ᐅ Planning / Floor Plan for a Single-Family Home (approx. 140 sqm, Basement, Ground Floor, Top Floor)
Created on: 11 Aug 2016 10:49
S
Schorsch584
Hello everyone,
Last fall, we (my wife, 28; our son, 9 months; and I, 32) bought a plot of land and have since been brainstorming, sketching, and exploring how to plan and design our house.
The more you look, the more you see, and sometimes it gets more confusing.
In principle, we are satisfied with the layout and room distribution, but the upstairs (attic floor) still has some issues. We would appreciate opinions from experienced homeowners and builders on whether our ideas and the floor plans we sketched are really practical and livable.
Here are the basic details:
Building Regulations/Restrictions
Plot size: 497 sqm (see location plan)
Slope: no
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: anything allowed
Architectural style: anything allowed except bungalow
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type => Single-family home with bay window, gable roof, 25 – 28 degrees (relatively shallow)
Basement, floors => basement, ground floor + attic floor (knee wall 1.80 – 2.00 m (6.0 – 6.5 ft))
Number of people, ages => currently 3 (he 32, she 28, son 9 months); a second child is desired
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
[I]Ground floor => living, dining, kitchen, guest WC/shower, storage/pantry
Attic floor => 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, master bedroom with walk-in closet
Office => for family use
Open or closed layout => open living/dining area
Conservative or modern style => modern but cozy
Open kitchen, kitchen island => open; kitchen layout not fixed yet, depending on what fits best
Number of dining seats => at least 4 but ideally space for 6 to 8
Fireplace => no
Music/sound wall => no
Balcony, roof terrace => no
Garage, carport => double garage with direct access to the house
Utility garden, greenhouse => regular garden, nothing special planned
Other wishes/features => we like the half-turned staircase with landing, though it takes quite a bit of space; we have a rather large sofa (3.50 m x 2.00 m (11.5 ft x 6.5 ft)); I manually inserted this sofa on the ground floor plan, as the one included by the builder does not fit the proportions at all.
House Design
Who planned it:
=> Designer from a building company based on our specifications (hand drawing)
What do we like?
=> We really like the ground floor layout and the open, bright feel (maybe kitchen a bit small with little countertop space)
What do we dislike?
=> The attic floor! Children’s rooms a bit too big, should be around 15 sqm (160 sq ft) each; master bedroom and walk-in closet too small; bathroom layout is not ideal; due to the staircase location, the room arrangement upstairs is tricky.
Price estimate by architect/planner: about 330,000 EUR (turnkey excluding flooring and painting)
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 350,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: gas condensing boiler or air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/upgrades
Could you do without? => actually nothing, it’s not really special already; maybe a different staircase design
Could you not do without? => direct access to the garage; open living/dining area
[/I]
Unfortunately, the builder did not include dimensions on the plans, only area sizes, but I hope you can get an idea from that.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best regards,
Schorsch584
Last fall, we (my wife, 28; our son, 9 months; and I, 32) bought a plot of land and have since been brainstorming, sketching, and exploring how to plan and design our house.
The more you look, the more you see, and sometimes it gets more confusing.
In principle, we are satisfied with the layout and room distribution, but the upstairs (attic floor) still has some issues. We would appreciate opinions from experienced homeowners and builders on whether our ideas and the floor plans we sketched are really practical and livable.
Here are the basic details:
Building Regulations/Restrictions
Plot size: 497 sqm (see location plan)
Slope: no
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: anything allowed
Architectural style: anything allowed except bungalow
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type => Single-family home with bay window, gable roof, 25 – 28 degrees (relatively shallow)
Basement, floors => basement, ground floor + attic floor (knee wall 1.80 – 2.00 m (6.0 – 6.5 ft))
Number of people, ages => currently 3 (he 32, she 28, son 9 months); a second child is desired
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
[I]Ground floor => living, dining, kitchen, guest WC/shower, storage/pantry
Attic floor => 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, master bedroom with walk-in closet
Office => for family use
Open or closed layout => open living/dining area
Conservative or modern style => modern but cozy
Open kitchen, kitchen island => open; kitchen layout not fixed yet, depending on what fits best
Number of dining seats => at least 4 but ideally space for 6 to 8
Fireplace => no
Music/sound wall => no
Balcony, roof terrace => no
Garage, carport => double garage with direct access to the house
Utility garden, greenhouse => regular garden, nothing special planned
Other wishes/features => we like the half-turned staircase with landing, though it takes quite a bit of space; we have a rather large sofa (3.50 m x 2.00 m (11.5 ft x 6.5 ft)); I manually inserted this sofa on the ground floor plan, as the one included by the builder does not fit the proportions at all.
