ᐅ Floor Plan Tips for a Single-Family Home with a Separate Apartment
Created on: 1 Oct 2021 00:17
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NicoleflHello everyone,
We already have a finalized floor plan for our single-family home with a granny flat. The building permit application has been submitted. Unfortunately, during the eight months of waiting for the approval, some uncertainties about the floor plan have arisen. We cannot change the exterior dimensions anymore, but the interior layout feels off.
A quick note about the granny flat: it is intended for my parents. They will be living partly here and partly abroad. We do not want them to access the granny flat through our main apartment. A separate entrance is important, even though it is a bit inconvenient that we have two staircases. Later, the granny flat could be used by our son when he is older, or it could be converted into a hobby room, or something else.
On the ground floor, I would much rather have the kitchen where the living room is now, including a kitchen island. The problem is that the living room would then have to move to where the kitchen currently is, which at 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is far too narrow.
On the upper floor, a small storage room could be added just after the stairs to house the washing machine and dryer.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 386 sqm (4,155 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: see attachment
Floor area ratio: see attachment
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see attachment
Edge development
Parking spaces: 3
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation: entrance faces north
Maximum heights/limits
Additional requirements: see attachment
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Modern style, gable roof, single-family house with granny flat
Basement, floors
Basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of residents, ages
Four adults (two in their mid-30s, two in their mid-60s) and one child (3 years old), possibly two soon
Room needs on ground and upper floors
Ground floor: living/dining area, kitchen, guest WC, pantry would be nice
Upper floor: main bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room would be great
Office: family use or home office?
No office needed
Guests per year
No need, independent of the granny flat
Open or closed architecture
Open plan
Conservative or modern building style: no details provided
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Open kitchen with island, full-height kitchen units
Number of dining seats
4–6
Fireplace
No, maybe bioethanol
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage 7 × 3 m (23 × 10 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be included
Swapping the living room and kitchen would allow conversations on the couch in the evening without it being too noisy upstairs (due to the open space).
House Design
Designed by: our architect, but the plan is not quite right.
What do you like most? Why? Not much, actually
What do you dislike? Why? The combined living, dining, and kitchen areas are too narrow.
Price estimate by architect/planner: 450,000
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: 510,000
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up something, on which details or features could you compromise?
Can give up: floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper floor
Cannot give up: straight staircase and the open space; I’d rather not lose those
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the third version from our planner, which we initially liked, but now we are uncertain.
The number of rooms, open space, and straight staircase have been considered.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
The living/dining area is too small and too narrow.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Development Plan/Restrictions
1. Would swapping the living room and kitchen be sensible? The future living room would need to be made wider since 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is too narrow.
2. Could a storage room be planned on the upper floor, possibly after the staircase?
3. What do you like or dislike?
I appreciate any suggestions and advice.
Best regards,
Nicolefl
We already have a finalized floor plan for our single-family home with a granny flat. The building permit application has been submitted. Unfortunately, during the eight months of waiting for the approval, some uncertainties about the floor plan have arisen. We cannot change the exterior dimensions anymore, but the interior layout feels off.
A quick note about the granny flat: it is intended for my parents. They will be living partly here and partly abroad. We do not want them to access the granny flat through our main apartment. A separate entrance is important, even though it is a bit inconvenient that we have two staircases. Later, the granny flat could be used by our son when he is older, or it could be converted into a hobby room, or something else.
On the ground floor, I would much rather have the kitchen where the living room is now, including a kitchen island. The problem is that the living room would then have to move to where the kitchen currently is, which at 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is far too narrow.
On the upper floor, a small storage room could be added just after the stairs to house the washing machine and dryer.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 386 sqm (4,155 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: see attachment
Floor area ratio: see attachment
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see attachment
Edge development
Parking spaces: 3
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation: entrance faces north
Maximum heights/limits
Additional requirements: see attachment
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Modern style, gable roof, single-family house with granny flat
Basement, floors
Basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of residents, ages
Four adults (two in their mid-30s, two in their mid-60s) and one child (3 years old), possibly two soon
Room needs on ground and upper floors
Ground floor: living/dining area, kitchen, guest WC, pantry would be nice
Upper floor: main bedroom, two children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room would be great
Office: family use or home office?
No office needed
Guests per year
No need, independent of the granny flat
Open or closed architecture
Open plan
Conservative or modern building style: no details provided
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Open kitchen with island, full-height kitchen units
Number of dining seats
4–6
Fireplace
No, maybe bioethanol
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage 7 × 3 m (23 × 10 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be included
Swapping the living room and kitchen would allow conversations on the couch in the evening without it being too noisy upstairs (due to the open space).
House Design
Designed by: our architect, but the plan is not quite right.
What do you like most? Why? Not much, actually
What do you dislike? Why? The combined living, dining, and kitchen areas are too narrow.
Price estimate by architect/planner: 450,000
Personal price limit for house, including fittings: 510,000
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up something, on which details or features could you compromise?
Can give up: floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper floor
Cannot give up: straight staircase and the open space; I’d rather not lose those
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the third version from our planner, which we initially liked, but now we are uncertain.
The number of rooms, open space, and straight staircase have been considered.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
The living/dining area is too small and too narrow.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Development Plan/Restrictions
1. Would swapping the living room and kitchen be sensible? The future living room would need to be made wider since 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is too narrow.
2. Could a storage room be planned on the upper floor, possibly after the staircase?
3. What do you like or dislike?
I appreciate any suggestions and advice.
Best regards,
Nicolefl
Nicolefl schrieb:
The building application has already been submitted. Unfortunately, during the eight months of waiting for the building permit / planning permission, some uncertainties regarding the floor plan have arisen. We won’t be able to change the exterior dimensions anymore, but the interior layout isn’t quite right. Then it will have to remain as it is, unless you want to go through the whole process including the lengthy timeframe again. Significant changes will require a new application, so keeping the same exterior dimensions won’t help. There are two things I still don’t understand: the roof structure and the building’s projection about 1 meter (3 feet) in front of the setback line towards the street.
