ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for a Single-Family Home with Basement on a Small Plot
Created on: 16 Sep 2019 08:38
A
AnniSke
Hello everyone!
After reading here for quite some time (and checking out nearly all floor plan questions for similar lot sizes and building dimensions), we now have some questions about the preliminary design from our builder.
Our situation is similar to the forum post from Wednesday, but our main focus is on the basement J
This is the first draft based on a rough idea of what we envision and what is important to us (the design seems quickly done to me—see the projecting dormer—or is that common nowadays?), but overall all our requests have been considered. We see room for improvement especially in the basement level, the basement stairs/daylight wells, and the size of the living/dining area (probably only fixable with a larger house footprint). The upper floor works well for us.
Independently from the builder, we came up with a similar floor plan that meets our needs; it is nothing “special” but fits our ideas well.
We would appreciate it if some of you could share practical tips or suggestions for changes so that we can respond to the builder and discuss possible deviations.
Feel free to be thorough and please also point out any potentially major planning mistakes.
I have attached the following:
Development Plan / Restrictions
Lot size: approx. 360 m² (still not fully measured, as the plot is being subdivided)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see site plan; 3 m (approx. 10 ft) on three sides, less on street side due to protected green strip with fruit trees (not our property); open building style
Edge development: no (usually allowed for townhouses, but specifically excluded for carports and garages in the development plan); edge development allowed for uncovered parking spaces
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories allowed: 1-2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof (up to 38°), shed roof, flat roof (up to 25°)
Architectural style: classic-modern?
Orientation: ridge line along the street
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height max. 7.50 m (24.6 ft) above the access road (lot lies slightly below street level)
Additional requirements: none
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic/modern detached single-family house, gable roof 38°, knee wall preferably raised to 1 m (3 ft)
Basement, number of floors: basement included, 1.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 (both 29), 1 child (1.5 years), at least 1 more (preferably 2) planned
Room requirements on ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF)
GF: kitchen (with sliding door, can be smaller, no separate dining area), living/dining area (currently about 32 m² (344 sq ft), our furniture is designed for this and we would like to keep it), future master bedroom, bathroom with shower (house should theoretically be usable on one level in an age-appropriate way)
UF: 3 children’s rooms, bathroom
Basement: utility room, technical room, workshop, office/guest room
Office (family use or home office?): office desired (in basement), home office at least once a week
Guests per year: about twice a month 2 people, every two weeks 1 person → guest room desired (can later be combined with office in the basement if a bedroom is needed on the ground floor)
Open or closed architecture: closed
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative
Open kitchen, cooking island: no, smaller cooking area, separated by sliding door
Number of dining seats: permanently for 5 (current dining table has 8 seats)
Fireplace: yes, preferred
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: no
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: some vegetable garden, so we want to place the building close to the build boundary to maximize garden space
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be: none
House Design
Planner: planner from a building company; the second attached version is our own adjusted “solution” with the house widened by 0.5 m (approx. 1.6 ft) and furniture drawn in the living/dining and bedroom areas which we already own.
What do you especially like?: the solution with a coat area and shower niche on the ground floor, the stairs, level, masonry showers, spacious children’s rooms, fireplace location between living and dining areas, large home office/guest room in basement, where both “uses” can be nicely combined.
Why?: we had not thought of the coat and shower concept in the floor plan ideas, find it practical and reasonably age-appropriate (though the dimensions could be slightly wider), and had no clue where best to put a fireplace.
What don’t you like? Why?: living/dining area too small, at 22 m² (237 sq ft) we cannot fit our furniture, kitchen is too large, we don’t need a separate seating area in the kitchen (we currently eat all meals in the dining area), the exterior basement stairs with the bend take up too much space, and we don’t want a carport as it would have to be inside the building zone (uncovered parking is allowed as edge development), the concrete daylight wells in the basement.
Price estimate from architect/planner: not yet available, initial rough offer before planning (130 m² (1400 sq ft) with basement) was 315,000 including standard ancillary construction costs, but with a “standard basement”; we might need a waterproof concrete shell (“white tub”), estimated extra cost about 20,000 according to the builder
Personal price limit for the house: 340,000 (furniture is already owned from current large apartment (126 m² (1356 sq ft) living space), kitchen belongs to us and only needs minor changes, cost covered separately)
Preferred heating technology: we considered a ground source heat pump, but the builder has had problems twice in the building area with insufficient supply temperature and therefore recommends an air-to-water heat pump on the south side of the house. Has anyone had experience with this?
If you have to give up something, what details/features?
Can give up: dormer, large kitchen, fully heated basement
Cannot give up: basement (due to small lot and 3 children planned), bedroom on ground floor, bathroom with shower on ground floor
Why is the layout the way it is now?
