ᐅ Single-family house floor plan, approximately 200 sqm without a basement – assessment
Created on: 14 Dec 2014 10:37
S
Slammer0909
Hello everyone,
I have been following this forum for some time now, looking at other threads as well as their floor plans and feedback.
My wife and I are already in contact with a construction company, and the floor plan is roughly finalized. I also contributed to the design of the ground floor.
However, I am not satisfied with the layout of the upper floor because you have to walk through the dressing area to reach the bedroom.
I have been planning and moving walls around for about a year now, and I am starting to get somewhat "blind" to the design.
I would really appreciate any constructive feedback, both positive and negative, on the floor plan.
The rooms are quite large, but we prefer it that way (child’s room about 20sqm (215 sq ft), etc.).
Originally, we wanted a full basement, but due to the groundwater level, this is no longer possible.
That is why the rooms are arranged around the garage, with a large utility room including a cloakroom on the ground floor, and a laundry room on the upper floor.
The site plan including the property boundary is provided just to help visualize the dimensions of the plot.
Attached are the floor plans.
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Mathias
I have been following this forum for some time now, looking at other threads as well as their floor plans and feedback.
My wife and I are already in contact with a construction company, and the floor plan is roughly finalized. I also contributed to the design of the ground floor.
However, I am not satisfied with the layout of the upper floor because you have to walk through the dressing area to reach the bedroom.
I have been planning and moving walls around for about a year now, and I am starting to get somewhat "blind" to the design.
I would really appreciate any constructive feedback, both positive and negative, on the floor plan.
The rooms are quite large, but we prefer it that way (child’s room about 20sqm (215 sq ft), etc.).
Originally, we wanted a full basement, but due to the groundwater level, this is no longer possible.
That is why the rooms are arranged around the garage, with a large utility room including a cloakroom on the ground floor, and a laundry room on the upper floor.
The site plan including the property boundary is provided just to help visualize the dimensions of the plot.
Attached are the floor plans.
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Mathias
Slammer0909 schrieb:
I like the second staircase because when we have our Carrera nights or something similar, people can come and go without having to go through the house. And I don’t have to keep the front door open for latecomers. If both of us are upstairs, people can come directly upstairs through the garage. That’s how it currently works at my parents’ house too—through the garage, but then into the basement.
May I ask how old you are? Is your family planning already complete?
Best regards, Yvonne
S
Slammer090917 Dec 2014 09:42Hello, I am 30, my wife is 27.
We plan to have 2 children as soon as the kids' rooms are ready!
We plan to have 2 children as soon as the kids' rooms are ready!
S
Slammer090918 Dec 2014 12:51Hello,
I have been thinking intensively about this again over the past few days. Yesterday, I looked at dozens of other floor plans once more. None of them really fit, and somehow the way ours was/is designed is already perfectly tailored to our needs and wishes in its basic layout. I have taken the criticism to heart again.
Then I sat down with the software myself once more. There was an intermediate version from the architect where the "recess" on the south side facing inward was removed. The problem then: to enforce the single-story design, the roof pitch had to be reduced. Regarding the single-story aspect, having the walls set inward on the upper floor is very helpful. So: removing that is rather counterproductive. Roof slopes should be as steep as possible, and the knee wall should be as high as possible.
Now the children’s rooms can/could be on the south side. To save space, it would make sense to give each child separate access to the balcony. But then you would always have to pass through their rooms. My alternative is now to extend the hallway on the south side all the way to the outside, so that everyone can go out there (to shake out laundry, hang out clothes that smell like smoke, read… whatever).
Effectively, I am then losing about 4–5 square meters (see sketch) for the hallway. Well, I think I can live with that.
I also spent some time pondering the staircase arrangement.
1. In many new, but also older, open or rather closed floor plans, the staircase goes up directly next to the front door. I find this better for separation, so the staircase can stay next to the front door from my side.
If the staircase came up in the middle of the upper floor, I would have much less hallway space upstairs… normally. But in our case, it is desired to be able to get from the first floor to the party room as well. So the hallway stretching all the way to the north is already set. Newly added is now the hallway stretching to the south. It’s a long corridor running through the upper floor, but you could decorate the walls with pictures from all vacations and collages to create a nice long “gallery area.” Playing soccer in the hallway would then be off-limits!
Attached you will find the revision of the upper floor. Regarding the bathroom: I think it’s good if the shower and/or toilet are separated by clever wall placement. I have implemented that as well! But I would also appreciate specific suggestions in the area of construction. Two separate washbasins where you can get ready simultaneously and independently are important to us.
The bedroom including the walk-in closet/wardrobe room feels almost a bit small to me.
End of upper floor.
