ᐅ Floor plans for a single-family house, approximately 1,500 sq ft (140 m²), without a basement

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 439 sqm (4720 sq ft)
Slope: yes, approx. 1.3 m (4 ft) descent across the plot, approx. 0.5 m (1.6 ft) in the house area
Site occupancy index (floor space ratio): 0.35
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.6
Building window, building line and boundary: see development plan
Border development:
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 2
Roof style: any
Architectural style: any
Orientation: southeast or southwest
Maximum height / limits: 10 m (33 ft) above street curb level
Further requirements

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof
Basement, floors: 1.5 floors without basement, approx. 1.25 m (4 ft) knee wall height
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults (32 years + 27 years), children planned
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 130 sqm (1400 sq ft)
Office: family use and home office
Guest sleeping per year: rare
Open or closed layout: closed
Traditional or modern design: mixed
Open kitchen, kitchen island: semi-open to dining room
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Heating: bio-district heating, no own heat generator in the house
Music / stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: terraces to southeast and southwest
Garage, carport: 2 carports, 2 parking spaces in front of carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: yes
Other wishes / special features / daily routine: controlled residential ventilation, monolithic wall made of brick or aerated concrete. Due to the lack of a basement, the office and utility room must be located on the ground floor.
Owner’s work: flooring, painting, and installation of controlled residential ventilation

House Design
Who designed it: by us
What do you particularly like?
What do you dislike?
- We don’t find the entrance behind the carport ideal. However, with the rather small plot, there is hardly any alternative. An entrance facing south is not very good, as we want to use the south side for other rooms. If we put the carport completely behind or next to the house, the house moves too much towards the center of the plot, leaving hardly any meaningful garden space in any direction. Suggestions are very welcome here.
- When entering the bathroom, the first thing you see is the shower wall.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: depending on provider, 190,000 to 250,000, including special features, excluding ancillary building costs and materials for owner’s work
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 210,000, including special features, excluding ancillary building costs and materials for owner’s work
Preferred heating technology: district heating available and mandatory

If you had to give up something, which details or extensions?
- Can you do without: actually nothing unnecessary planned
- Cannot do without: n/a

The exterior dimensions (10.24 m x 9.24 m / 33 ft 7 in x 30 ft 4 in) come from a Flair 134 – this provider has so far been by far the most affordable. The dimensions also fit our plot very well. After many other floor plans with different dimensions, we ultimately chose this one.
Basically, we are very satisfied with it; everything seems to be exactly the size we need. Nothing is too big, nothing too small. Of course, bigger would always be nicer.
Our only points of criticism are:
- the shower wall right in front when entering the bathroom
- the house entrance behind the carport. As a passage between the cars, about 1.40 m (4.6 ft) clearance is planned. Beyond that, there is a passage between the house wall and the shed, about 1.70 m (5.6 ft) wide.
What is your opinion on the overall floor plan and these two points of criticism?

Here are 2 more pictures of the building site

- An office smaller than 6 sqm (65 sqft) is not feasible; you will feel claustrophobic in such a space.
- A utility room (HAR) of just over 10 sqm (110 sqft) if there is no heating system in the house… may I ask why? I know many floor plans where in such cases it is just a niche or a closet.
- Are you planning to include the atmosphere of both city and countryside in your build?

I can imagine that the staircase might not work well or could end up being too steep.

Hello and thank you very much for the feedback!
I completely agree regarding the office. I had hoped that it would work if you can gaze out the window. Also, it is intended to be a simple workspace, with a desk and filing cabinet, nothing more. From my experience with home offices, they often end up being used as storage rooms, and then no one wants to enter anymore because it becomes too cluttered to work in. Usually, we work on laptops in the living room anyway; only sometimes do I need some quiet. Still, the doubts are justified, and I’m not sure yet. But I also don’t know where to cut out any extra space.

That brings us to the utility room, which not only houses technical equipment but also serves as a storage room (for frequently used items like vacuum cleaners, cleaning supplies, drinks, etc.; the rest goes into the attic) and is meant for hanging laundry. We would prefer not to make this space any smaller.

We honestly find it puzzling how some manage without a basement, combining technology, storage, and laundry rooms within just 5 square meters (54 square feet). Our guess is that the rest of the house then gets quite crowded. For example, laundry: where would you hang laundry in the house if, in an extreme case, only a small closet niche is available?

I think it’s good when someone says “that just won’t work,” giving a chance to reconsider one’s own ideas and think about alternatives.

For the staircase, I used dimensions from the Treppenmeister website as a reference. Usable tread width is 90 cm (35 inches), with 15 risers each about 25 cm (10 inches) deep. That adds up to a total of 135 cm (53 inches) by 339 cm (133 inches). I think the floor plan could allow for a few extra centimeters. The standard staircase from Stadt&Land is significantly smaller, but I’ve noticed in this forum that a tread width of 100 cm (39 inches) is generally recommended... Hmm... it would be good to see it in person.

Yes, we are considering building with Stadt & Land, but we have also discussed this floor plan with other companies (usually at a much higher price).