ᐅ Opinions on the Bungalow Floor Plan

Created on: 4 Jan 2015 21:11
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Martin84
Good evening,

we plan to build our bungalow this year, and the final floor plan is almost complete. Since I only discovered this forum a few days ago and understand that constructive feedback on floor plans is available here, I would like to hear your thoughts on ours. Of course, here are some key details:

There are currently three of us, and a second child is planned. The garage will be roofed over, providing about 60 m² (645 sq ft) of expansion space in the attic, with all electrical wiring pre-installed accordingly. We know the children's rooms are relatively small, but no closets or similar furniture need to be included there. Later on, one child can move upstairs, and the two rooms can be merged into one. Some changes are already planned but not yet reflected here: the doors between Hall 1 and Hall 2 will shift to the right, and the two walk-in closets will be combined into one large closet.
North is to the right on the drawing.

Now I am curious to hear your opinions. Many thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Martin84

Floor plan of a house: kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, office, 2 children’s rooms, garage.
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Martin84
5 Jan 2015 14:37
Yes, you are right. The first house was more spacious. Now we have been convinced by the advantages of a bungalow (all on one level, straight walls)...

We don’t like two-story houses. And somehow, the 1.5-story option was completely off the table after the first house. I can’t really say why today. Nothing is signed yet, and it would definitely be possible to have a new cost estimate done. But I still need to discuss it with my wife first.
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kbt09
5 Jan 2015 14:43
In none of the two children's rooms planned so far can you fit two beds. And playing in the rooms? No, I’d definitely disagree with that, from Bauherren2014.

One more question ... has the plot already been purchased, or is it only available together with some kind of house?
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Martin84
5 Jan 2015 15:02
The plot of land has already been purchased.
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Martin84
5 Jan 2015 15:03
The development plan allows everything: city villa, bungalow, 1.5-story house. You have complete freedom of choice.
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kbt09
5 Jan 2015 15:05
From the way you write, it seems you have only dealt with a contractor so far and not with an independent architect—right? Have you considered that?
kaho6745 Jan 2015 17:35
Hey, I think it’s great that you’re still open to ideas. For a 130m² (1400 sq ft) project with two children, I would probably go for a one-and-a-half-story house.

In my experience, these are slightly more cost-effective than trying to squeeze the same size into a single-story bungalow. The savings mainly come from having less roof area.

With your current design, you’re wasting a lot of space unnecessarily. In the end, you’ll have a large bungalow that’s hardly livable because it’s so fragmented. Such a house is also difficult to sell later on. Its value often falls below the invested capital, so you spend a lot of money but get less return.

With 130m² (1400 sq ft), you need to set priorities. It will never be the perfect all-in-one solution. What do you really need: two children’s bedrooms, one master bedroom, one living room with kitchen/dining area, and one bathroom—that should be a given, right? At most, one additional room for an office/guest room, a toilet, and a small utility room. That should fill the square meters. Now you can decide: do you want the extra room mainly as a guest room with a workspace or a walk-in wardrobe? Or do you actually need a second bathroom? Probably you’ll only end up with one. Anything else would surprise me.

When looking for floor plan ideas, try googling “prefabricated house database” (or “modular home database”). There are plenty of options sorted by square meters. Given the amount of money you’re investing, it’s worth clicking through a few houses to get a good feeling for what works.