Floor plan with restrictions for townhouse (mid-row house) for family.

Hello everyone,

we are currently planning our plot of land which, due to certain framework conditions, does not allow much room for design possibilities. Unfortunately, I have found that this makes the floor plan planning rather complicated, even though one might think that much is already predetermined. We also want to commission an architect at a later date, but for now we are already collecting ideas. The small plot is located right in the town center. The entrance is directly from the sidewalk. The neighbors have shops on the ground floor. At the back there is a small inner or backyard which is quiet but in principle may be crossed by the neighbors.

The following key data are given or known:

Development plan/restrictions
Size of the plot: 139 sqm
Slope: no
Building window, building line, and boundary: profile-aligned extension to the neighboring building
Number of parking spaces: one garage in the house
Number of floors: basement + ground floor + 1st floor + attic
Roof shape: gable roof 40 degrees with dormers
Maximum heights/limits: wall height 6.2 m, footprint (side boundary): 6.8 m x 14.1 m
Further specifications: development according to §34

Requirements of the builders
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement, floors
Number of people, age: 2 adults + 2 toddlers
Office: family use
Overnight guests per year: 0
Conservative or modern construction: rather modern as far as possible
Open kitchen, cooking island: living/cooking/dining area with cooking island
Number of dining seats: 1
Balcony, roof terrace: one roof terrace each at front and back
Garage, carport: one garage in the house
Utility garden, greenhouse: no garden, only courtyard
Further wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why this or that should or should not be:
We have planned the house according to the surroundings so that the ground floor is a pure utility floor, the 1st floor has the bedrooms, and the attic possibly with a gallery houses the living, dining, and cooking area. We have also planned a dumbwaiter (from the basement to the attic) and a laundry chute from the basement to the 1st floor.

House design
Who planned it:
- Do-it-Yourself
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 600-700K€
Preferred heating technology: gas

What would you change about the floor plan? I especially thought about the stairway for a long time. I would like a staircase that has a landing in the turns and is therefore easy to walk. That requires space. Unfortunately, there is no staircase like I need in my drawing program, so I have only currently designated air spaces for the stairs. What do you think of the basic concept and room layout? As mentioned, the architect should improve the details later. I also always think about how much I should specify for the architect? I do want him to think and come up with ideas as well. Also, for the 1st floor I created three variants. These basically differ only in the width of the hall. Which one do you think is best? Or is it all no good...?

Best regards Martin

Without even having looked at the drafts.
Why bother tinkering if you still need an architect anyway?
Going to the architect with completed homegrown drafts is the worst approach.

Without even having looked at the drafts. Why tinker around if you still need an architect anyway? Going to the architect with finished homegrown designs is the worst approach.

Well, when you look at what some architects deliver here, I do think it’s advisable to have certain ideas. Are the utility lines coming from the back? You have a good budget for the project, please reconsider your preferred heating technology.

How do the neighbors build the individual floors? Sleeping below living areas is rather suboptimal.

The garage appears very narrow.
Draw your existing or desired furniture to scale.

The 3 variants are very similar after all.

Here is a variant of 2 with
- a dressing room as a walk-through room
- fewer wall (botcher) corners
- a large built-in wardrobe in the hallway as a replacement for a storage room (somewhere the vacuum cleaner and stuff have to go)


Whether or not to install a door between the bedroom and bathroom as a shortcut to the toilet is a matter of personal taste.