ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, 2 full stories, approximately 180 m², on a 600 m² plot of land

Created on: 6 Oct 2021 00:29
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Masterle25
Hello dear members,

like most others, I have also been quietly following along for quite some time. There are many great pieces of advice here.

The building application has been submitted, and the exterior dimensions as well as the number of windows are fixed. Positioning is still negotiable in consultation, though only to a limited extent. Inside, we basically still have almost all options. The general contractor (GC) is a local family business and has been operating for over 20 years. They are consistently found in the surrounding new development areas, along with two other GCs, and their reputation is quite remarkable. (In fact, we spent quite some time interviewing the newly settled homeowners around us... *g*) One GC was excluded because of the building method (exclusively KfW 40+ standard), and another after submitting a proposal. The process so far has taken about 10 months, starting with graph paper, heating technology, necessary rooms, house positioning, and so on. There are great guides on this topic in the forum!

So, I hope these words were inviting enough to read through the list of questions. If I have forgotten anything, please let me know. I look forward to your feedback, critical comments are also welcome!

Development plan / Restrictions
No development plan
Plot size – 598 sqm (6,435 sq ft)
Slope – no
Floor area ratio – 0.3
Building window, building line and boundary – 3 m (10 feet) distance on all sides
Other stipulations – orientation aligned with neighboring buildings

The building project, including documents, has already been approved by the relevant building authority.

Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type – gable roof / 30° pitch facing south with a 10 kWp photovoltaic system, KfW 55 EE standard
Basement, floors – slab-on-grade foundation, 2 full floors, unheated attic
Number of occupants, ages – currently 3 people, planned 4; ages 38, 35, 1
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor – Ground floor: living/dining, closed kitchen, study/guest room, WC/bathroom, utility/technical room, guest WC including shower
Upper floor: bedroom, dressing room (emergency room if 3rd child), 2 children’s rooms, bathroom
Office: 2 home office workstations
Guests per year: max. 5, excluding drunken friends, who usually make do with the couch *g*
Open or closed architecture: rather closed architecture
Conservative or modern construction: conservative
Open kitchen, island: closed kitchen, island only used as a workspace
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/speaker wall: TV wall
Balcony, roof terrace: none
Garage, carport: garage plus carport cover

House design
Who created the plan:
Planner from a construction company, based on our draft floor plan
What do you particularly like? Why? All necessary rooms are present in sufficient size
What do you not like? Why? Office entrance difficult to use, lack of space due to guest WC and living room widening
Fixed price: approx. 450,000€
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: 550,000€
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump + underfloor heating

If you had to give up something, which details/extensions:
- can give up: size of the dressing room
- cannot give up: office / two children’s rooms

Why did the design turn out like it is now?
Which wishes were implemented by the planner?
- We have already planned and commissioned the kitchen; floor plan adjusted accordingly (changes still possible)
We hesitated a long time over open vs. closed kitchen and, after deciding, debated for a long time over whether to have a pantry behind the kitchen front or not; it is now behind sliding elements on the right side (see attachment)
- Storage space under the stairs
- Bedroom window removed on the east side because of bedroom closet
- Living room widened due to TV wall and to gain space
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
All rooms are suitable for everyday use, and living on the ground floor later with minimal alterations is possible

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Are the individual rooms adequately lit? I have no sense of this at all. Any obvious flaws?

PS: North is at the top on the site plan as well as on both floor plans!

Site plan of a plot with red floor plan and two cars in the garage, surrounding houses.


Floor plan of a single-family house: carport, terrace, kitchen, dining, living and office.


Floor plan of a house: red outline of exterior walls, rooms, dressing room, bathroom, hallway.


Section through a two-story house: roof structure, stairs, insulation, and slab-on-grade foundation visible.


Two-story house with gable roof; west and south elevation, windows, door, and trees.


Residential building views from east and north with garden, garage and car.


Floor plan of a kitchen row with island in the middle, sink on the left, stove on the top, side cabinets.
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ypg
7 Oct 2021 07:21
Masterle25 schrieb:

I’ll reconsider the short wall sections, since that also depends on the interior design.
You currently don’t have space for a dish cabinet, but it would fit well between the kitchen and living room doors—without the short wall sections.
hanse987 schrieb:

Yes, the house will be taller as a result.
… and more expensive (which should always be mentioned with suggestions like this).
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Snowy36
7 Oct 2021 08:06
You will definitely regret it later if you don’t go for the increased height…

I’m so glad we moved into a great rental apartment with higher ceiling height and 2.11 m (7 feet) doors before building our house—I didn’t even know this existed before. Once you experience that, you wonder why it’s usually done differently and you never want to go back. Doors with a height of 2.11 m (7 feet) are the current standard. Somehow, not every architect has caught up with this yet.
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Pinkiponk
7 Oct 2021 08:25
11ant schrieb:

If you have been reading here for a while, I am quite surprised by the mention of these "planned botched sections"...

What are botched sections? (A few more words for the minimum length.)
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Pinkiponk
7 Oct 2021 08:33
Tom1978 schrieb:

... Ceiling height is also too low. Increasing it is quite affordable (about 3,000 € for us), but it adds a lot of "spatial freedom".

I’d like to add to your post:
Raising each storey by 20cm (8 inches) cost us 4,710 euros per floor (plus the higher, and therefore more expensive, windows). Our house measures 9.40m x 9.40m (31 feet x 31 feet) and is a prefabricated timber frame construction.
Schimi17917 Oct 2021 08:40
Pinkiponk schrieb:

What are botched joints? (A few more words for the minimum.)

Simply put: when bricks or blocks don’t fit together properly during house construction.

Image in post 124 at:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/baubericht-einfamilienhaus-1200-eur-m.35362/page-22
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Zubi123
7 Oct 2021 08:43
hanse987 schrieb:

Yes, that will make the house taller.

Not necessarily.
The wall plate is currently planned to rest on the ceiling… it can also be moved inward, which would lower the entire roof. Alternatively, the rafters can be notched.
In my opinion, a 12.5cm (5 inches) increase is possible without raising the overall roof height!