Single-family house approx. 180 m² - What do you think about that?

Hello everyone,

we would like to present our floor plan to you. It is based on our ideas and concepts and is a first self-created draft. We are planning on an almost flat plot without a basement under the house.

What is important to us is the easy accessibility of the fixed covered terrace, a parent area that we can also use in old age, and the possibility to easily separate the upper floor from the ground floor.

We look forward to your opinions!

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: approx. 1000 m² planned, layout still freely selectable
Slope: slight incline to the south
Floor area ratio: 0.2 – 0.3
Floor space index
Building window, building line and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces
Number of storeys
Roof shape: no restrictions
Style: modern
Orientation: see attachment, south is at the bottom
Maximum heights/limits:
Additional requirements

Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: modern, flat roof, shed roof or hipped roof
Basement, storeys: 2 storeys, carport/garage with basement
Number of people, age: 4 people, 2 adults, 2 children, 3rd child not excluded
Space requirements on ground floor, upper floor:
Office: family use or home office?
Guests per year
Open or closed architecture
Conservative or modern construction
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island, combined living-dining area
Number of dining seats: at least 6
Fireplace: not necessary
Balcony, roof terrace: yes
Garage, carport: either or
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why this or that should or should not be: we want the option to separate ground and upper floor. It should be possible to install a small kitchenette and accommodate a washing machine in the bathroom on the upper floor. The ground floor should also be well usable in old age. Covered/wind-protected terrace, easy access from the kitchen to the terrace

House design
Who planned it:
- Do-it-yourself with suggestions from the internet
What do you like most? Why?: Covered terrace, parent area
What do you not like? Why?: Living room could be bigger
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: 450,000
Preferred heating technology: geothermal or air heat

If you have to do without, which details/expansions
- can you do without:
- cannot do without:

Why did the design turn out the way it is now? e.g.
A mix of many examples from various magazines...

What is the fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
How do you like the floor plan? What do you see as absolute no-go’s? I look forward to suggestions and critiques. Thanks in advance!!

Why do you want to cellar the carport?

What do you understand by usable in old age?
Rollator? Care service, e.g. for help with dressing, support stockings, applying a splint, or just not having to lift the feet.

Where will the washing machine and dryer go?

Do you want to rent it out or for one of the children.

Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to live downstairs in old age. Stairlifts are relatively inexpensive and there are even elevators that can be added later. There will be a lot of developments in this area in the coming years.

What I don’t like at first glance
Living area too small
Mini WC
Compartmentalized parent area
Housing technology room too small

I would never make the utility room accessible from the kitchen. Although it is supposed to serve as a pantry, it is almost too small for that, and I don't want to have to carry my dirty laundry through my "nice" living area all the time.

I find the bathtub on the upper floor misplaced. If it belongs anywhere, it is in the master bathroom, and there is no space for it there.

And to go pee, the parents have to go through the dirty area... or will the parents' bathroom still get its own toilet?

What is the block between the two kitchen rows? If the utility room is supposed to be the pantry, then you always have to run around the entire kitchen block. Better to plan two separate kitchen rows, that would make sense. I agree with Grantlhaua: I would put the washing machine in the freezer room, but that room is definitely too small for that.

The living area is too small and cramped for me like that – do you really want two benches at the dining table? Like a beer garden table set? I personally find that impractical. But if that's what you want...

Why is the toilet upstairs separate? I would include it in the bathroom; then it wouldn't be such a tiny room.

The carport has a basement, the house doesn't? What's the point of that???

Hello,

thanks for the initial feedback.

The plan is on the one hand to use the upper floor for the children and on the other hand to adapt it so that it could actually be rented out / used for home care.

The washing machine/dryer should go into the utility room, the technology room should contain the technical equipment, although we would also use the space under the stairs here. What do you think about that? I don't really see the issue of not carrying the dirty laundry through the living area, I have to say. We do it like this now, and the room behind the kitchen is already very usable.

The multipurpose room is also still too small for us, especially the area around the couch. The benches are currently only drawn in to get a feel for the space requirement. I think, more generally, the room should be a few square meters bigger.

Regarding the WC: do you really find a WC with 1.2 x 1.8 m too small? How big should it be in your opinion?

Regarding the basement: we would have approx. 110 m² of cellar here, but we think we don't need it and don't want it either. The carport has approx. 50 m² where you can store quite a few things. That is the reason behind this consideration.

We also do it like that now

Wahhhhhhh! My hate argument. I could scream!!! You build your house, plan the optimum and not "that’s fine, we also do it like that now." Compromises always have to be made, but planning a compromise from the start is simply dumb.

do you really find a WC with 1.2 x 1.8 m too small?

YES! And you always have to go outside to get to the basement? That’s stupid! Better consider a partial basement. But if there is a basement, then sensibly under the house. And get an offer for partial basement and full basement. The difference won’t be much. The (initially?) unused basement rooms can also simply be left as shell construction and only expanded as needed later. If you actually want to rent out the upper floor, should the tenants always have to walk through your hallway to get to the apartment? And if there is no basement, where do they keep storage? The jack-of-all-trades rarely exists. Choose a house for your CURRENT situation, at most with the option to remodel it well later if necessary. But the main focus should be on the best possible fit now! Now I see 180 sqm and actually no nice living area, WCs that are way too narrow, no really good place for washing machine/dryer, and overall (without basement) too little storage space, no nice bathrooms. For that, my money would be too precious. There are standard designs that are better and more functional. Are you really allowed to build that close to the property boundary (top of the plan)?