Draft from planner after a brief initial discussion about our preferences (we did not provide a detailed list of requirements)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? bedroom on ground floor, bathroom with shower, staircase design, bathroom with shower and tub on upper floor, basement with office
What do you think works well or poorly? we like the overall distribution of floors, but are not yet convinced by the basement layout.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Any ideas to improve the basement (e.g., no bent stairs, maybe no basement hallway at stairs, maybe no daylight wells)? Any improvements for other floors (e.g., larger living/dining area)? Is there any place to add a laundry chute (nice to have but not essential)?
We look forward to your ideas and feedback J
Best regards and many thanks in advance!
After reading here for quite some time (and checking out nearly all floor plan questions for similar lot sizes and building dimensions), we now have some questions about the preliminary design from our builder.
Our situation is similar to the forum post from Wednesday, but our main focus is on the basement J
This is the first draft based on a rough idea of what we envision and what is important to us (the design seems quickly done to me—see the projecting dormer—or is that common nowadays?), but overall all our requests have been considered. We see room for improvement especially in the basement level, the basement stairs/daylight wells, and the size of the living/dining area (probably only fixable with a larger house footprint). The upper floor works well for us.
Independently from the builder, we came up with a similar floor plan that meets our needs; it is nothing “special” but fits our ideas well.
We would appreciate it if some of you could share practical tips or suggestions for changes so that we can respond to the builder and discuss possible deviations.
Feel free to be thorough and please also point out any potentially major planning mistakes.
I have attached the following:
- Site plan assumed by the builder
- Builder’s planning (floor plans, section, exterior view)
- Our modified floor plans based on the builder’s draft (larger living/dining area, smaller kitchen, different basement stairs)
Development Plan / Restrictions
Lot size: approx. 360 m² (still not fully measured, as the plot is being subdivided)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.8
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see site plan; 3 m (approx. 10 ft) on three sides, less on street side due to protected green strip with fruit trees (not our property); open building style
Edge development: no (usually allowed for townhouses, but specifically excluded for carports and garages in the development plan); edge development allowed for uncovered parking spaces
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories allowed: 1-2 full stories
Roof type: gable roof (up to 38°), shed roof, flat roof (up to 25°)
Architectural style: classic-modern?
Orientation: ridge line along the street
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height max. 7.50 m (24.6 ft) above the access road (lot lies slightly below street level)
Additional requirements: none
Homeowner Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: classic/modern detached single-family house, gable roof 38°, knee wall preferably raised to 1 m (3 ft)
Basement, number of floors: basement included, 1.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 (both 29), 1 child (1.5 years), at least 1 more (preferably 2) planned
Room requirements on ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF)
GF: kitchen (with sliding door, can be smaller, no separate dining area), living/dining area (currently about 32 m² (344 sq ft), our furniture is designed for this and we would like to keep it), future master bedroom, bathroom with shower (house should theoretically be usable on one level in an age-appropriate way)
UF: 3 children’s rooms, bathroom
Basement: utility room, technical room, workshop, office/guest room
Office (family use or home office?): office desired (in basement), home office at least once a week
Guests per year: about twice a month 2 people, every two weeks 1 person → guest room desired (can later be combined with office in the basement if a bedroom is needed on the ground floor)
Open or closed architecture: closed
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative
Open kitchen, cooking island: no, smaller cooking area, separated by sliding door
Number of dining seats: permanently for 5 (current dining table has 8 seats)
Fireplace: yes, preferred
Music / stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: no
Vegetable garden, greenhouse: some vegetable garden, so we want to place the building close to the build boundary to maximize garden space
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be: none
House Design
Planner: planner from a building company; the second attached version is our own adjusted “solution” with the house widened by 0.5 m (approx. 1.6 ft) and furniture drawn in the living/dining and bedroom areas which we already own.
What do you especially like?: the solution with a coat area and shower niche on the ground floor, the stairs, level, masonry showers, spacious children’s rooms, fireplace location between living and dining areas, large home office/guest room in basement, where both “uses” can be nicely combined.
Why?: we had not thought of the coat and shower concept in the floor plan ideas, find it practical and reasonably age-appropriate (though the dimensions could be slightly wider), and had no clue where best to put a fireplace.
What don’t you like? Why?: living/dining area too small, at 22 m² (237 sq ft) we cannot fit our furniture, kitchen is too large, we don’t need a separate seating area in the kitchen (we currently eat all meals in the dining area), the exterior basement stairs with the bend take up too much space, and we don’t want a carport as it would have to be inside the building zone (uncovered parking is allowed as edge development), the concrete daylight wells in the basement.
- Regarding the basement daylight wells: my father (landscape architect) suggests a landscaped slope on that side of the house instead of concrete daylight wells (I roughly marked some slope lines on our design) with stairs integrated into the slope at the rear of the house. What do you think of this option? We are unsure about stair drainage for rain, but this should be manageable with proper drainage (could be routed by pipe to the cistern we must install per development plan). Any other ideas?
