ᐅ Floor Plan for Semi-Detached House on a Slope – Suggestions for Improvement?
Created on: 27 Sep 2018 14:11
R
RomeoZwo
Hello,
attached is a floor plan for a semi-detached house (only one half shown) on a sloping site, with a request for comments.
The semi-detached house is planned to be built on one plot, with both units intended for rental.
Currently, the plot is classified as outside the designated building area. Nearby (to the north and on the neighboring plot to the east), houses of similar size (height, site coverage ratio, floor area ratio) have been built in recent years with special exemptions. The informal preliminary inquiry regarding the conditions is ongoing with the local authorities, but I expect a lengthy discussion.
The following considerations were made:
- Maximum width 14 m (plot width slightly >20 m (66 feet))
- 3 similarly sized (bed)rooms of at least approximately 15 m² (160 sq ft)
- 3rd room more important than a garage (garage with boundary line construction likely not possible due to slope)
- Carport as a substitute for a garage
- Studio room if approved, otherwise a shallow hipped roof or green roof
- Living room/kitchen on the “entry level”
The following questions still arise, or I am not fully satisfied with:
- Possibly living room/kitchen in the basement level with direct garden access?
- If the roof terrace is approved, should we skip the balcony at the living room?
- The shape of the living room is difficult to furnish (goal: TV and garden view from the sofa)
- Prefer a garage over the 3rd room? (rental marketability)
- Little or no space for coat storage/shoe cabinet in the hallway (width approx. 1.35 m (4.4 feet))
- Too many windows? (We have this in our house because we love it, but here rental appeal is a factor)
- Planned so far as a semi-detached house with a party wall. Would it also be possible as a duplex with two separate residential units and a “standard” soundproof wall? Advantages? Disadvantages?
Once the basic conditions are clarified with the authorities, an architect will of course be commissioned — hopefully one with creative ideas, as I am not fixed on my sketch.
The basis for my design is long, engaging discussions with the architect during the planning of our own home, combined with a spatial imagination as a graduate engineer and experience in floor plans for VIP aircraft (yes, the sheikh who wants living, sleeping, and reception rooms in planes normally designed for 300 holiday passengers). Please excuse the use of this “drawing software” (you can’t even mirror the semi-detached half). I used boring evenings during business trips and had to rely on an online tool. We’ll see if I find time for a design in Catia…
Thanks very much for all the critical feedback :-P
Holger
attached is a floor plan for a semi-detached house (only one half shown) on a sloping site, with a request for comments.
The semi-detached house is planned to be built on one plot, with both units intended for rental.
Currently, the plot is classified as outside the designated building area. Nearby (to the north and on the neighboring plot to the east), houses of similar size (height, site coverage ratio, floor area ratio) have been built in recent years with special exemptions. The informal preliminary inquiry regarding the conditions is ongoing with the local authorities, but I expect a lengthy discussion.
The following considerations were made:
- Maximum width 14 m (plot width slightly >20 m (66 feet))
- 3 similarly sized (bed)rooms of at least approximately 15 m² (160 sq ft)
- 3rd room more important than a garage (garage with boundary line construction likely not possible due to slope)
- Carport as a substitute for a garage
- Studio room if approved, otherwise a shallow hipped roof or green roof
- Living room/kitchen on the “entry level”
The following questions still arise, or I am not fully satisfied with:
- Possibly living room/kitchen in the basement level with direct garden access?
- If the roof terrace is approved, should we skip the balcony at the living room?
- The shape of the living room is difficult to furnish (goal: TV and garden view from the sofa)
- Prefer a garage over the 3rd room? (rental marketability)
- Little or no space for coat storage/shoe cabinet in the hallway (width approx. 1.35 m (4.4 feet))
- Too many windows? (We have this in our house because we love it, but here rental appeal is a factor)
- Planned so far as a semi-detached house with a party wall. Would it also be possible as a duplex with two separate residential units and a “standard” soundproof wall? Advantages? Disadvantages?
Once the basic conditions are clarified with the authorities, an architect will of course be commissioned — hopefully one with creative ideas, as I am not fixed on my sketch.
