ᐅ Floor plan design for our single-family home Single-family home in Schleswig-Holstein
Created on: 21 Aug 2018 17:54
O
opalau
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?
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?
The residential house in Muhl has some genuinely interesting ideas upon closer inspection. The sight lines require too much circulation space for my taste, but regarding the dance floor in the living-dining area, I borrowed a bit. (The upper floor has remained almost the same.)
The pantry is now really just that, and the utility room (HAR) has become a storage room (AR). The kitchen has been slightly reduced in size, which allows for more space in the rest of the area. I’ll sleep on it.
(The drainage for the kids’ bathroom would certainly be a challenge, but that's probably also the case for the master bathroom in Muhl.)
The pantry is now really just that, and the utility room (HAR) has become a storage room (AR). The kitchen has been slightly reduced in size, which allows for more space in the rest of the area. I’ll sleep on it.
(The drainage for the kids’ bathroom would certainly be a challenge, but that's probably also the case for the master bathroom in Muhl.)
opalau schrieb:
The sightlines require too much traffic area for me, I prefer to let my gaze wander rather than focus it on a bowling alley.
Not that I don’t see a quality improvement in the discussion, but I have the impression that the sheer number of explored variations multiplies even further. The only really significant change I see is the swap of the entrance location.
In my opinion, the original draft was already only one refinement step away from “final preliminary design maturity” after an architectural consultation. Changes I would have made were more a matter of personal taste rather than indicating any fundamental flaws. If you still enjoy this process, that’s fine—but sometimes I can relate well to those who only present their slab layout after the dice have been cast. In my view, some designs are also unnecessarily overanalyzed here.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Otus11 schrieb:
** Baumann & Dürr, Residential Building in the Muhl, HomburgWell, that really looks stylish! I’d take it immediately!Do sight lines really require that much circulation space? Our architect paid close attention to that, but it doesn’t seem to me that more area was needed because of it.
I really like the latest floor plans. Find a clever architect who can get the very last bit out of a floor plan. In my opinion, it doesn’t look like the initial ideas can be badly compromised. This is a great starting point!
So I would also aim for the living room in this layout.
There are still some issues here and there. The pantry is quite small now and causes this awkward corner in the hallway. It’s borderline—not really ideal for a dream home. The kitchen island is reversed again due to limited space—do you need that many cabinets? Are you serious cooks? Or could the island also be placed against a wall?
If you’re only building a carport, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have the entrance next to the car, rather than having to walk all the way around the house? It’s not a big problem but would be a nice to have.
The utility room upstairs is quite narrow. If it’s just for the washing machine, that’s okay. However, I wonder what exactly you plan to store in the storage room and whether the washing machine could be placed there instead? Something like a laundry folding area with an ironing board and large cabinets for diving gear plus Christmas decorations or similar.
Here’s another approach with a slightly narrower kitchen (3.50 m (11.5 ft)). This shifts the staircase a bit towards the garden and creates a wonderfully large walk-in closet and bedroom with a view upstairs. On the ground floor, office, WC, pantry, and entrance hall fit well (the pantry under the stairs shouldn’t become a fixed rule, as that can cloud your view for alternatives). Entrance on the right.
There are still some issues here and there. The pantry is quite small now and causes this awkward corner in the hallway. It’s borderline—not really ideal for a dream home. The kitchen island is reversed again due to limited space—do you need that many cabinets? Are you serious cooks? Or could the island also be placed against a wall?
If you’re only building a carport, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have the entrance next to the car, rather than having to walk all the way around the house? It’s not a big problem but would be a nice to have.
The utility room upstairs is quite narrow. If it’s just for the washing machine, that’s okay. However, I wonder what exactly you plan to store in the storage room and whether the washing machine could be placed there instead? Something like a laundry folding area with an ironing board and large cabinets for diving gear plus Christmas decorations or similar.
Here’s another approach with a slightly narrower kitchen (3.50 m (11.5 ft)). This shifts the staircase a bit towards the garden and creates a wonderfully large walk-in closet and bedroom with a view upstairs. On the ground floor, office, WC, pantry, and entrance hall fit well (the pantry under the stairs shouldn’t become a fixed rule, as that can cloud your view for alternatives). Entrance on the right.
@11ant, @Wickie I’m glad to hear that. It’s reassuring to know that we aren’t overlooking any major issues at this stage. I think we’ve basically reached a point where a lot is decided, and there’s not much change between the different drafts (almost the entire upper floor, rough layout on the ground floor). Ultimately, it’s also fun to experiment a bit more right now.
@kaho674 The pantry is indeed not ideal. Could you explain how a kitchen island could be oriented the wrong way? I actually liked that design (It was also copied from the Muhl).
Since the carport extended along the house is planned to have a shed attached (6 x 6 + 3 x 3 meters (20 x 20 + 10 x 10 feet), see site plan on page 1), having the main entrance on the right side of the plan is difficult. But even with just the carport, you’d have to squeeze between the cars. I don’t want to design the house around that, but for now, I would still prefer the entrance on the left side of the plan.
@kaho674 The pantry is indeed not ideal. Could you explain how a kitchen island could be oriented the wrong way? I actually liked that design (It was also copied from the Muhl).
Since the carport extended along the house is planned to have a shed attached (6 x 6 + 3 x 3 meters (20 x 20 + 10 x 10 feet), see site plan on page 1), having the main entrance on the right side of the plan is difficult. But even with just the carport, you’d have to squeeze between the cars. I don’t want to design the house around that, but for now, I would still prefer the entrance on the left side of the plan.
Wickie schrieb:
Do sight lines really require that much traffic space? If I have the lake view from the sofa, that’s enough for me—I don’t need to arrange the living room door so that I can enjoy the view eight meters (26 feet) away as soon as I come in through the front door. You can push things and exaggerate everything. Personally, I’m pretty laid-back about it: if I look up from chopping vegetables, I don’t mind if there’s a photo wallpaper with the pantry door behind it.
opalau schrieb:
I think basically we have reached a point where many decisions are settled and there’s little change between designs (almost the entire upper floor, rough layout on the ground floor). Ultimately, it’s actually fun to experiment a little more. Then don’t forget to stop when it’s at its best. After that, it goes downhill, meaning you’ll have so many variants that differ only at the fifth decimal place—and then the fear creeps in that flipping a coin (because if it’s too late to narrow down the list by elimination, that’s the only option left) could make the “wrong” choice.
Given that the "architect’s filter stage" still lies ahead, I’d suggest slowly closing the discussion and, if necessary, switching to a vote on the existing proposals 01 to 88.
I don’t expect anything more substantial to come now—even if not every wall in every conceivable position has been drawn yet.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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