On the ground floor, I removed the sloped ceilings and changed walls. One more word about the kitchen and narrowness: The furnishing isn’t fixed, and if it gets tight, then the kitchen island will just be 1.8 meters (6 feet) long instead of 2 meters (6.5 feet) or longer… there’s room for adjustment. I extended the kitchen so that it can be narrower. Because: The length in the living room of about 6.6 meters (22 feet) for the couch plus the dining table felt too narrow to me. Now it’s about 7.1 meters (23 feet). The pantry is smaller, and the bathroom no longer has a corner, though one might be helpful because of the hallway.
The bend in the living room can be emphasized nicely with a fireplace, so both rooms (including the guest room) benefit from the corner.
The front door with a corner would probably look better, but I have removed it for now.
Overall, the kitchen still feels too small to me. With an open layout, we would have much more space quickly, but that is simply not an option.
The hallway is smaller but still at least 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) wide at the narrowest point, which I think is workable. It would be nicer if I could create a more attractive entrance area, but so far I haven’t succeeded.
The garage space at the far north edge is currently removed to reduce the built-up area.
You can take a look at everything.
What I am still thinking is that even if I were to hire an architect from scratch and let them do the planning, given my many fairly fixed requirements, there wouldn’t really be 100 options anyway.
I have been thinking intensively about this again over the past few days. Yesterday, I looked at dozens of other floor plans once more. None of them really fit, and somehow the way ours was/is designed is already perfectly tailored to our needs and wishes in its basic layout. I have taken the criticism to heart again.
Then I sat down with the software myself once more. There was an intermediate version from the architect where the "recess" on the south side facing inward was removed. The problem then: to enforce the single-story design, the roof pitch had to be reduced. Regarding the single-story aspect, having the walls set inward on the upper floor is very helpful. So: removing that is rather counterproductive. Roof slopes should be as steep as possible, and the knee wall should be as high as possible.
Now the children’s rooms can/could be on the south side. To save space, it would make sense to give each child separate access to the balcony. But then you would always have to pass through their rooms. My alternative is now to extend the hallway on the south side all the way to the outside, so that everyone can go out there (to shake out laundry, hang out clothes that smell like smoke, read… whatever).
Effectively, I am then losing about 4–5 square meters (see sketch) for the hallway. Well, I think I can live with that.
I also spent some time pondering the staircase arrangement.
1. In many new, but also older, open or rather closed floor plans, the staircase goes up directly next to the front door. I find this better for separation, so the staircase can stay next to the front door from my side.
If the staircase came up in the middle of the upper floor, I would have much less hallway space upstairs… normally. But in our case, it is desired to be able to get from the first floor to the party room as well. So the hallway stretching all the way to the north is already set. Newly added is now the hallway stretching to the south. It’s a long corridor running through the upper floor, but you could decorate the walls with pictures from all vacations and collages to create a nice long “gallery area.” Playing soccer in the hallway would then be off-limits!
Attached you will find the revision of the upper floor. Regarding the bathroom: I think it’s good if the shower and/or toilet are separated by clever wall placement. I have implemented that as well! But I would also appreciate specific suggestions in the area of construction. Two separate washbasins where you can get ready simultaneously and independently are important to us.
The bedroom including the walk-in closet/wardrobe room feels almost a bit small to me.
End of upper floor.
On the ground floor, I removed the sloped ceilings and changed walls. One more word about the kitchen and narrowness: The furnishing isn’t fixed, and if it gets tight, then the kitchen island will just be 1.8 meters (6 feet) long instead of 2 meters (6.5 feet) or longer… there’s room for adjustment. I extended the kitchen so that it can be narrower. Because: The length in the living room of about 6.6 meters (22 feet) for the couch plus the dining table felt too narrow to me. Now it’s about 7.1 meters (23 feet). The pantry is smaller, and the bathroom no longer has a corner, though one might be helpful because of the hallway.
The bend in the living room can be emphasized nicely with a fireplace, so both rooms (including the guest room) benefit from the corner.
The front door with a corner would probably look better, but I have removed it for now.
Overall, the kitchen still feels too small to me. With an open layout, we would have much more space quickly, but that is simply not an option.
The hallway is smaller but still at least 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) wide at the narrowest point, which I think is workable. It would be nicer if I could create a more attractive entrance area, but so far I haven’t succeeded.
The garage space at the far north edge is currently removed to reduce the built-up area.
You can take a look at everything.
What I am still thinking is that even if I were to hire an architect from scratch and let them do the planning, given my many fairly fixed requirements, there wouldn’t really be 100 options anyway.
S
Slammer090918 Dec 2014 13:06Oops, I forgot the chimney... of course, that didn’t fit. I’ve made the changes.