Price estimate from architect/planner: not yet available, initial rough offer before planning (130 m² (1400 sq ft) with basement) was 315,000 including standard ancillary construction costs, but with a “standard basement”; we might need a waterproof concrete shell (“white tub”), estimated extra cost about 20,000 according to the builder
Personal price limit for the house: 340,000 (furniture is already owned from current large apartment (126 m² (1356 sq ft) living space), kitchen belongs to us and only needs minor changes, cost covered separately)
Preferred heating technology: we considered a ground source heat pump, but the builder has had problems twice in the building area with insufficient supply temperature and therefore recommends an air-to-water heat pump on the south side of the house. Has anyone had experience with this?
If you have to give up something, what details/features?
Can give up: dormer, large kitchen, fully heated basement
Cannot give up: basement (due to small lot and 3 children planned), bedroom on ground floor, bathroom with shower on ground floor
Why is the layout the way it is now?
Draft from planner after a brief initial discussion about our preferences (we did not provide a detailed list of requirements)
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? bedroom on ground floor, bathroom with shower, staircase design, bathroom with shower and tub on upper floor, basement with office
What do you think works well or poorly? we like the overall distribution of floors, but are not yet convinced by the basement layout.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Any ideas to improve the basement (e.g., no bent stairs, maybe no basement hallway at stairs, maybe no daylight wells)? Any improvements for other floors (e.g., larger living/dining area)? Is there any place to add a laundry chute (nice to have but not essential)?
We look forward to your ideas and feedback J
Best regards and many thanks in advance!
DannSke schrieb:
The plot / the strip between us and the street, which includes a small ditch, belongs to the municipality and is supposed to stay that way. Then special attention is required, as the designation as a residential building area in the development plan can be called at least careless, if not a planning error. You should contact the municipality immediately, as building encumbrances will become necessary under building regulations. Since the wheels of public administration tend to turn very slowly, you should get a written commitment regarding the willingness to assume the encumbrance.
DannSke schrieb:
A function as an actual ditch is not known and, according to the local utility provider, it can be filled in. That is very surprising, since the parcel is explicitly mentioned in the justification of the development plan as belonging to the main drainage channel, which plays an essential role in stormwater drainage.
DannSke schrieb:
It remains that the building boundary on the street side starts 5 m (16 feet) from the street ... which is part of the careless planning.
DannSke schrieb:
so there is no need to maintain 3 m (10 feet) from the plot boundary Since this is not a building line, I see no reason that the regional regulations on setback distances are overridden, so 3 m (10 feet) should be maintained from the municipal property unless willingness to assume setback responsibilities is declared.
DannSke schrieb:
but we won’t do that before the final survey If there is no risk that someone else will buy the land, that is fine.
DannSke schrieb:
Our new neighbors have already done that, so in my opinion it must already be surveyed. No. It is not unusual to define a precisely described sub-area in the purchase contract and divide it physically later. It only results in slightly higher fees for the notary and land registry.
DannSke schrieb:
My question is whether two full stories are always required for a staircase to the attic, or if a high knee wall with a dormer would also be acceptable? I don’t understand the question. You already have a high knee wall and a dormer (correctly a cross-gable dormer). What does the staircase have to do with this?
Please ask your builder to regularly mark the property boundaries when they send you a floor plan. Of course, the house can be made wider than the builder has done or as with the light house design, but then your terrace will be right next to the fence or the street. Is that what you want?
If I were you, I would first think about how to handle the difference in height to the street. I have to admit I’m not very familiar with basement costs: Is a waterproof concrete shell (white tank) unaffordable? If that would be necessary, would you then skip the basement?
With a basement, it seems flat windows in the "basement" rooms would be possible if you accept the stairs by the entrance. Raising the terrace—could that be an option? All of this can work quite smoothly, but the costs! Wow!
On the other hand, without a basement the house still needs to be elevated, right? @Escroda What exactly do you mean by "average height" now? Is it enough to just adjust the house and the pathways? What is the minimum level that the ground floor slab needs to reach?
If I were you, I would first think about how to handle the difference in height to the street. I have to admit I’m not very familiar with basement costs: Is a waterproof concrete shell (white tank) unaffordable? If that would be necessary, would you then skip the basement?
With a basement, it seems flat windows in the "basement" rooms would be possible if you accept the stairs by the entrance. Raising the terrace—could that be an option? All of this can work quite smoothly, but the costs! Wow!
On the other hand, without a basement the house still needs to be elevated, right? @Escroda What exactly do you mean by "average height" now? Is it enough to just adjust the house and the pathways? What is the minimum level that the ground floor slab needs to reach?