House Design
Who planned it:
=> Designer from a building company based on our specifications (hand drawing)
What do we like?
=> We really like the ground floor layout and the open, bright feel (maybe kitchen a bit small with little countertop space)
What do we dislike?
=> The attic floor! Children’s rooms a bit too big, should be around 15 sqm (160 sq ft) each; master bedroom and walk-in closet too small; bathroom layout is not ideal; due to the staircase location, the room arrangement upstairs is tricky.
Price estimate by architect/planner: about 330,000 EUR (turnkey excluding flooring and painting)
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 350,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: gas condensing boiler or air-to-water heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/upgrades
Could you do without? => actually nothing, it’s not really special already; maybe a different staircase design
Could you not do without? => direct access to the garage; open living/dining area
[/I]
Unfortunately, the builder did not include dimensions on the plans, only area sizes, but I hope you can get an idea from that.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best regards,
Schorsch584
Schorsch58413 Aug 2016 21:1486bibo schrieb:
What do you really need to store? A basement is generally useful, but not if it comes at the expense of living space. Making the house 1.5 meters (5 feet) longer adds about 30m³ (1059 cubic feet) of living area. That can hold quite a lot. Plus, you save yourself a staircase. Modern home systems hardly make any noise or mess, and don’t require much space either. I have a basement, but I’m also trying to convince my wife that the washing machine should be upstairs (where there’s room for it). This would save a lot of stairs and only has advantages. Usually, you don’t run the washer at night anyway. But then you get arguments like “it’s noisy,” “it looks ugly,” “if it leaks, the whole house will flood,” “it makes a mess,” etc., until finally the conclusion is: “The washing machine belongs in the basement!” But then they want a laundry chute so they don’t have to carry baskets down all the time.
Long story short: Things used to be different, but today we have completely different options and sometimes you just have to break free from old habits to get much better solutions.Hi bibo,
since we don’t have the biggest plot, it’s not that easy to just make the house 1.5 meters (5 feet) longer. You also want a small garden for playing, etc.
Having the washing machine in the basement also means you can put sweaty sports clothes there until the next wash without the living area getting too smelly. The garden furniture could be stored in the basement for the winter, and so on. We will definitely ask for a quote including a basement, and if it’s financially feasible, we would like to have one.
We have thought about your suggestions again and have revised the floor plan.
Unfortunately, I can only share our rough hand drawing that we took to the builder. We will get a proper drawing later, but the principle should be clear. The scale is 1:100. The views are... well... first-grade level drawing, but I can’t do better.
We will also go for two full stories now. Thanks again to ktb09.
We have now connected the main entrance and the garage, so there is only one entrance and one passage through the house. We’ve planned a wardrobe area in this entrance space as well.
The staircase still has landings but in a different design. We think this shape fits the house better, as it extends more sideways and doesn’t intrude too much into the interior. Otherwise, we gave up the storage room on the ground floor because the kitchen got bigger and we now have a wardrobe in the entrance area. This has made the living/dining area a bit more spacious.
Upstairs, the walk-in closet is now a bit larger and usable, the children’s rooms are somewhat smaller, and hopefully the bathroom can be realized as planned or something similar.
Could you take a look at the drawings and possibly provide some feedback before the builder finalizes the plans?
Thanks in advance
If the garage is considered an edge development here, it may not be approved because the garage is not independent. This has to do with setback requirements.
We recently had a thread where the original poster asked whether it was understandable that the building authority did not grant approval. Just an FYI. Please try to find that thread!
As far as I understand, it would be possible if the corner of the garage belongs to the living area, meaning it is separated from the garage.
We recently had a thread where the original poster asked whether it was understandable that the building authority did not grant approval. Just an FYI. Please try to find that thread!
As far as I understand, it would be possible if the corner of the garage belongs to the living area, meaning it is separated from the garage.
The thread came to my mind right away. And I would avoid a direct door into the garage. This also provides more usable space in the garage (for bicycles, etc.). You are connected by the extended roof, so no one has to get wet when coming out of the garage.
Overall, I find the floor plan much better. I also like half-landing stairs. However, I fear that when accurately drawn, it could get a bit tight in one or two spots.
I know you want the bay window as a design feature, but instead of the bay window—which doesn’t really have much practical use here—I would rather extend the entire exterior wall by 30 to 40cm (12 to 16 inches). This could also provide the crucial extra centimeters for the bathroom/bedroom 2 doors on the upper floor. The kitchen would benefit from it as well.
You can also enhance the facade through color or material.
--------------
One more thing I noticed: the whole building is about 19 to 20m (62 to 66 feet) wide. What are the plot dimensions?
Overall, I find the floor plan much better. I also like half-landing stairs. However, I fear that when accurately drawn, it could get a bit tight in one or two spots.
