Floor plan single-family house, 200m2, 2 full floors, garage, without basement

The children's bathroom really still needs to get better. But that should be doable.

Yes, we're kind of stuck with the children's bathroom. Good that you also see that it's not optimal yet. Maybe you have an idea?

A lonely door leads into the living room and there is a narrow passage hidden to the chill room.

It should be a larger glass door, to also get light into the hallway. We intentionally want to separate the living room; right now in the apartment it’s different and it’s annoying when someone wants to watch TV and someone else wants to read the newspaper in the kitchen, for example.

The hallway on the ground floor is long and narrow – here I would definitely forgo the storage room under the stairs and open it up to let in light and freedom.

An open staircase is wasted space for us and open stairs are the worst to clean. Matter of taste. That’s why it’s closed. There are two large (probably going to be bigger) windows at the landing stairs, that should let in enough light. Upstairs in the corridor there might possibly be a light well added.

Overall, I don’t see what makes the house so expensive, apart from the galactic kitchen.

Yes, you wouldn’t believe it and I don’t like to believe it either, but the prices for turnkey (!) range between 3,500m2-4,000m2 depending on the equipment for us. Sad but true. And since we currently live further away, we can’t go there every day after work to contribute to the labor ourselves. And we also don’t want to live on a construction site for 10 years. It’s a luxury, that’s for sure... and the kitchen is actually the most important thing to us in the house. We love cooking. Thanks for your honest feedback!

Hmm. If you have the money? I'll stick my neck out and claim that what you plan for 200m², we can also do with 155...

With the same number of rooms and layout, I doubt that, without having a 10m² children's room... We didn't manage it. But a few square meters can definitely still be saved here and there, that's true.

Guest WC. Almost 5m² for a toilet and a sink? The rest is a dance hall? Similar with the 12m² utility room. Why a second utility room upstairs? Then we're already at almost 20m² utility room. Your living room is smaller.

Yes, it is big, for us it's the main WC and we also want a urinal. The space is there in the current floor plan. Maybe we'll make it narrower, but we don't know yet. The lower room is the technical room. The upper one is the utility room with washing machine and dryer etc. We want to do the laundry where it accumulates the most. From our point of view, the technical room on the ground floor needs space because of indoor unit, inverter, storage, water treatment, possible sink. And then surely there will be something else we currently don't have on the radar.

A huge kitchen, which I don't understand. Is the counter supposed to be the dining table as well? Great for everyday use. For parties, do you want guests sitting right by the stove? In the grease/water vapor?

Well, there are no seats at the kitchen, that probably deceives. Only the dimensions are shown there. Seating is only at the dining table. But it is huge, that's true. And that's important to us; a LOT of cooking and tinkering happens here. We also don't have an adjoining pantry, for example. We deliberately don't want one either.

Then a tiny master bathroom with 7m², so a children's bathroom fits in...

For us, a large bathroom has no value. We are not "stylers" or long showerers or anything like that. We have no washing machine or similar in there. So why more space? Or how many m² do you consider minimally necessary? Children's bathroom is a luxury but important to us.

You can do that. But you get little out of your money; every m² costs at least 2,500 EUR.

It would be nice if it cost 2,500 EUR. I think that was the case in 2021.

Thanks for your honest feedback!

Yes, we are somehow still stuck with the children's bathroom. Good that you also see that it’s not optimal yet. Maybe you have an idea?

I just noticed, the toilet in the master bathroom won’t work like this either. Way too narrow. It’s almost like sitting in a closet.
If you want help with the bathrooms, it’s best to start a side thread with exact measurements referencing this one.

It should be a larger glass door to also bring light into the hallway. We want to consciously separate the living room; we currently have it different in the apartment, and it’s annoying when someone wants to watch TV and someone else wants to read the newspaper in the kitchen, for example.

I have nothing against separating it; I’m a fan of that too. But in my opinion, it looks uncomfortable and gloomy. For me, something like this or similar has to look like this:



It’s not about taste, but about the feeling of welcome and the connection of the living spaces while simultaneously separating them.

An open staircase is wasted space for us and open stairs are the most annoying to clean. Matter of taste. That’s why we want it closed. There are 2 large windows (will probably be even bigger) at the stair landing, so there should be enough light coming in. Possibly a light well will be added in the upstairs hallway.

