ᐅ Single-family house 180-190 sqm on a 10x20 m building plot, first draft general contractor proposal

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are planning to become homeowners soon and have had a preliminary floor plan created by our (prospective) prefab home provider based on our first meeting.

We have a specific plot in mind, but the new development area is still being surveyed, and the parcels are being reorganized. Therefore, there is no official site plan yet, only the attached zoning plan excerpt (dashed lines = property boundaries).

We find the floor plan draft interesting at first glance, especially since it doesn’t seem like a standard template from the provider, at least from our perspective. I’ve listed a few points below that I think could be improved – I’m sure you’ll notice more...

Thanks in advance for your assessments!

Thomas

Zoning Plan / Restrictions

Plot Size – 47 sqm (505 sq ft)

Slope – none

Site Coverage Ratio – 0.4

Floor Area Ratio – 0.8

Building Envelope, Building Line, and Setbacks – Building envelope 10 x 20 m (33 x 66 ft), setback 3 m (10 ft) from street/neighboring property, perimeter development possible but not planned

Number of Parking Spaces – 2

Number of Stories – 2 full stories

Roof Type – gable, hip, shed, flat

Architectural Style – modern

Orientation –

Maximum Heights / Limits – 9.80 m (32 ft) from road surface to top of building

Additional Requirements –


Homeowners’ Requirements

Style, Roof Type, Building Type – not fixed (except: no flat roof)

Basement, Number of Floors – 2 full stories, no basement

Number of Occupants, Ages – 3 persons (36, 35, 1), potentially second child in future

Space Requirements on Ground and Upper Floors –
Ground floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, pantry, office/guest room, utility room
Upper floor: bedroom/bathroom/walk-in closet, 2 children’s rooms, kids’ bathroom

Office: Family Use or Home Office? – occasional home office, room shared with guest room

Number of Sleep Guests Per Year – 5–10

Open or Closed Architecture – open

Conservative or Modern Construction – modern

Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island – yes

Number of Dining Seats – 6–10

Fireplace – yes

Music / Stereo Wall – no

Balcony, Roof Terrace – nice to have, not essential

Garage, Carport – carport

Utility Garden, Greenhouse – no


House Design

Designer – general contractor

What Do You Like Especially? Why?
Ground floor: open living/dining area but no direct line of sight from sofa to kitchen, short route from front door to pantry, separated utility room
Upper floor: separation of children’s and master areas, no “trapped” walk-in closet, roof terrace, “sleeping platform” in children’s room

What Do You Dislike? Why?
Overall: floor plan looks very elongated
Ground floor: entrance vestibule (in my opinion unnecessary), coat storage far from front door (alternative under stairs?), WC possibly too narrow, no direct access from kitchen to terrace (planned at SE/SW corner – around the corner), seating nook in kitchen (planned to be removed/replaced with window seat), distance between kitchen island and wall, narrow passage living/dining area if fireplace and piano (175 x 60 cm) are placed as planned
Upper floor: children’s rooms facing north, bedroom facing south, “space” at roof terrace exit, overall space usage (large hallway 20 sqm plus 10 sqm “leftover” as “sauna room” (sauna for 2 persons should be integrated in bathroom), bathroom rather small and walk-in closet quite narrow)

Price Estimate According to Architect/Planner: $465,000 (excluding land and additional construction costs)

Personal Price Limit for the House, Including Equipment: $500,000

Preferred Heating Technology: air-to-water heat pump, possibly with photovoltaic system


If You Have to Give Up Anything, which Details/Features

- Could You Do Without: sauna, kitchen island, roof terrace

-Could Not Do Without: fireplace, office/guest room, separate walk-in closet/dressing room, 2 bathrooms upstairs

Why Is the Design Like It Is? e.g.

Standard Design from Planner? – no

Which Wishes from the Architect Have Been Implemented? – design based on our room program and “wish list” (e.g., fireplace, “window seat” in kitchen, spatial separation of living room and kitchen, no trapped walk-in closet)

What Do You Think Makes It Especially Good or Bad? – bad: space use upstairs (20 sqm hallway + 10 sqm sauna/leftover space), good: separation of “technical area” on ground floor and children’s/master areas upstairs

What Is the Most Important/Basic Question About the Floor Plan in 130 Characters?
Can this initial draft be developed further, or is it better to start from scratch? If the latter, how to improve (classic rectangle?)?

Do you like this complex floor plan?
I would personally remove some of the corners.
How are the carport and parking spaces planned?

Make sure to draw your existing or desired furniture to scale. Take into account walking paths and occupied chairs at tables.

Hello! A lock.

Just a quick question:
Wouldn't you prefer to build something more compact and have a larger garden instead? As it is, there is virtually no garden left.

Achieving this budget will be difficult even without a basement, and I don’t even want to get into the details yet.

Is that your maximum amount? Then you should start cutting down your expectations.

And this has to be done on a plot size of 47 square meters (about 505 square feet).

Climbee schrieb:

Even without a basement, staying within that budget will be tough—I’m not even getting into the details yet.

Is that your maximum amount? Then you’ll need to cut back right away.

And that has to work on a plot size of 47 m² (505 ft²)

I think it’s doable. 500K is a serious budget. If the 190 m² (2,045 ft²) is about right, it should work. The land and additional construction costs are separate anyway.

@haydee / @kaho674
My wife likes the complex layout—it feels "unique." However, I’ve also wondered if a simpler floor plan (for example, 9x12m (30x39 feet)) with maybe a bay window (wherever) would make more sense... That would also leave more space for the garden.

The carport is planned to be north of the front door (according to the development plan, it’s allowed to be within the setback area from the neighbor), and a second parking space is placed in front of it, closer to the street.

@Climbee
True, with a 47 sqm (500 sq ft) lot, we might have to build upwards instead...
I’m not fundamentally opposed to reducing the size, especially since the current design exceeds the targeted living area of about 180–190 sqm (1,940–2,045 sq ft) by quite a bit—but exactly where to reduce is the question. Also, just to clarify (I can’t edit my original post anymore): the stated budget is for the house only; landscaping and other exterior works have a separate budget. That doesn’t mean we have to spend the entire $500,000 at any cost.