a desk in the children’s room creates a lot of room for playing. When the children are a bit older, you can move their sleeping area up a floor, making the space beneath the bed usable as well.
Guest room: Just regarding the furnishings – if this room is meant to relieve pressure on the children’s rooms, a permanently set-up bed might feel a bit tight (although the furnishings are not finished). This is a classic case for a cleverly designed sofa bed or, going back to the ‘70s, a fold-down bed from a wardrobe. If guests don’t stay long but only occasionally for a night or two, this is perfectly sufficient.
Dining area: Like @motorradsilke, I also feared it might be too tight. A bench would solve this, as you also mention.
Pantry: What I like is that you give the pantry sufficient space. This naturally creates a somewhat odd-looking block in the kitchen area on the plan. I find that completely fine. Only the placement of the kitchen island, facing partially a wall, is a bit unfortunate – but I’ll count that as an issue of unplanned furnishings.
Storage space: The need for storage varies greatly from one family to another. We consciously decided to do without much storage during construction to maintain better order and avoid accumulating too much stuff. However, that was our second build after having children. With children, it’s different – a lot of storage is needed. It would be useful to consider what should be stored inside and outside, and in what quantities. The narrow strip in front of the garage door practically screams to be used as a bike shed and garden storage.
Slanted wall at the entrance:
I had the same idea as @motorradsilke. Simply leaving it out is nice. However, this allows kitchen odors to spread throughout the whole house. Therefore, I suggest a glass solution that replaces the doors to the kitchen and living room.
All in all: I think a good design was proposed to meet your requirements.
Here are some points I noticed and that have partly been discussed already:
Children’s rooms: By “today’s standards,” they are quite small. However, I agree with you that they are absolutely sufficient. It’s not like you are treating yourself to a mega spa while cramming the children into small rooms – the proportions of the rooms feel balanced to me. The upper children’s room has an awkward shape due to the wardrobe in the study. I would rather resolve this space conflict in favor of the children’s room. The children’s rooms gain more space if you also make the guest room accessible to the children, for example, for anything related to desk work. Saving a desk in the children’s room creates a lot of room for playing. When the children are a bit older, you can move their sleeping area up a floor, making the space beneath the bed usable as well.
Guest room: Just regarding the furnishings – if this room is meant to relieve pressure on the children’s rooms, a permanently set-up bed might feel a bit tight (although the furnishings are not finished). This is a classic case for a cleverly designed sofa bed or, going back to the ‘70s, a fold-down bed from a wardrobe. If guests don’t stay long but only occasionally for a night or two, this is perfectly sufficient.
Dining area: Like @motorradsilke, I also feared it might be too tight. A bench would solve this, as you also mention.
Pantry: What I like is that you give the pantry sufficient space. This naturally creates a somewhat odd-looking block in the kitchen area on the plan. I find that completely fine. Only the placement of the kitchen island, facing partially a wall, is a bit unfortunate – but I’ll count that as an issue of unplanned furnishings.
Storage space: The need for storage varies greatly from one family to another. We consciously decided to do without much storage during construction to maintain better order and avoid accumulating too much stuff. However, that was our second build after having children. With children, it’s different – a lot of storage is needed. It would be useful to consider what should be stored inside and outside, and in what quantities. The narrow strip in front of the garage door practically screams to be used as a bike shed and garden storage.
Slanted wall at the entrance:
I had the same idea as @motorradsilke. Simply leaving it out is nice. However, this allows kitchen odors to spread throughout the whole house. Therefore, I suggest a glass solution that replaces the doors to the kitchen and living room.
All in all: I think a good design was proposed to meet your requirements.
wiltshire schrieb:
Pantry: What I like is that you are giving the pantry enough space. Of course, this creates an oddly shaped block in the kitchen area on the plan. I think that’s completely fine. Only the layout of the kitchen island, with its position partly facing a wall, is a bit unfortunate – but I’ll count that under unplanned furniture placement. The kitchen island will have a maximum width of 120 cm (47 inches)... The wall at the bottom of the plan is only 300 cm (118 inches).
Right side – kitchen run = 60 cm (24 inches)
Aisle width = 90 cm (35 inches)
Island = 120 cm (47 inches)
----------------
= 270 cm (106 inches) total... going beyond that is not really possible because otherwise movement space toward the table/pantry (in the south corner of the house) would be severely limited.
The table is drawn with a length of only 160 cm (63 inches).
The kitchen depth to the pantry is also only 340 cm (134 inches), and a side-by-side refrigerator is desired for the kitchen (some will know where I got that from). This means that, with regard to kitchen depth:
Side-by-side refrigerator = 70 cm (28 inches)
Aisle = 90 cm (35 inches)
Island depth = 90 cm (35 inches)
Second aisle = 90 cm (35 inches)
Additionally, the angled entrance corner makes the 300 cm (118 inches) wall at the bottom of the plan even less usable and creates a somewhat odd corner on the left side. Because also desired are a raised dishwasher, raised oven, and possibly two different work surface heights.
There is also a mobile partition wall planned that will separate the entire kitchen area, running along the imagined line from the upper terrace door down to the bottom of the plan.
Overall, this dining/cooking/pantry area, with dimensions of 522 x 541 cm (206 x 213 inches), due to its square shape and the additional requirements, is – I’d say cautiously – challenging.
W
wiltshire21 Jun 2025 10:01kbt09 schrieb:
Also a mobile partition that separates the entire kitchen areaI meant the separation to the hallway, where there is currently a wall. Not to the living room. kbt09 schrieb:
The kitchen island will have a maximum width of 120 cm (47 inches) in this designYes, a kitchen island doesn’t have enough space in the layout with the pantry. A "peninsula" might work instead.Similar topics