ᐅ Floor plan design for a single-family house, 165 sqm, without a basement, on a 400 sqm plot

Created on: 10 Aug 2023 09:33
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Maulwurfbau
At the request of 11ant, here is a post with the completed list ;-) Unfortunately, he still doesn’t have a crystal ball.
Providing all information possible/available at this point in time.

Development Plan / Restrictions

Plot size: 400 sqm (4300 sq ft)
Slope: No, and no means no!
Floor space index (FSI): 0.4
Floor area ratio (FAR): ?
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Yes, available.
Edge development: Possible with garage.
Number of parking spaces: at least 1, preferably 2
Number of storeys: 1-2
Roof type: Gable roof (pitch minimum 31°, maximum 45°)
Architectural style: ??
Orientation: Gable end facing
Maximum heights / limits: Roof ridge 6-7 m (20-23 ft), eaves 9-12 m (30-39 ft)
Other requirements: No brick facades allowed. Driveway or space in front of garage at least 6 m (20 ft). Red roof tiles mandatory, light facade.

Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Gable roof, fixed
Basement, storeys: 2 full storeys without basement
Number of occupants, age: 4 people (2 toddlers)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Office: Family use or home office? Office of approx. 12 sqm (130 sq ft) is a must.
Guest bedrooms per year: Few
Open or closed architecture: ? Whatever that means.
Conservative or modern construction style: rather modern construction.
Open kitchen, cooking island: Open kitchen, possibly with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: NO
Music / stereo wall: Not planned, TV location is quite important.
Balcony, roof terrace: NO
Garage, carport: Garage desired. Carport with storage box also conceivable.
Utility garden, greenhouse: NO
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, preferably with reasons for choices:
Laundry room on the upper floor. They want to do laundry where it is generated and where it must be returned clean. Anything else is a hassle, at least for us.

House Design
Who designed the plan: Architect

What do you particularly like? Why?
Everything we provided as basic information and what our daily life requires has been implemented.
We like the clear lines/structure.
The open space in the hallway.
The connection/proximity of all rooms on ground and upper floors that need water/sewage. So no funny business with the bathroom upstairs in one corner and the utility room diagonally opposite on the ground floor. Personally, I like that.
No bay windows or other awkward extensions.
Laundry room upstairs where the washer and dryer are planned.

What don’t you like? Why?
The living room might be a bit too exposed for us. It could also be a cozy nook with TV without direct view of the kitchen. Cooking and eating together openly is liked; the living room could be a bit more separate. Currently, the floor plan shows it like a narrow, rather shadowy corner.
The somewhat narrow bedroom upstairs is not a dealbreaker but not 100% pleasing.

Price estimate according to architect/planner:
-
Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures and fittings:
500-575k
Preferred heating system:
Predefined, ground source heat pump with collector. Cold local heating network.

If you have to give up, which details/extras
-can you do without:
The small additional room for the father upstairs.
Garage, as mentioned carport also conceivable.

-can you not do without:
Office.
Storage box at garage or carport.
Children’s rooms.

Why is the design the way it is now? e.g.
The design turned out this way because the architect implemented our wishes and requirements almost 1:1. This preliminary layout resulted in this first version.

What do you consider particularly good or bad?
See what we like and what not. We don’t find anything particularly bad. Rather, not entirely optimal.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?

Position garage flush with house or set back?

43.5 sqm (468 sq ft) + 4 sqm (43 sq ft) pantry sufficient as “all-purpose room”?

Same floor plan possibly mirrored? Then office on south side, sun all day, blinds always down. Same issue upstairs with bedroom in summer at least. Entrance farther from parking space.

The building method will be timber frame construction with a local timber builder.

This is a first sketch after clarifying needs/wishes with the architect.
Floor plan of a house with living, dining, kitchen, office, hallway, terrace, and garage.

Floor plan of a storey with hallway, bedroom, children’s room, dressing room, bathroom.

Site plan of house with red property boundary, building footprint, north arrow, street names.
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mr.xyz1
10 Aug 2023 19:49
To reach the walk-in closet, you have to go through the bedroom. I would always do it differently because it is more comfortable for the person who is sleeping.
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Maulwurfbau
10 Aug 2023 19:55
mr.xyz1 schrieb:

To get to the walk-in closet, you have to go through the bedroom. I would always do it differently; it’s more comfortable for the person sleeping.

Well, that’s a matter of opinion.
I wouldn’t place the wardrobes in a normal bedroom hallway either just so the partner who’s not sleeping can access them more easily.

The logic doesn’t quite make sense to me at the moment. But okay.
We have decided against entering the bedroom through the walk-in closet. We define a walk-through room differently.
Y
ypg
10 Aug 2023 21:04
Aspirant schrieb:

“Recess.”

Recess is spelled with a single “s”! What a faux pas in my sentences… embarrassing 😀
Maulwurfbau schrieb:

Fake thread? The bedroom is not a walk-through room. We wouldn’t like that either.
Maulwurfbau schrieb:

We define a walk-through room differently.

But it actually is a walk-through room.
Maulwurfbau schrieb:

I don’t quite get the point right now.

Me neither. You avoid having to walk past the bed multiple times, possibly having to use the light switch repeatedly.
You always disturb whoever is still sleeping, wants to, or must. That’s called consideration, and it can be planned accordingly.
Anyway, I guess someone is really proud to have drawn the plans themselves and done the architect’s job. It’s nothing new that they don’t want to admit their own mistakes.

PS The TV is too far away. But the space in front of it is suitable for yoga!
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Maulwurfbau
10 Aug 2023 21:15
There are a lot of smart alecks around here... Man man man 🤨

Just to be clear, nothing would be pre-drawn, or any examples or anything shown.
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Gerddieter
10 Aug 2023 21:29
Maulwurfbau schrieb:

Just to be clear, nothing was drafted or any examples shown.

Really not? Then you should get out of there and look for another architect... ;-)

But seriously, that is what this forum is for. If your architect has presented this as a preliminary design that you are supposed to build on, I would hold off on signing anything or making commitments regarding collaboration and AT LEAST consult with another independent architect...
GD
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Maulwurfbau
10 Aug 2023 21:38
Yes, I understand. This is currently under discussion. Further developing the design, even though it is not entirely unthinkable for us at this point, might not make much sense.