ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a 150 sqm Townhouse with Gable Roof, 6 Rooms
Created on: 28 May 2024 22:14
L
LeFy2023
Dear forum members,
We have completed a preliminary design for our house together with a company and are now at the beginning of the detailed planning stage. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate any suggestions for improvement, critical feedback, and additional ideas or tips regarding the floor plan.
Unfortunately, we do not yet have a site plan, but we do have the floor plans for the ground floor and upper floor at a scale of 1:100, as well as drawings of the house.
Thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 700 sqm (7,534 sq ft)
Development according to §34 of the Building Code; the neighborhood features a wide variety of house types, sizes, number of floors, roof styles, etc. A positive preliminary building inquiry exists for a two-story townhouse up to 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft).
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: shallow pitched gable roof, townhouse
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 1 child (1 year old), possibly a second child planned
Space requirements for ground floor and upper floor: 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office for both adults about 3 days per week on average
Occasional overnight guests per year: parents-in-law visit several times a year
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island if possible
Number of dining seats: 4–8
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, one parking space including a shed
Utility garden, greenhouse: possibly
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included:
- Larger guest room on the ground floor with space for a double bed as the parents-in-law visit frequently
- Guest room on ground floor must also be usable as an office
- Bright rooms / mezzanine
- Open entrance area with open rooms and a view of the garden (a clear sightline)
- Straight concrete staircase to upper floor for dogs and parking space underneath (built-in cupboards)
- Office on upper floor should also serve as a utility/laundry room
- Façade in stone gray with wood cladding elements
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What is liked most? Why?
- Very practical room layout and good room sizes
- Barrier-free access to the guest shower on the ground floor
- Additional storage space in the roof as a storage binder
- Lots of light through large windows
- Laundry room on upper floor close to the bedrooms/children’s rooms
What is disliked? Why?
- Kitchen might be too small / cramped
- Question whether a passage to the kitchen is necessary
- Main entrance is not barrier-free (terrace exit also not)
- The gray elements in the façade are to be replaced by wood cladding to give the house a more distinctive exterior appearance.
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to do without, which details/features?
- Can do without: second washbasin in upper floor bathroom, round window in dressing room (can have a different shape), kitchen island if it doesn’t fit
- Cannot do without: straight concrete staircase, windows, large lift-and-slide door, larger guest room, mezzanine, guest shower on ground floor, walk-in showers, laundry room on upper floor
Why does the design look as it does now? For example,
This is the initial individual draft without adjustments from us so far. A mezzanine, a larger guest room on the ground floor, storage space in the roof, and laundry room on the upper floor were explicitly requested and implemented accordingly.
We have completed a preliminary design for our house together with a company and are now at the beginning of the detailed planning stage. Therefore, we would greatly appreciate any suggestions for improvement, critical feedback, and additional ideas or tips regarding the floor plan.
Unfortunately, we do not yet have a site plan, but we do have the floor plans for the ground floor and upper floor at a scale of 1:100, as well as drawings of the house.
Thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 700 sqm (7,534 sq ft)
Development according to §34 of the Building Code; the neighborhood features a wide variety of house types, sizes, number of floors, roof styles, etc. A positive preliminary building inquiry exists for a two-story townhouse up to 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft).
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: shallow pitched gable roof, townhouse
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 1 child (1 year old), possibly a second child planned
Space requirements for ground floor and upper floor: 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office for both adults about 3 days per week on average
Occasional overnight guests per year: parents-in-law visit several times a year
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with island if possible
Number of dining seats: 4–8
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, one parking space including a shed
Utility garden, greenhouse: possibly
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included:
- Larger guest room on the ground floor with space for a double bed as the parents-in-law visit frequently
- Guest room on ground floor must also be usable as an office
- Bright rooms / mezzanine
- Open entrance area with open rooms and a view of the garden (a clear sightline)
- Straight concrete staircase to upper floor for dogs and parking space underneath (built-in cupboards)
- Office on upper floor should also serve as a utility/laundry room
- Façade in stone gray with wood cladding elements
House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What is liked most? Why?
- Very practical room layout and good room sizes
- Barrier-free access to the guest shower on the ground floor
- Additional storage space in the roof as a storage binder
- Lots of light through large windows
- Laundry room on upper floor close to the bedrooms/children’s rooms
What is disliked? Why?
- Kitchen might be too small / cramped
- Question whether a passage to the kitchen is necessary
- Main entrance is not barrier-free (terrace exit also not)
- The gray elements in the façade are to be replaced by wood cladding to give the house a more distinctive exterior appearance.
Preferred heating system: heat pump
If you had to do without, which details/features?
- Can do without: second washbasin in upper floor bathroom, round window in dressing room (can have a different shape), kitchen island if it doesn’t fit
- Cannot do without: straight concrete staircase, windows, large lift-and-slide door, larger guest room, mezzanine, guest shower on ground floor, walk-in showers, laundry room on upper floor
Why does the design look as it does now? For example,
This is the initial individual draft without adjustments from us so far. A mezzanine, a larger guest room on the ground floor, storage space in the roof, and laundry room on the upper floor were explicitly requested and implemented accordingly.
