Floor plan design and placement - Single-family house approximately 200 sqm on a 900 sqm plot

Where I am undecided: - Staircase opposite the living room door: I think both options have their merits here. We planned our version so that when you open the front door and come in, you have a clear line of sight from the front door all the way through to the garden. That would of course be lost then. What we were unsure about back then with the staircase option is the entrance to the living area. In the end, you have a "three-door corner" which might look a bit cramped, and the basement staircase would then be closer to the living area rather than the door and garage area. It might make more sense to have an open basement staircase or a door in front of it and then really illuminate it somehow with LEDs on the walls or something like that. Then it could definitely be nice. But how it would look when you basically look from the living room into the basement... I don’t know.

Yes, leave the staircase to the basement open. Nowadays, basements aren't cold dark holes. We have a picture wall under our basement staircase. You look at it when you walk past the basement staircase. In your case, it wouldn’t even be "in the basement" but halfway up (landing staircase), which you can decorate really well. I’d put a large window at the top (see picture) and with a glass swing door to the living room, you’d also have light coming from the side.



I didn’t want the view directly from the entrance into the garden at all. Any delivery person, representative can then see directly into your living room and garden, including the children splashing in the garden. Why? I’d prefer privacy there. The wall directly behind the door can be designed very interestingly with an exciting picture/sculpture, possibly also illuminated, to create a "wow effect" upon entering.

What I liked better before: - Upper floor layout: I would rather try to mirror the current design. So move the staircase a bit further to the right and make the master bathroom a bit smaller so that the dressing room can be extended to the outer wall, making the dressing room at the very bottom left. The idea of the "dressing room as a walk-through room" just doesn’t appeal to me that much. It should feel like the most private area tucked away in the last corner where no one but us gets lost.

Of course, if the wish is to have the dressing room as private as possible, the layout can still be adjusted. We have the dressing room as a walk-through to separate the bathroom and bedroom also acoustically and so you don’t have to go back into the bedroom after getting up. But that’s also because we have very different waking times and don’t want to disturb each other.

Wow, you really have a very beautiful staircase! With the lighting and the picture and the large window - I really like that a lot!

I think you're right, an open basement staircase just looks better there. If you simply leave a light on at the landing height, it doesn't seem so dark. Your version would also have the advantage that you could install a large window like in your photo. The current window is "only" floor-to-ceiling on the upper floor, since the entrance canopy outside prevents a larger window.

Soundproofing is not so important to us. We're more the type where many discussions take place while one person is in the tub and the other is sitting on the toilet ;).

This is not from us. I stole it from the internet. We have a straight staircase. But also a glass swing door to the living room ;-)

that when you open the front door and come inside, there is an unobstructed line of sight from the front door all the way through to the garden.

Yes, definitely do that! That is a very nice thing, even if it’s not compliant with Feng Shui rules :)

Noise separation is not so important for us

You don’t have teenagers yet!

Swapping sides: In the original plan, the children’s rooms and the parents’ wing were actually swapped; during the planning phase the sides were then changed. The reason was that the space on the right side was too large for the utility room and children’s bathroom, while on the other side the space for the dressing room and parents’ bathroom was rather tight.

I don’t understand: you have options to move the upper partition wall, that can be individually adjusted. I would try again with such a plan.

Brief interim message: I have now received feedback on how the drainage is supposed to work. Honestly, as a layperson, it looks understandable to me so far and I don't see any immediate problems or unpleasant situations. Am I overlooking something? What do you think?

Since nothing more came up regarding drainage, I take it that you have resolved the potentially critical points related to it.

Today I also received the drawing for Alternative 2 with the swap of the parent wing and child wing as well as the swap of staircase and entrance. At first glance, I don’t see any major strengths or weaknesses in either variant. It will probably come down to an open entrance area with sightlines vs. a closed entrance area with privacy, which is likely a matter of personal taste.

I have attached the pictures in case you notice anything else.

Ansichten


Grundrisse