For those who are looking for projects of one-story residential buildings made of foam blocks, this article can be very useful. I have collected here 24 free projects with layouts and dimensions, according to which you can already make a working project and draw up an estimate. Here you can find houses of different sizes - from very small to spacious, designed for a large family.
Project No. 1
The first project is a house 6 x 10 meters in plan - its overall dimensions are very modest. This is a small house with two bedrooms; a family of three can comfortably live in such a house. At the entrance the house has a small terrace under the roof.
The house has a separate kitchen with its own bathroom and a large living-dining room measuring 21 square meters. The kitchen in this house measures 3 x 4.5 meters.
Project No. 2
The next house is larger than the previous one - with a length of 10 meters, it also has an overall width of 10 meters, although in plan it is not rectangular, but has a more complex outline.
The house has three bedrooms, it has two bathrooms, one of which is equipped with a bath. In the center of the house there is a living room of 25 square meters, from which there is access to the terrace. The kitchen measures 3 x 4 meters. The disadvantage of this project is that the living room is a walk-through and from it there is an entrance to the bedrooms. It can be improved by moving the wall between the kitchen and living room, creating a single kitchen-dining-living room space and highlighting a corridor from which there will be doors to the bedrooms.
Project No. 3
This is a house project 9 x 11 meters, quite spacious, but not huge. Moreover, adjacent to the wall of the house is a car parking area with a canopy. If desired, the parking lot can be turned into a garage by laying down the walls. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The total area is 70 meters without a balcony, terrace and garage.
The disadvantage of this project is the same as the previous one. The plan can be refined by adding a walk-through living room to one of the bedrooms. Thus, by sacrificing the latter, we get a large living room measuring 3.5 x 6 meters.
Project No. 4
This house is quite spacious, its dimensions are 8.5 by 12 meters. The house has three bedrooms, one of which is very large - measuring 4 x 4.5 meters. The other two bedrooms are smaller, 9 square meters each.
The house has two entrances - from the street and from the courtyard. There is a covered porch at each entrance. The layout of the house requires clarification; the living room can be combined with the kitchen, and the guest bathroom can be moved closer to the main entrance. Also, in such a large area it is possible to fence off technical rooms: laundry, ironing, etc.
Project No. 5
This is a large house for a large family. Dimensions in plan: 12 x 12.5 meters. On such a huge area you can place three bedrooms, a kitchen-dining room, a living room, an office and a number of technical rooms.
The designers who created this project, in my opinion, handled the distribution of areas unreasonably. I would remove the right bathroom and make a large kitchen-living room measuring 6.5 by 7 meters, zone it correctly, and designate the remaining rooms for bedrooms and children’s rooms. There would also be room for a study.
Project No. 6
A one-story house measuring 15.5 by 10 meters. This is a project for a very large house. The house has a carport designed for two cars, which can be turned into a full-fledged built-in garage.
Such a large area can accommodate a large family requiring three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Project No. 7
Nice house project 10 x 9 meters. The house compactly houses three bedrooms, a large living room measuring 6 x 3.5 meters and a separate kitchen measuring 9 meters.
The living room has a beautiful bay window, which creates an interesting plasticity of the facade.
Project No. 8
Project of a one-story house 6 x 6 meters in overall dimensions. The house has two bedrooms and one large kitchen-living area.
At the entrance there is a small terrace with a canopy. The bathroom has an entrance from the kitchen area.
The house has access to the courtyard. The bedrooms are quite modest in size, 3 x 3 meters. Sliding wardrobes and the presence of two windows in each of them save the situation.
Project No. 9
Nice house project with a high roof. Dimensions are 8 x 9 meters, the walls in plan have a complex geometry. This is a chalet style house that will look very picturesque.
The layout, in my opinion, needs some improvement.
Project No. 10
Project of a one-story house 9 x 8 meters with two bedrooms. The house has a large roof terrace.
One bedroom is large 5 x 3.5 meters, the second is smaller - 4 x 3 meters. The kitchen is fenced off into a separate room, the living-dining room is walk-through. The layout can be adjusted to suit your needs.
Project No. 11
A one-story house 9 x 9 meters with a measured plan. Inside the house there is a winter garden, two bedrooms and a kitchen-living room.
A good option for a country house for a family of three. Instead of a winter garden, you can arrange an office or a small guest room.
Project No. 12
House project in a modern style with a flat roof. The dimensions of the house in plan are 8 x 8 meters. A carport has been installed. The house has one large bedroom of 16 square meters and a single kitchen-living room space.
Instead of a carport, it would be more correct to arrange another bedroom, in my opinion.
Project No. 13
Large house 9 x 13 meters. It has a complex shape in plan. Three bedrooms, kitchen, living room and dining room.