We have a large storage space under the stairs for coats and shoes.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/schuhe-und-jacken-auf-1-37qm-realistisch.38783/page-3
And what does my husband do? He separates the shoes and jackets he uses in the freezer room. For rain and muddy gear, I would always leave some space there or find some. So, for better zoning and extra space for a sideboard, you can also put this closet in the freezer room.
Wasn’t it only about one child? And the kids have enough space with 16m² (172ft²) for seasonal clothing or sports bags. Upstairs there is also the utility room… it will work itself out.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/schuhe-und-jacken-auf-1-37qm-realistisch.38783/page-3
And what does my husband do? He separates the shoes and jackets he uses in the freezer room. For rain and muddy gear, I would always leave some space there or find some. So, for better zoning and extra space for a sideboard, you can also put this closet in the freezer room.
Wasn’t it only about one child? And the kids have enough space with 16m² (172ft²) for seasonal clothing or sports bags. Upstairs there is also the utility room… it will work itself out.
M
MachsSelbst5 Jun 2024 23:39You’re really discussing this on a high-level here... someone should honestly point this out to the AfD... it makes me sick but also clearly shows why "building" fails in Germany... because for four people you have to provide 5 or 6 linear meters of wardrobe space, including room for at least 23 pairs of shoes per person... defined by people who don’t even have children or grandchildren... this is the government’s current specialty, the blind talking about color because they once “felt” it at a seminar...
I’ve read it twice now... what exactly is the purpose of a 9m² (97 sq ft) utility room on the upper floor? What is supposed to happen there? Why is it absolutely necessary? Because that 9m² (97 sq ft) utility room upstairs could easily become the office from the ground floor, which would solve many... if not all... problems. This is how people would probably do it without an endless budget.
PS:
We also have about 200 jackets in total, realistically around 50, for every unlikely occasion. Most of them are stored in the attic... sure, you have to climb up and down when a certain jacket is absolutely needed for a specific occasion. But that saves you 4 linear meters of wardrobe space in the hallway...
And even if you don’t finish the attic yourself, it’s much cheaper than adding living space per square meter to the house...
Conclusion:
Interest rates are high, prices have become quite absurd... what five years ago was considered “a must-have” is now “nice to have”… and what was “nice to have” five years ago is not affordable today. Something to think about...
And despite all imagination, never forget... most people on this planet live with 2, 3, or 4 children in well under 100m² (1,076 sq ft)... good night.
I’ve read it twice now... what exactly is the purpose of a 9m² (97 sq ft) utility room on the upper floor? What is supposed to happen there? Why is it absolutely necessary? Because that 9m² (97 sq ft) utility room upstairs could easily become the office from the ground floor, which would solve many... if not all... problems. This is how people would probably do it without an endless budget.
PS:
We also have about 200 jackets in total, realistically around 50, for every unlikely occasion. Most of them are stored in the attic... sure, you have to climb up and down when a certain jacket is absolutely needed for a specific occasion. But that saves you 4 linear meters of wardrobe space in the hallway...
And even if you don’t finish the attic yourself, it’s much cheaper than adding living space per square meter to the house...
Conclusion:
Interest rates are high, prices have become quite absurd... what five years ago was considered “a must-have” is now “nice to have”… and what was “nice to have” five years ago is not affordable today. Something to think about...
And despite all imagination, never forget... most people on this planet live with 2, 3, or 4 children in well under 100m² (1,076 sq ft)... good night.
Thank you @MachsSelbst, it immediately becomes clear what causes dissatisfaction in life: when the wife has to store her jacket in the attic, while clever people design the house to suit daily routines. By the way, this has nothing to do with size; it applies equally to homes from 80 to 300 square meters (860 to 3,230 square feet) and larger.
ypg schrieb:
What does the budget say?
We are still clarifying the budget. The first draft was around €370,000 and thus below our budget. That’s why I’m curious where we would end up with the extension.
ypg schrieb:
However, I would still change quite a bit to be able to say: this is fine, and the building permit (planning permission) could be submitted. More details on that later.
For me as a non-expert to understand: does that mean the building permit (planning permission) could already be submitted with this preliminary design, which doesn’t fit 100% yet, and then be further optimized in parallel?
ypg schrieb:
Yes, exactly. Cabinets with a depth of 50 cm (20 inches) are shown.
The window has a clear width of 80 cm (31.5 inches) and the wall is 202 cm (79.5 inches). That means there would be 61 cm (24 inches) left for the cabinets. Admittedly tight, but the cabinets in the dressing room will not have doors anyway, and Pax cabinets are 58 cm (23 inches) deep without doors. That should work for us.
Otherwise, many thanks to @Schorsch_baut, @K a t j a, and @ypg for concrete suggestions and especially the visualizations.
