Hello,
I have been working on a floor plan for a few weeks now and would like to compare it with your experiences in the hope of improving some aspects. The room dimensions are not set in stone and can of course be adjusted (especially the heating/laundry room and bathroom).
About the basics
We are planning a bungalow in the New England style. The size will be about 180 m2 (1,938 sq ft). One full floor without a basement so far. Minimal roof pitch. The main entrance is on the east side, accessed via an adjoining veranda, with the terrace and living room on the west, due to the characteristics of the plot. Since we’re not necessarily sun seekers, the south side is rather underused, but hopefully that won’t be a problem because of the low roof pitch. Solar thermal tube collectors are planned for the southern roof surface.
I’m still unsure about the size of the integrated garage, as well as the room dimensions overall. It’s difficult for me to assess whether everything will be practical for everyday use. We are planning to have two children in the future, each with a room about 14 m2 (150 sq ft) and a small children’s bathroom with a shower. Until then, these two rooms will be used as guest and work/hobby rooms. The fireplace room can serve as a guest room if necessary. I know it’s a walk-through room, but as mentioned, that would only be a temporary solution. The floor plan is based on zoning, which I hope is visible. I have planned floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors in the dining room to extend the space during summer.
The size of the heating room is probably debatable. Since we plan to install a gas boiler with a buffer tank, space might be tight. I had the idea to initially combine the laundry and heating rooms as one and install a partition wall later after installation. The storage room (just a small storage area) could also benefit from a better location due to the possible heat generation.
The attached rough sketch is just a draft, drawn to 1:100 scale. I hope you can get something from it; otherwise, I can make a clearer drawing. I also have a digital 2D draft, but unfortunately without dimensions and it’s not quite up to date. Please don’t be too harsh on my limited expertise in building planning—I’m hoping for constructive suggestions for improvement.
Looking forward to your opinions! Thanks
I have been working on a floor plan for a few weeks now and would like to compare it with your experiences in the hope of improving some aspects. The room dimensions are not set in stone and can of course be adjusted (especially the heating/laundry room and bathroom).
About the basics
We are planning a bungalow in the New England style. The size will be about 180 m2 (1,938 sq ft). One full floor without a basement so far. Minimal roof pitch. The main entrance is on the east side, accessed via an adjoining veranda, with the terrace and living room on the west, due to the characteristics of the plot. Since we’re not necessarily sun seekers, the south side is rather underused, but hopefully that won’t be a problem because of the low roof pitch. Solar thermal tube collectors are planned for the southern roof surface.
I’m still unsure about the size of the integrated garage, as well as the room dimensions overall. It’s difficult for me to assess whether everything will be practical for everyday use. We are planning to have two children in the future, each with a room about 14 m2 (150 sq ft) and a small children’s bathroom with a shower. Until then, these two rooms will be used as guest and work/hobby rooms. The fireplace room can serve as a guest room if necessary. I know it’s a walk-through room, but as mentioned, that would only be a temporary solution. The floor plan is based on zoning, which I hope is visible. I have planned floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors in the dining room to extend the space during summer.
The size of the heating room is probably debatable. Since we plan to install a gas boiler with a buffer tank, space might be tight. I had the idea to initially combine the laundry and heating rooms as one and install a partition wall later after installation. The storage room (just a small storage area) could also benefit from a better location due to the possible heat generation.
The attached rough sketch is just a draft, drawn to 1:100 scale. I hope you can get something from it; otherwise, I can make a clearer drawing. I also have a digital 2D draft, but unfortunately without dimensions and it’s not quite up to date. Please don’t be too harsh on my limited expertise in building planning—I’m hoping for constructive suggestions for improvement.
Looking forward to your opinions! Thanks
Hello,
I’m a fan of these American-style houses and also like the open-plan living concept. They often include angled walls, niches, and corners, which can be quite charming with this architectural style.
Unfortunately, I have to spoil the fun with this design because, as here, the walls are not made of cardboard (Or are they? :rolleyes 🙂 Draw everything with exterior walls, assuming about 30/35 cm (12/14 inches) thickness for wood frame walls, and interior walls with 12/15 cm (5/6 inches) thickness. Plan a seating counter for 4 people, the dining table has good dimensions 😉, wardrobe closets should be at least 60 cm (24 inches) deep, as well as clothes closets. The bathroom should not be smaller than 1.5 m² (16 sq ft), of course there must be enough space for sofas and the TV. An armchair (for the fireplace) also needs about 1 m² (11 sq ft), a kitchen countertop should have a depth of 60 cm (24 inches), and doors should be planned at a width of one (1) meter (39 inches), preferably terrace doors as well. Then you can estimate reasonably well! One square on the plan = 50 cm (20 inches).
Once you have everything done, check the built-up area against the floor area ratio.
By the way, how large was your plot again? And what is the floor area ratio?
