Hello everyone,
My partner and I have finally purchased a large plot of land measuring 437 sqm (4700 sq ft) in Munich-Eching, and we will soon be building our prefabricated single-family house with Streif Haus. The plan is for approximately 145 sqm (1560 sq ft) of living space with dimensions of 9.96 m x 8.71 m (32.7 ft x 28.6 ft). Increasing this is simply not possible within our budget—for example, adding 1 meter (3.3 ft) on one side would cost roughly an additional €30,000.
So far, I have created all the floor plans using a software tool. Last Friday, we had our first meeting with the architect. Unfortunately, he dismissed several of our wishes:
- The gallery/open space over the upper floor,
- The layout of rooms on the upper floor (both children’s rooms are planned to face south, while the bedroom and bathroom face north, although we would prefer the opposite),
- All terrace requests,
- The design of the bathroom (we wanted a T-shaped layout with the sink set slightly into the room, the toilet and shower behind it, and a freestanding bathtub in the room), etc.
I have attached my plans for the ground floor and upper floor. Since the plot is not rectangular but rather irregularly shaped, positioning the house alone is a challenge because we naturally want the garden and the largest windows in the living room and kitchen to face south. In the attached site plan, the house is still positioned quite centrally (12 x 9 m / 39.4 x 29.5 ft). We will move it as far as possible to the right, towards the east.
We also considered changing the type of staircase (for example, to a half-landing staircase), but according to the architect, the straight staircase belongs to the "Cityvilla" house type by STREIF. I would appreciate your opinions on this. If I change the type of staircase, the entire floor plan will be discarded and the design will have to start from scratch — which is fine, as this is a “major” adjustment.
The architect is planning the entrance not on the south side directly from Schlossberg street, but on the north side: you would approach the property via the street, the house would run sideways along the garage, and you enter after the bend on the north side. So, opposite to what is shown in the site plan. This is quite a long way around. What do you think about this?
You will find comments below with questions. Feedback on the floor plan is welcome!
Building Regulations/Restrictions
Plot size: 437 sqm
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Building line with house in the northwest (not yet accurately positioned on the site plan)
Edge development: As far northeast on the plot as possible, maintaining the legally required 6 m (20 ft) setback from neighbors.
Number of parking spaces: Planned 1 carport, 1 garage.
Number of floors: 2 (without basement)
Roof type: Hip roof or gable roof
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights/limits: n/a
Other requirements: n/a
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Prefabricated house by STREIF, type "Cityvilla," no bay windows, rectangular
Basement, floors: No basement, 1.5 floors (no roof slopes, with roof hatch to a small, non-habitable attic)
Number of residents, age: 2 persons, 36 and 30 years old.
Space requirements for ground floor/upstairs:
Ground floor: large living room, open kitchen and dining area, utility/technical/pantry room (connected to kitchen), guest bathroom, hallway, guest room/office/hobby room.
Upper floor: bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, large bathroom, possibly a gallery
Office: Family use or home office? Both — upstairs for office (sometimes music is played here), downstairs is planned as a hobby room with fitness equipment. This may change when children are around.
Number of guest overnight stays per year: 10 nights
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, preferably with kitchen island and access to utility/pantry room
Number of dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: desired but still in planning—preliminarily included, to be built later due to priorities and budget.
Music/stereo wall: yes, with floor-standing speakers and external subwoofer.
Balcony, roof terrace: no. (Initially wanted, but considering the cost/benefit since we have a large garden.)
Garage, carport: First a garage, then a carport (2 parking spaces are mandatory).
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no.
Further wishes/particularities/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions:
The guest/fitness room is deliberately planned large to accommodate several exercise machines. Possibly a table tennis table will also be used in winter. The necessity of this is still being discussed. There is no basement. Later, a garden shed will be built in the yard.
Since we have limited space, any tips for storing items typically kept in a basement are very welcome!
A walk-in closet in the bedroom is desired.
House Design
Who designed the plan: Me, using a tool.
- Architect:
We already had a meeting with the architect. Several wishes were discouraged by him, such as a covered garage (east side), covered terrace in the garden (southwest), and the gallery on the first floor.
- The architect recommends having all sanitary facilities on one "level," meaning guest bathroom/technical room on the ground floor directly below the bathroom upstairs.
