ᐅ Floor Plan for a Single-Family Home, 175 m² – Suggestions for Improvement?
Created on: 28 Jun 2022 23:26
D
Dizzy05
Hello,
We are currently working on the floor plan design. Attached is the architect’s proposal. Overall, we like the layout very much, but I feel there is unnecessarily large living space lost to the hallway/entrance area/staircase. Does anyone have suggestions for improvement?
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 2,200 m2 (0.54 acres)
No slope
Location: Saxony-Anhalt
Number of stories: 2 floors
There is no formal development plan; the building should just fit the character of the street (residential area only)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: simple design, mono-pitched roof
No basement
Number of occupants, ages: four people, including two children of preschool age
Space needs on ground floor: living room, large kitchen, pantry, WC with shower, guest room, utility room
Space needs on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in closet, three children’s rooms, bathroom, additional toilet
Overnight guests per year: once per month
Closed architecture
Conservative construction style
Kitchen: preferably with an island
Number of dining seats: 6
No balcony or roof terrace
No garage or carport
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you particularly like and why? Flexible and adaptable floor plan; it could be converted into two separate units later on
What do you dislike and why? Too much living space wasted on the hallway/entrance/staircase
Preferred heating system: heat pump, underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details or extras?
Can be omitted: open gallery on the upper floor, additional toilet on the upper floor
Cannot be omitted: floor plan must remain adaptable
Why was the design made the way it is now?
It is important to us that the single-family house can be divided into two separate living units
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Can the hallway/entrance/staircase be made smaller?
We are currently working on the floor plan design. Attached is the architect’s proposal. Overall, we like the layout very much, but I feel there is unnecessarily large living space lost to the hallway/entrance area/staircase. Does anyone have suggestions for improvement?
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 2,200 m2 (0.54 acres)
No slope
Location: Saxony-Anhalt
Number of stories: 2 floors
There is no formal development plan; the building should just fit the character of the street (residential area only)
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: simple design, mono-pitched roof
No basement
Number of occupants, ages: four people, including two children of preschool age
Space needs on ground floor: living room, large kitchen, pantry, WC with shower, guest room, utility room
Space needs on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in closet, three children’s rooms, bathroom, additional toilet
Overnight guests per year: once per month
Closed architecture
Conservative construction style
Kitchen: preferably with an island
Number of dining seats: 6
No balcony or roof terrace
No garage or carport
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you particularly like and why? Flexible and adaptable floor plan; it could be converted into two separate units later on
What do you dislike and why? Too much living space wasted on the hallway/entrance/staircase
Preferred heating system: heat pump, underfloor heating
If you had to give up something, which details or extras?
Can be omitted: open gallery on the upper floor, additional toilet on the upper floor
Cannot be omitted: floor plan must remain adaptable
Why was the design made the way it is now?
It is important to us that the single-family house can be divided into two separate living units
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Can the hallway/entrance/staircase be made smaller?
Thank you very much for your replies!
The living room is intended to be used solely as a living area (sofa, TV), while the dining table will be placed in the kitchen (at the window seating area).
We currently have two children, so there are two large bedrooms for them. The third smaller room will initially be used as an office, but if a third child arrives later, it could be converted.
For the walk-in closet, we deliberately planned the door from the hallway so that cabinets can be placed on both sides. However, we could certainly also consider adding a door from the bedroom.
Regarding the hallway, I have also thought about leaving the doorway open without a door at first, to allow more light into the inner hallway. Alternatively, the entire wall between the stairwell and inner hallway could be removed (as long as it is occupied as a single-family home) and only built later when the property is used as two separate living units.
The living room is intended to be used solely as a living area (sofa, TV), while the dining table will be placed in the kitchen (at the window seating area).
We currently have two children, so there are two large bedrooms for them. The third smaller room will initially be used as an office, but if a third child arrives later, it could be converted.
For the walk-in closet, we deliberately planned the door from the hallway so that cabinets can be placed on both sides. However, we could certainly also consider adding a door from the bedroom.
Regarding the hallway, I have also thought about leaving the doorway open without a door at first, to allow more light into the inner hallway. Alternatively, the entire wall between the stairwell and inner hallway could be removed (as long as it is occupied as a single-family home) and only built later when the property is used as two separate living units.
Why do you accept such restrictions for decades only to eventually divide the house?
Older people usually prefer not to have anyone else living in the house. Additionally, the living unit does not appear to be fully accessible at first glance (wide doors, bathroom, etc.).
Neither one thing nor the other.
Older people usually prefer not to have anyone else living in the house. Additionally, the living unit does not appear to be fully accessible at first glance (wide doors, bathroom, etc.).
Neither one thing nor the other.
C
Costruttrice29 Jun 2022 09:13SoL schrieb:
Why would you accept such restrictions for decades just so you can divide the house eventually? That was also my first question when I saw the floor plan.
Why does the house have to be divisible? Don’t you want to live comfortably and create a cozy family home now? Who knows what will happen in the future?! So many years will pass until then, that you might change everything anyway and make it more modern.
I have a friend who did it the opposite way – she bought an existing two-family house because of her four children and converted it into a single dwelling. It is very uncomfortable, even though the doors in the stairwell were removed and the openings widened so the staircase doesn’t feel separate anymore, and a large open living-dining area was made on the ground floor. Still, you can tell it was not originally designed for one family. Unfortunately, your floor plan feels the same.
If there are no strong reasons besides the current idea of downsizing in old age, I would start from scratch and design a proper single-family house for a family with young children now. You will benefit more from that in the coming years than by already thinking about later in life.
SoL schrieb:
Neither fish nor fowl.And for a lifetime, only lazy compromises. Not just for you, but also for the children.M
Myrna_Loy29 Jun 2022 09:43Since the original poster emphasized the importance of divisibility so often in the initial post, it seems pointless to criticize this aspect. Without a properly scaled furnishing plan, it is difficult for me to assess the floor plan, but I also suspect that it will be particularly challenging on the ground floor. The hallway could hardly be any smaller, and I already find the current one almost too narrow—and too dark.
Dizzy05 schrieb:
Overall, we really like the floor plan, but I think there is unnecessarily a lot of living space wasted on the hallway/foyer/stairwell area.
Given the stated requirements, I find the floor plan acceptable. The hallways are not too large. On the contrary, I think the space allocated for the coat area and the entire entrance for five people is much too small. Could the square meters be better distributed if one gave up the future separation and the conservative construction method? Yes, very likely. But that is not desired. Whether one wants to live like that is another question.
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