DIY floor plan design for 2 people

We unfortunately found hardly any truly custom-designed houses with that certain something. There are special forms too, but we believe that we don't have to hide with our design.

I had already named the two main enemies of the "Architectural Digest" house: namely the development plan and the insertion requirement. It's not much about the money; the level of creativity is often surpassed by the level of banality even in areas with a pleasant benzine density ;-)

As an example, there was a thread here a few days ago where I really have to doubt, does this really come from an architect? https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-efh-Hanggrundstück-mit-Terrasse-dachterrasse.44274/

I had already joined in on the doubts there ;-)

At the same time, we continue to work on our design, gladly incorporate all the suggestions received here, and try to implement them. [...] We would be happy if we could also get constructive feedback from you on the actual floor plans (without the roof shape), do you see any problems with drainage, do the room sizes fit, are the basement rooms and the guest apartment functional, etc.

Learn from and about yourselves through your own designs and their development as much as you want – the important thing is to show them to an architect afterwards if possible.

The actual challenge, in my opinion, is finding the right architect. In your place, I would plan much more time and effort for this than for your own ideas.

Rrrrüschdüsch, that’s how it is.

So if you talk to an architect, you should watch your choice of words.

Uh, yes. Otherwise, with this desired profile, you quickly end up with a brightly red " -warns-sticker" *LOL*

Hello everyone,

sorry for the late response, but I have to earn the money first that we want to spend later.

I'll start with
Actually, we still have our doubts, the preliminary discussion with the building authority was really good and - let's say - hopeful,
but the final decision really is made by the municipal council, board, or whoever... ...but hope dies last.

Now to
How do we do this in the dumbest way? We had the idea yesterday to look around the region and maybe find something that appeals to us right away - then we might have also knocked and asked who planned it.
But just going to architect XY can work out well, or not. But of course, we’ll stay on it, as we also think that real references give the best picture.


I think we really have to pay attention to the choice of words and avoid ambiguous statements,
as you have already seen here how such statements can be misinterpreted.
Regarding the construction costs, I had already written that the €800k are planned purely for the house, you can read that again.
Dream house is, of course, relative, do I see that from the perspective of an independent observer or as the person who wants to live in it,
we had included everything in our plan that we would like, we were aware that we would not deliver an architectural masterpiece.
But we are capable of learning and some poorly solved areas have already been addressed, we will definitely work on that.
Actually, we are still a group that regularly has a sauna evening together every two weeks, even if that might no longer be "IN" today. First and foremost, we want to have the sauna for ourselves, but if instead of meeting in public facilities, we sometimes meet privately and can sit together comfortably on the terrace after the sauna session, that also has something, doesn’t it?
And we would rather not have our guests walking through our dressing room, the bedroom, etc.

Oh yes, and please no more comments on the roof shape now, we have understood and are redesigning, THANK YOU.

Finally, to
Thanks for the tip, who planned with them then? An employed architect or just the one with the most experience?

To your questions/remarks:

- Bathroom with 10 m² relatively small in relation to house size
That would basically be enough for us, it has everything needed.

- Passage to the shower / next to the tub: how many cm is that still? Looks tight
The short glass element is planned to be pivotable, when folded in we have a clear passage of about 1.20 m

- What is the mini staircase in the bedroom for?
It was intended as access to the open work area above the bathroom, but due to the current redesign with a different roof shape, it will probably be eliminated without replacement. As I already wrote, it was just a "nice to have" and not really necessary.

- What are those two "wall stumps" next to the dining room window?
:D I like wall stumps, those are meant to represent the two elements of the fully opened glass door to the terrace, we did not think of sliding but a double-leaf door to be able to open the entire width.

- Space for the TV at the seating area in the open-plan room?
Actually a good question, we have already asked ourselves that. The latest idea was between the two windows with a swivel ceiling or wall mount.

- Should the basement also be used for storage (kitchen supplies)? It is very far from your kitchen
Yes, for supplies, but not for what we need every day. There is enough space for that in the spacious kitchen.

...and we are working on the quirky part, update will follow.

Thanks for your feedback

Update to follow.

Since you probably can't resist yourself, here are a few more thoughts:

The short glass element is intended to be rotatable, when folded in we have a clear passage of about 1.20 m

It's about the tub getting wet.

after the sauna session sitting comfortably together on the terrace also has its appeal, doesn't it?

In summer or in winter?

we hadn't thought of sliding doors, but rather a double-leaf door to be able to open the entire width.

But you do realize that the leaves in this setup get in the way of the table?

Oh yes, and please no more comments about the roof shape now, we have understood and are replanning, THANK YOU.

I still see no reason for that. I considered and still consider a clear warning appropriate that the unusual roof shape could be an obstacle to approval. But the last word has not been spoken, maybe your development plan does allow the desired shape – then it is not excluded that the architect might actually suggest exactly this one :)

Hello everyone,

we would like to present to you our first update on the house planning.
We will receive the architect’s plans at the earliest in 4-5 months; out of 3 inquiries, unfortunately 2 were rejected directly and architect number 3 currently has a lead time of about 4 months.
At the same time, we have revised our DIY planning and incorporated your suggestions.
- Roof shape is now "standard" - gable roof
- Entrance area no longer convoluted
- Basement is positioned deeper in the terrain – thus we comply with the requirements so that the basement is not classified as a full floor (1.40 m raw ceiling height in the basement on average)
- Sight lines and outdoor area better integrated
- Wellness area optimized

What we want to keep:
- Bedroom with north orientation without direct access to the outdoor area
- Living area with clear separation from the open space, but still integrated
- Windows in the open space facing north have been significantly reduced

What could trigger discussions:
- Missing 2nd bedroom – we have considered that currently there is no necessity; if it becomes a topic someday, we can separate today’s living area and use it as a 2nd bedroom, and the living area would then be relocated to today’s wellness area.
- Garage situation – if we have to switch to an electric car someday, there will definitely be a separate outdoor garage; we don’t want a potential fire hazard inside the residential building. The current garage will then be used completely as a workshop.
- Fireplace in front of the open staircase – we have a 2nd version with the fireplace behind the combustion chamber on the ground floor, but this would place the fireplace in the guest apartment right in the middle of the room, and we do not like the external appearance – fireplace in the middle of the roof and about 2m high (new BImSchG regulation).

The basic dimensions have only changed slightly, so we are skipping new dimensioned plans for now.
What we have also changed is the orientation on the plot; the house now stands parallel to the future street, i.e. rotated 13° to the north/south orientation.

If we ever have to switch to an electric car, there will definitely be a separate outdoor garage; we will not put a potential fire hazard in the residential building.

You can see it that way, but current studies show that the fire risk with electric cars is not higher; on the contrary, with combustion engines it is about 50 times higher than with electric cars. Google is your friend…