- He suggests placing the children’s rooms facing south rather than the bedroom or bathroom, as we initially wanted. (Children spend more time playing in their rooms with sunlight.) However, we would prefer sunlight in the bedroom and bathroom (bathroom planned with a frosted window) for a brighter and more relaxing atmosphere.
- Builder’s planner: Prefabricated house will be built with STREIF Haus. The architect is a STREIF architect.
- Do-it-yourself: We purchased the FastFertigPLUS product, meaning wall, floor, and garden work will be done by ourselves. Since I am very handy, wall and floor work should not be an issue. We are still considering whether to hire professionals for terrace construction and garden landscaping.
What do you particularly like?
Why? Large plot with a single-family house (for Munich standards).
The open spatial concept with a large living room, dining area, and open kitchen layout.
What do you dislike? Why?
The hallway takes up a lot of space, especially upstairs. If the hallway is restricted to the front side, the rooms can be made larger at the expense of openness (see attached test design). Not sure if this makes sense or if it just limits upstairs space too much.
The plot is large but irregular, making it challenging to position the house facing south while maintaining minimum setbacks.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: €306,000 for the completed house excluding ancillary and planning costs.
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: About €15,000 can still be budgeted. We expect higher costs after material selection, especially for sanitary fittings, sliding windows, and electronic blinds on the ground floor (upper floor with "standard" design).
Photovoltaic system with battery storage (including subsidy via KfW 40+) and garage are still under consideration.
Preferred heating technology: Air-to-air heat pump. Underfloor heating in the bathroom.
Possibly adding a photovoltaic system with battery. We will gather more information regarding cost/benefit.
If you had to give up on, which details/extensions
- could you do without: Gallery on the upper floor to enlarge the bedroom and children’s rooms. However, this reduces the optics and the bright and open feeling.
- could you not do without: Photovoltaic system, carport (in addition to garage)
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Standard design from planner? Self-created.
Which wishes from the architect were implemented? All sanitary facilities aligned vertically. Waiver of covered terraces, balconies, or roof overhangs. Entrance on the north side, meaning not directly from the street but around the house at a 90-degree angle. Does this make sense?
A mix of many examples from various magazines? Partly inspired by the STREIF show house in Cologne, for example the gallery.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Since it is mostly my own plan, hard to say. The architect plans the exit through the large window in the dining area (which makes sense). However, this leads to the largest garden area but closer to the street.
You have to walk briefly around the house to reach the "main" garden (basically an exit through the living room). I am not yet fully satisfied with the layout and access to the garden.
My partner and I have finally purchased a large plot of land measuring 437 sqm (4700 sq ft) in Munich-Eching, and we will soon be building our prefabricated single-family house with Streif Haus. The plan is for approximately 145 sqm (1560 sq ft) of living space with dimensions of 9.96 m x 8.71 m (32.7 ft x 28.6 ft). Increasing this is simply not possible within our budget—for example, adding 1 meter (3.3 ft) on one side would cost roughly an additional €30,000.
So far, I have created all the floor plans using a software tool. Last Friday, we had our first meeting with the architect. Unfortunately, he dismissed several of our wishes:
- The gallery/open space over the upper floor,
- The layout of rooms on the upper floor (both children’s rooms are planned to face south, while the bedroom and bathroom face north, although we would prefer the opposite),
- All terrace requests,
- The design of the bathroom (we wanted a T-shaped layout with the sink set slightly into the room, the toilet and shower behind it, and a freestanding bathtub in the room), etc.
I have attached my plans for the ground floor and upper floor. Since the plot is not rectangular but rather irregularly shaped, positioning the house alone is a challenge because we naturally want the garden and the largest windows in the living room and kitchen to face south. In the attached site plan, the house is still positioned quite centrally (12 x 9 m / 39.4 x 29.5 ft). We will move it as far as possible to the right, towards the east.
We also considered changing the type of staircase (for example, to a half-landing staircase), but according to the architect, the straight staircase belongs to the "Cityvilla" house type by STREIF. I would appreciate your opinions on this. If I change the type of staircase, the entire floor plan will be discarded and the design will have to start from scratch — which is fine, as this is a “major” adjustment.
The architect is planning the entrance not on the south side directly from Schlossberg street, but on the north side: you would approach the property via the street, the house would run sideways along the garage, and you enter after the bend on the north side. So, opposite to what is shown in the site plan. This is quite a long way around. What do you think about this?