Schorsch_baut schrieb:
I would plan a large kitchen island and rotate the dining table.
I like that approach. How large would you make the kitchen island? Then a floor-to-ceiling window between the island and kitchen units? In this case, the kitchen units would be “only” 3 m (10 feet).
I find @K a t j a’s idea with the office door in the living room and the rotated sofa very interesting. Could the stairs be extended then?
Then the sofa would stand a bit in front of the sliding patio door and you would not be able to look into the garden from the sofa. The latter could possibly be solved with a floor-to-ceiling window at the top of the living room.
I wonder if the entrance area would become a bit cramped with the stairs immediately to the right? I would omit or at least reduce the wardrobe in front of the bathroom to relieve the bathroom a bit or create the entrance to the office there.
ypg schrieb:
I would leave out the cabinet at the bottom of the plan and create a straight wall. Then put a shelf/sideboard there.
What exactly do you mean by the straight wall?
MachsSelbst schrieb:
I’ve read it twice now... what exactly is the purpose of the 9 m² (97 sq ft) utility room on the upper floor? What is supposed to happen there? Why is it absolutely necessary? Because the 9 m² (97 sq ft) utility room on the upper floor could easily become the office from the ground floor, which would solve many... if not all... problems?
The utility room upstairs serves as laundry and storage, since the utility room downstairs, already partly filled with building services, is intended as a storage room for food, drinks, and everything our dog needs. So the 7 m² (75 sq ft) there are quite full already.
The utility room upstairs is actually meant to be a maximum of 7 m² (75 sq ft) as well, equipped with a washing machine, possibly a dryer, and a cabinet for towels, bed linens, etc. We find it practical to be able to wash the laundry directly upstairs, where the clothes are also stored.
M
motorradsilke6 Jun 2024 11:23You can submit the building permit / planning permission application once the exterior dimensions are finalized. Interior walls and windows can be changed later. At least, that’s the case here in Brandenburg.
I wouldn’t rotate the sofa. You’d lose the great view from the window looking out to the garden. Plus, you’d create useless dead space behind the sofa.
The 61cm (24 inches) clearance for the cabinets is tight, especially since plaster will still be applied to the walls. I would move the door slightly downward on the plan to make it fit. On the opposite wall, you don’t have any cabinets anyway.
Washing clothes upstairs is also a matter of preference. Many people hang their laundry outside to dry. Then you have to carry the wet laundry downstairs.
I wouldn’t rotate the sofa. You’d lose the great view from the window looking out to the garden. Plus, you’d create useless dead space behind the sofa.
The 61cm (24 inches) clearance for the cabinets is tight, especially since plaster will still be applied to the walls. I would move the door slightly downward on the plan to make it fit. On the opposite wall, you don’t have any cabinets anyway.
Washing clothes upstairs is also a matter of preference. Many people hang their laundry outside to dry. Then you have to carry the wet laundry downstairs.
LeFy2023 schrieb:
For me, as a layperson, just to understand: does that mean you could already submit the building application with a preliminary draft that’s not yet 100% finalized and then continue optimizing in parallel? It depends on your local authority. I wouldn’t do that unless it doesn’t cause significant extra costs. Usually, you make changes to things like windows right up until the end, and not every authority is 100% flexible.
LeFy2023 schrieb:
The window has a rough opening width of 80cm (31.5 inches) and the wall is 202cm (79.5 inches). That means there would be 61cm (24 inches) of space left for the cabinets. Admittedly tight, but they don’t plan to have doors on the walk-in closet cabinets anyway, and PAX wardrobes are 58cm (23 inches) deep without doors. That should work for us. Will there still be plaster applied or is it drywall?
LeFy2023 schrieb:
I find @K a t j a’s idea with the office door in the living room and the rotated sofa very interesting. Can the stairs be extended then? That would work if you reduce the walk-in closet space upstairs a bit.
LeFy2023 schrieb:
The sofa would stand a bit in front of the lift-and-slide door, though, and you wouldn’t be able to see the garden from the sofa. The latter could possibly be solved with a full-height window at the top of the plan in the living room. Move the lift-and-slide door toward the bottom of the plan and add large double doors at the top. By the way, where is north here? For looking outside, the original arrangement is, in my opinion, not very suitable either. If that’s the goal, it should be clarified first during the window planning stage.
LeFy2023 schrieb:
I’m wondering if the entrance area might feel a bit cramped with the stairs directly on the right? I didn’t change the entrance area or the stairs. Basically, it is a bit tight. That’s why I suggested replacing the bulky built-in wardrobe with a narrower and airier sideboard.
LeFy2023 schrieb:
I would leave out the coat rack in front of the bathroom or at least reduce its size to ease the bathroom area or create an entrance to the office there. I had already considered that, especially if it’s a guest room then it’s more pleasant for guests. But be careful not to limit your own coat storage too much. Usually, for four people you need about 2m (6.5 feet) of space for a proper wardrobe plus a shoe sideboard.
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