ᐅ Opinions on the Floor Plan of a Single-Family Home in the Münsterland Region
Created on: 6 Nov 2015 17:05
S
ScratchiHello everyone!
We’ve had a previous thread, but now we’ve made significant progress and would like to share the floor plan created by our builder.
We will upload two ground floor plans, but here we will refer to the first one, as we currently prefer it.
Development plan / restrictions:
See attachment
Plot size: 527 m² (5675 sq ft), 19.5 m * 27 m (64 ft * 89 ft)
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 full floors
Number of people, age: 2 adults and 2-3 children
Space requirements on the ground floor: (living, dining, kitchen area; guest WC; office (teacher); utility room)
Upper floor: (4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, small utility room for laundry)
Guests per year: 2
Number of dining seats: 10
Fireplace: undecided so far, but leaning towards no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine
- Our wish was to position the kitchen facing the street. 1) to get south sun into the living area, and 2) because there will be no building opposite initially, allowing a view of the fields. We don’t want the living room there because of the street noise. In front of the kitchen window facing the street, we want a small coffee terrace to enjoy the view of the fields.
A kitchen at the front seemed difficult to achieve due to space planning. This is the first draft we like.
- The utility room on the ground floor should serve as a mudroom, so a side door is still missing in the plans.
House design
Planning by:
- Planner from a building company
What don’t we like?
- Still unsure about the terrace niche (or should it be used as a room instead)
- Kitchen is missing a terrace door
- Exit from utility room to driveway is missing
- In the bathroom, should we swap the bathtub and the washbasin?!
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: Not known yet, but expected to be around 280,000 including construction ancillary costs
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: 320,000 including ancillary building costs
Preferred heating technology: gas with underfloor heating
We’ve had a previous thread, but now we’ve made significant progress and would like to share the floor plan created by our builder.
We will upload two ground floor plans, but here we will refer to the first one, as we currently prefer it.
Development plan / restrictions:
See attachment
Plot size: 527 m² (5675 sq ft), 19.5 m * 27 m (64 ft * 89 ft)
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 full floors
Number of people, age: 2 adults and 2-3 children
Space requirements on the ground floor: (living, dining, kitchen area; guest WC; office (teacher); utility room)
Upper floor: (4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, small utility room for laundry)
Guests per year: 2
Number of dining seats: 10
Fireplace: undecided so far, but leaning towards no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine
- Our wish was to position the kitchen facing the street. 1) to get south sun into the living area, and 2) because there will be no building opposite initially, allowing a view of the fields. We don’t want the living room there because of the street noise. In front of the kitchen window facing the street, we want a small coffee terrace to enjoy the view of the fields.
A kitchen at the front seemed difficult to achieve due to space planning. This is the first draft we like.
- The utility room on the ground floor should serve as a mudroom, so a side door is still missing in the plans.
House design
Planning by:
- Planner from a building company
What don’t we like?
- Still unsure about the terrace niche (or should it be used as a room instead)
- Kitchen is missing a terrace door
- Exit from utility room to driveway is missing
- In the bathroom, should we swap the bathtub and the washbasin?!
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: Not known yet, but expected to be around 280,000 including construction ancillary costs
Personal budget limit for the house including fittings: 320,000 including ancillary building costs
Preferred heating technology: gas with underfloor heating
Still no answer?
Then I’ll just step in
I like the floor plan: the layout, the compact rooms, the functional ratio.
I also think you made a good compromise regarding the orientation.
But you also want criticism and suggestions.
I would shorten the hallway on the ground floor a bit. In my opinion, it is too long. This would also make the dining table feel less cramped, and you could easily create a terrace exit on the west side.
Where will the technical equipment go? Make sure you have at least a proper cabinet wall/worktop with cupboards there, as neatly shown in the drawing. In reality, it usually looks different.
How long is the sofa wall?
Regarding the upper floor:
The connecting doors to the bedroom with three children could be criticized. But at a certain age, you can lock them.
At first, I thought the bathroom was quite okay, but now I wonder if the paths to the shower and toilet through the bathtub aren’t too narrow.
Apparently, you have more light strips than normal windows (judging by the furniture)?
Utility room: keep in mind that not everything can be dried in the dryer.
Will this be a flat-roof house?
Regards, Yvonne
Then I’ll just step in
I like the floor plan: the layout, the compact rooms, the functional ratio.
I also think you made a good compromise regarding the orientation.
But you also want criticism and suggestions.
I would shorten the hallway on the ground floor a bit. In my opinion, it is too long. This would also make the dining table feel less cramped, and you could easily create a terrace exit on the west side.
Where will the technical equipment go? Make sure you have at least a proper cabinet wall/worktop with cupboards there, as neatly shown in the drawing. In reality, it usually looks different.
How long is the sofa wall?
Regarding the upper floor:
The connecting doors to the bedroom with three children could be criticized. But at a certain age, you can lock them.
At first, I thought the bathroom was quite okay, but now I wonder if the paths to the shower and toilet through the bathtub aren’t too narrow.
Apparently, you have more light strips than normal windows (judging by the furniture)?
Utility room: keep in mind that not everything can be dried in the dryer.
Will this be a flat-roof house?
Regards, Yvonne
Thank you very much for the quick initial feedback!
