ᐅ Suggestions for the floor plan of a single-family house, approximately 175 sqm, with a pitched roof

Created on: 4 Nov 2022 22:51
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epinephrin
I’m venturing into this part of the forum to share our floor plan for discussion. I’m hoping for constructive feedback and ideas in case improvements would be advisable.

We want a bright house of about 160-170 sqm (1700-1830 sq ft). We would prefer an open staircase design, but it should not interfere with the floor plan. The flat roof dormer is more than just a nice-to-have... 🙂

Overall, we like the current floor plan very much, but since we are building novices, we would like to go over it with you experts to identify any possible issues. As we haven’t signed the contract with the general contractor yet, there are unfortunately no detailed dimensions available. The furnishing in the kitchen, bathroom, and living area is not yet fixed, so please don’t focus too much on those!

Orientation: the street and entrance are on the north side, terrace faces southwest.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 854 sqm (9190 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) from plot boundary
Edge development: garage approx. 1 m (3 ft) northeast
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of storeys: max. 2 full floors
Roof type: gable roof 30-45°, hipped roof 25-35°, shed roof, flat roof possible
Style: modern
Orientation: southwest
Maximum height/building limits: ridge height 8.50 m (28 ft)
Additional requirements: driveway max. 4 m (13 ft) wide

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof house (without eaves)
Basement, floors: no basement; 1.5 or 2 storeys; cold roof
Number of people, ages: 4 people (42, 41, 8, 5)
Room requirements on ground floor: kitchen, living, office, shower/WC, utility room; upper floor: sleeping, dressing room, 2 children’s rooms, bathroom, reading corner
Office: used for family or home office? 1 home office
Number of overnight guests per year: max 2
Open or closed architecture: open and bright
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open (but no direct view to living area), kitchen island if possible
Number of dining seats: 6 (preferably extendable to at least 8)
Fireplace: bioethanol / water vapor fireplace
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no, but projecting bay window on upper floor
Garage, carport: garage or carport (6x9 m (20x30 ft) – position and storage room next to or behind garage not fixed yet – orientation on plot either lengthwise or widthwise)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Further wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons for decisions:
  • Seating window on upper floor (bay window) – to hopefully bring plenty of light into the hallway and provide a nice view
  • Open staircase (straight or with landing, no preference)
  • Kitchen without direct line of sight from living area
  • Office preferably with garden access

House design
Origin of the design: original floor plan from Gussek House “Zypressenallee,” adapted to our needs and wishes by a general contractor’s planner

What do you like most and why? We like the layout and orientation of the ground floor, with sightlines from the entrance area

What do you like least and why? Uncertainty whether the kitchen is too tight; arrangement options for living room (sofa, piano!, bioethanol fireplace?) – possibly remove the middle square window in the living area on the ground floor in favor of more space for furniture?

Price estimate from architect/planner: 600,000 EUR (including garage, additional construction costs)
Personal price limit for house including equipment: 600,000 EUR
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump

If you have to give up on certain details or extras:
- Can give up: staircase, 10 sqm (110 sq ft) of living space
- Cannot give up: bay window on upper floor (I just really like this nesting box)

Why is the design as it is now? For example:
The desire for a bay window with reading window and open architecture was implemented, combining examples from various magazines...

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
see above

Floor plan of a house with garage, office, hallway, kitchen and open living area.


Floor plan of the upper floor with hallway, bathroom, dressing room, master bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, office/reading area.


Cross-section through a multi-storey house with staircase, roof structure, and foundation.


Hand sketch of a floor plan: house with kitchen, living room, terrace and double garage.


Site plan of a housing development with yellow streets, red residential areas, and legend on the right.
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Myrna_Loy
6 Nov 2022 19:56
So you don’t have bedside tables, and there are doors next to your head. Sliding doors generally provide less sound insulation.
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SoL
6 Nov 2022 20:10
Yes, such a solution is possible when renovating an existing building, but please not if you can plan everything from scratch...
Why do you want to limit yourself like that?
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kbt09
6 Nov 2022 20:27
Exactly, that bed layout just doesn’t work.

I’m not very impressed with the kitchen area either. I find planning a kitchen there quite challenging. As drawn, it creates a lot of unused space. It also strongly limits flexibility due to the corner window combination.
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ypg
6 Nov 2022 20:34
epinephrin schrieb:

What came out, you can see in the attachment.

You are installing a seating window where it constantly needs shading, turning a bedroom (and living room) into a passage room, and if your partner isn’t the one disturbing the sleep, then it’s a door behind you—in both the bedroom and living room—that causes discomfort because it’s out of your line of sight.
epinephrin schrieb:

Certainly not ideal for the morning routine for everyone.

… not just mornings, but evenings or even daytime when ill can be irritating as well. And whether in 2, 5, or 10 years you will still have this “joined morning ritual” is questionable. Especially at your age, changes and adjustments to daily routines are just beginning…

I find the changes to be a case of “too much improvement,” making things worse. However, your original idea of a walk-in closet that offers more than just the bedroom is also not ideal.
epinephrin schrieb:

The sill height of these corner windows is quite low at 76 cm (30 inches), and the narrow window is floor-to-ceiling. Admittedly, we wanted them symmetrical with the ground floor. Yes, yes, I know—inside out…

Yes, but these aren’t built or ordered yet, right?! You can still change the bottom part. The sill height has nothing to do with symmetry. I would clearly adjust a kitchen window to match the bedroom window, not the other way around. You have plenty of options with the kitchen units. And nowhere else do you have it different at top and bottom. So why the bedroom, where privacy is more important, rather than the kitchen, where public view is less of an issue?
Or are you referring to corner windows? Symmetry would mean placing the door centrally with matching windows on each side of the front.

Start from scratch and go back to the basics.
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epinephrin
6 Nov 2022 21:39
No, I don’t really want to limit myself. And nothing has been ordered yet. We’re just at a point where we’re not quite sure where and how to start over. It’s not easy when the supposedly perfect floor plan turns out to be no good. If it weren’t for this forum, we probably would have just breathed a sigh of relief, accepted that everything fits, and started building. But that’s not really the point when you’re investing so much money. We first need to get organized and think about what the foundation should actually be. Most likely, only a completely different floor plan, staircase, etc., would be an option...?
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ypg
6 Nov 2022 21:44
Maybe this is an approach worth considering? The house is slightly shortened. Doors upstairs have been changed. This way, the wardrobe can be hidden behind the bed instead. (Please see this as a rough sketch… I’m not keen on painstakingly clicking through and changing details)


Floor plan of a house: rooms 3, 4, 2, 5 and kitchen; staircase in the middle; sofa in the living room.

Floor plan of an apartment with room 1, bedrooms 2-4, bathroom and dressing room.

Personally, I think the Cypress Avenue house, with the changes you want for the upper floor, isn’t easily feasible without some significant compromises