Floor plan of a single-family house with a request for criticism

Hello everyone,

I have been a member of this forum for some time now and have mainly used it as a treasure trove for our questions. Herewith an explicit compliment to everyone, even unknowingly you have already helped us a lot! :)

Now we are somewhat advanced in the planning, and I would like to expose you to our operational blindness and ask for criticism of the floor plan.

Yvonne’s questions no longer quite fit, since the plot has been purchased and the development regulations are clear and reflected in the present plan. But I will try to answer them anyway to give you a better overview.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 419m²
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: not set
Number of parking spaces: 1.5
Roof shape: gable roof, 30-38°
Ridge orientation east/west
Maximum heights/limits: ridge 7.5m

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: single-family house, gable roof
Basement, floors: basement is a "must",
Number of people, age: 4 (32, 38, 3, 1) possibly 3rd child
Room requirements on the ground floor: open living/dining area + kitchen, guest room
Room requirements on the upper floor: bathroom, bedroom, 2 children's rooms, office, possibly the office will become the 3rd children’s room
Office: home office (partly) by both, possibly moving into the guest room
Guests per year: basically (parents-in-law)
Open or closed architecture: closed
Conservative or modern design: rather conservative
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open, no island
Number of dining seats: normally 6, extended 10
Fireplace: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no wish
Garage, carport: garage as well as an adjacent garden shed

House design
Who designed it:
- planner from a construction company / architect
Preferred heating technology: district heating set by development area, controlled residential ventilation with heat recovery, KfW55

This is a prefabricated house in timber frame construction.

To the north, south and east there are similarly sized building plots, in the east bordered by a rainwater retention basin.

What would we like to hear from you? Of course, how great everything is! :rolleyes:
No, seriously: we would primarily be interested in what disadvantages you see in the floor plan; as “first-builders” we naturally have a very romanticized view of it. We are mainly concerned about the interior, i.e. room layout, windows, ...
Where are we uncertain, for example?

[*] Cloakroom/guest bathroom: already a strange construct, is there a more sensible way?
[*] Front door opening: would it be better the other way round so that the path to the guest bathroom is more direct (e.g. dirty kids ;)), right?
[*] Passage hall -> living area: wider? at least as far as the kitchen allows? Or does it make sense to have a wind/visual barrier?
[*] Light strip in the kitchen vs. regular window: We would prefer the latter because of the usability of the wall, since without a pantry we need as much storage space as possible
[*] Windows in general: too few? too many? Why does everyone swear by symmetry? We would rather break that up much more due to furnishing ideas

But I am already asking too much again, presumably you will notice other and more things.

We are already very excited about your opinions and thank you very much for them!

I find the floor plan quite good. I just really don't like this wardrobe thing at all. More than one person shouldn't stay in the niche, so that could lead to congestion in front of the niche. I might possibly add the wardrobe area to the WC. Maybe leave a niche in the wall there for a generous wardrobe and/or built-in closet. I think you'd get more out of it that way.

Definitely reverse the door opening.

I would leave out the strip of light in the kitchen and instead put in a normal window, but symmetrical under the window on the upper floor, so you also have the option to place a tall cabinet or hanging cabinet on that side.

I would leave the passage to the hallway as it is. I would even put a door (glass door) there with 2 side panels. I like that better than something open like that.

I would also do the kitchen differently somehow. When you cook and wash, everyone can only look at your backside ;-)

I think the upper floor is fine so far.

I find the floor plan quite good. I just really don’t like this coat closet thing at all. More than one person is not allowed to stay in the niche, so that could lead to congestion in front of the niche.

If you have a normal wardrobe, 3 people can’t access it at the same time either. In this respect, I don’t find this walk-in fitted wardrobe all that dramatic.

What I could imagine is that in the "11m hall" without corners and breaking elements, there could be bigger problems with the sound. Therefore, the kitchen planning should really still be optimized to break the sound with a counter, kitchen island, or similar.

The bed located that far under the sloping roof could possibly cause problems depending on the size of the users.

Number of seats: normally 6, extended 10

Since the dining table will probably be significantly shorter in its normal state than in the drawing, I would arrange the kitchen differently as well; as others have already mentioned. Perhaps more of a U-shape with a counter and not across the entire width of the room. At the moment, the whole room still feels somewhat like a hall. I don't like the wardrobe as it is either. If I'm building new, the wardrobe shouldn't be a dark hole, but may well have natural light. The bathroom upstairs isn't exactly small; but I fear that with the current furnishings it seems somewhat cramped; you should look at other bathroom layouts again. That narrow long window on the west side, near the kitchen, I find somewhat unpleasant. I would prefer a normal window here, especially on the afternoon sun side. Overall, I quite like the floor plan. :)

I think you don’t have to be able to enter everything with the whole family at the same time that has a door :) In that respect, I like the walk-in closet: space for lots of stuff! However, I wouldn’t want closed cabinets in there, but shoe racks and clothes rails – and then please this chamber with a door ;) The hall on the ground floor doesn’t please me – not for cooking and not for living! Regards Yvonne

I think you don’t have to be able to enter everything with the whole family at the same time that has a door :)
In this respect, I like the walk-in wardrobe: space for lots of stuff! However, I wouldn’t want closed cupboards in there, but shoe racks and clothes rails – and then please this chamber with a door ;)

I just checked again. I had assumed it was a sliding door, but it isn’t.
Therefore, I agree with Yvonne. Put in a door (possibly with ventilation slots like those) and open shelves and cupboards inside.