ᐅ Floor plan for a house on a hillside (ground floor and basement living area) with a maximum of 150 m²
Created on: 2 Feb 2019 14:27
P
Pamiko
Hello,
we are currently working on the floor plan for our house. We already have the plot, which is on a sloping site.
We have decided to build a two-story house, with the upper floor (sleeping area) providing access to the street and the lower floor serving as the living area with garden access.
We want a manageable house size, but due to the requirements for the living floor, a minimum of about 140m² (1505 sq ft) is necessary. However, it definitely should not exceed 150m² (1615 sq ft).
We want a modern touch or something distinctive. For example, because of the great view, we considered a window seat. Ultimately, we decided on a small open space with a large window facing the backyard.
We really like the lower floor; the ground floor is not yet one hundred percent right.
Since I have been a long-time forum reader, I want to mention upfront that optimizing every last bit of available space is not a must for me. I am aware that, for example, a lot of space is used for corridors. Given the house’s orientation (there are no alternatives here), I think this is necessary to avoid a cramped feeling.
I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
And here is the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 700m² (7,535 sq ft), width 20m (66 ft)
Slope: yes, sloping
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: standard 3m (10 ft) setback
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hip roof or gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation: northeast
Client requirements
Style, roof form, building type: city villa style with the special feature that, due to the slope, the entrance is on the upper of the two floors. The lower floor is fully embedded at the street side and opens to the back.
Basement, floors: ground floor and living basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (35, 35, 3, 1)
Room requirements on ground floor, upper floor: living floor must have at least one (small) room. Living, dining, kitchen combined approx. 45m² (480 sq ft), guest toilet with shower
Guests per year: none
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open without island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double-level single garage (with basement storage space below)
Additional wishes/features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be included: living floor must be on the lower level for direct garden access
House design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company
- Offer for the house (including painter, flooring, and preliminary material selection): approx. 320,000 EUR
What do you particularly like? Why?: like the lower floor; open space, room sizes fit well
What do you dislike? Why?: children’s room next to the garage
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions:
- can give up: –
- cannot give up: room sizes of lower floor; open space
Why is the design as it is now?: proposal from the general contractor (a similar house was recently built) with small changes. Also limited by the set budget.
Which wishes from the architect were implemented? The open space was added
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor be changed so that the children’s room is not next to the garage? I can’t find a suitable solution with the current plan. The staircase cannot be moved due to the basement (the guest toilet and utility room would otherwise become too small).
we are currently working on the floor plan for our house. We already have the plot, which is on a sloping site.
We have decided to build a two-story house, with the upper floor (sleeping area) providing access to the street and the lower floor serving as the living area with garden access.
We want a manageable house size, but due to the requirements for the living floor, a minimum of about 140m² (1505 sq ft) is necessary. However, it definitely should not exceed 150m² (1615 sq ft).
We want a modern touch or something distinctive. For example, because of the great view, we considered a window seat. Ultimately, we decided on a small open space with a large window facing the backyard.
We really like the lower floor; the ground floor is not yet one hundred percent right.
Since I have been a long-time forum reader, I want to mention upfront that optimizing every last bit of available space is not a must for me. I am aware that, for example, a lot of space is used for corridors. Given the house’s orientation (there are no alternatives here), I think this is necessary to avoid a cramped feeling.
I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
And here is the questionnaire:
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 700m² (7,535 sq ft), width 20m (66 ft)
Slope: yes, sloping
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: standard 3m (10 ft) setback
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: hip roof or gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation: northeast
Client requirements
Style, roof form, building type: city villa style with the special feature that, due to the slope, the entrance is on the upper of the two floors. The lower floor is fully embedded at the street side and opens to the back.
Basement, floors: ground floor and living basement
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (35, 35, 3, 1)
Room requirements on ground floor, upper floor: living floor must have at least one (small) room. Living, dining, kitchen combined approx. 45m² (480 sq ft), guest toilet with shower
Guests per year: none
Open or closed layout: open
Traditional or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open without island
Number of dining seats: 6-8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double-level single garage (with basement storage space below)
Additional wishes/features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be included: living floor must be on the lower level for direct garden access
House design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a construction company
- Offer for the house (including painter, flooring, and preliminary material selection): approx. 320,000 EUR
What do you particularly like? Why?: like the lower floor; open space, room sizes fit well
What do you dislike? Why?: children’s room next to the garage
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions:
- can give up: –
- cannot give up: room sizes of lower floor; open space
Why is the design as it is now?: proposal from the general contractor (a similar house was recently built) with small changes. Also limited by the set budget.
