ᐅ Floor Plan Design for New Single-Family Home, Narrow Plot, Initial Architect Draft
Created on: 10 Nov 2025 22:30
I
Ian_Mer
Hello everyone,
we are currently planning our single-family home. We now have the first draft of our floor plan, but it is not perfect yet. So I thought I’d ask for your advice on what we could still change or improve. Everything is still possible at this stage.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 450 m² (4,844 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Site coverage ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge development: not yet present, as the building area is currently being developed
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of full stories: 2
Roof type: flat roof with mandatory green roofing
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) maximum height, Hessian building regulations (Hesse, Germany), new: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) setback from neighboring property.
Client Requirements
Modern house for 2 adults and two children aged 4 and 6, including basement, 2 full floors.
Space requirements on the ground floor: office, kitchen, pantry, dining area, living room, guest bathroom with shower. Upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, master bedroom with walk-in closet, bathroom with bathtub and double sinks. Basement: technical room, utility room, second office, creativity room for crafts, playing, or making music.
Office use: family use or home office? Home office; both parents work three days per week from home.
Number of overnight guests per year: 6, regular overnight visitors.
Open or closed layout:
Conventional or modern construction:
Open kitchen with cooking island: yes
Number of dining places: usually 4, more for guests, birthdays, etc.
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: only TV wall
Balcony or roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: garage plus bike storage
Vegetable garden or greenhouse: yes, vegetable garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine preferences, including reasons why something should or should not be included: built-in closet in the entrance hall, lots of storage space.
House Design
Planner: (interior) architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Window seat in the kitchen, living room somewhat separated in the bay window, space for an outdoor kitchen on the covered terrace.
What don’t you like? Why?
Location of the shed, we would prefer the staircase as a platform staircase or with straight steps, we wonder if the kitchen is large enough and provides enough storage space. The utility room is too small. Instead of the skylight, we would rather plan a window in the stairwell.
Cost estimate according to the architect/planner: unknown
Personal budget for the house including fittings: 650,000
Preferred heating system: heat pump
Why was the design developed this way? Needs analysis with the architect, after which she created the first draft.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? From the sofa, there should be a view of the garden, lots of storage, master bed 1.60 m x 2 m (5 ft 3 in x 6 ft 7 in) (no need for 2 m x 2 m bed), walk-in closet accessible from the bedroom, covered terrace, covered entrance gate.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We find the layout basically good but not yet perfect.
[ATTACH type="full" width="500px" alt="2D floor plan of a house with living area, kitchen, dining area, bedroom, and garage">
we are currently planning our single-family home. We now have the first draft of our floor plan, but it is not perfect yet. So I thought I’d ask for your advice on what we could still change or improve. Everything is still possible at this stage.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 450 m² (4,844 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.3
Site coverage ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: see plan
Edge development: not yet present, as the building area is currently being developed
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of full stories: 2
Roof type: flat roof with mandatory green roofing
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) maximum height, Hessian building regulations (Hesse, Germany), new: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) setback from neighboring property.
Client Requirements
Modern house for 2 adults and two children aged 4 and 6, including basement, 2 full floors.
Space requirements on the ground floor: office, kitchen, pantry, dining area, living room, guest bathroom with shower. Upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms, master bedroom with walk-in closet, bathroom with bathtub and double sinks. Basement: technical room, utility room, second office, creativity room for crafts, playing, or making music.
Office use: family use or home office? Home office; both parents work three days per week from home.
Number of overnight guests per year: 6, regular overnight visitors.
Open or closed layout:
Conventional or modern construction:
Open kitchen with cooking island: yes
Number of dining places: usually 4, more for guests, birthdays, etc.
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: only TV wall
Balcony or roof terrace: no
Garage or carport: garage plus bike storage
Vegetable garden or greenhouse: yes, vegetable garden
Other wishes / special features / daily routine preferences, including reasons why something should or should not be included: built-in closet in the entrance hall, lots of storage space.
House Design
Planner: (interior) architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
Window seat in the kitchen, living room somewhat separated in the bay window, space for an outdoor kitchen on the covered terrace.
What don’t you like? Why?
Location of the shed, we would prefer the staircase as a platform staircase or with straight steps, we wonder if the kitchen is large enough and provides enough storage space. The utility room is too small. Instead of the skylight, we would rather plan a window in the stairwell.
Cost estimate according to the architect/planner: unknown
Personal budget for the house including fittings: 650,000
Preferred heating system: heat pump
Why was the design developed this way? Needs analysis with the architect, after which she created the first draft.
