Encouragement - Critique Floor Plan Single-Family House 320 sqm

Good morning,

I would like to join some predecessors here and also ask for opinions about "my" floor plan:
The requirements were:

From the development plan: 1.5 stories, roof pitch 30-48°, building window is fixed.

Spacious living feeling, practical/comfortable living.
Study not in the living area
Upper floor only for family, children have their own bathroom,
Double garage
Full basement

I don’t have the basement floor plan at hand right now.
It contains a study, a hobby room (cinema, bar, foosball, billiards or similar),
sports/wellness room, technical room, and an extra room for special purposes.

The guest bathroom on the ground floor will be made larger by moving it slightly into the utility room. Otherwise, it would be simply too compact. There will probably be a door from the garage to the garden.
The kitchen is not further planned yet (furniture, fittings are therefore just exemplary). Same goes for the living room.
Access to the living room will be a double-leaf door.

What would bother you the most here? What would you do differently?

Thanks for your effort

Andi

Hello Andi,

first a question upfront: How do you come to the 320 sqm?

My basic suggestions would be:

A skylight in the dressing room and in the second bathroom, possibly even a small dormer in the bathroom (daylight and ventilation option).

Are you really sure about the double-wing living room door? Usually, one half mostly remains closed anyway, the other half is usually open and somehow in the way.

In our house, there will therefore be a wide, open passage - without a door...

The bedroom is personally too big for me - I would rather add a few more square meters to the bathroom.

Why do you have two different staircases next to each other on the ground floor?

Regards,

Dirk

Hey Dirk,

Thanks for your answer.
Roof windows are planned upstairs for the children's bathroom, and possibly the parents' and the larger children's room due to better lighting.
It will be approximately 320 sqm. Ground floor 120, upper floor 100, basement 100. Everything is just a rough estimate. From the end it could also be 300 or 330.
The bedroom came about like that, it was not my wish. If I now moved the corner with the washbasin into the bedroom, I would have more space in the bathroom, but also a worse view when entering the bedroom. I'm still a bit undecided about that.

The right staircase by the utility room goes to the basement. I didn't want them on top of each other because, as I said, I want to keep the basement floor out of everyday life (work). There will still be a door in front of this staircase.

I could also imagine the door into the living room with a fixed panel. You are probably right with your argument regarding the use.

To be honest, it would probably be too open for me .. see picture.

Regards, Andi

Hello Andi,

ok, the total area of 320 sqm fits with the basement. :)

For the roof windows, you should also consider that in winter, when there is enough snow on the roof, they can no longer be opened. There are also special features regarding insulation values with such windows. Although there are now triple-glazed roof windows, they are usually so heavy that they should only be operated with an electric motor. If you choose double-glazed roof windows, that will be your weak point in insulation.

One note about the main bathroom:

I would swap the shower and the toilet – it looks like you don't want to put a door on the shower, right?

Since on one side of the shower niche you already go below the 2 meter line, you can only attach the shower head in the area of the shower entrance – without a door this will definitely cause flooding in the bathroom...

Regards,

Dirk

Hello Andi,

ok, with the basement the total area of 320 sqm fits. :)

Regarding the skylights, you should also consider that in winter, with a corresponding amount of snow on the roof, they can no longer be opened. There are also special considerations regarding the insulation value of such windows. Although there are now triple-glazed skylights, they are usually so heavy that they should only be operated with an electric motor. If you use double-glazed skylights, that will be your weak point in the insulation.

A note about the master bathroom:

I would swap the shower and toilet - as it looks, you don’t want to install a door in the shower, right?

Since you already go below the 2 m line on one side of the shower niche, you can only install the showerhead in the area of the shower entrance - without a door, this will guaranteedly lead to flooding in the bathroom...

Regards,

Dirk

My architect advised me to use windows with electric motors, which I have also approved. In the bedrooms/children’s rooms, the whole area must also be properly darkened, as they face south/west. I have not yet given further thought to the arrangement in the bathroom; a door would in any case be installed in the shower. The architect’s plans are still incomplete regarding the details, as so far we have only been dealing with the basic floor plan itself. The building application will be submitted at the end of May. So there should still be enough time to plan changes and details.

I think there is way too much wasted space.

2 staircases next to each other? Why?

There is still room for polka dancing in the bedroom. 27 sqm just for a bed and 2 nightstands? You can save yourself the walk-in closet.

The kitchen with 14 sqm and an island? Without knowing the exact measurements, I suspect it won’t fit. At least not if you still want to be able to open the doors on the cabinets next to it.

I think: built large, actually a lot of space, very poorly distributed. It can be done much more creatively.

You have a basement and then also such a large utility room?

You can build it like that—if you don’t have to watch the money. Otherwise, the rooms are already distributed on the wrong floors. My opinion.

We also once had the idea to put guest/office on the ground floor. But then it becomes incredibly large upstairs. So large that you don’t know what to do with the space. And that’s what it looks like right now.