ᐅ Preliminary Planning + Floor Plan Proposal – Single-Family Home 950 m²

Hello everyone,

Our house construction is coming up, and we (2 adults, currently 1 baby) have spent several weeks looking through countless floor plans, brochures, show homes, etc. I have incorporated one of these with some changes into my own design. For this, I used the program Sweet Home 3D.

The orientation is definitely worth discussing. We have neighbors directly to the north and south, and to the east there is the street plus more neighbors. To the west is a garden approximately 12 meters wide (about 40 feet) with a row of medium-height deciduous trees, beyond which is an agricultural access path. Our main focus for garden and relaxation space will be to the west, but we also have garden space to the south next to the neighbor. We deliberately decided against combining kitchen and living-dining areas in one line and wanted the kitchen to be somewhat separated. The kitchen facing southeast brings a lot of light and allows you to notice more quickly when someone comes home or the mail carrier arrives.

Assuming the floor plan stays as it is, I have the following questions:
- What do you generally think about the floor plan? Have we overlooked something?
- Is it sensible to attach the study and have it under one roof with the garage, as drawn? (The idea was to have it somewhat isolated from the family bustle.) Or would it make more sense to build the study above the garage and thus integrate the garage directly into the house? The access to the study would then be on the upper floor.
- Is the utility room large enough for the ground source heat pump and house connections? The photovoltaic inverter could possibly go in the garage, right?
- The basement is not yet entirely ruled out; if we choose it, I would definitely include the study in the main building envelope.

I am open to general suggestions (for example, a completely different orientation or style) as well as specific comments on the floor plan. I just didn’t want to come here without having done some thinking of my own, like “please brainstorm for me,” so I have already put something on paper.

The completed questionnaire will be posted in the second post.

Thanks in advance!

List of Questions:

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 947m² (10,195 sqft)
Slope: North to South, 2m (6.6 ft) gradient
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.7
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see image
Edge development: yes
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: Basement+Ground+Attic, Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+Attic, Ground+1st floor, Ground only
Roof types: Gable roof (SD), Hip roof (WD), Tent roof (ZD), Pitched shed roof (PD), Offset pitched shed roof (vPD)
Architectural style: no restrictions
Orientation: any possible
Maximum heights / limits: none
Additional specifications:
Knee wall height:
- Gable roof (Basement+Ground+Attic) 1.30m (4.3 ft)
- Gable roof (Basement+Ground+Attic) 0.80m (2.6 ft)
- Gable roof, Hip roof, Tent roof, Offset pitched shed roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 0.30m (1.0 ft)
- Pitched shed roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 2.10m (6.9 ft) (upper floor)
Roof pitch:
- Gable roof (Basement+Ground+Attic, Ground+Attic) 34° - 46°
- Half-hipped roof allowed
- Gable roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 15° - 27°
- Hip roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 15° - 27°
- Tent roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 15° - 27°
- Offset pitched shed roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 15° - 27°
- Pitched shed roof (Basement+Ground+1st floor, Ground+1st floor) 10° - 20°

Clients’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: Urban villa, gable roof? (for photovoltaic panels), timber frame construction?
Basement, number of floors: undecided
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults (30 years) + 1 to 3 children
Required living space on ground and upper floors: approx. 100-120m² (1,076 - 1,292 sqft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Number of overnight guests per year: 1
Open or closed architecture: rather open
Conservative or modern building style: rather modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: not essential
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music / stereo wall: surround system by TV
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage plus 20m² (215 sqft) storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: possibly
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, with reasons why certain things should or should not be included:
- Ideally, the study should be somewhat screened off

House Design
Who designed the plan:
- Do-it-Yourself
What do you particularly like? Why? Living and dining area with semi-open kitchen
What do you not like? Why? Study feels somewhat bleak even though much time will likely be spent there. Possibly build over garage with exposed roof structure?
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 400,000
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump (brine-to-water)

If you have to give up something, which details/extensions
- Can give up: entrance vestibule. The study could also be inside the “main cube”
- Cannot give up: study

Why is the design the way it is now?
- A mix of many examples from various magazines...
What makes it particularly good in your opinion? Straight staircase acting as a divider between living-dining area and kitchen. Living area faces west towards the main garden

What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
Do we have major design flaws? How can we make the study more attractive and simultaneously provide some privacy?

Where is your storage space?

Why don’t you plan the garage as a boundary wall on the north side? That would enlarge the garden to the south. Otherwise, I think the orientation on the plot is already correct.

ChriSchi1 schrieb:

Space requirement on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 100–120m² (1,076–1,292 sq ft)

I am adding just under 240m² (2,583 sq ft)

ChriSchi1 schrieb:

Double garage + 20m² (215 sq ft) storage room

ChriSchi1 schrieb:

Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump

ChriSchi1 schrieb:

Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 400,000

That will not work like this.

The hallway on the ground floor is very dark and narrow!