Escroda schrieb:
I don’t understand the question. You now have a high knee wall and a dormer (technically a cross-gable). What is the issue with the staircase?I also don’t understand the question. Even more accurately in this case, it would seem appropriate to call the cross-gable a bay window since it still—unexplained!—projects from the façade in a ridiculously exaggerated way, which makes no sense to me as to its purpose.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho674 schrieb:
What exactly does "average height" mean here? Since the street has almost no slope, I estimate about 10cm (4 inches) over 20m (65.6 feet), the ground floor level must be at least at street level. More precisely, the street elevation (but which one exactly—property boundary or street centerline) needs to be measured at the front and back of the property and then averaged. This leads us to the next planning uncertainty, as the development plan does not specify whether the finished floor level or the structural floor level is meant. Regarding the potentially required fill, we will probably have to rely on the builders’ estimates of 60cm to 80cm (24 to 31.5 inches) without an elevation plan.
Good evening everyone,
sorry for the late reply, we knew we would receive the soil report today and wanted to review it first.
Those are two very good points, thanks for the information. Unfortunately, we are not experts in this area and assumed that if it is stated and approved in the development plan, then it can be done accordingly. We will research these issues further and try to address both points.
Okay, it seemed unusual to us because it has already been done for the other southern plots.
My thought was not to build two full floors, but rather a very high knee wall with the staircase continuing from the ground floor to the first floor and further up to the attic, to have one or two rooms there. Similar to the Lichthaus 152 by Town & Country, but without the stairwell to the attic being located in one of the rooms at the gable end.
The soil report summarized the following:
sorry for the late reply, we knew we would receive the soil report today and wanted to review it first.
Escroda schrieb:
You should contact the municipality immediately, as building restrictions will be required under the building code.
Escroda schrieb:
Since this is not a building line, I do not see the state regulations regarding setback distances being overridden here, so a 3m (10 ft) distance to the municipal property must be maintained, unless there is a willingness to agree on a setback easement.
Those are two very good points, thanks for the information. Unfortunately, we are not experts in this area and assumed that if it is stated and approved in the development plan, then it can be done accordingly. We will research these issues further and try to address both points.
Escroda schrieb:
No. It is not unusual to define a precisely described part of the plot in the purchase contract and divide it later in reality. Only slightly higher fees for the notary and land registry office will apply.
Okay, it seemed unusual to us because it has already been done for the other southern plots.
Escroda schrieb:
I don’t understand the question. You now have a high knee wall and a dormer (correctly a cross-gable dormer). What about the stairs?
My thought was not to build two full floors, but rather a very high knee wall with the staircase continuing from the ground floor to the first floor and further up to the attic, to have one or two rooms there. Similar to the Lichthaus 152 by Town & Country, but without the stairwell to the attic being located in one of the rooms at the gable end.
The soil report summarized the following:
- Difference to the street edge is max. about 1m (3 ft) in the northeast, slope also towards the northeast (As I understand the text, they take the street axis as reference, not the property boundary, unlike the geotechnical report)
- Topsoil needs to be excavated to at least 1.5m (5 ft) and refilled. Essentially, load-bearing layers—with some compaction—start between 2m and 2.30m (6.5 ft and 7.5 ft) depth
- Excavated soil is suitable for landscaping the property. Essentially, the top 30-50cm (12-20 inches) of good soil should be set aside, the soil underneath is used for shaping, and then the good soil is placed back on top.
- A waterproof concrete shell (white tank) was recommended (stiff to semi-soft claystone from 2m to 2.30m depth, poor drainage). In times of heavy rainfall, expect water pressure from outside; none expected during dry weather.
kaho674 schrieb:
I would first consider what should be done about the height difference to the street. As far as I understand, that needs to be filled. With a basement, roughly calculated, the excavation volume should balance out quite well.
kaho674 schrieb:
Is a waterproof concrete shell too expensive? If that’s necessary, would that rule out the basement? According to the builder, a waterproof concrete shell costs about $20,000 more than a standard basement. No, it wouldn’t be prohibitively expensive. Overall, the basement with the waterproof shell would be an additional $70,000 compared to a one-and-a-half-story house without a basement but with the same footprint, etc.
The big question (what a clever pun) is what difference the basement really makes compared to two full stories, if you have to excavate significantly for the foundation anyway, and that’s not enough to level with the street, so you still need to bring in fill material and also have to use extra material for the slab because you don’t dig as deep as for a basement. We’ll have to ask the builder about that.
kaho674 schrieb:
Raising the terrace – is that an option? It can work out smoothly but the costs! Oof! I don’t see it as that problematic. We plan to build the terrace ourselves, with help from family (I think we have some capable people for that), probably something like decking boards on a substructure supported by pier foundations. Plants will be placed in front of the bigger height differences towards the stairs and slope, and that’s it. That should keep the costs reasonable.
Similar topics