You will find comments below with questions. Feedback on the floor plan is welcome!
Building Regulations/Restrictions
Plot size: 437 sqm
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Building line with house in the northwest (not yet accurately positioned on the site plan)
Edge development: As far northeast on the plot as possible, maintaining the legally required 6 m (20 ft) setback from neighbors.
Number of parking spaces: Planned 1 carport, 1 garage.
Number of floors: 2 (without basement)
Roof type: Hip roof or gable roof
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: southwest
Maximum heights/limits: n/a
Other requirements: n/a
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Prefabricated house by STREIF, type "Cityvilla," no bay windows, rectangular
Basement, floors: No basement, 1.5 floors (no roof slopes, with roof hatch to a small, non-habitable attic)
Number of residents, age: 2 persons, 36 and 30 years old.
Space requirements for ground floor/upstairs:
Ground floor: large living room, open kitchen and dining area, utility/technical/pantry room (connected to kitchen), guest bathroom, hallway, guest room/office/hobby room.
Upper floor: bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, large bathroom, possibly a gallery
Office: Family use or home office? Both — upstairs for office (sometimes music is played here), downstairs is planned as a hobby room with fitness equipment. This may change when children are around.
Number of guest overnight stays per year: 10 nights
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, preferably with kitchen island and access to utility/pantry room
Number of dining seats: 4-6
Fireplace: desired but still in planning—preliminarily included, to be built later due to priorities and budget.
Music/stereo wall: yes, with floor-standing speakers and external subwoofer.
Balcony, roof terrace: no. (Initially wanted, but considering the cost/benefit since we have a large garden.)
Garage, carport: First a garage, then a carport (2 parking spaces are mandatory).
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: no.
Further wishes/particularities/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions:
The guest/fitness room is deliberately planned large to accommodate several exercise machines. Possibly a table tennis table will also be used in winter. The necessity of this is still being discussed. There is no basement. Later, a garden shed will be built in the yard.
Since we have limited space, any tips for storing items typically kept in a basement are very welcome!
A walk-in closet in the bedroom is desired.
House Design
Who designed the plan: Me, using a tool.
- Architect:
We already had a meeting with the architect. Several wishes were discouraged by him, such as a covered garage (east side), covered terrace in the garden (southwest), and the gallery on the first floor.
- The architect recommends having all sanitary facilities on one "level," meaning guest bathroom/technical room on the ground floor directly below the bathroom upstairs.
- He suggests placing the children’s rooms facing south rather than the bedroom or bathroom, as we initially wanted. (Children spend more time playing in their rooms with sunlight.) However, we would prefer sunlight in the bedroom and bathroom (bathroom planned with a frosted window) for a brighter and more relaxing atmosphere.
- Builder’s planner: Prefabricated house will be built with STREIF Haus. The architect is a STREIF architect.
- Do-it-yourself: We purchased the FastFertigPLUS product, meaning wall, floor, and garden work will be done by ourselves. Since I am very handy, wall and floor work should not be an issue. We are still considering whether to hire professionals for terrace construction and garden landscaping.
What do you particularly like?
Why? Large plot with a single-family house (for Munich standards).
The open spatial concept with a large living room, dining area, and open kitchen layout.
What do you dislike? Why?
The hallway takes up a lot of space, especially upstairs. If the hallway is restricted to the front side, the rooms can be made larger at the expense of openness (see attached test design). Not sure if this makes sense or if it just limits upstairs space too much.
The plot is large but irregular, making it challenging to position the house facing south while maintaining minimum setbacks.
Cost estimate according to architect/planner: €306,000 for the completed house excluding ancillary and planning costs.
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: About €15,000 can still be budgeted. We expect higher costs after material selection, especially for sanitary fittings, sliding windows, and electronic blinds on the ground floor (upper floor with "standard" design).
Photovoltaic system with battery storage (including subsidy via KfW 40+) and garage are still under consideration.
Preferred heating technology: Air-to-air heat pump. Underfloor heating in the bathroom.
Possibly adding a photovoltaic system with battery. We will gather more information regarding cost/benefit.
If you had to give up on, which details/extensions
- could you do without: Gallery on the upper floor to enlarge the bedroom and children’s rooms. However, this reduces the optics and the bright and open feeling.
