ᐅ Single-family house with double garage, approximately 190 sqm | Suggestions for improvement

Hello everyone,

we have summarized all the information about our construction project below.
Please feel free to take a look and share your feedback.
Thank you very much – we are looking forward to your opinions on our current planning status :-)

The floor plan drafts were originally drawn by our draftsman with pencil and paper. For this reason, we have redrawn them using the Magicplan app (allows furniture layout and 3D view).

Here is the information about our building project:

Development Plan / Restrictions:
Plot size: approx. 1000 sqm (10,764 sq ft)
Slope: no
Plot ratio / floor area ratio: no requirements
Building envelope, building line and boundary: no requirements
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: 1.5 (knee wall height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in))
Roof shape: no requirements
Architectural style: no requirements
Orientation: no requirements
Maximum heights / limits: no requirements
Additional requirements: we are building in a rural area and only need to comply with § 35 Abs. 2

Client Requirements:
Style, roof type, building type: modern, classic detached house with a gable roof
Basement, storeys: ground floor and upper floor with knee wall height of 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 2 children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors:
Ground floor: open living area with spacious open kitchen including pantry, guest toilet with shower, home office, cloakroom, utility room combined with mudroom function
Upper floor: bathroom, master bedroom with small walk-in closet, 2 children’s bedrooms, gallery used as play or reading room
Number of overnight guests per year: 6 times per year
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes (half island)
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage: double garage

House Design
Designer: an older draftsman, but most suggestions and ideas come from us
What do you particularly like? Why?: We really like the ground floor (platform stairs, open living area, kitchen corner, connection garage – utility room – cloakroom), gallery on the upper floor
What do you dislike? Why?: Concern that dining area might be too small, window arrangement in the kitchen, gallery on upper floor somewhat small, storage room on upper floor
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 500,000 €
Personal price limit for house including fittings: 500,000 €
Preferred heating technology: air heat pump

If you had to give up something, which details/finishings
-could you give up: walk-in closet in master bedroom, storage room on the upper floor
-could you not give up: shower in guest toilet, open living space, pantry, platform stairs, fireplace, gallery on upper floor

Why did the design end up this way?
One year of planning the floor plan (many visits to show houses, ideas from magazines & Pinterest, trying out room layouts based on our daily routines)
-> basically we are very satisfied with the plans, all our wishes could be considered!

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Honest feedback on the plan, suggestions for improvement?

Overall, it makes sense. I would consider adding a second bathroom on the upper floor, specifically where the hallway is quite spacious. If you are a family of four and both children go to school, it can get tight when four people want to use the bathroom at the same time. This would also make the guest bathroom tidier, allowing you to skip the shower there.

If you want to include a full basement, the budget of 500,000 euros might become very tight. I would recommend building the fireplace as a masonry stove, as otherwise the corner tends to overheat quickly.

For our house (170 sqm (1,830 sq ft), partial basement, double garage, and fireplace), we paid 540,000 euros about three years ago.

Also, when considering the size of the plot, make sure to allocate enough money for the landscaping. The garden is not exactly small.

Why not have the driveway to the garage from the street? That way, you would have a nice west-facing garden.

At first glance, I like it. Very nice ground floor (especially if the entrance door to the open-plan living area is aligned with the stairwell).
I’m not fond of the first floor – I would adjust that a bit. However, the design doesn’t make sense to me in relation to the plot and its orientation.
Also, I can’t really make sense of the site plan without my reading glasses. Where exactly does the 1000sqm (10764 sq ft) plot end?
By the way, the gentleman forgot the chimney flue on the first floor.

Is the shower in the bathroom under the sloping roof practical?

You can also fit the linear meter of wardrobe space into the bedroom without a dressing wall, gaining an area for yoga in front of the wardrobe.

I am mainly curious about why you are allowed to build in the outdoor area. 🙂