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? From the sofa, there should be a view of the garden, lots of storage, master bed 1.60 m x 2 m (5 ft 3 in x 6 ft 7 in) (no need for 2 m x 2 m bed), walk-in closet accessible from the bedroom, covered terrace, covered entrance gate.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We find the layout basically good but not yet perfect.
Arauki11 schrieb:
This is a frequently discussed topic here—the fear of rare raindrops leading to high costs. I would definitely discard that concern immediately. In fact, I also find the point mentioned here important: that with one device you can even access the back of the house. I overlooked that with my first house, and I would never neglect it again. It is also a visual effect, so the house does not look like a plain rectangular box. However, of course, you have to weigh whether the costs and benefits are proportional.
ypg schrieb:
You have to build according to the building lines, whether you want to or not. Building boundaries define a building plot. Yes, that's right, I meant building boundary...
ypg schrieb:
I would place the garage on the west side and increase the window area on the west facade. Then put the garage with the shed on the east side, rotated and close to the building boundary. If I understand correctly, this would leave no opportunity to install a window in the guest bathroom. Additionally, according to the development plan, it is not allowed: "Garages and carports must be set back at least 5.0 m (16 feet) from the accessing property boundary," and "Garages and carports are only permitted within the buildable area of the property and within the side building setback."
ypg schrieb:
because it is too dominant and takes up too much space.
The kitchen is far too small. Where would you put two appliances along with knives, cutting boards, opened bottles, and so on? You don’t want to make the 10-step trip through the door to the pantry every time you need something. A pantry can’t replace a kitchen when you need to have everything quickly at hand for four people.
The shower toilet, cloakroom, and pantry are all intertwined; this could be arranged more simply and more comfortably. Do you have any ideas on how we could enlarge the kitchen?
Ian_Mer schrieb:
“Garages and carports are only permitted within the buildable areas of the plot as well as the lateral building setback.” This would be complied with in my example.
Ian_Mer schrieb:
Furthermore, according to the development plan, it is not allowed: “Garages and carports must be set back at least 5.0 m (16 feet) from the access boundary of the property.” I assume this is a misunderstanding, since garages must be kept 5 meters (16 feet) clear for other reasons (some legal paragraph). This is mainly to "monitor traffic flow on the street," meaning you should be able to park in front of the garage with your vehicle. Pay attention to the cited paragraphs!
Anyway, unless you live your daily life and family activities against the flow, you tend to prioritize the western sun in the house because you actually experience it.
Whichever way you plan your garage, it’s best to place it on the east side. Your office now benefits from the great “O to O” (east to west) exposure, so adding a side window there would be ideal.
Ian_Mer schrieb:
If I understand correctly, you would then have no option to install a window in the guest bathroom. That’s correct. However, if I were to work on the design more thoroughly, I would mirror or reverse the layout anyway.
But definitely leave one side free; otherwise, you’ll be unhappy with the front yard usage if you block your options to walk along the house.
I don’t have enough time to go into details today. But as I mentioned before, I find much of it a bit too fussy, and the kitchen wouldn’t be sufficient for a two-person household. Even if the stove is on an island, the island serves for preparation but not as storage space (only briefly and temporarily). The sink area only has enough room for a draining space, but no dishwasher, kettle, occasional toaster, bread maker, or other mixer. Simply put, it’s not functional.
Your plot is fairly narrow at about 15 m (49 feet). The building envelope of around 10 m (33 feet) by 16 m (52 feet) is also quite limited. Maybe a basement is the solution, or possibly a recessed upper floor. But in my opinion, the available footprint doesn’t support what’s being requested here.
Aesthetic aspects are important but must align with the budget. Possibly the house is too wide here, and perhaps a straight staircase is the better option.
What does the development plan say about the terraces? Do they need to be within the property line?
So, without knowing all the details, I would plan some things differently. There are some bottlenecks that need to be resolved first… The shower toilet with the tight entrance, a narrow passage to the pantry. Then there is the “gauntlet” — what happens when cooking and your partner brings in groceries? In short: as it is, the house is too wide for the plot. The kitchen should be mentally rotated about 90 degrees to extend along the house length, etc.
Regarding the kitchen... As always: quick & dirty
H
hanghaus202311 Nov 2025 17:49Quickly: On the left, large aerated concrete blocks and possibly two tall cabinets. Below, base cabinets and wall cabinets.
Next to the bathroom door, a seating area and mirror.
Instead of a garage, a carport to allow access to the rear.
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