ᐅ Single-family house floor plan (approximately 1,830 sq ft) with garage – hillside location

Hello dear forum,

What do the professionals think about the following floor plan (especially regarding the questions described below)? Does anything stand out as something that shouldn’t be done?

Thank you in advance

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 800 m² (8,600 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Site coverage ratio
Floor area ratio
Building envelope, building line, and boundary
Edge development: see attachment
Number of parking spaces: Garage for 2
Number of floors: 2 (ground floor and upper floor without basement)
Roof type: flat roof with ventilation cavity
Architectural style
Orientation: see attachment
Maximum heights / limits
Other requirements: none

Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type
Basement, floors: No basement, 2 floors
Number and age of occupants: 2 (36 + 34)
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor: GF 90 m² (970 sq ft); UF 80 m² (860 sq ft)
Office: family use (office + guest room)
Guests per year: 10
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: balcony
Garage, carport: garage
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Other: sauna

House Design
Designed by: DIY + architect
What do you particularly like? Why?: Open living area with fireplace/sauna integration
What don’t you like? Why?: Ground floor too conventional; rooms arranged in a row
Cost estimate according to planner: 300,000
Personal budget limit for the house, including equipment: 360,000
Preferred heating technology: gas condensing boiler with solar thermal

If you have to give up, which details/extensions
- Can give up: fireplace
- Cannot give up:

What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?

Due to the sloped plot, it is not really possible to build a terrace with a view. Therefore, the living area moved to the upper floor, and for summer, we thought sitting on the balcony would work. However, the balcony as drawn seems too small. Would it make sense to use the garage roof for the balcony? (a rough 3D draft is attached)

The original design planned the heating/utility room in the garage. Because of the edge development regulations and additional insulation needed for this room, it was moved to the ground floor. As a result, a bathroom had to shift upstairs to the upper floor, where a storage room had to be removed. We fear there will be too little storage space overall. Do you see it the same way?

Note: Since we are still in the planning stage, not all views are up to date. At the very beginning, the upper floor was shifted in relation to the ground floor. Also, the garage wasn’t directly placed on the plot. I have attached the views anyway to show the orientation. The satellite photo also shows the earlier status.

Are you planning for 2 people or 4?

So, for 3 people: 2 adults and 1 child. The room labeled "Child 2" is my wife's hobby room. There will be a drywall partition between the rooms "Child 1" and "Child 2," allowing the child's room to be expanded if needed.

The storage room is definitely missing.
The hallway on the ground floor is too long and narrow. The entire ground floor feels cramped.

The walk-in closet takes up a lot of space for relatively little storage. If you integrate the wardrobe into the bedroom, you would have about 50 to 75 cm (20 to 30 inches) of space without any loss, and either Child 1 or Child 2’s room could be larger.
I would remove the second door from the bathroom.

Have you considered moving the main entrance to a different location?

The problem is that the wall between Child 2’s room and the master bedroom is load-bearing, so the wall above on the upper floor needs to remain in place. But you’re right that the walk-in closet might be a bit too much.

Possibly, the hallway could end right after the staircase, creating a separate area. This could be done by installing a door or just a door frame or something similar to eliminate the tunnel effect. Then, the second door in the bathroom could be removed.

Regarding the storage room... could it maybe be installed upstairs between the living and dining areas? Just about one meter wide (around 3 feet) for vacuum cleaner storage and similar items?

And honestly, I haven’t given much thought to the area near the front door yet. Do you mean shifting it further down or, when standing in front of it, moving it more to the right?

You have a 16 sqm (172 sq ft) hallway where movement feels very cramped. It needs to be removed. I just don’t know how yet.

The staircase and entrance somehow need to be closer together.

I wouldn’t plan a storage room there. That would reduce the impact of the upper floor.

Considering only the upper floor, I would move the staircase toward the southwest and place a storage room behind it, accessible from the kitchen. I would completely redo the ground floor.

Are the costs for earthworks, retaining walls, and the long driveway included in the 300,000 euros? If so, how much work do you plan to do yourselves?

Our initial plans were for a rectangular house; then it became square.

Our living areas are downstairs and the bedrooms are upstairs.