There is immediately space for a car under the roof canopy.
Project No. 14
A large house with dimensions of 9 x 14 meters. The facade is very interesting, the house is one-story.
Beautiful stained glass glazing at the entrance. First we find ourselves in the living-dining room, then into the corridor, from which there is an entrance to the kitchen and three bedrooms.
Along the house there is a narrow terrace, which will be pleasant to use for relaxation.
Project No. 15
Project of a one-story house measuring 11 x 11 meters in plan.
The house can have four bedrooms, although in the presented project there are three. One bedroom is very large - almost 20 square meters. It can be divided into two bedrooms of 10 m2 each.
Project No. 16
Dimensions of the house are 6 x 9 meters. The house has three bedrooms and a small living room.
The kitchen is, as it were, separately attached to the house along with a terrace leading out to the courtyard.
Project No. 17
An interesting project for a narrow house for a long plot.
The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of which has a bath.
Did you buy a cottage or decide to build it from scratch on your own? Amazing! However, we should not forget that planning a private one-story house is a long, multi-stage process. You will have to study the features of the landscape, become familiar with the communications system, take care of the legal side of the issue, and also think through the design for each room. In the first three stages, you will definitely need the help of specialists, but smart and advanced software will help you choose the interior and exterior finishes.
There is no need to draw complex diagrams on paper - now you can download a free 3D program for visualizing layouts for interior design and comfortably furnish your home with simple mouse clicks. With Interior Design 3D, you will receive a full-fledged 3D model that will greatly simplify the renovation of a private home.
Advantages of planning in the program
Do you want to become the owner of a truly cozy home? Then you will have to take an active part in changes and distribution of functional areas. Study photos of the layout of private houses on the Internet and start designing! Download “Interior Design 3D” and you will be able to calculate everything down to the smallest detail.
- ✓ works completely in Russian. The time spent searching for the necessary functions will be reduced to a minimum.
- ✓ Even the most basic free version of “Interior Design 3D” includes all the necessary working tools. In the catalogs you will find furniture for arrangement kitchen, bathroom, living room, hallway and other rooms. Change the size and appearance of objects, create the interior you have long dreamed of!
- ✓ The software has a built-in huge collection of textures for finishing, which, if desired, each user can supplement with their own materials.
- ✓ Study the layout from all angles! The private house design program allows you to view the project in classic 2D mode, 3D view or through the special “Virtual Visit” option.
- ✓ In “Interior Design 3D” you can easily create single-story and multi-story buildings. To connect multi-tiered buildings, the house design program offers several types of stairs. You can adjust their width, specify the number of steps and adjust other parameters to achieve the most realistic result.
- ✓ Make an estimate. Using this function, you can easily understand how much it will cost you to install a kitchen in a private home or furnish any other room.
Creation of a project and layout of premises
Before preparing plans for private houses in the Interior Design program, you should already know what shape the building will be, how many residential and utility rooms will be needed, and how they will “divide” the total area among themselves. You can stick to standard designs (they can be easily found on the Internet) or take them as a basis, making adjustments to suit your needs and taste.
Small one-story buildings measuring 6x8 are suitable for a summer residence; for permanent residence such an area will not be sufficient. When distributing rooms, proceed from the size and composition of your family - according to the rules, representatives of different generations (children, adults, elderly) should have separate bedrooms. In a two-story cottage, it is better to place living rooms on the second floor, and leave utility rooms and a place for receiving guests on the first floor. It is better to place the bathroom and kitchen next door to avoid laying additional pipes.
Launch “Interior Design” and click "Create a project".
The software will offer to draw a house from scratch or based on a picture of a finished project. Having selected the appropriate option, you will be taken to the editor window. Click "Draw a room" and draw the first room on the working field.
As soon as you close the figure, the house planning program will calculate the area of the room. If necessary, you can adjust its size by selecting one of the walls and moving it to the side. The entire layout of rooms in a private house should be done in a similar way. The boundaries of adjacent rooms must overlap each other.
To create a project for a two-story cottage, click on the “Floors” tab and add a second level. The editor will duplicate the first floor layout by default, but you can delete rooms, change their size and add new ones.
Go back to the Project tab and place the staircase on the layout. To do this, click on the “Stairs and Cutouts” button and use the function "Add stairs". Depending on the features of the layout, select the type and size of the structure from the catalog, and then mark it on the diagram.
Features of ready-made templates
To speed things up significantly, try this little trick. “Interior Design 3D” makes it possible to equip not only cottages, but also apartments. For these purposes, a catalog with templates for serial-type apartments is provided. Instead of drawing rooms by hand, you can use ready-made models of Brezhnevka, Khrushchev and Stalin buildings.