Regards,
Yvonne
Edit: I would also place the kids’ rooms somewhat more centrally and closer to the entrance... it can become very frustrating over time if teenagers have to walk through the entire house with friends to get to their room. That can be solved more elegantly. Also, the veranda at the front and back should possibly be accessible from more rooms. If you’re incurring the cost, it should offer all the conveniences 🙂
I’m a fan of these American-style houses and also like the open-plan living concept. They often include angled walls, niches, and corners, which can be quite charming with this architectural style.
Unfortunately, I have to spoil the fun with this design because, as here, the walls are not made of cardboard (Or are they? :rolleyes 🙂 Draw everything with exterior walls, assuming about 30/35 cm (12/14 inches) thickness for wood frame walls, and interior walls with 12/15 cm (5/6 inches) thickness. Plan a seating counter for 4 people, the dining table has good dimensions 😉, wardrobe closets should be at least 60 cm (24 inches) deep, as well as clothes closets. The bathroom should not be smaller than 1.5 m² (16 sq ft), of course there must be enough space for sofas and the TV. An armchair (for the fireplace) also needs about 1 m² (11 sq ft), a kitchen countertop should have a depth of 60 cm (24 inches), and doors should be planned at a width of one (1) meter (39 inches), preferably terrace doors as well. Then you can estimate reasonably well! One square on the plan = 50 cm (20 inches).
Once you have everything done, check the built-up area against the floor area ratio.
By the way, how large was your plot again? And what is the floor area ratio?
Regards,
Yvonne
Edit: I would also place the kids’ rooms somewhat more centrally and closer to the entrance... it can become very frustrating over time if teenagers have to walk through the entire house with friends to get to their room. That can be solved more elegantly. Also, the veranda at the front and back should possibly be accessible from more rooms. If you’re incurring the cost, it should offer all the conveniences 🙂
EveundGerd5 Jan 2015 00:57Consider skylights. In a bungalow, they are really a great feature 🙂.
Looking forward to the next drawing, as I generally like the style 🙂.
Looking forward to the next drawing, as I generally like the style 🙂.
First of all, thanks for your responses. As I mentioned, this is just a conceptual drawing and nothing finalized yet. It will be developed further by an architect. I just wanted to know if you generally like it.
Regarding the questions:
The plot will be about 1300 sqm (14,000 sq ft). The highlight of the property is in the northwest, offering a great view. I also considered mirroring the floor plan, but strangely my wife didn’t like it then. Additionally, the adjacent road runs along the south side, which might not be ideal for children’s rooms. I think it is unavoidable that children will run through the house. I consider having a separated private area more important. I’ll try to upload the cadastral map to illustrate the site plan of the property.
So, you mean integrating additional skylights into the roof? I originally thought the large window front on the west side would be enough. Where would you place them?
Regarding the questions:
The plot will be about 1300 sqm (14,000 sq ft). The highlight of the property is in the northwest, offering a great view. I also considered mirroring the floor plan, but strangely my wife didn’t like it then. Additionally, the adjacent road runs along the south side, which might not be ideal for children’s rooms. I think it is unavoidable that children will run through the house. I consider having a separated private area more important. I’ll try to upload the cadastral map to illustrate the site plan of the property.
So, you mean integrating additional skylights into the roof? I originally thought the large window front on the west side would be enough. Where would you place them?
I think the final result will look quite different at some point. For example, the fireplace room is basically just dead space, serving more or less only as a passage to the private areas.
Having the bathroom right next to the kitchen and the counter... no, that’s not ideal.
You calculated all the room sizes based on your boxes without considering wall thicknesses anywhere. Your walk-in closet has a box depth of about 175 cm (69 inches) – including walls, and since one of them will probably need to be a 17.5 cm (7 inch) thick wall, that leaves maybe just under 150 cm (59 inches), with a maximum of 200 cm (79 inches) available for wardrobe space.
The bedroom now has a depth of 275 cm (108 inches) – after subtracting the exterior wall and the wall to the walk-in closet, there is a maximum of 230 cm (91 inches) left. Beds with frames are about 210 cm (83 inches) long.
The garage is 500 cm (197 inches) deep without any wall thicknesses considered. Modern cars won’t fit in that space, or you won’t even be able to walk around the car.
Having the bathroom right next to the kitchen and the counter... no, that’s not ideal.
You calculated all the room sizes based on your boxes without considering wall thicknesses anywhere. Your walk-in closet has a box depth of about 175 cm (69 inches) – including walls, and since one of them will probably need to be a 17.5 cm (7 inch) thick wall, that leaves maybe just under 150 cm (59 inches), with a maximum of 200 cm (79 inches) available for wardrobe space.
The bedroom now has a depth of 275 cm (108 inches) – after subtracting the exterior wall and the wall to the walk-in closet, there is a maximum of 230 cm (91 inches) left. Beds with frames are about 210 cm (83 inches) long.
The garage is 500 cm (197 inches) deep without any wall thicknesses considered. Modern cars won’t fit in that space, or you won’t even be able to walk around the car.
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