We really spent a looooooooooong time working on the floor plan, so it’s good to hear that someone likes it.
So...
The shortening of the hallway is a good suggestion. Although then one door would probably be unnecessary, as in my opinion, having doors so close doesn’t make sense. The extra space gained should also be considered. We are also thinking about leaving out the terrace recess since that’s a corner of the room where children could play on a blanket. What do you think?
The technical equipment will be located in the attic.
The countertop/cabinet wall will be carefully planned later, as the utility room is one of the most important rooms for us without a basement.
The sofa wall hasn’t been precisely measured yet. It will probably be about 3m (10 feet) when I measure it on the draft with a ruler. But that’s a very good point to discuss again with the planner.
The bathroom will likely be made a bit larger facing north in the final plan, since the dressing room and bedroom feel slightly too large to us. The bathtub and sink will be swapped anyway, which will also create more space.
House with a flat roof? That was a typo, and the exterior drawings were not uploaded due to the file size. I’m adding them here now! It’s a town villa.
We really spent a looooooooooong time working on the floor plan, so it’s good to hear that someone likes it.
So...
The shortening of the hallway is a good suggestion. Although then one door would probably be unnecessary, as in my opinion, having doors so close doesn’t make sense. The extra space gained should also be considered. We are also thinking about leaving out the terrace recess since that’s a corner of the room where children could play on a blanket. What do you think?
The technical equipment will be located in the attic.
The countertop/cabinet wall will be carefully planned later, as the utility room is one of the most important rooms for us without a basement.
The sofa wall hasn’t been precisely measured yet. It will probably be about 3m (10 feet) when I measure it on the draft with a ruler. But that’s a very good point to discuss again with the planner.
The bathroom will likely be made a bit larger facing north in the final plan, since the dressing room and bedroom feel slightly too large to us. The bathtub and sink will be swapped anyway, which will also create more space.
House with a flat roof? That was a typo, and the exterior drawings were not uploaded due to the file size. I’m adding them here now! It’s a town villa.
Hello BeHaEIJa
Thank you very much for your feedback!
Option 1 is definitely our preferred choice as well.
Two entrances to the bathroom – Yes, this is really something to consider when the children are older. However, the convenience during the first 10 years should not be underestimated. We plan to reduce storage space in the bathroom and keep the towel stock, etc., in the dressing room.
One bathroom for 5 people – This is another sensitive topic. We have discussed and considered it a lot. In the end, we asked ourselves how our parents managed in the past. Two bathrooms are really a modern luxury, which is certainly nice and comfortable, but also just a bit of luxury. If there is enough space on the ground floor, we would plan for a shower downstairs, but not at the expense of important living space.
Dimensions are not included in the preliminary draft from the planner. We will provide those later.
Thanks again!
Thank you very much for your feedback!
Option 1 is definitely our preferred choice as well.
Two entrances to the bathroom – Yes, this is really something to consider when the children are older. However, the convenience during the first 10 years should not be underestimated. We plan to reduce storage space in the bathroom and keep the towel stock, etc., in the dressing room.
One bathroom for 5 people – This is another sensitive topic. We have discussed and considered it a lot. In the end, we asked ourselves how our parents managed in the past. Two bathrooms are really a modern luxury, which is certainly nice and comfortable, but also just a bit of luxury. If there is enough space on the ground floor, we would plan for a shower downstairs, but not at the expense of important living space.
Dimensions are not included in the preliminary draft from the planner. We will provide those later.
Thanks again!
Hmm, is the walk-in closet too large? You can’t place tall cabinets in front of the window anyway. Personally, I don’t think the walk-in closet/dressing room is too big. I would also suggest positioning the window more centrally, so you can place tall cabinets at both the bottom and top of the plan.
Keep in mind, you don’t have a basement and probably not an attic either. Think about seasonal clothing storage and similar items.
I would consider placing the washing machine and dryer possibly under the window in the hallway at the bottom of the plan. They can be built-in there. Then you could rearrange the small storage room and bathroom to create at least a second toilet (which is definitely useful in the morning with five people, so you don’t have to walk downstairs in your pajamas), or maybe even a second small bathroom. If there are girls among the children who will enter their teenage years, you’ll probably appreciate that. Or if the children have a partner staying overnight for the first time, you can agree that the small bathroom will be used then.
I also prefer ground floor layout option 1, but carefully consider whether you could include built-in storage for shoes and such under the stairs. For five people plus possible guests, the cloakroom seems a bit small to me.
Keep in mind, you don’t have a basement and probably not an attic either. Think about seasonal clothing storage and similar items.
I would consider placing the washing machine and dryer possibly under the window in the hallway at the bottom of the plan. They can be built-in there. Then you could rearrange the small storage room and bathroom to create at least a second toilet (which is definitely useful in the morning with five people, so you don’t have to walk downstairs in your pajamas), or maybe even a second small bathroom. If there are girls among the children who will enter their teenage years, you’ll probably appreciate that. Or if the children have a partner staying overnight for the first time, you can agree that the small bathroom will be used then.
I also prefer ground floor layout option 1, but carefully consider whether you could include built-in storage for shoes and such under the stairs. For five people plus possible guests, the cloakroom seems a bit small to me.
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