To implement this life hack, click on the “Typical layouts” mode immediately after launching the software. Select the most suitable template and upload it to the editor. Then all you have to do is adjust the layout to suit you - remove unnecessary rooms, change their shape and size, add floors, etc.
Click “Add room” to add a garage, bathhouse, barn or other room. The software will offer to select one of the blank shapes for instant placement on the diagram. Place the building close to the main house or a little further - both of them will appear in the 3D view window.
If desired, you can install cozy unglazed balconies and terraces. To create them, add a regular room to the layout and adjust the size. Select the “outer” wall, open the “Properties” tab and change its height.
Furniture arrangement in the program
“Interior Design 3D” will allow you to completely furnish the premises, filling them with furniture and choosing finishes to your taste. The designer has a built-in universal collection of finishing materials for wall cladding and flooring. Options for every taste and budget - decorate the outside of the building with brick or stone, cover the inside walls with wallpaper, wood panels or paint it in your favorite color.
To customize the design, select a room on the diagram, open the “Properties” tab and click on the picture next to the column "Material". Once you select a texture, apply it with one click and adjust the scale. For each room you customize the appearance separately.
When building, be sure to use timber structures. This material evenly distributes the load on the load-bearing walls, making the entire structure much stronger and more durable.
Often the layout of rooms in a private house is limited to this, but not in “Interior Design 3D”! The software will allow you to add furniture, household appliances and other interior items to the layout and ultimately obtain the most realistic visualization.
In the “Project” tab, click "Add furniture". The built-in collection includes dozens of three-dimensional models that can be immediately placed on the layout. All objects are divided into functional groups to make it easy to find what you need.
Arrange the bedrooms and children's room, equip the kitchen and bathroom. If desired and technically possible, place a fireplace in the living room; this will give the interior as a whole more comfort and sophistication. If installing a real fireplace is not possible, an artificial fireplace will be an excellent alternative.
For each item in the catalog, you can customize the design and size by opening the “Properties” tab. Choose new upholstery for sofas and armchairs, change the material from which tables, cabinets and shelves are made in one click. Try to keep the interior of each room in the same color scheme; you should not combine different types of wood in furniture decoration.
Saving and printing the finished project
When the layout of a private house is completed, save the 6 by 8 house project by clicking on the floppy disk icon on the panel at the top. The export will take place in the format DIP, this will allow you to return to editing the project after a while and make the necessary changes. Additionally, Interior Design 3D makes it possible to save the layout and 3D visualization in the form of a picture and a document.
Click on the printer icon to instantly print the plan. Enable display of room dimensions and freely use the layout for further construction and renovation.
Ready-made planning projects for private houses
Use ready-made projects created in the program:
“Interior Design 3D” has no analogues in terms of simplicity and ease of use among those that can be found in Russian. Unlike online editors, with it you do not depend on an Internet connection, so the layout of an individual residential building can be completed at any convenient time. Download the software for free on this site - take the first step towards the home of your dreams!
A one-story house with an area of 10x10 meters provides some freedom of action. Of course, this is not a two-story mansion, where each family member will have their own spacious room, but also not a house with an area of 50 square meters, which accommodates not only a utility area, but also two, or even three or four rooms.
The number of rooms, their sizes, and purpose are much easier to vary when the area of the house is 100 square meters. And there are many more projects with such a square footage. Consider the most optimal projects for comfortable living of a large or small family so that it is easier for you to choose the appropriate option.
A one-story house on a plot takes up more space than a building of the same area, but with two floors. However, for a family with children or elderly or disabled relatives, this option is more preferable - it is safer and more convenient.
And a staircase that would lead to the second floor would take up useful space.
But there are other advantages of such a building.
- The usable area is enough to accommodate a family of 4 or even 5 people.
- The level of injuries is reduced due to the absence of stairs.
- Makes house cleaning easier.
- The design of all rooms of the house can be done in the same style.
- The house warms up faster and retains heat longer.
- The house is square in shape, the number of solutions is large.
- The foundation does not need additional reinforcement, since it only needs to support one floor.
A one-story 10×10 house can be comfortable and spacious. The layout of the rooms and their location depends on the size of the family. So everyone will feel comfortable in it, including guests who, no, no, and even want to stay overnight.
Important: Please note that the stated area of 10×10 does not mean that its living or total area will be so. 10-20 sq.m will be covered by external walls and interior partitions used for zoning.
Therefore, the usable space with which you will operate will remain 80-90 m2. And this is quite enough - see for yourself.
The presented version of the house has a total area of 76.55 sq.m., of which 48.25 is living space. And only one room (living room) is a walk-through room.
- 2 children's rooms of 9.32 sq.m.
