Single-family house – new construction project from day one - and the planning begins

The U-hallway also has the function of reducing the narrowness of the upper floor. We are planning here with balustrades on both sides of the staircase as well as towards the gallery (marked in red).

That already makes the situation significantly better

. for a panoramic fireplace that can be seen from all corners of the living/dining/kitchen area.

We have exactly one like that. Including the chimney shaft, it measures 80 cm x 120 cm. So far, you have only drawn such a tiny square there. That's why I said it will be very tight! Not only between the wall at the bottom of the plan and the fireplace, but also between the fireplace and the staircase.

In addition, I have moved the staircase 0.60m closer to the front door

Good idea! That eases the situation a bit.

The free space combined with the glass partition should (hopefully) take away the hallway’s pipe-like narrowness that you mentioned.

Let's hope so You still walk along a 6-7 meter long wall that is only interrupted by 2 closed doors

I would make the pantry accessible at the front end of the stairs, with a door that opens outward. This way you gain more space and don’t always have to turn right under the stairs.

We have a clear height of 2.75m

We have exactly the same one. Including the chimney shaft, it measures 80 cm x 120 cm. So far, you’ve only marked a tiny square there. That’s why I said it’s going to be very tight! Not just between the bottom wall and the fireplace, but also between the fireplace and the stairs.

You are already the second person to point out the fireplace. Thank you very much.

We actually hadn’t thought about that yet. We were rather assuming 40 cm width and maybe a maximum of 60 cm depth. We want one with as little kW heating power as possible, basically just a small one for the look...

I think the depth should still fit. We’d have to take another look at the width though. I think we really need to visit a fireplace builder soon and get advice.

Let’s hope so. You still walk along a 6-7 meter long wall that’s only interrupted by 2 closed doors.

I don’t quite understand that.
So the stairs are max. 4.20 m long... At least the first approx. 1.60 m loosened up by the glass element. Then there remain max. 2.60 m with a width of 1.20 m, which open up at the end into the living area. I don’t think you can make it much more spacious in this floor plan without changing the position of the stairs, which is currently not an option for us.

I would make the pantry accessible at the front end of the stairs, with a door that opens outward. This way you gain more space and don’t always have to turn right under the stairs.

Sorry, I don’t understand that now. What exactly do you mean? Currently, the door to the pantry under the stairs is directly in the kitchen.

We have a clear height of 2.75 m

In the end, we’re probably at 2.67 m. Then we should manage with 14 steps...

What are the dimensions (length x width) of your stairs?

We have exactly one like that too. Including the chimney duct, it measures 80 cm x 120 cm. So far, you have only drawn such a tiny square. That’s why I said it will be very tight! Not only between the wall at the bottom of the plan and the chimney but also between the chimney and the stairs.

I quickly googled something. We were thinking of something like this:



It now measures 70 cm (width) and 100 cm (depth). Possibly, we could also shorten the wall by about 20 cm...

We have exactly the same stove.
So you have to calculate at least another 1/2 meter towards the living room if you want a flush wall.
The length of the stove is only "1m", but you also have to plan the chimney pipe behind it. This will cost you another 30-50cm.
Plan in advance so that you have a passage width to the living room of at least 2m with the stove.
If you have a wood, laminate, vinyl, or carpet floor, you also need a spark guard in the form of tiles or a glass plate.
30cm on each side and 50cm(!) at the front side.

In this photo, you can see the edge. Here the stove was recessed about 3cm towards the living room so that no crack occurs due to the expansion of the two different materials.
We also didn’t know that you were supposed to do this, so I want to warn you in advance.

we have exactly the same stove
So you have to calculate at least half a meter more towards the living room if you want a flush wall.
The length of the stove is only "1m, but you also have to plan for the chimney pipe behind it. That costs you another approx. 30-50cm.
Plan this in advance so that you have a passage width to the living room of at least 2m with the stove.
If you have a wood, laminate, vinyl, or carpet floor, you also need a spark guard in the form of tiles or a glass plate.
30cm on each side and 50cm(!) on the front side.

In this photo, you can see the edge. Here the stove was recessed about 3cm towards the living room so that no crack forms due to the expansion of the two different materials.
We also didn’t know that you should do this, so I want to warn you beforehand

Wow! Huge respect for this beautiful living area! Exactly our taste. Impressive!

I quickly implemented your suggestions regarding the chimney. The passage to the living room is now about 1.80m wide. Chimney (marked in white) takes up 1.40m in depth. Thanks!



Are you satisfied with the model? Does it burn in well?

I also have a question about the gallery: Do you have children? How is it with noise transmission through the gallery into the bedrooms? Does it bother you if someone is downstairs, for example in front of the TV, and another is sleeping upstairs, or if you have visitors and the children are sleeping upstairs?