The basis for my design is long, engaging discussions with the architect during the planning of our own home, combined with a spatial imagination as a graduate engineer and experience in floor plans for VIP aircraft (yes, the sheikh who wants living, sleeping, and reception rooms in planes normally designed for 300 holiday passengers). Please excuse the use of this “drawing software” (you can’t even mirror the semi-detached half). I used boring evenings during business trips and had to rely on an online tool. We’ll see if I find time for a design in Catia…
Thanks very much for all the critical feedback :-P
Holger
Except for the bathroom windows, I think the ground floor layout is quite good.
If you install a door to the private area right after the stair access, it creates a good separation.
However, the basement is anything but satisfactory. Those are just confined rooms. Imagine if the man has to quickly grab toilet paper from the basement in the evening while the woman is having her Tupperware party.
It’s basically a maze, just like in the book.
That’s simply not acceptable. The staircase located at the edge of the living room is poorly placed. Having the bathroom as a disturbance on the entire level... at least next to the stairs, you could add a small hallway to access the rooms, right?!
RomeoZwo schrieb:
What I don’t like:
- long hallway on the ground floor
If you install a door to the private area right after the stair access, it creates a good separation.
However, the basement is anything but satisfactory. Those are just confined rooms. Imagine if the man has to quickly grab toilet paper from the basement in the evening while the woman is having her Tupperware party.
It’s basically a maze, just like in the book.
RomeoZwo schrieb:
Bathroom in the basement accessible directly from the living room
That’s simply not acceptable. The staircase located at the edge of the living room is poorly placed. Having the bathroom as a disturbance on the entire level... at least next to the stairs, you could add a small hallway to access the rooms, right?!
ypg schrieb:
Just imagine if the man needs to quickly go to the basement for toilet paper in the evening and the woman is having a Tupperware party Oh, is that a general term? Does one also call a lingerie party a "Tupperware party"? – When it comes to food storage containers, men usually don't mind...
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Oh, is that a generic term, meaning people also call a lingerie party a "Tupperware party"? – with food storage containers, it’s not really inconvenient...Somehow it has to go into the basement... or utility room... or just the kitchen???
Hello,
here is a draft with two staggered duplex apartments:
I’m still not really happy with the floor plans, everything seems a bit too “complicated.” Is 7m² (75 sq ft) of technical space enough for two residential units (no ventilation system, heating via geothermal energy, since there is no gas connection)?
I think next I need to consider a solution with at least a partial upper floor to place everything more compactly. Would it be more important to have the shower/WC on the main living level or in the third bedroom’s level?
here is a draft with two staggered duplex apartments:
I’m still not really happy with the floor plans, everything seems a bit too “complicated.” Is 7m² (75 sq ft) of technical space enough for two residential units (no ventilation system, heating via geothermal energy, since there is no gas connection)?
I think next I need to consider a solution with at least a partial upper floor to place everything more compactly. Would it be more important to have the shower/WC on the main living level or in the third bedroom’s level?
Hello,
so, now we have the first feedback from the municipality, but it’s far from a concrete statement. A building permit / planning permission for a single-family house would most likely be approved. A semi-detached house that looks like a “detached house” with one floor at street level plus possibly a flat hipped roof (due to a similar neighboring building over 70 years old) could be a basis for discussion. A multi-family house will not be approved.
Basically, the low building height should preserve the view from the hillside properties behind. Additionally, the “green impression” of the garden suburb with scattered single-family houses should be maintained (mind you, there are single-family houses in the Bauhaus style with over 300m2 (3,229 sq ft) of floor space on 600m2 (6,458 sq ft) lots. They apparently had better contacts to the mayor than I did ).
Let’s see in what form I will continue with the project. Renting out a single-family house is not interesting to me from a risk perspective. Maybe I have to prioritize other projects — more on that in other threads.
so, now we have the first feedback from the municipality, but it’s far from a concrete statement. A building permit / planning permission for a single-family house would most likely be approved. A semi-detached house that looks like a “detached house” with one floor at street level plus possibly a flat hipped roof (due to a similar neighboring building over 70 years old) could be a basis for discussion. A multi-family house will not be approved.
Basically, the low building height should preserve the view from the hillside properties behind. Additionally, the “green impression” of the garden suburb with scattered single-family houses should be maintained (mind you, there are single-family houses in the Bauhaus style with over 300m2 (3,229 sq ft) of floor space on 600m2 (6,458 sq ft) lots. They apparently had better contacts to the mayor than I did ).
Let’s see in what form I will continue with the project. Renting out a single-family house is not interesting to me from a risk perspective. Maybe I have to prioritize other projects — more on that in other threads.
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