I can’t quite follow your points about the projections and recesses inward.
What roof pitch do you have to comply with? And how high can the knee wall be at most?
What I still don’t understand is the second staircase. The main staircase is already located by the entrance and leads directly on the upper floor to the passage to the party room.
At some point, you also mentioned reserving the option to split the house into two units. How do you envision this 2-part division?
I still think the guest room, with the option to become a bedroom in case stairs become difficult, is an awkwardly shaped space. The same goes for the living room with all its corners.
For the garage extension… a door on the far left would make sense—I’m just thinking bicycles, lawnmower, etc. But then you’re back to three doors just for the extension. As for the depth for cars… you have to be careful with longer vehicles; otherwise, you won’t be able to move around or may not even be able to close the garage door.
I also don’t see where you have reduced 3 meters (10 feet). The width is still 24 meters (79 feet) plus the bay window.
What roof pitch do you have to comply with? And how high can the knee wall be at most?
What I still don’t understand is the second staircase. The main staircase is already located by the entrance and leads directly on the upper floor to the passage to the party room.
At some point, you also mentioned reserving the option to split the house into two units. How do you envision this 2-part division?
I still think the guest room, with the option to become a bedroom in case stairs become difficult, is an awkwardly shaped space. The same goes for the living room with all its corners.
For the garage extension… a door on the far left would make sense—I’m just thinking bicycles, lawnmower, etc. But then you’re back to three doors just for the extension. As for the depth for cars… you have to be careful with longer vehicles; otherwise, you won’t be able to move around or may not even be able to close the garage door.
I also don’t see where you have reduced 3 meters (10 feet). The width is still 24 meters (79 feet) plus the bay window.
S
Slammer090920 Dec 2014 15:55Regarding the recesses/indentations: If I have to build a single-story house, the upper floor may only cover a maximum of two-thirds of the lower floor area (specifically, all spaces with a height over 2m (6.6 feet)). It helps if the upper floor area is already smaller than the lower floor due to the indentation. That’s why it should stay that way. The roof pitch was 48°. Without the indentation, the upper floor area would have exceeded two-thirds of the lower floor. By reducing the roof pitch and therefore decreasing the area with a height over 2m, it effectively remained a single-story building.
We would like to have a second staircase as well, since it doesn’t take up much space currently. The bicycles should also be stored in the corridor to the right of the garage, for example, one placed under the second staircase.
Dividing the house into two units might become necessary if Junior 1 moves out and Junior 2 with their partner sets up on the upper floor first. Then the bedroom would be located downstairs. I have seen this arrangement with my in-laws: the wife lives with me (currently renting a 140m² (1,507 sq ft) semi-detached house), and the son moved upstairs with his girlfriend. The father is now alone downstairs because unfortunately, the mother passed away on December 2nd.
The depth for the cars will be increased, which is a good point and not yet finalized on my plan. There should definitely be enough room, even for a larger vehicle in the future. Currently, I’m planning for approximately 5m (16.4 feet) for the vehicle plus a "Golf" car.
I made another revision of the ground floor and now I like it better again because the living room length is 7.1m (23.3 feet). The house was extended by 50cm (20 inches) towards the west. The kitchen is narrower and longer, the pantry is a little smaller, and the ground floor bathroom is slightly larger. The sloped ceilings in the corridor have been reduced and the corridor itself is smaller. (Some slopes will remain for aesthetic reasons.) The front door now faces exactly north (the extra half meter towards the west helped with that as well).
We would like to have a second staircase as well, since it doesn’t take up much space currently. The bicycles should also be stored in the corridor to the right of the garage, for example, one placed under the second staircase.
Dividing the house into two units might become necessary if Junior 1 moves out and Junior 2 with their partner sets up on the upper floor first. Then the bedroom would be located downstairs. I have seen this arrangement with my in-laws: the wife lives with me (currently renting a 140m² (1,507 sq ft) semi-detached house), and the son moved upstairs with his girlfriend. The father is now alone downstairs because unfortunately, the mother passed away on December 2nd.
The depth for the cars will be increased, which is a good point and not yet finalized on my plan. There should definitely be enough room, even for a larger vehicle in the future. Currently, I’m planning for approximately 5m (16.4 feet) for the vehicle plus a "Golf" car.
I made another revision of the ground floor and now I like it better again because the living room length is 7.1m (23.3 feet). The house was extended by 50cm (20 inches) towards the west. The kitchen is narrower and longer, the pantry is a little smaller, and the ground floor bathroom is slightly larger. The sloped ceilings in the corridor have been reduced and the corridor itself is smaller. (Some slopes will remain for aesthetic reasons.) The front door now faces exactly north (the extra half meter towards the west helped with that as well).
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