Designing a 90–110 m² Timber Home: Think About the Plan Before the Floor Area

“Would a 100 m² timber home be enough for us?” There is no single answer to this familiar first-meeting question. Two homes of the same size can feel very different because of their layouts. The starting point for a practical home is not fitting in as many rooms as possible, but understanding how your day unfolds within it.

Clarify what the total floor area includes

When reviewing a project’s total area, ask how enclosed living space, verandas and terraces have been counted. Comparing two homes by a single number can be misleading. The Domearc archive lists Çatalca III at 91 m², Kandıra at 98 m² and İnegöl II at 108 m². These figures introduce different living programmes; on their own, they do not establish a like-for-like comparison of the plans.

Let daily life determine the number of rooms

Rooms do not all need to be the same size or serve the same purpose throughout the day. A guest room may double as a study, but consider when those uses might overlap. A home where two people hold online meetings at the same time has different needs from one used only at weekends. Three-bedroom Kandıra and two-bedroom İnegöl IIshow why the spatial programme matters as much as floor area.

Plan the furniture alongside the open layout

Combining a living room and open-plan kitchen does not automatically create spaciousness. The dining table, sofa, refrigerator door and garden door opening should all appear on the same drawing. If someone cooking continually crosses the path of someone relaxing, generous dimensions on paper may not translate into everyday comfort. Leaving room for views and movement, rather than filling every window frontage with furniture, is a useful start.

Don’t leave the pantry and storage until last

Space for the vacuum cleaner, cleaning products, suitcases, gardening equipment and seasonal belongings has a direct effect on a compact home’s organisation. A small pantry or bespoke fitted cupboard can be a more coherent solution than numerous pieces of furniture added later. Consider not only how much storage you need, but where it sits and how often you use it.

Imagine a morning as you review the plan: waking up, getting ready, making breakfast and stepping onto the veranda. Are there unnecessary turns or doors that obstruct one another along the way? Çatalca III’s open kitchen and veranda can help you identify your priorities. A well-planned home makes space for life, rather than simply filling every square metre.