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

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.

ypg6 Nov 2022 21:50

#37

Oops… I didn’t adjust the staircase, unfortunately. At least this shows that a straight staircase in landscape format doesn’t really help with the design process 😉

Temporarily corrected 😀

Floor plan of a house with rooms 2-5 and kitchen, staircase in the middle, sofa in the living area, dining table.

K a t j a7 Nov 2022 09:22

#38

epinephrin schrieb:

No, I’m not really looking 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 fresh. It’s not easy when the supposedly final suitable layout no longer works. If it weren’t for the forum, we probably would have sighed with relief that everything fits now and started building. But that’s not really the point when so much money is involved. We need to get organized first and consider what the actual basis should be. Most likely, only a completely different floor plan, staircase, etc. will do...?

Where exactly is the problem now that the floor plan no longer works? Just the bed? As a suggestion, I would try swapping the bathroom with the bedroom and see what that brings. Adjusting the windows is always my last step. That can sometimes be tricky, but in my opinion, the previous designs didn’t deserve any awards, so I find it completely puzzling to stick to them.

The biggest drawback of this floor plan seems to me to be the rather uncomfortable living room and the lack of functional rooms like a pantry and a utility room. Trying to squeeze all that into the 10sqm (108 sq ft) utility room makes it the most frequented and cramped space in the entire house. On top of that, it’s supposed to function as a mudroom — which is almost amusing.

I find it difficult to give meaningful advice here because your requirements are very specific. The flat roof dormer was set as a must-have and thus dominates the entire upper floor, including the location of the staircase, the dressing room, the shortage of utility space, and the children’s rooms, which affects the ground floor as well. Trying to change this quickly leads to worsening the situation since everything is tightly tailored around the staircase. If you’re still unsatisfied, there isn’t much choice but to start over completely. That could be freeing, provided you’re not already too set in your ways. The plot and the development plan offer many possibilities, but that probably requires flexibility with your specifications.

epinephrin7 Nov 2022 15:58

#39

K a t j a schrieb:

Where exactly is the problem now that makes the floor plan useless? Just the bed? As a suggestion, I would try swapping the bathroom and bedroom to see what difference it makes. Adjusting the windows is always my last step. That can sometimes be tricky, but in my opinion, the previous layouts did not deserve any awards, so I don’t understand why you want to stick to them so firmly.

The biggest drawback I see with this floor plan is the rather uncomfortable living room and the lack of functional rooms like a pantry and utility room. Trying to cram all that into a 10sqm (108 sq ft) utility room makes it the most frequently used and cramped space in the whole house. On top of that, it’s supposed to serve as a passageway – which is almost laughable.

I find it hard to give helpful advice here because your requirements are very specific. The flat roof dormer was set as a must-have and therefore dominates the entire upper floor, including the location of the stairs, the dressing room, the lack of a utility room, and the children’s rooms, which all affect the ground floor as well. Changing that quickly makes things worse because the design is tightly tailored around the staircase. If you’re still dissatisfied, there isn’t much left but to start completely over. That could be liberating if you’re not too far down the current path. The plot and the building regulations / planning permission offer many possibilities. However, that likely requires being flexible with your requirements.

I meant more that it is considered unusable by the “professionals” here. For me, it “works,” but I’m not an expert and I’m happy to rely on opinions here, especially yours and @ypg and many others.

The main problem for me is the bedroom. We can try swapping it with the bathroom. Initially, we had the reading window on the gable side. That way, the two normal children’s rooms and the bedroom had no alcoves, and each children’s room had half of the dormer. Maybe we should go back to that. Or start completely new. But then I’d plan the house about 10sqm (108 sq ft) smaller overall and avoid a straight staircase. My only real wish is for a (damned) nesting box dormer in the pitched roof. I’ve gotten so fixated on that. But with that, you don’t find an original floor plan.

ypg7 Nov 2022 16:32

#40

epinephrin schrieb:

I also like to rely on opinions here, especially yours, @ypg’s, and many others.

Exactly, we find the staircase too dominant and restrictive, making the living room, kitchen, and bedroom unsatisfactory.
For me, it wouldn’t be worth it.

epinephrin schrieb:

At first, we had the reading window on the gable side.

I considered that too… but the house footprint with those dimensions simply offers very few options.

epinephrin schrieb:

My only wish would actually be such a (damn) dormer in the pitched roof.

Then please tell us why! What exactly makes it a dormer? Why does one have to sit in this bay? Please explain, so we can understand better.

K a t j a7 Nov 2022 16:33

#41

epinephrin schrieb:

At first, we had the reading window on the gable side.

Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What exactly is the reading window? Where is it located? I thought you had the "nest box" as a reading nook?
How important is this corner arrangement of the kitchen and living area? It’s not that it’s a bad layout, but is it absolutely necessary?

ypg7 Nov 2022 16:35

#42

K a t j a schrieb:

Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What is the reading window about? Where is it? I thought you had the "nest box" as a reading nook?

If you look at the Cypress Avenue house by Gussek Haus and open the office, there is a seating area there, quite simply 😉
And the original poster then moved the seating area into the "nest box" … something like that 🙂

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

Reaktionen