ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home (140 sqm Urban Villa) on a Slope with a Double Garage

Hello everyone,

Two months ago, we purchased a serviced building plot on a hillside and are currently deeply involved in the floor plan design, which is proving quite challenging due to the elevation difference.

I have been following the forum for a while and recently found a great template for our project that I think just needs some adjustments to fit our requirements. I would really appreciate your feedback and am, of course, open to criticism!

Development Plan / Restrictions

• Plot size: 722sqm (7,770 sqft)
• Slope: Yes (southwest)
• Site coverage ratio: 0.3
• Floor area ratio: 0.8
• Building window, building line and boundary: -
• Edge development: No (only carport)
• Number of parking spaces: 1-2 (in front of the garage and next to the house)
• Number of storeys: 1.5
• Roof style: No restrictions
• Architectural style: No restrictions
• Orientation: No restrictions
• Maximum heights / limits: 3m (10 ft) distance to neighbor

Owner’s Requirements

• Style, roof type, building type: Urban villa, hipped roof
• Basement, storeys: No basement, 1.5 storeys
• Number of occupants: 4 (ages: 44, 45, 16, 6 years)
• Space requirements on ground and upper floor: Upstairs minimum bedroom 11sqm (118 sqft), walk-in closet 8sqm (86 sqft), 2 children’s rooms 12sqm (129 sqft) each, bathroom 13sqm (140 sqft)
• Office: Family use or home office?: Not needed
• Guest overnight stays per year: Rare
• Open or closed architecture: Open downstairs, rather closed upstairs
• Conservative or modern design: Modern
• Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open kitchen with island
• Number of dining seats: Minimum 6, possibility for a large dining table (big family)
• Fireplace: No
• Music / stereo wall: No
• Balcony, roof terrace: If possible, a partially covered terrace
• Garage, carport: Preferably a double garage
• Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes
• Other: Storage space necessary, as no basement

House Design

• Who designed the plan: Currently from the forum
• What do you like most? Why? Great layout on the ground floor, still open upstairs
• What do you not like? Why?: The upper floor layout still fits 3 children, which we don’t need
• Estimated price by architect/planner: We thought, excluding land, max $250,000 - realistic?
• Personal price limit for house, including fittings: €250,000
• Preferred heating system: We are open!

If you have to give up something, which details or features

• You can give up: Walk-in closet, double garage
• You cannot give up: Large bathroom

Why does the design look the way it does?
We really like the design here by "kaho674." It truly reflects our ideas. The upper floor should still fit now but, of course, with our minimum required room sizes and the requirement to build only 1.5 storeys.

What is really important to us, especially since the plot is on a slope — the highest point at the street is just under 1m (3.3 ft) above the zero level and it drops 5.11m (16.8 ft) to the lowest point — is how everything can be integrated into the plot without the costs for filling and leveling running out of control. We have also considered an alternative to the urban villa in the style of a split-level house. What have your experiences been building on such a plot?

Many thanks