ᐅ Floor plan of a single-family house with three children's bedrooms and a double garage

Maybe you should start over?

Okay, sorry. I thought the information was sufficient. So, I’ll start again:
My wife and I are planning a single-family house in a new development area. We recently received the initial draft from our planner and would like to get your feedback as well as suggestions for improvements and changes.

Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size = 470 sqm (5,057 sq ft)
Slope = no
Floor area ratio (FAR) = 0.4
Gross floor area ratio (GFAR) = ? (could not find any information)
Building envelope = as shown in the development plan
Building line and boundary = garage on boundary max 9 m (30 ft); distance to neighbor = 2.5 m (8 ft); setback from street = 3 m (10 ft)
Edge development = no
Number of parking spaces = 2
Number of storeys = 2 full storeys
Roof style
Design types = SD, vPD, PD, WD, FD
Orientation = according to development plan
Maximum height/limits = WH: 7.5 m (25 ft); GH: 11 m (36 ft); GH (FD, PD): 9 m (30 ft)
Other requirements = roof pitch SD, vPD: max. 40°; WD max. 30°; PD max. 15°

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type = open, single-family house, SD or PD
Basement, storeys = no basement, 2 full storeys
Number of residents, ages = 35, 34, 2, newborn
Space requirements on ground floor = shower bathroom, office/guest room, utility/technical room, open living, dining & kitchen area, space for cloakroom & pantry
Space requirements on upper floor = master bedroom, 3 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room
Office usage: family use or home office? Usually home office
Overnight guests per year = regularly grandparents
Open or closed layout = open living, dining & kitchen area, otherwise rather closed
Conservative or modern construction = good question...
Open kitchen, kitchen island = open with island
Number of dining seats = space for 8 would be nice
Fireplace = no
Music/sound wall = no
Balcony, rooftop terrace = no
Garage, carport = double garage
Vegetable garden, greenhouse = no
Other wishes/particulars/daily routines, including reasons for preferences =
We would prefer a solution where the living room is somewhat “separated” from the kitchen, so no direct line of sight. Possibly a corner layout.

House Design
Who designed the plan:
- Planner from a construction company
What do you especially like? Why?
- Storage space under the stairs
- Straight staircase → easy to walk (my wife’s preference). Half-turn with landing would also be acceptable
- Garage large enough for cars, bikes, bike trailer, etc.
- Parking space in front of the garage → poor street parking and we often have overnight guests

What do you not like? Why?
- Open-plan area too small, everything feels very cramped
- Side entrance not through the garage but outside → technical room is intended as a mudroom. But if we work in the garden, we always have to open the garage door to get inside. Leaving the garage door open constantly is not ideal with small children.
- 2 of the 3 children’s rooms are small. In proportion, the master bedroom is too large
Cost estimate according to planner: 499,700 € (based on a similar draft from another provider that he wanted to improve. No cost estimate for current design yet)
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: pain threshold = 600,000 €
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump (AWHP)

If you have to give up, which details/extensions
- Can you give up: difficult to say
- Cannot give up: office

Why is the design like it is? For example
Standard design by planner? “Improvement” of a competitor’s plan. Shed roof is now the planner’s standard design
What makes it especially good or bad in your opinion? The design is nothing special for us. Essentially everything is included but, in our opinion, not very skillfully executed. More of a modified standard floor plan. Layout on the upper floor is poor.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can we fit 4 bedrooms on the upper floor without the floor plan becoming too large? Would a studio in the attic be an option (if allowed)?

Thanks for your help and have a nice weekend

Which was the improved (?) competitor model?

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

11ant schrieb:

Which was the improved (?) competitor model?

I haven’t shared it here. Is that relevant?

Kenche2024 schrieb:

The design is nothing special for us. Basically everything is included, but in our opinion it’s not very well executed. The layout of the upper floor is poor.

The main problem is that draftsmen are not trained in designing and therefore turn everything into construction documentation, regardless of the design’s maturity level—or whether there even is one. Forget this design entirely and first go to a professional designer who actually creates concepts. But then let them do their job and don’t bring in requirements based on a "wrong" preconception. There really isn’t such a thing as a “standard floor plan” for a family with three children, and even less so with a fourth child (“office”). Any modification there can only make things worse disguised as improvements.

Kenche2024 schrieb:

How do we fit 4 bedrooms on the upper floor without making the floor plan too large?

That is “the easiest thing in the world,” in two steps: #1 by distributing the room program accordingly (the office is a classic example of a room that should be last in priority); #2 by planning the upper floor first (see also bauen-jetzt “The upper floor takes priority”).

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

Kenche2024 schrieb:

I haven’t shared that here. Is it relevant?

It often helps to understand the “history of the problem” by identifying where the mistake was made during the planning phase.

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

Kenche2024 schrieb:

Living area too small, everything feels very cramped / tight.

Yes, I noticed that straight away

Kenche2024 schrieb:

Layout on the upper floor is poor.

That too.
Both are due to the staircase position!

Kenche2024 schrieb:

Side entrance not through the garage, but outside -> The utility room is actually meant to serve as a mudroom. But if, for example, you work in the garden,

The side entrance is overrated and completely irrelevant with the current layout.
On one hand, your “mudroom” is right next to the kitchen and living area, where you first have to cross the island, then walk through the whole house before you can take off your jackets and shoes. On the other hand, your garden is on the opposite side.
How are you supposed to sneak past the cars?
And that will also be where your laundry area is. So maybe you’ll have to sneak past clean laundry too.

Suggestion: Put the main house entrance there instead. But make sure there is space for storage cabinets behind the door.

Kenche2024 schrieb:

- 2 of the 3 children’s rooms are small. Compared to that, the master bedroom is too large.

Yes, that’s caused by the staircase position.

Kenche2024 schrieb:

Basically everything is there, but in our opinion it’s not very cleverly designed.

You have to let go of the idea that you can get a fundamentally different floor plan on 80/90 sqm (860/970 sq ft) compared to these standard layouts. After all, a house design and the life inside depends on individual details and naturally its personal furnishing.
A rectangular room simply has more potential than an angled one, the living area takes up half the floor… every room wants a window, and so on.
I am a fan of thinking differently, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better for a family of four or five.
You can recognize the standard by the living area, which actually could use less space. Instead, the dining area should have a bit more space.
And yes: that wish for a straight staircase, which takes so much space but doesn’t give anything back…

Kenche2024 schrieb:

“Improvement” of a competitor’s plan.

That would be interesting to me as well. Usually, those improvements don’t work.