Which wishes from the architect were implemented? The open space was added
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
How can the ground floor be changed so that the children’s room is not next to the garage? I can’t find a suitable solution with the current plan. The staircase cannot be moved due to the basement (the guest toilet and utility room would otherwise become too small).
Actually, the goal is more to steer you away from your floor plan. I don’t find it good, especially the kitchen/dining/living area, then the location of the children's rooms, the layout for the parents... and above all, more than 20m² (215 sq ft) for the hallway, stairs, and open space on the upper floor.
J
j.bautsch28 Apr 2019 13:09If you don’t like the floor plan as it is, it also helps a lot if you list in detail what exactly you like or don’t like about it (for example, the lighting situation). We can plan randomly here 50 times, but since we don’t know you, we obviously don’t know what exactly you prefer and what you don’t. If you say what doesn’t work for you, we can also make alternative suggestions.
Pamiko schrieb:
Please don’t get me wrong. It is far from my intention to speak badly of any ideas, which is exactly why I am here. I just feel like I’m being pushed towards this floor plan in the recent posts. There are many ways to reach Rome—and also to create a good floor plan.
It doesn’t have to be Katja’s, but your last one shouldn’t be it either.
Let me put it this way: anyone can prepare asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and it tastes great. If someone finds that too plain, they could try asparagus with sweet and sour sauce, but only if they’re not aiming for something too unusual. However, I’d take a risk by saying that if it doesn’t taste good, it’s a shame to waste expensive asparagus on such experiments, and next time it’s better to go back to hollandaise.
Pamiko schrieb:
I just feel like I’m being pushed toward this floor plan in the recent posts.Yes, I feel that way too, and that was never my intention.However, I don’t really like the new floor plan either. The kitchen just looks really ugly—air space or not. And the living room feels very cramped, doesn’t it?
Regarding the daylight spot, I would suggest you look it up again to see what it is exactly. It’s a great way to bring natural light through a hip roof.
What about that storage room under the garage? Would it be an option to include it within the thermal envelope of the basement? It would have to be founded anyway, and I don’t see thicker walls and connecting it as a big problem or much more expensive. Although I’m not an expert on that.
That would give you a lot more options—for example, placing the guest room there. For the ground floor, I think it’s important to keep the full-width opening to the garden in the living room.
Your house will be special anyway because it’s on a slope. I wouldn’t try to force something impossible just to stand out from others. What really makes it special is the design of the facade, windows, and landscaping.
But maybe you need to look through a few more examples so you can better express what you are envisioning.
Thank you for your opinion.
Including the storage room within the thermal envelope is out of the question, mainly because we need the storage space. It is basically our basement substitute.
We are currently still waiting for the second draft from the other general contractor. Maybe something useful will come out of that.
PS: I actually had a different idea in mind regarding the daylight spotlights.
Including the storage room within the thermal envelope is out of the question, mainly because we need the storage space. It is basically our basement substitute.
We are currently still waiting for the second draft from the other general contractor. Maybe something useful will come out of that.
PS: I actually had a different idea in mind regarding the daylight spotlights.
Pamiko schrieb:
...because we need the storage space. It’s basically our alternative to a basement.
Hmm, think carefully about what should and can go in there. A basement is usually connected to the thermal envelope of the house and doesn’t freeze. Basically, an unheated room without insulation can only store garden tools, trash, or things like bikes and similar items. What won’t work here are all kinds of fabrics, most foods, most liquids, paper, etc.—basically anything that can’t withstand weather conditions over time. In my opinion, this is not a substitute for a basement. In the end, you end up with an expensive storage shed that you could have placed anywhere in the garden as a simple wooden shed without a building permit / planning permission for around 1000 euros.Similar topics