ᐅ 160 m² single-family house with timber frame construction on a north-facing slope, including a basement

Created on: 26 Aug 2018 17:03
L
Lbx
Hello,

below you will find our (almost) final floor plan. Only a few adjustments and changes to the windows are still being made. We would appreciate your feedback.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Construction according to Paragraph 34 of the Building Code. Neighboring buildings are 1.5 to 2 stories with pitched roofs.

Plot Size
3000m2 (approximately 0.74 acres), building area around 600m2 (0.15 acres) along the street

Slope
Approximately 2m (6.6 feet) diagonal incline where the house will be located, rising from southwest to northeast

Orientation
South (uphill side)

Client Requirements: Style, Roof Type, Building Type
Single-family house, pitched roof (most cost-effective), rather open design

Basement, Floors
Full basement + 2 floors

Number of Occupants, Age
2 adults + 2 children (planned)

Room Requirements on Ground Floor and Upper Floor
Open kitchen + dining area + living room, pantry, study, guest WC, parents’ area (bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom), children’s area (2 bedrooms + bathroom), garage, utility room, storage room

Office: Family use or home office?
Family use + emergency children’s bedroom

Overnight Guests per Year
1-2

Open or Closed Architecture
Rather open

Conservative or Modern Building Style
Rather modern

Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island
Open kitchen, island not necessary

Number of Dining Seats
6

Fireplace
No

Music / Stereo Wall
5.1 surround, approx. 3 meters (10 feet) for TV, etc.

Balcony, Roof Terrace
No

Garage, Carport
In the basement

House Design
Who Created the Plan:

Floor plan from a construction company, modified according to our wishes by the planner of a prefab house company (structural engineer)

What Do You Like Especially? Why?

- Separate parents’ area

- Open design with living room accessible from two sides

- Staircase on the north side, where the street is

- Garage inside the house

- Large windows facing south

- Living room + kitchen + dining areas facing south

- Open ridge ceiling on the upper floor

What Do You Dislike? Why?

- Low, small windows on the upper floor due to the 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall height – we will probably raise this to 2.10m (6.9 feet)

- Boring exterior appearance

- Small study room, but currently the best compromise for us

- Kitchen windows not floor-to-ceiling, will be changed

- Possibly too few windows

Cost Estimate from Architect / Planner:

Approximately 400,000 Euro turnkey, including photovoltaic system and natural fiber insulation (ecological) fixed-price offer including basement, electric garage door, etc.

Laminate flooring

External roller blinds in living/kitchen/dining areas

No controlled mechanical ventilation.

No waterproof concrete basement (no “white tank” system).

Personal Price Limit for the House, Including Equipment:
House including all ancillary costs 470,000 Euro

Preferred Heating Technology:
Air-to-water heat pump + photovoltaic system

If You Had to Cut Back, Which Details / Extensions Could You Forgo:
Basement, but due to the slope it does not make much economic sense. Otherwise, we have already cut back as much as we can imagine.

Why Does the Design Look Like It Does Now?
We liked the design from the start, especially the south orientation of all main rooms suits the plot very well.

What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan in 130 Characters or Less?
1. From what knee wall height do windows including rolling shutters below the knee wall really make sense? At 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall, windows would be at hip height, which is not a solution for us. For example, in the children’s room, a desk should fit underneath.

2. According to the soil report, we have about 1m (3.3 feet) of soil class 4 and below that soil class 5-6. What costs could be expected for earthworks on a sloped site?

3. Do you think a mechanical ventilation system is essential in a timber frame house? According to two reputable prefab house providers, it is mostly unnecessary and mainly important only for allergy sufferers.

A small note on the attached files: in the Google Maps image, south is at the top and the plot is where the two yellow markers are. In the views, I sketched around a bit unfortunately.

Topographic site plan of a plot with terrain contours and survey lines


Aerial view of a residential area with plots, trees and streets, markers visible


Floor plan of a house with garage, car, utility room, basement and entrance.


Upper floor plan with bedroom, walk-in closet, 2 bathrooms, hallway, 2 children’s rooms


Floor plan of a house: hallway, study, pantry, kitchen, dining, living room.


Modern white single-family home with garage on lower floor, many windows and green slope.


Modern white house with dark pitched roof, large glass fronts and wooden terrace.
Y
ypg
5 Sep 2018 23:33
Medis schrieb:
Hello everyone,
I want to build a single-family house without a basement. Planned structure:
- Gravel, compacted. Slope leveled with topsoil and gravel.
- Styrodur (rigid thermal insulation)
- Concrete slab 25 cm (10 inches) thick (without strip footings)

The house will be built on a gentle slope. The slope across the width of the house (10 m (33 feet)) is about 90 cm (35 inches), with the first half of the house on a flat section and the slope starting at the second half.
I am concerned about the concrete slab. Is there a risk that the compacted gravel might settle over time, causing the ground/gravel under the house to “sink”? Or is compacted gravel sufficient and acceptable? Would it be better to use strip footings, or are there other suggestions?

I would appreciate your opinions, and maybe a proposal on how to execute this better. Thank you.

Best regards

Please open your own thread and do not simply take over someone else’s thread – the original poster wants to discuss _their_ house, not yours.
11ant6 Sep 2018 15:20
ypg schrieb:
Please create your own thread and do not simply take over someone else’s thread -

I have already explained this approach to the "thread hijacker" via private message; their question can now be found here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Bodenplatte-auf-leichten-Hanglage.28697/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
K
kbt09
7 Sep 2018 02:08
Only @Lbx seems less inclined to engage in discussion, often just making brief comments, then reading arguments before adding another remark. What’s missing is a more detailed written engagement with the points raised. I find written communication very useful because it helps to organize one’s thoughts in a way that allows others (us, the valued readers) to follow the reasoning more easily.
11ant7 Sep 2018 16:20
kbt09 schrieb:
that the other party (us, the esteemed readership ), might also be able to follow this thought.

... is unfortunately made more difficult by the fact that external links are not allowed here. Allowing exceptions for references to crossposts could make it easier to keep track in the overall discussion of such parallel-running threads. In the green forum, the thread by "Lammbock" is titled "Floor plan 160m2 (1720 sq ft) timber frame house on a north-facing slope with basement – opinions requested." However, the dialogue there is also slow and not very productive.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Y
ypg
7 Sep 2018 18:43
11ant schrieb:
... is unfortunately made more difficult by the fact that external links are not allowed here. An exception for references to crossposts could make it easier to keep track of these parallel discussions. In the green forum, the thread by "Lammbock" is called "Floor plan 160m2 (1722 sq ft) timber frame house on a north-facing slope with basement - opinions requested." However, the discussion there is also slow and unproductive.

It doesn’t matter.
It’s a poor design; over there it was quiet for a week before anyone responded.
Some designs just leave you speechless.
And the dear original poster is licking their wounds.
For many, a forum feels like a one-way street: asking questions is fine, but contributing to the conversation or simply saying “okay, I’ll think about it” is already too much to ask.