That’s really nonsense – sorry. First: you have plenty of space. Second, you can build the staircase with closed risers. Then no dirt will fall from above. The robot vacuum cleans under the stairs and you have to clean the stairs themselves anyway. Since I’m not the only one saying this, you should maybe reconsider.

Yeah, hard to believe and I don’t like to believe it either, but turnkey prices (!) here are between 3,500 and 4,000 per m2 depending on the equipment. Sad but true.

Wow! :eek:

What I absolutely want to point out as well are the missing windows on the east side on all floors and rooms. If it’s going to be a detached house, there’s no reason for that!

I unfortunately don’t find it very attractive either and would probably tear down a few walls first if I had to move into the house, namely the middle wall in the hallway. The hallway gives the feeling of a rental apartment from the 80s, on whatever floor it is.

Without the middle wall in the hallway, you don’t have any soundproofing upwards?! The thing is, we want a rectangular house because the south side is really nice and unobstructable. A square house is also nice, but we never arranged the rooms in a way that fits us.

Did the architect say anything about the staircase, which feels like it has more mortar or concrete around it than all the staircase discussions here over the last 10 years? You walk on the ground floor and upper floor into walls, the stairwell is also bricked up so you can’t transport furniture up or down.

I think a half-landing staircase is built very often. How do those people bring furniture upstairs who have a half-landing staircase like that? And above all, do you buy new furniture every week that has to be moved upstairs? We don’t. I have read a lot, and under the heading “what I wouldn’t do again” a half-landing staircase has never come up.

The south side doesn’t get any sun through the beautiful panoramic windows… in winter, however, a bit.

In summer, everyone has the blinds down because the sun beams in too strongly.

I don’t see that inside at all.

Okay, please don’t hang on that, I was uncertain too, but after thinking about it again, for us modern < practical. So I probably have to take back the modern and it doesn’t quite count as modern.

And the island is also a bit too much: you can’t even reach across it… one is too little, the other too much. The roof modern, inside old-fashioned.

The island is perfect for us. We love cooking ourselves and need a lot of space to chop. Which we then have. I can’t understand old-fashioned at all, what is modern? An open staircase from the living room/kitchen up to the upper floor so that the sound nicely reaches the children’s rooms? And a gallery that doesn’t bring anything except more heating demand in winter? Thanks for your honest feedback!

I just noticed, the toilet in the master bathroom won’t work like that. Much too narrow. It’s almost like sitting in a closet.
If you want help with the bathrooms, it’s best to open a separate thread with exact measurements and a reference to this one.

Thanks for the tip, we will take another look at it!

I have no objections to the partition, I’m a fan of that too. But in my opinion, it looks uncomfortable and dull. For me, something like this or similar has to look like this:

Yes, that’s what we had in mind anyway!

That is really nonsense – sorry. First: you have enough space. Secondly, the stairs can be built with closed risers. Then no dirt will fall through from above. The robot vacuum cleans under the stairs and you’ll have to clean the steps anyway. Since I’m not the only one saying this, you might want to reconsider.

Am I mistaken, or do I still not get more light in the hallway if I close the stairs? Or do you mean it simply looks more open like that? I thought you meant open stairs with open risers. We will think about it again, thanks.

Awesome! :eek:

Yes, it’s crazy...

What I definitely also want to mention are the missing windows on the east side on all floors and rooms. If this is going to be a detached house, there is no reason for that!

For us, there is a reason. But of course we also thought about it. In the living room, we don’t want a window behind us. In the office, we don’t want a window above the guest bed. A window above the bed is uncomfortable, that’s how we see it. The hobby room doesn’t need one either, because due to the hobby there is usually little light needed there. In kids’ room 1 it would be possible, but we don’t want to disadvantage one child or have just one window on an entire wall. We will think about it again, but currently that’s our position.

Thank you!

Ah, there he is again, the caveman. Ultimately, we're basically talking to a wall here, but just for completeness: A guest only sleeps sporadically at your place and will manage the window. The rest of the time, you use the room for yourself, and light is always better than no light, and light from two sides is best. No window at your back – my husband insisted on that too. So we made a compromise and installed a narrow high one, even though I was against it. What can I say – he has since realized that was nonsense. More light would have been nicer. The kids' excuse is ridiculous; with a hobby, you can also darken the room. If the hobby ever becomes outdated, you can start another one with light.