- Bedroom 11.58 sq.m.
- Hall 18.03 sq.m.
- Kitchen 7.32 sq.m.
The remaining area was able to accommodate a boiler room, a bathroom, a vestibule or dressing room and a hall.
If you don’t need 2 children’s rooms, one room can be used as an office or guest room. If the house is heated by a double-circuit boiler and a boiler room is not needed, the bathroom can be made separate or the freed-up space can be used for a wardrobe, pantry, or dryer.
Important: if you want to learn how to create interior plans, read our article: 25 best programs, applications and services for an interior designer. This skill is useful for everyone, not just professional designers.
A small family does not need additional living rooms. And if necessary, guests can be accommodated in the living room for the night.
Please note that the total area of this house includes the area of external walls and partitions.
- A corridor (8 sq.m.) leads from the entrance deep into the house.
- To the left and right of it there are doors to bedrooms of 16 sq.m.
- The corridor turns into a hall, at the end of which a room for technical and utility needs with an area of 5.4 sq.m. is fenced off. The area of the spacious hall is 18.6 sq.m.
- The house has a spacious combined unit (12 sq.m.) and a kitchen combined with a living room.
If desired, the kitchen can be moved to the technical room, and the living room can be converted into two zones: a guest room and a relaxation area, or a cool home office can be equipped.
If you do not touch the layout, then in a fenced-off room you can arrange a boiler room, a dryer, an additional bathroom or a closet.
The advantage of this project is that each of the rooms, be it residential or utility, is not a walk-through room.
Rooms should be located in the house not only so that everyone is spacious and comfortable. The orientation of the house to the cardinal points should also be taken into account. So, a bathroom, kitchen, pantry, boiler room will completely survive the lack of light. But bedrooms, children's rooms and living rooms need long-lasting and sufficient natural light.
This project has a total area of almost 80.96 sq.m, with a living area of 53.96 sq.m, and the living area consists of 2 bedrooms and a living room.
- Bedroom 1 – 14.37 sq.m. It can be a guest room, an office or a nursery.
- Bedroom 2 – 16.07 sq.m.
- Living room – 23.52 sq.m.
- Kitchen-dining room – 10.91 sq.m.
- Combined bathroom – 6.06 sq.m.
A vestibule leads into the house, at the end of which there is a boiler room or storage room with an area of 3.28 sq.m.
The area of the house is 10x10 by 2.3 meters. These premises can be sacrificed if the size of the site does not allow them to remain. And make the entrance from the street directly into the hall, fencing it off, for example, with a plasterboard wall with a door.
The advantage of this option is that, having accommodated 3 living rooms in the area of the house, it was possible to make each of them separate.
In a house with an area of 100 square meters, it is quite possible to plan not only the living area and kitchen and technical premises. You can also arrange an open terrace, which is the dream of everyone who buys a country private one-story 10x10 house. The layout of the rooms will be practical and comfortable.
Take a look at the proposed project for yourself. It has three bedrooms of 11.9; 12.2 and 12.5 sq.m. and living room 20.2 sq.m. The space between the rooms is a kitchen, which also serves as a dining room with an area of 13.1 sq.m. The toilet room is combined, located next to the entrance to the house.
The living room has four windows and a sliding door. The room receives a lot of natural light. Therefore, you can make a glass veranda behind it. And go to it almost straight from home. If this solution seems inconvenient to you, install a door instead of one window. And the window can be moved to the place of the existing sliding doors.
The same terrace, but smaller in size, can be made in front of the entrance to the house.
Any of the presented options can be changed. For example, moving a wall to make a room or terrace larger. Demolish interior partitions that are not load-bearing to make the rooms more spacious (loft style). And changing the purpose of the room will not be as difficult as it seems. After all, this is a private house, not an apartment in a high-rise building.
One-story house 10×10: room layout and its basics
A 10x10 house is considered a medium sized house. Moreover, it is a one-room apartment. And, despite all its advantages, its external walls cannot be moved apart to separate one room.
Therefore, it is worth initially deciding which rooms in the house are necessary and which you can do without.
- We need a living room. This is not a master bedroom, but a gathering place for the whole family. This room should not be neglected. We give him the most spacious room.
- The number of bedrooms depends on the size of the family. A young family may soon expand, so there should be at least 2 bedrooms.
- The kitchen, if its space allows, can also be a dining room. Even an area of 10-13 sq.m can accommodate both a cooking area and a dining set.
- The bathroom is one of the most necessary technical rooms.
- Pantry. If you have space, great. Otherwise, supplies are stored in outbuildings in the yard. But you can allocate a space of 1.5-2.5 sq.m. for it in any way in the kitchen or in the hall.
