Floor Plan Optimization - 160 sqm Single-Family House

Hello dear forum,

I would like to get constructive criticism from you for our floor plan. Please don’t hold back on criticism, everything can still be changed now!

EG

DG

Site plan on the property. The property is located at the end of the dead-end street on the edge of the forest (forest to the west).

Section


Development plan/restrictions
Size of the property: 1020 sqm
Slope: Slight slope, 1 meter height difference over 25 meters.
Edge development: Yes, the garage to the east
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Modern?
Orientation: Living area to the south, floor plans are almost oriented north.
Maximum heights/limits: 9 meters

Requirements of the builders
Style, roof shape, building type: Single-family house, gable roof, Kfw40 Plus
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 full floors
Number of people, age: Currently two, two children planned.
Space requirements on the ground floor, upper floor: 160 sqm living area.
Office: Family use or home office? Wife does home office 3 out of 5 days, so also an office.
Guest bedrooms per year: Rather rare, estimated 6 times per year
Open or closed architecture: Very open on the ground floor, rather closed upstairs.
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Planned. The kitchen island should be larger than in the plans. Possibly the kitchen island will be moved to the southern wall so that it can be longer.
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: Not planned.
Balcony, roof terrace: Not planned.
Garage, carport: Currently planned, due to major price increases we will probably omit the garage and carport and build them later ourselves. Sensible?
Utility garden, greenhouse: No utility garden planned, but garden shed for tools.

House design
Who designed it: Architect from the general contractor
- Open living, dining, kitchen area on the ground floor was mandatory
- two full floors
- Technical room separated in its own annex
- Utility room upstairs
- 6000l cistern
- Seating window in the living area
- Surrounding terrace from south to west (later in own work, contractor only frost protection)
Price estimate according to architect/planner: With garage and carport 550,000 Euros in solid wood construction from cross-laminated timber. Additionally 10kWh photovoltaics + 10 kwp storage. Earthworks included.
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: Actually 520,000, so a cost-effective alternative to the garage and carport is being sought
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump

If you have to forego, which details/extensions
- can you forego: possibly garage (see below); aluminum front door; cistern
- cannot forego: open kitchen; technical annex, otherwise the floor plan does not work at all

Why is the design the way it is?
A mixture of many examples from various magazines. I then drew a draft in an architecture program and went to the house builder with it. They then implemented it as seen here.

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?

How should I best plan the garage/carport to later be able to build a carport myself? Should I have the foundation slab poured now and later buy a carport kit? Since we are building without a basement, I am planning a garden shed. Do I also need a poured foundation slab for the garden shed? If so, it would probably make sense to have the house builder do it at the same time. Is the extra cost for the aluminum front door worth it? (Plastic 2500 Euros, aluminum 5000 Euros).

I’m grateful for any tips!
Thank you very much!
Best regards

Slope: Slight slope, 1 meter over 25 meters

Where does the slope run?
If there is little feedback, this is an indication that there are hardly any major mistakes.
Personally, I would want to enter the technical room from inside the house.
What is the blue thing? Cushions?
A window above the bed would personally bother me.

Do I also need a cast concrete slab for the garden house?

No, paving stones, slabs or a wooden deck are sufficient.

Is the extra cost for the aluminum front door worth it?

You have to decide that yourself. What do you expect from aluminum? Among other things, we chose our general contractor because he offered a wooden door.

Plastic 2500 euros, aluminum 5000 euros).

And wood? ;)

I can't align the plans for the ground floor and upper floor regarding the garage and this X (presumably skylight?) yet. Am I the only one? If the corner glazing in the bottom right of the ground floor is there, leave it out; it only costs money. I would plan the door to the garage at the same height as the entrance door; it makes parking in the carport easier and minimizes the likelihood of scratches.

Where does the slope run?

The slope declines from the upper right corner to the lower left corner.

Personally, I would like to enter the technical room from inside the house.

I would prefer that too, but then we would need a door leading out of the WC, and that’s where the connections run inward... Moving the technical room again causes problems with the setback distances to the property boundary.

What is the blue? Cushions?

Yes, it’s just a decorative object from the planner.

Windows above the bed would personally bother me.

Why would that bother you? There are two full floors, so the windows would be quite high.

No, paving, slabs or wooden decking are sufficient.

According to the development plan, we are only allowed to build 10 sqm as an "ancillary structure." I would actually plan without a concrete foundation there.

That you have to decide yourself. What do you expect from aluminum? We chose our general contractor among other things because he offered a wooden door. And wood? ;)

Our GC always recommends these aluminum doors because it is the "business card" of the house, sounds more solid, and looks better. But good tip about the wooden door, I’ll have a look.

I can’t get the ground floor and upper floor plans to align regarding the garage and that X (presumably a skylight?). Am I the only one?

So the plans are the same size except for the extension. The walls just don’t line up 100%. I hope the structural engineer doesn’t have to move them...

If that is a corner glazing at the bottom right of the ground floor, leave it out—it only costs money.

Yes, kind of. Actually, for cost reasons, we want two windows next to each other with their own frames.

I would plan the door to the garage at the height of the entrance door; it makes parking in the carport easier and minimizes the risk of scratches.

Good tip!

Thanks for your suggestions so far!

Do you think there is enough space for a wardrobe and shoe cabinets on the left behind the apartment entrance door (above the office)?
We will probably omit the skylight above the carport for cost reasons (approx. 2000 euros). Do you think it will then be too dark in the entrance area under the carport?

I would shorten the office by 60 cm (or a little more) and plan a built-in wardrobe. Otherwise, I like the layout, even though personally it would be too open for me on the axis entrance hallway, kitchen. You have already considered a larger island anyway. Otherwise, the workspace in the kitchen would be rather limited.

I would shorten the office by 60 cm (or a little more) and plan a built-in closet.

Good idea, I actually suspect some chaos without a built-in closet. Although then the office with 8.5-9 sqm might be a bit small...

Otherwise, I like the planning, even if personally it would be too open for me along the axis entrance hallway, kitchen. You have already considered a larger island. Otherwise, the workspace in the kitchen would be rather tight.

Thanks! In the first plan, the right wall of the living room was 80 cm longer to somewhat separate it more as its own area. But we shortened it because otherwise the distance to the kitchen island would have been too small. I can't quite judge yet whether the open area will bother me. By now, most designs are so open anyway.