ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for Single-Family House for Five People (Flat-Roof Bungalow > 200 sqm)
Created on: 29 May 2020 11:07
A
akanezumi
Hello everyone,
We are currently planning the construction of a new house. It will be a spacious flat-roof bungalow for 5 people. I would appreciate any suggestions and thoughts on the floor plan.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1,300 sqm (14,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes, slight, exact details not available at the moment
Adjacent buildings: max. 9 m (30 ft) length, 3 m (10 ft) height (used for carport + storage)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: ground floor + basement
Roof type: flat roof
Orientation: see plan
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type, basement, floors: partially basement bungalow with flat roof
Number of occupants: 2 adults, 3 children (aged 4, 8, 9)
Space needed on the ground floor: approx. 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft)
Space needed in the basement: approx. 85 sqm (915 sq ft)
Office: exclusively for family use
Overnight guests per year: yes, so a dedicated guest room is planned
Open or closed architecture: open plan
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes and no (partial)
Number of dining seats: 8 to 10
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, double carport
House Design
Planned by: architect + DIY
Estimated cost by architect/planner: 750,000 (construction only, excluding land and furniture)
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating / geothermal
Location on the Plot:
The plot is rectangular (approx. 30 x 44 m (100 x 145 ft)) and almost exactly aligned north-south. The street runs along the southern boundary. The house is planned to be located relatively far north (5-7 m (16-23 ft) from the property line), so that most of the garden faces south. The property boundaries are greened and largely not visible from outside.
Our Thoughts:
We wanted all living spaces on one level. The building essentially consists of two cubes, a "private" section at the north side of the plot and a more "public" section to the southwest. Both parts are connected by the entrance hall.
We wished for generous living and sleeping areas (where you spend most of your time) with large floor-to-ceiling windows. A permanent guest room for overnight visitors and/or an au pair was also important to us.
The children’s bedrooms all face north and will each have a door plus a window opening onto the garden.
We are not big fans of wellness areas, so the bathrooms are planned to be rather small and functional. It was also important to have a full bathroom near the guest room (in the basement). The guest toilet in the hallway might possibly be removed and the space reassigned to the kitchen.
It was important for us to have a large dining area that can comfortably accommodate up to 10 people without any rearranging.
In the basement, there is a large corridor where a desk might fit under the stairs for a sewing machine or similar. There is also a large multipurpose room for children, parties, storage, or a bar.
Both the ground floor and basement should have generous ceiling heights (we are currently planning at least 2.70 m (9 ft) on the ground floor including a suspended ceiling).
Current Thoughts / Challenges:
- The window seat will probably be removed, but the window area around the corner will be slightly extended.
- The carport/storage room will probably move one or two meters (feet) further north.
- The guest toilet in the hallway will likely be removed (3 bathrooms should be more than enough).
- Is the technical room large enough for geothermal heating, the control cabinet (KNX), and network cabinet?
- We are still uncertain about the kitchen layout.
- The doors from the entrance hall might be implemented as glass sliding doors, as these will likely remain open most of the time.
What We Hope For:
We would appreciate any feedback and suggestions for our planning. Do you notice anything we might have overlooked or that could be improved? It would be helpful if someone else could take a fresh, unbiased look at our design.
We are currently planning the construction of a new house. It will be a spacious flat-roof bungalow for 5 people. I would appreciate any suggestions and thoughts on the floor plan.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1,300 sqm (14,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes, slight, exact details not available at the moment
Adjacent buildings: max. 9 m (30 ft) length, 3 m (10 ft) height (used for carport + storage)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: ground floor + basement
Roof type: flat roof
Orientation: see plan
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type, basement, floors: partially basement bungalow with flat roof
Number of occupants: 2 adults, 3 children (aged 4, 8, 9)
Space needed on the ground floor: approx. 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft)
Space needed in the basement: approx. 85 sqm (915 sq ft)
Office: exclusively for family use
Overnight guests per year: yes, so a dedicated guest room is planned
Open or closed architecture: open plan
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes and no (partial)
Number of dining seats: 8 to 10
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, double carport
House Design
Planned by: architect + DIY
Estimated cost by architect/planner: 750,000 (construction only, excluding land and furniture)
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating / geothermal
Location on the Plot:
The plot is rectangular (approx. 30 x 44 m (100 x 145 ft)) and almost exactly aligned north-south. The street runs along the southern boundary. The house is planned to be located relatively far north (5-7 m (16-23 ft) from the property line), so that most of the garden faces south. The property boundaries are greened and largely not visible from outside.
Our Thoughts:
We wanted all living spaces on one level. The building essentially consists of two cubes, a "private" section at the north side of the plot and a more "public" section to the southwest. Both parts are connected by the entrance hall.
We wished for generous living and sleeping areas (where you spend most of your time) with large floor-to-ceiling windows. A permanent guest room for overnight visitors and/or an au pair was also important to us.
The children’s bedrooms all face north and will each have a door plus a window opening onto the garden.
We are not big fans of wellness areas, so the bathrooms are planned to be rather small and functional. It was also important to have a full bathroom near the guest room (in the basement). The guest toilet in the hallway might possibly be removed and the space reassigned to the kitchen.
It was important for us to have a large dining area that can comfortably accommodate up to 10 people without any rearranging.