- Wardrobe. You can do without a separate room for it. Install wardrobes from floor to ceiling. This will solve the problem of placing things. Useful ideas and tips can be gleaned from our article on decorating a small dressing room.
- A dryer is optional.
- A boiler room is only needed if the house has a stove and steam heating is installed. But most families use double-circuit boilers, gas heating and install heated floors. Therefore, the need for this room disappears and additional square footage is freed up. And just right for a storage room or bathroom.
- Terrace. You can refuse, but you don’t want to.
We increase functionality without expanding the walls
You can make your living area more spacious by making adjustments to the layout.
You can independently plan the space of your country house. Please keep in mind that the area and number of floors in the cottage are determined only by your financial capabilities.
Making a plan for the rooms in the house
You can only draw up a rough plan for your future home on your own. When you have roughly decided what you want to get as a result, contact an architect, with whom you can more accurately determine the area of the rooms, the connection between each other, in general - everything you need to start building a country mansion.
Even if you think that you yourself have perfectly planned your future cottage, still contact an architect. Only a specialist can point out some points. Let's say that it won't be possible to implement: the attic is too low. The architect will also appreciate how wide the hallways you decide to choose. By making them narrower, you can make the rooms feel more spacious.
The same specialist will be able to tell you what the optimal thickness of load-bearing walls is, how many interior partitions are needed, and determine the number of floors and the exact area of the rooms. If there are too many partitions, it may be necessary to reduce the thickness of the load-bearing walls. Another option is to remove a large number of partitions and make the rooms more conveniently arranged.
Basement
First, decide whether you need a basement. In some cases, this floor turns out to be quite functional, as it allows you to free up space in front of the house and reduce the total building area. You can use the basement for a workshop, storage room, or cellar. You can go further and arrange an entire basement floor. Keep in mind that you will need good lighting.
So, whether you decide to arrange a basement under the entire house or only under some part of it is a matter for each owner personally.
For those who are going to build a basement only under some rooms of the house, it will be convenient to use this room as a control center for engineering equipment. Also, the basement is an excellent place to equip a boiler room.
Bathroom and toilet layout
If your finances allow, have a separate bathroom. If a whole family lives in the house, this is especially true. While someone is washing, taking a shower or bath, another can calmly visit the toilet and not wait for half an hour or an hour at the door. However, for those who are still designing a combined bathroom, we recommend using a sliding partition that will divide the room into functional zones.
If you decide to place a separate toilet and bathroom, then it is enough to allocate only a couple of square meters for the first. Agree, there is no need for extra space there at all. Another thing is the bathroom. Here you can design it as you wish. You are no longer squeezed into a framework, as is the case in apartments or ready-made cottages. Depending on material capabilities and wishes, you can arrange a bathroom from 6 to 10 square meters. Just place the bathroom on the shady side!
In two-story cottages you can afford two bathrooms - one for each floor. To reduce the cost of communication pipes, in this case it is more advisable to install these rooms one above the other.
Bedroom
Unlike the bathroom premises, the bedroom should be located on the sunny side of the house. If you like to sleep longer, position your bed so that the morning sun's rays don't hit your eyes and wake you up. On average, the bedroom area should be from twelve to twenty square meters. The final area depends on the total area of the cottage.
If you are planning to build a two-story house, then it is best to place a bedroom (or several) on the second floor. After all, this room is your personal space. However, if you plan to live with your parents or grandparents, arrange rooms for them on the ground floor, since it will not be very comfortable and convenient for the elderly to go up and down the stairs several times every day.
Kitchen and dining area
To make it more spacious, designers recommend combining the kitchen and dining room. For this, a room of twelve square meters will be sufficient. If you still want to divide these rooms, then allocate at least ten squares for the kitchen, and about eight for the dining room.
There is no fundamental difference where exactly to place the dining area if you can organize high-quality lighting. The main thing is to place the kitchen and dining room away from the bedroom so that the smells of cooking dishes do not interfere.
A good tip is to place the kitchen close to the bathroom. This will save on pipeline length.
Attic layout
In a one-story building, the attic can serve as an additional guest room or children's bedroom. If you decorate this room beautifully, the children will simply be delighted. The main thing is to correctly calculate the height of the attic and the size of the windows. It is important that the abundance of daylight does not interfere, and therefore, when planning the attic, study the cardinal directions and correctly position large windows. It is best to seek the help of professionals for this.
On average, the height of the attic should be about two and a half meters in the center and approximately 1.7 and 1.8 along the perimeter. In this case, it will be comfortable to move around the room.
Veranda
The veranda can be absolutely anything. If the house is small, then a five by two room will be quite sufficient. It is better to place the veranda on the side of the house on the east or west side, near the kitchen. Under the veranda you will need to build a light foundation and install a roof. In summer, you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner on the veranda while admiring your property.
