Optimizing the floor plan of a 150 m² house - Tips

Okay, now I understand why the staircase fits - you don’t have a knee wall at all and the floor plan starts at 1 m. The original ground floor is much more functional than your (Mitwachshaus148). With such a low knee wall, compromises have to be made on the upper floor - especially in the bathroom. Whether a masonry walk-in shower is possible near the window shutters (and forced door positions) is questionable.

: Under the cabinets, I have now planned additional cabinets (gray area), which I would then miss again because I can hardly place them behind the tub. And I find putting the tub directly under the slope already difficult... We currently have a top-floor apartment, and the tub is placed as in my new plan. Even that I often find uncomfortable.

: You may be right about that. But what am I supposed to do with a kitchen whose rows are 2.40 m apart? Or what do you find dysfunctional about ours?

We still have to check the feasibility and affordability of the masonry shower anyway. I would just like to avoid having to clean/wipe the glass.

I can understand that we have glass and every morning the squats also go against me... on the other hand, a little exercise in the morning isn't bad... especially since the tiles get dirty too, just not so visible.

Measurements are unfortunately not on the Town & Country page. Our kitchen has 1.90 m x 2.1 m of free interior space and I think that's wonderful, since you can also do something with three people (just yesterday I helped make pizza).
I think Kerstin's suggestion is very good - don't make the kitchen any smaller and make a proper wardrobe in the hallway instead - skip the pantry. Just make a kitchen cabinet where you can put a crate of drinks. We don't have a pantry and easily and very comfortably fit all the groceries (including drinks).

The original kitchen was 3.7 x 4.7 m I think. At first glance, nice and big. On second thought, I don't find it optimal to waste so much space and would rather create more (flexible and non-visible) storage space.

I will think about it...

The house sides are hardly visible, so it bothers us little whether it looks especially harmonious or not.

Family use or home office?: no, files in HAR

50 cm for the shower entrance also doesn’t work.

We have a 2 m wardrobe, that is enough for us. Everything not currently worn can go into boxes in the storage room. That way you also regularly sort out

Dirty shoes next to the white laundry don’t bother me.

Many things don’t bother you. What about your wife? What about 10 years later? What if the house has to be sold quickly due to some circumstances? For such points, in addition to individuality, some basic principles should be implemented in the house, which benefit every house and do not disadvantage others to whom it doesn’t matter. Examples are the toilets below the 2-meter height line and sufficient closet space with a minimum of 3 meters. We had hot days three weeks ago, good for packing winter clothes, but two weeks ago it snowed. You can also make more work for yourself than necessary. Besides, you need the storage room for other things.

The room interior dimensions are correct despite the walls being too thin

Yes, I added it up again: it fits like that.

I took a look at the house: I actually find the floor plan quite okay for a family, considering the budget is limited. In the utility room, you can carve out a corner for the emergency shower, shift the door a bit so that shoe cabinets and hooks for a wardrobe can be placed along the long wall. Instead of the table in the kitchen, you can put a deep built-in cabinet/pantry accessible from the hallway. For crates of drinks in the lower part, above that brooms, vacuum cleaner, cleaning supplies, and some provisions—this cabinet should be sufficient. The bathroom is not the worst either. For alterations or otherwise, I would talk to the drywall installers on-site to see if and how you can still use the paneling for shelves. Either they do it for you cheaply during their work at your place, or you leave it open and do it yourself. But come to terms with the fact that the alternative, crawling somewhere behind, just isn’t fitting for a new build house.

The bedroom is certainly a matter of taste. We deliberately make it so small so that it doesn’t turn into a storage room (as is currently the case with our large bedroom). Otherwise, you really only sleep in the bedroom—children’s rooms and the living area were more important to us. That’s where you spend the whole day.

Regarding the rooms: I see it the other way round: the smaller the bedroom, the more it will turn into a storage room. Order is no longer manageable, comfort atmosphere equals zero… uh, you already have two children, okay… then it doesn’t have to… uh. For you, the bedroom will be the retreat for one of you. You don’t have more rooms! You should keep that in mind. And the children don’t need 15 sqm now, as long as they’re not there. As soon as they’re in school, the rooms are used for chilling, homework, and sleeping. Friends hang out on the bed, no matter how small it is—they don’t need a large seating area… eventually, they hang out outside anyway, either in the playground or with friends. Now and then, the garden will be occupied…

What you should consider: toilets stacked on top of each other. Town & Country planned that too. That could mean an extra charge.

In the house view, I place my needs ahead of the neighbors' aesthetics.

But I don't need an office just because I have to store 10 file folders?

I have expanded the shower entrance.

Phew, should I now design a house so that I can sell it well? No, sorry... our space planning isn’t that unique after all, I think. I am building for myself and not for other people.

Oh, by the way, I am the woman. And no, my husband isn’t bothered by it either.

But I can understand some of your criticism points and will reconsider them.

I will definitely rethink the bathroom and also the pantry.

A shower in the utility room is simply out of the question for me. My husband might shower there every morning, which is unacceptable. Or guests?

Large children's rooms are important to us. Under 15 sqm is not an option. My son now has 15 and I think it is tiny!

I will inquire about the toilets being above each other.

Thank you!