- could you not do without: Photovoltaic system, carport (in addition to garage)
Why did the design turn out the way it is? For example:
Standard design from planner? Self-created.
Which wishes from the architect were implemented? All sanitary facilities aligned vertically. Waiver of covered terraces, balconies, or roof overhangs. Entrance on the north side, meaning not directly from the street but around the house at a 90-degree angle. Does this make sense?
A mix of many examples from various magazines? Partly inspired by the STREIF show house in Cologne, for example the gallery.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Since it is mostly my own plan, hard to say. The architect plans the exit through the large window in the dining area (which makes sense). However, this leads to the largest garden area but closer to the street.
You have to walk briefly around the house to reach the "main" garden (basically an exit through the living room). I am not yet fully satisfied with the layout and access to the garden.
If I were planning with a strict budget in mind, options like "or hip roof" and the open space below the roof would definitely be much higher on my priority list than the total floor area in square meters. A hip roof would also imply a different basic design, since the current approach with knee walls tends to be too luxurious with asterisks. What does the zoning plan actually say about roof shape, pitch, and ridge direction? The house symbols on the site plan even suggest there might be a preference for a clear building axis, including its aspect ratio.
Here, the entrance is actually on the long side facing the street—so what does the architect mean by wanting to place it on the side? How certain can we be that the chosen base model is the right one for this project?
The planning tool is not very helpful—neither the purely symbolic wall thicknesses nor the precise dimensions of irrelevant features (such as the distances between window centers) contribute meaningfully to the discussion.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Here, the entrance is actually on the long side facing the street—so what does the architect mean by wanting to place it on the side? How certain can we be that the chosen base model is the right one for this project?
The planning tool is not very helpful—neither the purely symbolic wall thicknesses nor the precise dimensions of irrelevant features (such as the distances between window centers) contribute meaningfully to the discussion.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A mess.
First of all, I want to tell you that you have a very small plot of land. Even if it might be considered large by Munich standards, when it comes to building, it’s still tiny. You’re already having trouble fitting your small house on it.
Of course, it makes sense to choose the staircase design that takes up the least space for small houses. That would probably be a half-turn staircase measuring 2.20m x 2.20m (7.2 ft x 7.2 ft). But it also depends on your other requirements.
Have you already signed with Streif Haus? If yes, why?
I don’t see how you can manage with a 15,000 (15K) budget increase. I find the budget issue quite problematic if that’s your entire financial buffer.
Regarding the floor plan:
I’m not familiar with Streif Haus, but it seems the architect is trying to sell you a cookie-cutter floor plan—probably just to stay within budget. Since the options are limited, he’s offering a straight staircase and a rear entrance.
How flexible is the floor plan with Streif Haus anyway? How much would a custom design based on your own ideas cost extra?
Since everything is so tight here, the discussion only becomes meaningful once you provide the exact dimensions of your plot. Then we can talk about the precise positioning of the house. That would lead to a sensible layout, and only then can we see what money is left over.
First of all, I want to tell you that you have a very small plot of land. Even if it might be considered large by Munich standards, when it comes to building, it’s still tiny. You’re already having trouble fitting your small house on it.
Of course, it makes sense to choose the staircase design that takes up the least space for small houses. That would probably be a half-turn staircase measuring 2.20m x 2.20m (7.2 ft x 7.2 ft). But it also depends on your other requirements.
Have you already signed with Streif Haus? If yes, why?
I don’t see how you can manage with a 15,000 (15K) budget increase. I find the budget issue quite problematic if that’s your entire financial buffer.
Regarding the floor plan:
I’m not familiar with Streif Haus, but it seems the architect is trying to sell you a cookie-cutter floor plan—probably just to stay within budget. Since the options are limited, he’s offering a straight staircase and a rear entrance.
How flexible is the floor plan with Streif Haus anyway? How much would a custom design based on your own ideas cost extra?
Since everything is so tight here, the discussion only becomes meaningful once you provide the exact dimensions of your plot. Then we can talk about the precise positioning of the house. That would lead to a sensible layout, and only then can we see what money is left over.
Oh my goodness! What kind of nonsense have they told you?
Your financial buffer is already at –35,000€ (–$35,000) based on what’s stated. Whatever is missing will be added on top of that.