I know you want the bay window as a design feature, but instead of the bay window—which doesn’t really have much practical use here—I would rather extend the entire exterior wall by 30 to 40cm (12 to 16 inches). This could also provide the crucial extra centimeters for the bathroom/bedroom 2 doors on the upper floor. The kitchen would benefit from it as well.
You can also enhance the facade through color or material.
--------------
One more thing I noticed: the whole building is about 19 to 20m (62 to 66 feet) wide. What are the plot dimensions?
There is almost a world of difference here. And it looks very nice.
However, one thing to consider is that there is absolutely no space allocated for items like vacuum cleaners or beverage crates. Everything must be taken from the basement.
Once everything is finalized in the plans, some areas might become tight. Consider extending the porch plan on the left side. This could provide a lot more space in the dining room. The children's bedroom above would benefit, and you could enlarge the bathroom.
However, one thing to consider is that there is absolutely no space allocated for items like vacuum cleaners or beverage crates. Everything must be taken from the basement.
Once everything is finalized in the plans, some areas might become tight. Consider extending the porch plan on the left side. This could provide a lot more space in the dining room. The children's bedroom above would benefit, and you could enlarge the bathroom.
Schorsch58415 Aug 2016 11:01kbt09 schrieb:
This thread came to mind straight away. And I would skip the direct door into the garage. That way there’s more space inside the garage for parking bikes and such. Since you’re connected by the extended roof, no one has to get wet when coming out of the garage.We find the direct door to the garage quite practical, but you’re right of course, without it there would be even more space both in the garage and in the cloakroom. We still need to think it over. There’s already quite a bit more cloakroom space compared to the first draft.
kbt09 schrieb:
Overall, I think the floor plan is much better. I also like platform stairs . But I’m afraid it might get a bit tight in one or two spots when drawn to scale.Yes, I think it’s missing a few centimeters (inches) width-wise, but our planner will have to work on the construction company a bit. I believe there’s still some room to find there.
kbt09 schrieb:
I know you want the bay window as a design feature... but instead of the bay window — which doesn’t really have any practical use here — I would rather extend the entire house wall by 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 inches). That could also provide the extra centimeters (inches) needed upstairs for the bathroom and second child’s room doors. The kitchen would also benefit.
You can always design the facade with color or materials.That’s something to consider if needed, but if possible we would really like to have a bay window. We like the look from the outside and it’s a bit different. Many new houses are just rectangular. We don’t want much more living space overall, around 140 to 145 sqm (1506 to 1562 sq ft) is more than enough for us.
kbt09 schrieb:
One more thing I noticed: the whole thing is about 19 to 20 meters (62 to 66 feet) wide... what are the plot dimensions?
Thanks for pointing that out. I measured and visited the plot; it should just fit. But we definitely need to have it properly drawn to scale.
tomtom79 schrieb:
There’s almost a world of difference here. And it’s really nice to look at.
But something to keep in mind: absolutely no space allocated for vacuum cleaners, drink crates, etc. Everything has to be taken from the basement.
If everything is drawn precisely, it might get tight in some spots. Consider extending the porch plan on the left side. That could give you a lot more space in the dining room. The child’s bedroom above would benefit too, and you could enlarge the bathroom.Thanks for your suggestions. We have already thought about space for vacuum cleaners and cleaning supplies. But should we really squeeze in a storage room just for that? Luckily, our vacuum cleaner isn’t very large, so it can be stored quite space-efficiently in a closet in the cloakroom, maybe in the guest toilet/shower room, or in a cupboard near the stairs.
We usually keep drink crates in the basement anyway and just bring up a crate when needed. We’re used to that, and a nice staircase is pleasant to use.
We actually find the dining room quite generous, and as I said, we don’t want to go much bigger than 140 to 145 sqm (1506 to 1562 sq ft) overall. But you are right, some corners are drawn a bit tight. I’m curious how the construction company will interpret this in the final drawing.
I’ll be happy to share the drawn plan with you.
Schorsch584 schrieb:
... we would really like to have a bay window. We like how it looks from the outside and it’s something different. Many new houses are just rectangular otherwise.Well, that’s not really true; as has already been nicely pointed out here: why do houses today all have to have these bumps?
Bay windows are quite trendy right now, and it feels like every house has to have one at all costs, whether it makes sense or not.
A bay window can be a great design feature, but it should never be pointless — it should also provide some advantage for living comfort. That’s not the case here, so either design it so it can actually be used, or leave it out. It saves costs and energy.
There are many other ways to make a house look interesting without a bay window, whether it’s a wooden element, using color creatively, or an architecturally interesting canopy. There are plenty of options that are more affordable and energy efficient. Don’t get so attached to this “bump.”
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