Floor plan for a two-story single-family house without a basement

@ Doc.Schnaggls: Looks like we crossed paths there

: Yes, somehow our opinions seem quite similar.

Just asking... If someone really doesn't like the architect's design (after all, there are certainly some boring architects too), how do you proceed from there (in terms of planning and costs)?

... I definitely don’t want that, but I’d like to go to my architect with some reasonable ideas and save him some work...

Why save him work when he charges thousands of euros for it? With his knowledge, he has many more possibilities than you can even dream of because you don’t have that knowledge at hand.

I can’t condemn anyone who makes drawings just for the fun of it. I did the same, but I have also spent half of my life dealing with floor plans. It’s stupid when the architect ultimately takes over your design with its mistakes (it’s easy money for him), but if he is a good one, he would certainly have far more ideas that are tailored to you. You then run the risk of having a dilettantishly designed house built.

Guidelines are:
to study the plot and the development plan very carefully,
to clarify the building shape and style,
to include sun positions, windows, views, and existing structures in the neighborhood,
to include lifestyle habits (warning: these can change quickly),
to create a basic scheme.
Place stairs,
find rooms,
combine drainage and plan it on the outer walls,
stack walls on top of each other (for structural reasons), although wood-frame/drywall is often used in the upper floor due to lightness,
proximity of bathroom and bedrooms, guest room and WC, stairs outside the dirty area entrance, sufficient wardrobe, proximity of kitchen, utility room/storage to the entrance, enough space for freezer, space requirements of different stair types, possibilities to place cabinets, sufficient window area 12%-15% of the room area, avoidance of unnecessary walls and corners, standard dimensions of doors and other fixtures, functional kitchen, possible accessibility (movement area of 150 cm), easily accessible storage space for tools, garbage, cleaning supplies, drinks, food, sports equipment, children’s items, etc., exits from the house to the garden, few projections/bays/corners/ledges/balconies/flat roofs that require special sealing.

But: with the first 5 lines of this list just go to the architect.

Economical alternative: look for a builder with model houses.
But there it may be that there are few to almost no possibilities to change floor plans because the statics then have to be recalculated.
And what do you do then with your design into which you have put so much heart—and possibly furnished digitally in color?

Just asking... If you really don’t like the architect’s design at all (after all, there are certainly some boring architects), how do you proceed (planning-wise and cost-wise)?

Then he should draw you a better one. Everything is regulated according to HOAI.

Regards, Yvonne

Yes, what should you pay attention to? That depends on your needs. The most important thing has already been mentioned: that rooms with water pipes should preferably be above each other, and so on. Otherwise, make a list of everything you want and try your luck. In a house without a basement, you should definitely plan enough storage space, as this is often saved on. Possibly even separate the technical room and utility room. A pure technical room doesn’t need much space (in our case not even 4m2 yet), but if it is housed in a 12m2 room, there is not much space left for the washing machine and a few cabinets – our current combined utility and technical room is about 16m2, and apart from the washing machine and dryer, there is only one small cabinet inside – there is no more space because of all the pipes everywhere. Don’t plan the hallway too narrowly, but don’t make it a ballroom either. And a floor plan mostly stands or falls with the staircase. If that doesn’t work, usually nothing else fits anymore. So pay attention here to the measurements being correct. Think carefully about the location of the staircase beforehand. Interior staircases usually have the problem that the upper hallway becomes dark. Staircases located on the outside wall usually cost you a room on the upper floor and are often placed right at the entrance, so that you always have to go through the so-called dirt zone when going up or down. Pay attention to the location of the utility room so that the path with the laundry is not too complicated, possibly plan a laundry chute or even a laundry room on the upper floor next to the bathroom. I also always find it practical if you can get out into the garden from the utility room and thus create a dirt sluice for any children, etc. Other points to consider: doors in 45-degree walls are not very practical, plan doors about 65cm away from the wall so that there is still room for a cabinet behind, trapped rooms are usually impractical – so better avoid them. Floor-to-ceiling windows limit your furnishing options, large windows facing south should be well shaded if possible, otherwise a room can get too hot in summer. Yes, nothing else comes to mind right now. So first write everything down and think about it and then plan for fun. But please don’t be too rigid and tell the architect, this is how it must be. Your draft should only be a “guide” for the architect.

By the way, our architect also threw his first draft into the bin, but the second one fit right away and it was only minor details that were then changed.