Kids room
The main thing when planning a children's room is to arrange it on the sunny side of the house, close to your bedroom and living room. This will help you quickly look into your little ones' room if anything is bothering you. The nursery should be bright, well lit - in such an environment its little inhabitants will be as comfortable as possible.
Layout of rooms on the second floor
On the second floor of a two-story cottage you can place two bedrooms, a children's room (or two if you have several children, especially if they are of different sexes), an additional bathroom and toilet. This will be the best option if a young family without elderly parents lives in a country house. Let us remind you that if you live with older relatives, place a room for them on the first floor so that they do not have to waste energy climbing the stairs.
And as you may have guessed, if there is a second floor, we can talk about stairs. The layout of the staircase should be carefully thought out, especially if you have growing children in your family. They run everywhere, jump, and can hit the edges of the stairs. So don't make too many corners. And let the staircase take up minimal space. If the cottage is small, then consider the dimensions so that they are optimal. In a large house, a staircase can be a real decoration, but try to install it in such a way that it does not interfere with the passages.
As a rule, a two- or three-story cottage is built if the family is large or, for example, the area is small.
In a one-story house, the floor should be about three meters high. This is the clear height when measured from floor to ceiling. When you are planning to build a two-story building, it is better that one floor is 2.7 meters. This will save on construction materials. And going up and down the stairs will be faster - two fewer steps. This is a small thing, but considering the fact that you will have to walk up the stairs several times a day, and you will also have to spend money on materials when you build, it is quite noticeable.
So, now you have an idea of where and what rooms should be located, how much space should be allocated for the kitchen, bedroom, and dining room. And be sure to contact an architect to immediately decide on the main points. This will help save time, nerves and money.
At the initial stage of construction, the main and responsible activity is house layout. A beginner who has not experienced all the hardships of construction may have the mistaken opinion that the correct layout of a house is not so important and is very simple to implement. Unfortunately, it is not!
In reality, competent and correct planning is a rather complex process that requires careful thought, because... Your family's happiness is at stake. The complexity of the layout lies in the fact that with limited material resources, you need to manage to draw up a house plan that would suit all future residents and delight them with comfort, space, and coziness. You can take the easier route and build according to a ready-made project. To get acquainted with some of them, you can visit this site. However, you can get the full range of amenities and positive sensations during your stay only by creating a project for yourself, and not by cloning your neighbor’s. Yes! It is the independent layout of the house that is a big advantage.
How do you usually go about planning your home? Imagine this: Vasya and his wife Natasha sat down in the kitchen of their “beloved mother” (mother-in-law), drew a square of an imaginary home on a checkered piece of paper and began to shove it into this square:
- five rooms,
- kitchen,
- bath,
- toilet,
- firebox,
- vestibule and
- closet.
They pushed and shoved, and finally quarreled, they went to the architect angry and, without delving into the details, they found the first project they came across there.
It's funny, of course, but that's how it usually happens. And, all because the shape and volume of the future house is chosen as a basis when drawing up a project, i.e. the layout takes place as if from the outside in. When it should be the other way around, you need to plan from the inside out. If we translate it into simple language, then you should start planning a house based on the number of residents and their needs, as well as the necessary functions of your home.
Planning the premises of a residential building
It has long been known what rooms should be like and their optimal sizes. Smart heads did their best and wrote this down in all sorts of building codes and regulations. So you don’t have to come up with anything new:
Porch- a platform in front of the entrance to the house. The porch must have a minimum size of 1.2 x 1.2 m, as well as a staircase at least 1 m wide. A canopy (canopy) is required above the porch, including the steps.
Tambour– a room to smooth out the temperature difference between the internal space and the external environment, so that cold air does not draft directly into a warm house. Its role can be played by a closed unheated veranda. As a rule, the entrance to the hallway is planned from the vestibule, and it is also very rational to place in it the entrance to the boiler room (furnace), especially when using solid fuels. If the main entrance vestibule will have a turn, it should be planned with dimensions of at least 1.65x1.65. The width of vestibules and airlocks without turning should be greater than the width of the openings by at least 0.5 m (0.25 m on each side of the opening), and the length should be greater than the width of the door leaf by at least 0.2 m, but not less than 1.2 m.
Hallway(front) - a kind of distribution hub through which all movements are carried out. The hallway area must be at least 3m2. Its minimization, as a rule, leads to the appearance of corridors. A very rational solution would be to plan a spacious hall or expand the space of the front room by integrating it with the living room.
Corridor- a passage limited on the sides connecting individual parts of the home. The width of the corridor should not exceed 1.4 m. Although corridors do not have standards for their area, their excessive number indicates an irrational layout of the house.