What do you want to do with an air-to-air heat pump? Do you have any idea how much electricity that consumes? The photovoltaic system won’t help you much if from the end of November to the end of February you only get 10–20% of the usual output. That’s barely enough to cover the base load and maybe hot water. The heating system will then be completely excluded! You might as well turn off the storage tank for three months because it won’t fill up, and you’ll use everything directly.
I don’t even want to comment on the floor plan! So much beautiful large space on the ground floor and yet so much mess. Oh dear!
Your financial buffer is already at –35,000€ (–$35,000) based on what’s stated. Whatever is missing will be added on top of that.
What do you want to do with an air-to-air heat pump? Do you have any idea how much electricity that consumes? The photovoltaic system won’t help you much if from the end of November to the end of February you only get 10–20% of the usual output. That’s barely enough to cover the base load and maybe hot water. The heating system will then be completely excluded! You might as well turn off the storage tank for three months because it won’t fill up, and you’ll use everything directly.
I don’t even want to comment on the floor plan! So much beautiful large space on the ground floor and yet so much mess. Oh dear!
To focus first on the house’s position on the plot, I definitely see an entrance in the northeast (if the southeast is to be avoided due to the terrace area).
I have attached two possible locations depending on the building plan’s allowances. I don’t quite understand your mention of the "building line in the northwest." Is the line along the street a building line (which would then be southeast) or just a building boundary? If it is a building line, option 1 would no longer be possible. The more I look at it, the more I prefer option 2. The terrace could be in the southwest, extending slightly around the corner to the northwest, offering both a shaded spot during the day and lovely evening sun later on—wonderful!
(1)
(2)
I see the entrance in the east (or the south), not in the north or west. Although for the floor plan it would be nicer to have the entrance in the north, that would give postmen, craftsmen, etc., a view of your entire property. With the entrance in the east, the northwest part of the plot remains "private" and also enjoys beautiful evening sun.
The "corner" in the garden could be used for a "creative" garage—freely designed, not a prefab garage—e.g., as a storage space for bicycles or a workshop area.
Regarding the floor plan: With the relatively small footprint, I would avoid things like a gallery. Are you planning 2 full stories (typical for the Streif Haus city villa) or 1.5 stories?
Looking at the Streif Haus WD1000 base design, I would rotate the house so the entrance is in the northeast, mirror the ground-floor room layout (utility room and shower to the north), and keep the upper floor as it is (children’s rooms facing south, bedroom in the northwest, bathroom in the northeast). The northwest will also be your quietest corner (farthest from the street).
Children’s rooms in the south make sense—kids want light and the ability to see what’s happening on the street.
Are you set on Streif Haus? A version of the Bien-Zenker Evolution house might also fit the plot well—for example, the Evolution Stuttgart or the EVOLUTION 134 V4.
I have attached two possible locations depending on the building plan’s allowances. I don’t quite understand your mention of the "building line in the northwest." Is the line along the street a building line (which would then be southeast) or just a building boundary? If it is a building line, option 1 would no longer be possible. The more I look at it, the more I prefer option 2. The terrace could be in the southwest, extending slightly around the corner to the northwest, offering both a shaded spot during the day and lovely evening sun later on—wonderful!
(1)
(2)
I see the entrance in the east (or the south), not in the north or west. Although for the floor plan it would be nicer to have the entrance in the north, that would give postmen, craftsmen, etc., a view of your entire property. With the entrance in the east, the northwest part of the plot remains "private" and also enjoys beautiful evening sun.
The "corner" in the garden could be used for a "creative" garage—freely designed, not a prefab garage—e.g., as a storage space for bicycles or a workshop area.
Regarding the floor plan: With the relatively small footprint, I would avoid things like a gallery. Are you planning 2 full stories (typical for the Streif Haus city villa) or 1.5 stories?
Looking at the Streif Haus WD1000 base design, I would rotate the house so the entrance is in the northeast, mirror the ground-floor room layout (utility room and shower to the north), and keep the upper floor as it is (children’s rooms facing south, bedroom in the northwest, bathroom in the northeast). The northwest will also be your quietest corner (farthest from the street).
Children’s rooms in the south make sense—kids want light and the ability to see what’s happening on the street.
Are you set on Streif Haus? A version of the Bien-Zenker Evolution house might also fit the plot well—for example, the Evolution Stuttgart or the EVOLUTION 134 V4.
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