You have shot yourselves in the foot twice, with the air space and the square shape of the house footprint, in addition to the already high density of wishes and requirements for the house size. Am I correct in assuming that the design was developed from a catalog suburban villa?
Considering the house’s borderline small “size,” I find it surprisingly and remarkably well-balanced as a compromise. I would personally simply remove the air space and would have skipped seeking an exemption from the setback line—is that significantly responsible for the long processing time?
It seems to me that with your clever draftsman, you almost lost an architect, who apparently couldn’t convince you to drop the air space after all.
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Nicolefl schrieb:
Hello everyone,
We already have a finalized floor plan for our single-family house with a granny flat. The building application has already been submitted. Unfortunately, some uncertainties about the floor plan have come up during the eight-month waiting period for the building permit. We can no longer change the exterior dimensions, but the interior layout isn’t quite right.
A brief note on the granny flat: it is intended for my parents. They will live partly here and partly abroad. The idea that they would access the granny flat through our main apartment is not desirable. There should be a separate entrance, even if it’s inconvenient that there are two staircases. Later, the flat could serve our son when he is older or be converted into a hobby room or something else.
On the ground floor, I would much prefer to have the kitchen where the living room is now, including a kitchen island. The problem with this is that the living room would then need to move to the current kitchen location, which at 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is too narrow.
On the upper floor, it might be possible to add a small storage room after the staircase to house the washing machine and dryer.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 386 m² (4,157 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: see attachment
Floor area ratio: see attachment
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see attachment
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 3
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation: entrance faces north
Maximum heights/limits
Other requirements: see attachment
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Modern style, gable roof, single-family house with granny flat
Basement, floors
Basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of residents, ages
Total 4 adults (2 in their mid-30s and 2 in their mid-60s) and 1 child (3 years old), possibly soon two children
Room requirements on ground and upper floors
Ground floor: living/dining area, kitchen, guest toilet, pantry would be nice
Upper floor: bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, storage room would be great
Office: family use or home office?
No office needed
Overnight guests per year
No need outside of the granny flat
Open or closed layout
Open layout
Conventional or modern construction: no specification
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Open kitchen with island. Full-height kitchen units
Number of dining seats
4-6
Fireplace
No, at most bioethanol
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage 7 m x 3 m (23 ft x 10 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, with reasons for or against certain options
Swapping the living room and kitchen would have the advantage that people can chat on the couch in the evening without making the upper floor too noisy (due to the open space)
House design
Who designed it: The plan comes from our architect, but it’s not quite right
What do you particularly like? Why?
Not much, unfortunately
What do you dislike? Why?
The living/dining area and kitchen are overall too narrow
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 450,000
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 510,000
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump
What can you give up, which details/finishes?
- Can give up: floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper floor
- Cannot give up: straight staircase and the open space above (void)
Why did the design end up like this?
This is the third draft from our planner, which we liked. Now we are unsure.
The number of rooms, open space, and straight staircase were all considered.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your opinion?
The living/dining area is too small and the overall room is too narrow.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Development plan/restrictions
1. Would swapping the living room and kitchen make sense? But then the future living room would need to be made wider, as 3.13 m (10.3 ft) is too narrow.
2. Could a storage room be planned on the upper floor, possibly after the staircase?
3. What do you like or dislike?
I would be very grateful for suggestions and advice.
Best regards,
Nicole I can’t comment on the floor plan itself, as ours has been criticized frequently 😎 I also didn’t find how large the house is supposed to be, but I estimate around 200 m² (2,150 sq ft). I would question how the architect arrives at just €450,000 for that. It looks like a lot of earthworks will be needed, which means high costs. Because of the small plot, the soil will probably have to be removed entirely, adding even more costs. Architects have the advantage of often designing attractive floor plans, but they don’t always account accurately for cost estimates…
As a rule of thumb, you can calculate:
- square meters * €2,500 (this depends on the region; for example, in Berlin or Bavaria it can be up to €3,000)
- I would budget at least €70,000 for additional construction costs on your project
- €20,000 for the garage
This roughly totals: 200 m² * €2,500 + €70,000 + €20,000 = €590,000 (excluding furniture, lighting, flooring, driveway, landscaping, kitchen). Your budget will hardly cover your requirements.
Nicolefl schrieb:
On the upper floor, a small storage room could be created just after the staircase landing to accommodate the washing machine and dryer. Where else, if not in the open space?
Nicolefl schrieb:
Swapping the living room and kitchen would have the advantage that you can chat on the couch in the evening without it getting too noisy upstairs (because of the open space). And what about the clattering of dishes when unloading the dishwasher in the evening or entertaining guests?
Nicolefl schrieb:
but the layout is not well thought out. Exactly. Good that you noticed that yourselves.
I would avoid switching the rooms: 3.10 meters (10 feet) is enough for a kitchen run plus an island or a double-run kitchen. As far as I can see, the best part of the plot is where the kitchen is now: I would enlarge the windows there (west and northwest) and create the dining and evening terrace.
I could imagine closing off the kitchen passage at the lower end near the staircase, then having two kitchen runs. Floor-level windows on the north and west side. This way, you don’t have to constantly walk through the quiet zone.
Basically, I would question the window placement on the upper floor, why it is designed almost like an attic apartment, with no windows planned on the east and west sides, which are important for the sleeping areas.
A tip for the entrance: align the apartment door with the main entrance door; this creates a double-sized cloakroom area!
Apart from that, and then the design will also work.
The budget is highly questionable!
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