ᐅ Single-family house floor plan approximately 165 m² plus basement

Hello everyone,

My wife and I purchased a plot of land last year and are now ready to start the construction project. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with four general contractors and gathered quotes. In the coming weeks, I plan to choose one general contractor; at the moment, two are in the final running. Several floor plans have been developed, and I have posted the one we like best here. The floor plan currently does not include furniture, but once we decide on a contractor, I will finalize it with the contractor/architect unless a better plan comes up.

Of the two general contractors we are considering, one offers a planning contract for service phases HOAI 1-4. The other does not provide this, so we will need to hire a separate architect (HOAI 1-3).

Having followed various discussions in this forum for a while, I would appreciate your feedback on the floor plan. This is our first build; my knowledge so far comes from seminars by the Builders’ Protection Association and this housebuilding forum.

Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot No. 194
Plot size: 680m² (7,300 sq ft)
Slope: yes, descending about 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5 feet) from the access road
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see blue line on the development plan; approximately 12.95m x 20m (42.5 ft x 66 ft)
Setback from boundary: 3m (10 feet)
Parking spaces: 1 to 2
Maximum building height: 2 full floors
Roof style: no specification in the development plan

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Single-family house, gabled roof with purlins if possible
Basement, floors: 2 full floors plus basement
Number of occupants: 5 people, 2 adults and 3 children
Office: Home office room
Occasional guests: none or at most 1 to 2 per year
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes, open kitchen, but kitchen island not absolutely necessary
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: not required
Garage, carport: Single garage to be located on the east side, plus at least 2 additional parking spaces on the northwest side of the property

House Design
Designer:
- Design by a prefabricated house supplier

What do you particularly like? Why?
We like the appearance of the house with the bay window; it looks stylish to us. Overall, it includes everything we need, such as a pantry, a relatively spacious dining area combined with the living room, 3 children’s rooms, and an office.

What do you dislike? Why?
The staircase could be positioned further from the entrance, but this is acceptable. The bathroom design still looks unfinished.

Price estimate according to architect/designer: €620,000 without ancillary building costs (no price negotiation)
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: €650,000 without ancillary building costs

If you had to give up certain details/extra features,
- what you could do without: Items we can omit have already been removed, e.g., walk-in closet and storage room
- what you cannot do without: 3 children’s rooms, pantry, office, landing staircase, basement

Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Design from the planner following these specifications:

• House with basement:

- 2 full floors or 1.5 floors with a high knee wall (e.g., 180cm (70.9 inches))
- Flexible roof type; we like a gabled roof with purlins or alternatively a hip roof or flat roof
- Ground floor plus upper floor should be between 165m² and 175m² (1,776 to 1,884 sq ft)

• Ground floor:

- open kitchen + living room + dining area
- guest bathroom with shower
- entrance area should be usable for 5 people (space for shoe cabinets)
- pantry
- office room that can later be used as a bedroom in older age
- dining area close to the kitchen
- kitchen and dining area should be near the terrace

• Upper floor:

- 3 children’s rooms (2 rooms at least 15m² (161 sq ft), 1 room at least 12m² (129 sq ft))
- master bedroom with or without walk-in closet, depending on what fits better into the floor plan
- optional laundry chute would be great but not essential
- preferably no separate children’s bathroom
- bathroom at least 10m² (108 sq ft), better if 12 to 14m² (129 to 151 sq ft), depending on the layout

• General:

- staircase should not be located in the entrance’s dirt zone. A comfortable staircase would be great; ideally a landing staircase
- space for a single garage on the plot, i.e., no double garage
- access from the garage to the pantry would be nice but not essential
- no gallery
- no conservatory/glass extension
- covered access from garage to front door is not absolutely necessary

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the staircase be placed further away from the entrance? What do you think about making windows in the bathroom, master bedroom, and office narrower (window sill height)? Are the basement windows well positioned, especially those near the terrace?