Single-level villa design

Everything you need to know about designing a single-level villa with practical tips and a BIM model to download

Designing a single-level villa nowadays is becoming very popular as considered a comfortable and more liveable solution over time.

Better to opt for a single-level or a two-level villa? These are two absolutely different ways of living a house.

When planning a house, you should consider various factors such as aestethics, room layout functionality, individual and family needs.

After these considerations, it will be easier to establish the correct house configuration and whether to build it on one or two levels.

Single-level villa design | Exterior night view pool side

Certainly, the single-level villa is considered to be a home that provides a better quality of life; a better choice when you have a large plot of land or when you need more privacy.

The design of single-level houses is generally suited to rural landscapes, especially because of the limited space available in the cities. When having enough space available, a single-store house is certainly the most comfortable solution. There is no longer the need for stairs and all those structures that occupy space and are an inconvenience for children and the elderly. In addition, the one-level villa encourages greater communication between family members.

So much depends on the design.

In general, when designing a building it is never easy to combine aesthetic requirements with practical and functional aspects. Designing means satisfying the client’s expectations while respecting regulations, urban planning tools and the rules of good building.

In this in-depth technical study, we will evaluate these aspects and produce the design of a single-level villa using a BIM architectural software. You can even download the project 3D model.

Single-level villa project | Main facade

130 m² single-level villa example

Assuming that we have defined all the design parameters, let us begin to define the rooms of our project for a single-storey villa.

Let’s imagine that we can use about 130 m² surface area that would be useful for accommodating a family of 4.

As a starting point, let’s move on to define a central space preceded by a short porch. The porch leads to an entrance that leads into the living area of our housing unit.

We have modelled this space as a sort of oriented “symmetry” volume with a curvilinear front with a south-east window. Externally, it is distinguished by a surface treated with stone wall cladding, in a pleasant contrasting effect with the two adjacent and simply plastered buildings. This central body of approximately 47 m², characterized by an internal height of 3.20 m, overlooks the rest of the bulding with an internal height of 2.70 m.

Single villa project – detail of the swimming pool with variation of cladding materials | render created with Edificius

The core of the house’s reception area is a small, green courtyard (patio) of just 6 m², enclosed by glass.

The patio not only contributes to improve the air and light of the interior environment, but also provides a pleasant view of the natural surroundings.

Functionally, it divides the entrance to the house from the actual living room, like a sort of filter that lets you perceive the entire environment through its transparency.

Patio view from the entrance

The living room is furnished with modern and contemporary elements, combined with more classic furnishings (a travertine fireplace is a second focal point of this room), in discreet stylistic contrast.

To the left of the entrance/living room is the kitchen area. The kitchen, which is approximately 12 m² in size, is connected to the living room through a large 2 m opening with a double sliding door. The latter can be opened or closed according to the occasional need to create a kind of open space with the living room.

The garage, in the northern part of the house, is located behind the kitchen. It has a large driveway entrance, located on the main facade of the house, accessible through the convenient use of a gently sloping ramp. The garage is accessible from the entrance of the house through a door in a separate position.

View of the living room from the kitchen

On the other side of the living area there is the night area of the house with bathrooms.

The three large bedrooms are arranged as follows:

• a double bedroom with with walk-in wardrobe facing south-east,
• two single bedrooms facing west, accessible through a hallway that filters access from the living area. At the end of the hallway is a utility room.

Two comfortable adjacent bathrooms are arranged in such a way that one is for the exclusive use of the double bedroom and the other with access from the hallway.

The project is completed by an external arrangement consisting of low walls for fencing, of the same wall texture as the main body of the house, and shrubs of fragrant essences.

main facade

Lastly, a swimming pool has been placed to lap against the living room window. The large pool, following the curved wall of the living room, creates a suggestive play of reflections and references of light and shadow between the stone façade and the pool itself.

Download the 3D BIM model (.edf file)
Download the project IFC model