ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization Single-Family Home, Two Full Stories, Approximately 180 m²

Much has already been said. I see the new kitchen layout without a pantry as a clear improvement. Hoping that the idea of using the upstairs hallway as a play area has already fallen victim to reality, I predict: the armchair will at most just be in the way (if it is ever actually placed in that awkward spot). Even if this would change everything, I wonder if a central straight staircase is really necessary? It wastes a lot of space and leads to narrow, corridor-like hallways. A half-turn or quarter-turn staircase would offer completely different possibilities. This way, you could reduce the circulation area from well over 30m² (about 320 square feet) and use the space more effectively.

What I haven’t quite understood yet: Is the guest room on the ground floor now a guest room or a hobby room? Personally, I always think that with 180m² (about 1,940 square feet) and construction costs over 600k€, there should be a dedicated bathroom for the kids. This is (speaking from experience) a very relaxing factor for families with four or more members. That means I suggest turning the guest room into an office and converting the upstairs office into a small kids’ bathroom. I find the storage closet oversized for its purpose: vacuum cleaners and similar items should fit in the utility room.

Regarding the double garage: I simply cannot understand why so many people consider it necessary. But anyway — I increasingly feel like an exception who sees the sacred garage as a functional space. It is expensive and consumes an enormous amount of space. How about a generous single-car garage that also includes some storage room? Personally, I would even be happy with a carport (how many parking spaces need to be created?) or simply park the second car on the street.

Hangman schrieb:

I’ll admit that I didn’t find the initial plans bad at all (unlike the new ones). However, I don’t understand a few things and would like to ask @hansipansi a couple of questions:

- You mention the beautiful view to the southeast, but what’s so problematic about the west/southwest that you’re building it up completely or have very small windows there?
- I find a double garage a bit plain by default. Is it a must-have, or could you imagine a carport attached directly to the house?
- Why is the entrance on the west side and not facing the street?

- On the west side we actually have large windows (that’s where the dining area plus the kitchen in the current design are located).

- About the double garage: We currently have a double carport and it was quickly clear to us that we now want a garage. We live in an area with quite a bit of snow and cold weather. If your diesel car freezes and won’t start, having a garage is definitely a good thing. Also, we want to use the garage as a small workshop space.

The original idea was to attach the garage directly to the house to have an access door to the utility room. However, that would have forced us to rotate the house in a way that would waste a lot of garden space. That’s why the architect suggested separating the garage and creating a covered walkway between the house and garage, so you can still get inside without getting wet.

This is also why the front door is on the gable side.

Billyfred schrieb:

Much has already been said. I see the new kitchen layout without a pantry as a clear improvement. Hoping that the idea of using the upper floor hallway as a play area has already become unrealistic, I predict: the armchair will mostly just be in the way (if it’s ever placed in that awkward spot at all). Even though this would change everything, I wonder if a central straight staircase really has to be there? It takes up a lot of space and leads to narrow, corridor-like hallways. A half-turn or quarter-turn staircase could open up completely different possibilities. This way, you could avoid over 30m² (over 320 sq ft) of circulation area and put that space to better use.

What I still don’t fully understand: Is the ground floor guest room actually a guest room or a hobby room? Personally, I always think that for a 180m² (1,940 sq ft) house with construction costs of €600k++ it should include a dedicated bathroom for the kids. This, based on experience, is very beneficial for families with four or more members. In other words, I suggest turning the guest room into an office and converting the upper office into a small children’s bathroom. The storage room seems unnecessary at that size: vacuum cleaner and similar items should fit into the utility room.

Regarding the double garage: I just can’t understand why so many consider it essential. But well – I’m starting to feel like an outlier who sees the sacred garage just as a functional space. It’s expensive and takes up a huge amount of room. How about a spacious single-car garage with some storage space inside? Personally, I would be fine with a carport (how many parking spaces legally need to be provided?) or just parking the second car on the street.

I am actually thinking about the staircase, too. A spiral stair is out of the question if it’s only a landing staircase with straight steps. But I don’t have a clear idea yet on how to arrange it…

The guest room will actually be a guest room… or rather, the office will probably be on the ground floor and the guest room upstairs. We consciously decided against a children’s bathroom. That seems like a newfangled idea I can’t really understand – unless you have a really large family. But of course, that’s a matter of personal taste.

I wanted to include a landing staircase—I phrased that imprecisely, sorry.

Regarding the kids’ bathroom: this is nothing new at all. Thirty years ago, I moved into a house with my parents and a sibling where there was a kids’ bathroom. Even there, we still had to argue over shower and general bathroom times. The older the kids get, the more time they spend in the bathroom. It’s worst during puberty :-) (at least, that was definitely the case for me). Even if your plans aren’t final yet, I currently see one washbasin for 4 people, plus one shower (which means the less-favorite family member always has to use the shower on the ground floor). That inevitably causes bottlenecks and is a classic source of conflict. This can be alleviated by having a kids’ bathroom. The kids’ bathroom doesn’t have to be extravagant: a washbasin, shower, and toilet. Of course, this costs more and requires precise planning, especially for the plumbing. I just wanted to better support my argument for a kids’ bathroom, considering the large floor area.

Billyfred schrieb:

The topic of double garages: I just can’t understand why so many consider them necessary. [...] They are expensive and take up a tremendous amount of space.

Two single garages do take up about twenty percent more space, but secondly, these are then construction square meters rather than high-quality square meters, and first of all, the garage area doesn’t spread out as a bulky plug within the building plot. Personally, what I find even more problematic is the order or priority in which the parking spaces are allocated: in the animal kingdom, it’s always the alpha who eats first, but only the “crown of creation” allows the cars to grab the prime spot. This is somewhat “logical”: many couples today have children later than in the past, both build their careers first, and often have a second car even before their first child arrives. As a result, the traditional culture of birthright transfers to the cars, simply because they were there first. Consequently, when the family moves into a “chauffeur’s apartment,” it’s because the garage claims the prime position, like a royal box. My advice is to use common sense, so that the main thing remains the main thing—and the tail doesn’t wag the dog.
As harsh as it may sound: the cars don’t belong to the family, they belong to the staff!

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ypg schrieb:

I don’t understand this objection. Most windows face southwest, don’t they?!

I am specifically referring to the first design presented here, as I find the second one to be a real downgrade. My concern about the few windows and the enclosed (north)west side applies to the site plan in post #1 and the elevations in post #4. The odd arrangement of the double garage, paved area, and house as an access path seems very unlucky to me and leads to a barracks-like appearance, which understandably worries HansiPansi. Additionally, the west corner of the house is occupied by a guest room... I would prefer to have a room for personal use there—primarily because of the light at this time of year. And if you look at the southwest elevation (post #4), you really have to search for the windows with a magnifying glass.

I would keep the staircase on the side as in the first design and move the main entrance to the street side. Parking spaces (or even a garage, if you prefer :rolleyes 🙂 could then be placed next to the house, even allowing direct access to the utility room (whatever purpose that serves). See also my rough sketch of the floor plan in post #41. This way, all living areas get natural light, can have generously sized windows, and with a bit of skill, lines of sight to the nice view.

I wouldn’t include the window seat on the ground floor at all (instead floor-to-ceiling windows/doors/sliding doors), but rather place it in the upstairs hallway as follows (across the entire hallway width):

This will be a great sitting, playing, and reading nook and will make the upstairs hallway feel more inviting... and Mom can call up directly from the kitchen, “Dinner’s ready!”