Living room(hall) – a common room for a family’s daytime stay, usually a living space with a maximum area. The minimum area of the living room is in the range of 15 - 18 m. Making a living room larger than 24 m2 is irrational, and such a decision cannot be called anything other than showing off. Without damage, the size of the common room can be increased by adding other functional elements, conditionally isolated from each other: a dining room, a hallway, a writing and computer workstation, a flight of stairs, etc.
Bedroom– room for personal use. If bedrooms are considered only as rooms for sleeping, then they are planned with a minimum area: for 1 person - 8-9 m2, for 2 people - 12-14 m2. If bedrooms are used as living rooms with developed functions, they should be large. The bedroom, unlike other rooms in the house, should be a non-passable room.
Kitchen- room for cooking. If the kitchen is used only for preparing food, its minimum area should be in the range of 8 - 10 m2, and when adding a dining room function, it increases to 12 m2. Considering that the kitchen is increasingly overgrown with all sorts of machines, mechanisms for preparing and storing food, and also that some family members often spend a lot of time in the kitchen, these standards are too small and should be increased.
Ladder– a functional element that provides vertical connections between the premises of the house located at different levels. The staircase can have one, two, or even three flights. Intermediate platforms should be installed in places where flights of stairs turn. The width of the flight is planned to be at least 0.9 m, and the slope of the stairs is no more than 1: 1.25 (not steeper than 40°). When installing a single-flight staircase between two walls, its width must be at least 110 cm.
Toilet– a room for performing natural needs and performing hygiene procedures. Depending on the planning decisions and size of the house, there can be two types of sanitary and hygienic premises:
- separate bathroom;
- combined sanitary unit.
When the bathroom and toilet are placed separately, the minimum internal dimensions of the toilet room are 0.8 x 1.2 m or 0.8 x 1.4 m if the door opens inward. The dimensions of the bathroom depend on the dimensions of the bathtub, washbasin and other additional elements of sanitary equipment. The area of combined bathrooms is smaller than the area of separate ones. But, as you know, you have to pay for everything. The smaller area of combined units pays off in inconvenience and reduced operating comfort.
Quite often it is practiced to install two sanitary facilities in a house:
- for daytime use - only with a toilet and washbasin;
- complex bathroom - complemented by a bathtub and shower. As a rule, for greater convenience, it is located next to the bedrooms.
Garage- a room intended for storing vehicles and various useful household tools. The garage can be:
- built-in;
- attached;
- standing separately.
The minimum garage area for a car should be 18m2, and for a motorcycle 6m2.
Boiler room(furnace) - a room in which the working fluid (coolant) of a heating or hot water supply system is heated. The volume of the boiler room intended for heating equipment with a total thermal power of up to 60 kW must be at least 7 m 3, and for boilers with a power of 60 to 200 kW, the volume of the furnace room must already be at least 11.5 m 3. Please note that the volume, not the area of the room, is regulated.
Auxiliary premises– these include corridors, storage rooms, balconies, loggias. The sizes of balconies and loggias are calculated within 20% of the total area of the apartment.
Minimum room sizes, taking into account the population of the apartment or house and the number of rooms are reflected in the table. It takes into account the important proportional relationships of the premises. This recommended planning minimum.
| Number of rooms | Population, people | Total area, m 2 | Living area, m2 | Area, m2 | |||
| living room | bedrooms | kitchens | aux. premises | ||||
| 1 | 1-2 | 30 | 18 | 18 | - | 8 | 4 |
| 2 | 2-3 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| 3 | 3-4 | 50 | 35 | 15 | 8, 12 | 9 | 6 |
| 4 | 4-5 | 62 | 45 | 18 | 8, 9 and 10 | 10 | 7 |
| 5 | 5-6 | 75 | 55 | 19 | 8, 8, 8 and 12 |
12 | 8 |
The procedure for planning a house
Armed with the above data and the wishes of your household, you can easily make a list of all the rooms with the dimensions necessary for further comfortable living of the whole family. Based on this list, you should draw up a diagram of connections between rooms, indicating possible movements around the house. Further, when planning premises, you should consider:
- placement of the house on the site;
- orientation relative to cardinal directions;
- fire safety intervals with neighboring buildings.
Only now can you decide on the possible building area and the number of levels (presence of a basement, attic...). To ensure favorable climate and light conditions, it is preferable to place the main living rooms on the south, east, southeast side, and the kitchen and dining room on the north, northeast side.
Optimal overall dimensions of premises. When planning rooms, you should adhere to the optimal ratio of length and width. The most suitable values will be from 1:1 to 1:1.5. That is, if the width of the room is, for example, 4 meters, then its length is planned to be between 4 and 6 meters.
