ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home of Approximately 230 sqm with L-Shaped Layout

Created on: 4 Jun 2021 13:59
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soneva2012
Hello everyone! We recently purchased a great plot of land and are now excited to plan a single-family home for us and our three children. I have completed the questionnaire, but first, a few details about the plot and its location.

We bought a portion of the garden from a large property. The seller lives in a bungalow on the remaining part. However, this will likely be sold within the next 10 years and then divided into three.

The plot is triangular (plot 4 in the latest attachment). The access road is a dead-end street to the north. There is therefore little traffic but many pedestrians, as we are located on the edge of a forest. To the south, there is a lightly used road, but it is situated below our plot. The south side of the plot is very private, thanks to a tall hedge and tree planting. The plot is overlooked only by two houses to the north and the neighboring bungalow to the east. Later, however, there will probably be a two-story house with east-west orientation built to the east.

Because of this, we had the idea to build the house in an L-shape to create a private terrace and garden area not overlooked by the eastern neighbor. The south side should have as much glazing as possible since it is very private. Now to the questionnaire:

Building Plan/Restrictions
Plot size - 830 sqm
Slope - No
Section 34 (1) of the German Building Code applies – the following info mainly comes from the development plan for neighboring houses:
Site occupancy index 0.20
Floor space index 0.35
Building window, building line, and boundary
Edge development - Garage only
Number of parking spaces
Number of floors - Two
Roof type - Pitch 0–30 degrees
Style - Open development; only detached houses
Orientation - According to preliminary notice, north/south
Maximum heights/limits - Wall height 6.30m (21 feet); ridge height 9.50m (31 feet)
Other requirements - Exceeding building boundaries for minor structures according to the German Land Utilization Ordinance Section 23 by max. 1.50m (5 feet) is allowed

Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type - Single-family house, Bauhaus style with flat roof, L-shape
Basement, floors - Two plus basement
Number of people, ages - 5 people aged 40, 40, 6, 4, 2
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Ground floor: open kitchen with pantry, living room somewhat separated, guest WC with shower, guest room/office, additional office, wardrobe
Upper floor: 3 children’s bedrooms, children’s bathroom, master bedroom with bathroom and walk-in closet
Basement: technical room, utility room, 1 recreational room would be great for the children as teenagers for watching TV etc.
Office: family use or home office? Both mainly work from home
Overnight guests per year: several times a year for 3 to 10 days (family abroad)
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern style: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes; yes
Number of dining seats: 8 to 10
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony yes; roof terrace no
Garage, carport: attached double garage
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no, only raised beds
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why or why not: additional wishes: pool, possibly sauna (inside on upper floor or outside).

House Design
Planned by: architect
What do you particularly like? Why? Continuous windows on the south side; L-shape creating a private terrace; all bedrooms with mountain views to the south; separation of children’s rooms from master bedroom.
What do you not like? Why? Ground floor to be redesigned: another office is needed; WC has no window; living room possibly too large.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 1.2 million with basement, garage, pool, and outdoor facilities. Excluding land, ancillary construction costs, kitchen, and lighting but otherwise “all in.”
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 1.2 to 1.4 million
Preferred heating technology: heat pump plus photovoltaic

If you had to give up, on which details/expansions
- can you give up: pool and sauna
- cannot give up: 3 children’s bedrooms; 2 offices (1 combined with guest room)

The main question at the moment is how we can optimize the ground floor, but I look forward to your comments and ideas!

The floor plans are oriented to the north!

North view of a modern building with flat roof, ribbon windows, and entrance.


Modern two-story building facade with many windows, balconies, and pool in the foreground


Sketch of a two-story house with entrance, staircase, garage, and garden with two round trees.


Sketch of a modern, two-story house with flat roof, window fronts, and trees.


Hand sketch of a building floor plan with rooms, terrace, stairs, and furniture.


Architectural floor plan with several rooms, bathroom, walk-in closet, balcony, and outdoor area.


Hand-drawn floor plan sketch of the basement level with staircase, heating room, and cellar rooms.


Site plan of a plot with buildings, trees, boundaries, and measurements.
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soneva2012
5 Jun 2021 22:35
haydee schrieb:

Visually similar, but I find the other one more appealing.

Me too! It also costs twice as much.
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Myrna_Loy
5 Jun 2021 22:49
The Beetle is also a Porsche... 😉
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akanezumi
5 Jun 2021 22:52
I still find the style of the building elevation appealing. If you like it, don’t let anyone discourage you. It has to please you. I also think the children’s/bedrooms facing south are a good idea, but shading should be considered. Possibly think about cooling through a ground source heat pump (GSHP).

You have an architect, so discuss your concerns and wishes with them, and they will design YOUR house accordingly. Ideally, they are not just focused on aesthetics but also ensure the house works well for five people.

I remain critical of the small children’s bathroom, the narrow hallway on the ground floor, and the kitchen, which might feel cramped. However, all of these can be addressed without designing a completely different house.

Congratulations on the great plot!
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soneva2012
6 Jun 2021 08:29
akanezumi schrieb:

I still find the style of the building’s design appealing. If you like it, don’t let anyone discourage you. It has to please you. I also like the children’s/bedrooms facing south, but shading needs to be considered. Perhaps think about cooling with a ground source heat pump?

Venetian blinds are planned everywhere. I like them on the ground floor and in the bathroom, but in the bedroom I prefer it really dark. We will have to consider what to do there. Venetian blinds look better and I would prefer to have them everywhere, but not if sunlight comes in early in the morning. The architect suggested installing air conditioning, but mostly because buyers in this price range expect it. However, since we might only need it in about 25 years, I don’t find it critical right now.

Personally, I’m not a fan of air conditioning. We always ventilate by creating a draft early in the morning and before going to bed. When it’s hot, we partially lower the Venetian blinds or roller shutters. That’s how people in southern countries do it, and it works well. The question is whether that will still be enough with all the glass areas, although the trees provide a lot of shade.
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haydee
6 Jun 2021 10:10
@Alessandro is, in my opinion, quite skilled in shading.

@rick2018 has a very large window area.
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soneva2012
6 Jun 2021 10:55
haydee schrieb:

@Alessandro is, I believe, quite skilled with shading
@rick2018 has a very large window area
Thank you very much for the tips, I will do some research. And with the floor plan, we will also take a closer look now after all the suggestions here.