ᐅ New Construction of a Single-Family Home on a Sloping Lot
Created on: 30 Jan 2020 19:44
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BauherrFranken
Dear forum members,
After purchasing the plot, we thankfully received today the initial draft from the architect of the general contractor.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 735 sqm (21 meters wide, 35 meters deep) (22,700 sq ft (69 ft) wide, 115 ft deep)
Slope: yes
Site coverage ratio: ?
Floor area ratio: ?
Building envelope, building line and boundary: basically at the rear part of the plot
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2 (double garage)
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south/north
Maximum heights/limits: 1.125 m knee wall at top
Other requirements: roof pitch 38 degrees
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, stories: basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 3 persons, 2 adults, 1 child (0.5), possibly one more
Space requirement: total 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office in basement
Guest bedrooms per year: none
Open or closed architecture
Traditional or modern construction
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: TV wall, possibly as divider between living and dining areas
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with direct house access
Utility garden, greenhouse: flower beds and lawn
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
-
House Design
Who created the plan: architect of the general contractor
What do you particularly like? Why? – Entrance located in the basement because otherwise a steep entrance staircase around the house would be necessary; home office with window in the basement; terrace on the garage; upper floor with separate bathroom for children.
What do you dislike? We don’t like the orientation. We would prefer the gable sides to face north/south (mainly for the view; as currently planned, from the upper floor the southern or city view is only visible through roof windows). On the ground floor, a laundry room is planned facing the sunny south, which we find less practical. With the office in the basement, the usable living area is now 212 sqm (2,280 sq ft). We think we can manage well with 180 sqm (1,940 sq ft) overall. Perhaps the children’s rooms are each 2 sqm (22 sq ft) too small. Also, we are not comfortable with the many small, irregularly arranged windows.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 550,000 EUR turnkey plus 20,000 EUR landscaping plus 10,000 EUR landscaping = 580,000 EUR
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 550,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: ?
If you had to give up, which details/finishings
- Utility room on the ground floor
- Cannot do without: separate bathroom for children
Why is the design like it is now? For example,
We gave some initial verbal ideas but allowed the planner considerable freedom.
What is the most important/basic question regarding the floor plan in 130 characters?
The planner sees only this orientation as sensible; however, we do not like it. How could the ground floor be better designed despite the staircase at the south side, which takes space from more practical rooms (possibly the kitchen)? Any ideas on the exterior design?





After purchasing the plot, we thankfully received today the initial draft from the architect of the general contractor.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 735 sqm (21 meters wide, 35 meters deep) (22,700 sq ft (69 ft) wide, 115 ft deep)
Slope: yes
Site coverage ratio: ?
Floor area ratio: ?
Building envelope, building line and boundary: basically at the rear part of the plot
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 2 (double garage)
Number of stories: 2
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south/north
Maximum heights/limits: 1.125 m knee wall at top
Other requirements: roof pitch 38 degrees
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: modern gable roof
Basement, stories: basement, 2 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 3 persons, 2 adults, 1 child (0.5), possibly one more
Space requirement: total 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office in basement
Guest bedrooms per year: none
Open or closed architecture
Traditional or modern construction
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: TV wall, possibly as divider between living and dining areas
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage with direct house access
Utility garden, greenhouse: flower beds and lawn
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
-
House Design
Who created the plan: architect of the general contractor
What do you particularly like? Why? – Entrance located in the basement because otherwise a steep entrance staircase around the house would be necessary; home office with window in the basement; terrace on the garage; upper floor with separate bathroom for children.
What do you dislike? We don’t like the orientation. We would prefer the gable sides to face north/south (mainly for the view; as currently planned, from the upper floor the southern or city view is only visible through roof windows). On the ground floor, a laundry room is planned facing the sunny south, which we find less practical. With the office in the basement, the usable living area is now 212 sqm (2,280 sq ft). We think we can manage well with 180 sqm (1,940 sq ft) overall. Perhaps the children’s rooms are each 2 sqm (22 sq ft) too small. Also, we are not comfortable with the many small, irregularly arranged windows.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: approx. 550,000 EUR turnkey plus 20,000 EUR landscaping plus 10,000 EUR landscaping = 580,000 EUR
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings: 550,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: ?
If you had to give up, which details/finishings
- Utility room on the ground floor
- Cannot do without: separate bathroom for children
Why is the design like it is now? For example,
We gave some initial verbal ideas but allowed the planner considerable freedom.
What is the most important/basic question regarding the floor plan in 130 characters?
The planner sees only this orientation as sensible; however, we do not like it. How could the ground floor be better designed despite the staircase at the south side, which takes space from more practical rooms (possibly the kitchen)? Any ideas on the exterior design?
B
BauherrFranken1 Feb 2020 16:11A continuation of existence would then be possible, but completely pointless!
I tinkered a bit again without any real purpose due to budget constraints.
Also, readers will need to use a bit of imagination since the somewhat challenging topography is not something my outdated software handles well. As usual, there are stairs without landings. The "front garden" would still need extensive paving to connect all the paths. Because of the slope, my program is struggling there.





The whole thing depends on whether the master bathroom can be connected to the drainage system. A professional would have to figure out whether it’s possible to route pipes through the ceiling into the hallway wall or something similar.
By the way, I can’t get dormers to work properly with a knee wall height of 1.12 m (3 ft 8 in) and a setback of 0.50 cm (0.2 inches). The windows would end up just under the ceiling with a roof pitch of 38°, right?
Also, readers will need to use a bit of imagination since the somewhat challenging topography is not something my outdated software handles well. As usual, there are stairs without landings. The "front garden" would still need extensive paving to connect all the paths. Because of the slope, my program is struggling there.
The whole thing depends on whether the master bathroom can be connected to the drainage system. A professional would have to figure out whether it’s possible to route pipes through the ceiling into the hallway wall or something similar.
By the way, I can’t get dormers to work properly with a knee wall height of 1.12 m (3 ft 8 in) and a setback of 0.50 cm (0.2 inches). The windows would end up just under the ceiling with a roof pitch of 38°, right?
kaho674 schrieb:
I played around a bit again without any claim to practicality due to budget constraints.
Also, readers need to use some imagination, as the partly challenging topography is not the strength of my very old software. As always, there are no landings in the stairs. The "front garden" would still need to be extensively paved to connect all paths. Due to the slope, my program refuses to cooperate there.
However, the whole thing depends on whether the main bathroom can be properly drained. A specialist would have to figure out whether drainage through the ceiling into the hallway wall or something similar is possible.
By the way, with a knee wall height of 1.12m (44 inches) and a setback of 0.50cm (0.2 inches), I can’t manage any practical dormers. In that case, the windows would end up somewhere under the ceiling with a 38° roof pitch, right? Why would you want an exterior staircase if you can have one inside? It would even stay free of ice during winter.