Functional zoning when planning a house
Depending on the functions, the total area of the house and the wishes of future residents, the house can be divided into certain functional zones and parts. There are several functional zoning schemes:
- two-part zoning;
- three-part zoning.
Two-part zoning- the house has two parts:
- day care area– has a family function, includes an entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, toilet, study;
- night zone includes bedrooms, children's rooms, bathroom, wardrobe.
When planning a house with one level, it is recommended to place a daytime area at the entrance, and a nighttime area in the back of the house. In the case of a two-level layout, vertical zoning of the house is used, where daytime premises are located on the ground floor, and night rooms are located on the second or attic floor.
Three-part zoning– divides the house into three parts:
- family;
- individual;
- household.
When planning a one-level home, the family and private areas include the living room, dining room and bedrooms. The utility area includes the entrance, kitchen, storage rooms, bathrooms, work rooms, etc. The utility area is located in the center of the house and serves as a buffer between the family and individual areas, as well as the entrance to the house. When planning a house with three levels, a utility area is placed on the lower level, a family area on the middle level, and a personal area on the upper level.
Layout of window openings
The ratio of the floor area of living quarters or kitchens to the area of window openings should not exceed 5, otherwise the house will be dark during the day, i.e. The window area should not be more than 5 times less than the floor area. For attic floors this ratio is 8, although 10 is allowed. The recommended sizes of window openings depending on the area of the premises are shown in the table.
| Room area, m2 | Minimum area of window openings, m2, at room depth, m |
|||||||
| 2,5 | 3,0 | 3,5 | 4,0 | 4,5 | 5,0 | 5,5 | 6,0 | |
| 8 | 1,4 | 1,4 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9 | 1,5 | 1,5 | 1,5 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | - | 1,6 | 1,6 | 1,5 | - | - | - | - |
| 11 | - | 1,7 | 1,7 | 1,6 | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | - | 1,8 | 1,8 | 1,7 | 1,6 | - | - | - |
| 13 | - | 1,9 | 1,9 | 1,8 | 1,7 | 2,5 | - | - |
| 14 | - | 2,0 | 2,0 | 1,9 | 1,8 | 2,55 | - | - |
| 15 | - | - | 2,1 | 2,0 | 1,9 | 2,6 | 3,5 | - |
| 16 | - | - | 2,2 | 2,1 | 2,0 | 2,65 | 3,55 | - |
| 17 | - | - | 2,3 | 2,2 | 2,1 | 2,7 | 3,6 | - |
| 18 | - | - | 2,4 | 2,3 | 2,2 | 2,75 | 3,65 | 4,9 |
| 19 | - | - | - | 2,4 | 2,3 | 2,8 | 3,7 | 4,95 |
| 20 | - | - | - | 2,5 | 2,4 | 2,85 | 3,75 | 5,0 |
| 21 | - | - | - | - | 2,5 | 2,9 | 3,8 | 5,05 |
| 22 | - | - | - | - | 2,6 | 2,95 | 3,85 | 5,1 |
| 23 | - | - | - | - | 2,7 | 3,0 | 3,9 | 5,15 |
| 24 | - | - | - | - | 2,8 | 3,05 | 3,95 | 5,2 |
| 25 | - | - | - | - | 2,9 | 3,1 | 4,0 | 5,25 |
When planning the size and placement of doors, you should definitely take into account the width of future residents and the possible dimensions of the furniture, so that you don’t have to worry about how to drag the sofa inside: either through a window or through the roof.
Coordination of the house plan with the size of the floors
A kind of adjustment of the distances between load-bearing walls, taking into account, as well as the depth of their support on the load-bearing walls. Elements of interfloor slabs have their own standard dimensions, as well as indicators of the minimum depth of support on load-bearing walls, and these indicators depend on and may differ. In order to avoid sawing concrete slabs and throwing away pieces of sawn-off beams at the stage of laying interfloor floors, you should take into account the dimensions of the planned elements of interfloor floors and the depth of their support on the walls, adjusting the distance between the load-bearing walls.
Placement of ventilation and smoke ducts
Ventilation ducts should be provided for bathrooms, boiler rooms, and kitchens. Smoke channels are planned for each individual unit of heating equipment: boiler, fireplace, stove, geyser.
Checking the quality of the completed project
The quality of the completed house layout can be judged by the ratio of the area of residential premises to the area of auxiliary premises:
where K 1 is the ratio of the area of residential premises to the total area of the building;
Sf – total area of residential premises;
S o – total (total) area of all internal premises of the building.
The optimal value of K 1 is in the range of 0.6-0.7. By performing such a calculation, you can evaluate both your project and the project completed by the architect according to your order.
