ᐅ Single-family home for 4 or more people: share your thoughts with us! :)

What is the most important/fundamental question regarding the floor plan?
1) What do you think of the ground floor and its orientation in relation to the garden and terrace?
2) Should we swap the kitchen and the TV area, yes or no? Currently, the TV and dining area face the garden/Black Forest and southeast side, while the kitchen is on the southwest side.
3) Any ideas for a suitable staircase? The appearance is important since the staircase is part of the open living area.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 490 sqm (5,270 sq ft)
Slope: no, the plot is flat
Building envelope: 9.50 m x 14.00 m (31 ft 2 in x 45 ft 11 in)
Boundary construction: only garage and carport
Number of parking spots: 3
Number of floors: 2 full stories
Roof type: free choice (hipped roof planned)
Architectural style: free choice, planned modern / urban villa / Mediterranean
Orientation: terrace/garden faces southeast and south. View of the Black Forest to the rear.

Client requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: hipped roof
Basement, floors: fully basemented, 2 full stories
Number of occupants: 4 (2 adults, 2 children)
Space requirements: large living/dining area on the ground floor; 3 bedrooms upstairs
Office: yes, for home office
Guest stays per year: 5-6 times (individuals/families)
Open architecture
Modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 8-10
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no, large ground floor terrace
Garage, carport: garage for bicycles, prams etc., carport for cars

House design
Source of the design: developed by ourselves
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living space, practical ground floor layout
What don’t you like? Why? We are uncertain about the staircase design
Price estimate according to architect/designer: EUR 600,000 (turnkey including additional construction costs, landscaping, garage)
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating or air-to-water heat pump

If you have to give up anything, which details/features
- you can do without: carport, shower on the ground floor
- you cannot do without: glass doors in the living room

Why does the design look the way it does now? For example
Standard design from the planner? The plan so far comes from us.

I don’t see much that is wrong here. Personally, I would place the storage room next to the kitchen and the guest toilet to the left of the stairs. Even if the wastewater systems are separate, this way you get more of it in the kitchen.

Upstairs, the bedroom works much better without a wardrobe. You might even consider swapping the rooms so the children get more sunlight.

What could be wrong?!

It could be a mistake not to consider load-bearing walls, which might have led to increased planning costs.
The hallway on the ground floor could also be problematic, as the transverse corridor hardly creates a welcoming atmosphere or a functional arrival space for a family. It’s basically a narrow passage that exists only to provide access to the garage through a door that is more inconvenient to use than simply entering through the front door just 3 meters (10 feet) away.
In the basement, the office should have the light well for the secondary escape route. How is the well supposed to work in the guest room?
To me, it would be a waste to furnish the best corner of the house (west) with a toilet*.
Meanwhile, the rooms for staying or relaxing upstairs have a less favorable orientation.
I consider the bedroom poorly planned or compromised.

*For me, that would be reason enough to redesign.

If the door opens into the garage like that, the car will immediately have a few new dents.

ypg schrieb:

What exactly is wrong?!
It could be wrong that load-bearing walls were not considered, which led to increased planning costs.
It could also be the hallway on the ground floor, which, as a crossbar, hardly creates a comfortable feeling or a proper welcoming area for a family. It’s basically a narrow corridor that exists just to provide a door to the garage, which is more inconvenient to use than simply entering through the front door three meters away.
In the basement, the office would need a light well for the second means of escape. How is the light well supposed to work in the guest room?
To me, it would be like casting pearls before swine to furnish the best corner of the house (west side) with the toilet*
while giving the living areas upstairs a less attractive orientation.
I consider the bedroom to be poorly placed.

*That alone would be reason enough for me to redesign.

Hello Yvonne, thank you very much for your detailed feedback. If we didn’t want criticism, we wouldn’t publish our plans here.

I’m not entirely clear about your comment regarding the bathroom on the ground floor. Yes, that is the southwest side of the house. But this corner borders the parking area, which in my view means it is not the best corner of the house. How would you orient the ground floor (especially the dining room, kitchen, and TV area) based on our plot?

"You say the living areas upstairs have a less attractive orientation." — Could you please clarify what you mean by that?

Thank you very much and best regards.

hanse987 schrieb:

If the door opens into the garage like that, the car immediately ends up with a few new dents.

Thank you for the feedback. The garage is intended as a storage space for bicycles, strollers, etc. So the scratches are not a big issue. Otherwise, you are, of course, absolutely right.