ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, approximately 180 m², basement with a pitched roof

RobsonMKK schrieb:
I am very curious, especially since the bathroom is not that large and the shaft will probably be a few centimeters wide.

40x40cm (16x16 inches).....The bathroom on the ground floor doesn’t get a shower, so it should be possible. It was fine in the plan.

No, that’s not what I meant about the toilet; I meant simply moving it as it currently is just to the left wall. So basically swapping the toilet and the door. That way, there would be a window in the toilet room. I wouldn’t find it very appealing without a window there.

Then you can play around a bit more: if you extend the toilet room lengthwise and make it narrower, you give the pantry a bit more space, for example. And then I would add a door in front of the stairs. That would serve as the hallway or vestibule.

The space in front of the stairs I would then use as an open entrance area to the living space, possibly reposition the fireplace for better placement, and maybe eliminate a few wall corners.

Mike12345678901 schrieb:
, my better half was not so convinced. Since the garage has to be on the west side, this version does not have a "bathroom window" either. Not ideal.

Detailed planning is not done in a day

Climbee schrieb:
The staircase, which has been mentioned several times here, is really very narrow and small. Good luck carrying furniture upstairs. And there’s also a bathtub to get up... that’s going to be tight. Besides, you should always think about the future. Something can always happen that requires accessible living. What if you can no longer manage narrow, winding stairs? There’s no space left here for a stairlift. I would always plan a staircase in a new build so that you can retrofit a stairlift if needed (and of course hope that scenario never happens).

The staircase will be changed again. Thanks very much for the many suggestions.

I read through the thread again. So far the planning has been done without an architect? Especially with a sloped site, I wouldn’t want to do without their help. They might have some clever ideas.

Yes, it’s been self-planned so far including the floor plans. So there are still some rough spots. The floor plan is now with a designer as the basis.
According to them, the slope isn’t a problem – the immediate neighbors built with the same company, so I believe that.
The slope runs from south to north with a drop of 2.38 meters (7.8 feet), which is about a 6.8% gradient over 35 meters (115 feet), if I calculated correctly.

- TV in front of a window??? Seriously? (Have you thought about reversing the living room layout? Putting the TV where the seating area is now, and the seating area near the dining table?)

We currently have almost the exact same living room situation, including furniture. And that’s how we do it.
You can flip it, but then you’re constantly looking into a dark spot with the TV.

It must be the same for others, or do you have no windows, doors, etc. in your living room?

- the living room is big, so there are still some great options (e.g., inserting a free-standing wall so the TV is closer to the seating area, and behind it you can easily set up bookshelves and create a somewhat separated reading nook, for example)

Good idea!

- I wouldn’t want the entrance area to extend all the way to the stairs, but have the stairs within the living area; though, that’s a matter of taste.

I like that idea too, but with kids... I’d also like to watch TV sometimes without waking them up.
And conversely, they might come home with friends, significant others, and so on.

- all the windows look too small to me; there are no exterior views, but those are many little holes in the wall; I would prefer somewhat larger windows. For example, if you leave out the bay window at the front and create a flat facade there: install two large sliding doors, or one big door in the center with two French doors on the sides, etc.

Well, we’re keeping the bay window... right?

Regarding the windows/doors:
The designer repositioned them to make everything somewhat symmetrical and to fit with the roof.
However, in standard sizes. I hope to get the updated plan tomorrow so we can go into details here.
Sliding doors are a good idea.

- the two drawn shafts, is that a double-flue chimney? Do you have a wood stove planned anywhere else? I don’t see one; maybe that shaft could be better integrated. As it is now, it stands in the middle, but it could definitely be different.

There is a wood stove planned for the living room, or rather it should be possible to connect one.
It has already been adjusted and moved to the north wall of the living room.

- I also see a lot of wall sections that in my opinion aren’t necessary and make the living area unnecessarily complicated. There is still a lot of potential for improvement.

Which ones exactly?
The wall in the living room is intentional:

• either the stove goes here
• or the wall remains at a height of 1.10 meters (3.6 feet).
• or some other type of room divider (bookshelf) will be installed

What I think is good is starting the kitchen and bathroom planning early. Then during the detailed planning, adjustments can be made, such as moving a wall a few centimeters for a better kitchen setup, deciding where connections should go, etc. Especially if you plan a kitchen island, this is a smart move. Although this also requires a good kitchen and bathroom designer. I see a lot of potential here, especially concerning the kitchen planner.

It’ll work out—we’ve already made a lot of progress in a short time.

When does your detailed planning have to be finished? I would invest more time and thought here and preferably get a competent architect. The money is well spent.

We did briefly consult one... who, despite detailed instructions, gave us three rough sketches with unrealistic room sizes (bathroom 27 square meters (290 square feet), children's room 30 square meters (323 square feet), pantry 10 square meters (108 square feet)) and immediately charged nearly 1,000 euros.
Well, that included a preliminary meeting... but yeah. We decided not to pursue it further for now.

We were only "briefly" with one... despite clear specifications, he quickly scribbled three hand-drawn sketches with unrealistic room sizes (bathroom 27m² (290 sq ft), kids’ room 30m² (323 sq ft), pantry 10m² (108 sq ft)) and immediately charged around €1,000 for it.

That’s why it was said: "...a competent architect..." but to me, this doesn’t sound competent. What can really come out of just a "brief" meeting? He first needs to find out what you want and don’t want, since he doesn’t really know you yet.

That sounds neither competent nor professional!