ᐅ Floor plan design for our single-family home Single-family home in Schleswig-Holstein

Hello everyone,

After successfully finding and purchasing a plot in Schleswig-Holstein a few months ago, we are currently planning our single-family house. On one hand, we are evaluating general contractors for potential collaboration, and on the other hand, we are refining the floor plan.

Originally, a basement was planned (see cross-section), but we cannot avoid a waterproof concrete shell (“white tank”) as recommended by the soil survey for the foundation. Furthermore, the requirements of the energy saving ordinance make basements more expensive. The narrow plot (15m (49 feet)) also complicates slope construction. All these factors have led us to plan without a basement, instead allocating more space above ground.

We’re now fairly satisfied with the preliminary result but aren’t attached to it—at least I hope not... Overall, we planned generously, but I’m still a bit surprised that the ground floor area is about 230 sq m (2,475 sq ft). I’m also somewhat worried that we might have a biased tunnel vision as amateurs, which is why I’m sharing this here.

Please excuse the duplicate floor plans. I find the interior visualization in Sweet Home 3D so poor that I can’t use it for interior design. Hence the separate versions. I hope that’s not too confusing.

At this point, many thanks to the forum; just from reading along, we’ve already learned a lot, which is fantastic!

Size of plot: 1150 sq m (15m x approx. 77m (49 feet x approx. 253 feet))
Slope: No
Land use parameters (floor area ratio, plot ratio, etc.): §34
Restrictions: Eave height 5.5m (18 feet), ridge height 8.14m (27 feet) (pre-application regarding volume)

Owner’s requirements

Style, roof type, building type: Simple, gable roof
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 full stories
Number and age of people: 32, 39, 3, 0
Space requirements on ground floor: Cooking/eating/living, pantry, study, utility room, guest WC, entrance area, hallway
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, children’s shower bath, master bedroom, dressing room, master bath, storage room, utility room, hallway
Office: Home office, hobby (used often)
Overnight guests per year: 0
Open or closed architecture: Open
Traditional or modern construction: Probably modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open with kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: No
Music/stereo wall: No (What is a stereo wall anyway? )
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Double carport with shed as boundary structure

House design

Who created the design: Do-it-yourself

What do you particularly like? Why?

- Generously sized rooms
- Good separation between master and children’s areas
- Children’s rooms face the private garden
- Master bedroom faces sunrise
- High knee wall on upper floor
- Adequate storage space

What do you dislike? Why?

- Master bath above study
- Storage room on upper floor on south side (but a neighbor is only 6m (20 feet) away here)
- Is the entrance area cramped?

Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 500,000 EUR plus additional construction costs, landscaping, carport

Preferred heating technology: Gas

If you had to do without something, which details/upgrades could you skip: No individual room as such, more a reduction of overall generosity, possibly consolidating the many storage areas (pantry, utility room, HAR, storage closet).

Why did the design turn out this way? Many iterations, balancing wishes, conversations with general contractors, visits to model parks, etc.

What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters? Is the floor plan basically reasonable? Have we missed anything crucial due to tunnel vision?