In the basement, there is a large corridor where a desk might fit under the stairs for a sewing machine or similar. There is also a large multipurpose room for children, parties, storage, or a bar.
Both the ground floor and basement should have generous ceiling heights (we are currently planning at least 2.70 m (9 ft) on the ground floor including a suspended ceiling).
Current Thoughts / Challenges:
- The window seat will probably be removed, but the window area around the corner will be slightly extended.
- The carport/storage room will probably move one or two meters (feet) further north.
- The guest toilet in the hallway will likely be removed (3 bathrooms should be more than enough).
- Is the technical room large enough for geothermal heating, the control cabinet (KNX), and network cabinet?
- We are still uncertain about the kitchen layout.
- The doors from the entrance hall might be implemented as glass sliding doors, as these will likely remain open most of the time.
What We Hope For:
We would appreciate any feedback and suggestions for our planning. Do you notice anything we might have overlooked or that could be improved? It would be helpful if someone else could take a fresh, unbiased look at our design.
G
GeradeSchräg26 Apr 2021 12:30Honestly, I really like the design; it’s exactly how I would move in =D
What I would change, which has also been mentioned, is the 1.8m (6 feet) high "TV wall." I would make it full height up to the ceiling. This would help reduce noise coming from the kitchen when someone is watching TV there.
I would keep the guest toilet. There’s enough space for it, and the kids deserve their privacy. Plus, the kids’ bathroom can sometimes get a bit messy.
That’s open for debate. Compared to the rest, it feels quite separated and less modern, but it’s functional. In the end, it’s a matter of personal taste.
Overall, I’d say it fits. But it really depends on how you want to set up your KNX/network system. For a high-end KNX system with all the extras, the control cabinets can get quite large. A better source of advice for this would be your heating engineer and electrician. They can give you a more precise idea of the space required for all the technical equipment based on your plans.
I’d recommend designing them so that the doors slide into the wall behind the built-in cupboard in the dining area when opened toward the dining room.
Best regards
What I would change, which has also been mentioned, is the 1.8m (6 feet) high "TV wall." I would make it full height up to the ceiling. This would help reduce noise coming from the kitchen when someone is watching TV there.
akanezumi schrieb:
- Definitely remove the guest toilet in the hallway (3 bathrooms should be more than enough)
I would keep the guest toilet. There’s enough space for it, and the kids deserve their privacy. Plus, the kids’ bathroom can sometimes get a bit messy.
akanezumi schrieb:
- We’re still a bit unsure about the kitchen layout
That’s open for debate. Compared to the rest, it feels quite separated and less modern, but it’s functional. In the end, it’s a matter of personal taste.
akanezumi schrieb:
- Is the utility/technical room big enough for the geothermal heating system, control cabinet (KNX), and network cabinet?
Overall, I’d say it fits. But it really depends on how you want to set up your KNX/network system. For a high-end KNX system with all the extras, the control cabinets can get quite large. A better source of advice for this would be your heating engineer and electrician. They can give you a more precise idea of the space required for all the technical equipment based on your plans.
akanezumi schrieb:
Doors from the entrance hall might be implemented as glass sliding doors (since they will probably mostly remain open anyway)
I’d recommend designing them so that the doors slide into the wall behind the built-in cupboard in the dining area when opened toward the dining room.
Best regards
A
akanezumi26 Apr 2021 13:14As mentioned in another thread, unfortunately, we were not allowed to build the house as planned because we did not comply with so-called “imaginary building boundaries.” It was a frustrating several-month process because we were repeatedly told what we couldn’t do, but never clearly informed about the actual rules (building boundaries) we were supposed to follow... After several compromised designs, none of which were approved, we eventually gave up on planning a single-story bungalow with a basement. From our perspective, the situation was not always logical or understandable. But oh well, we wanted to start building eventually and not waste years arguing with the building authorities.
The house we hope to start building sometime this year will look different. It will have a stepped upper floor where the children’s bedrooms and bathroom will be located. The living and dining area has remained almost the same. During the months we spent on multiple redesigns, we also reassessed our needs thoroughly. So much can change in a year—children grow older, etc.—and this gave us the chance to adjust our priorities somewhat. When I have some free time and construction actually begins, I’ll try to provide updates here.
The house we hope to start building sometime this year will look different. It will have a stepped upper floor where the children’s bedrooms and bathroom will be located. The living and dining area has remained almost the same. During the months we spent on multiple redesigns, we also reassessed our needs thoroughly. So much can change in a year—children grow older, etc.—and this gave us the chance to adjust our priorities somewhat. When I have some free time and construction actually begins, I’ll try to provide updates here.
A
akanezumi26 Apr 2021 14:05GeradeSchräg schrieb:
What I would change, which has also already been mentioned, is the 1.8m (6 feet) high "TV wall." I would make it full height up to the ceiling. This would reduce noise coming from the kitchen somewhat when someone is watching TV there. Yes, that was addressed during one of the design iterations. The wall is now full height up to the ceiling.
GeradeSchräg schrieb:
I would design it so that it disappears into the wall behind the built-in cabinet in the dining area on the side facing the dining space. Yes, the sliding door to the living/dining area will be designed exactly like that. It will slide into the wall behind the cabinet.