ᐅ Single-family home on a south-facing slope, floor plan approximately 160 m², including basement and garage

Hello everyone, I would like to share with you an initial draft from the architect and ask for your feedback and opinions.

Zoning Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 870m² (9369 sq ft)
Slope: south-facing slope
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Building floor area ratio (FAR): 0.8
Knee wall height: max. 0.75m (2.5 ft)
Building window, building line and boundary
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 2 + 2 in front
Number of floors: 2
Roof style: gable roof
Architectural style:
Orientation: garden facing south
Maximum heights/limitations
Other requirements

Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style: classical
Solid wood house with wooden cladding on the upper floor
Roof style: gable roof with about 34°, open roof slope, no attic!
Building type
Basement: with basement
Number of floors: 1.5
Number of occupants: 2 adults (38, 39) + 1 child (2) + possibly another child
Space needs on ground floor, upper floor, basement:
The upper floor is a retreat area for the family, the two children’s rooms can optionally be combined if there is only one child. The parents’ bedroom and bathroom do not have to be particularly large.
On the ground floor, a home office (for self-employment) is very important. The focus is on the kitchen and dining area with views of the south-facing slope. The living room should be somewhat separated but does not need to be a separate room. The staircase area should be open, since the main heating will be from a stove. Cooking will happen regularly.
The basement should represent a second living unit initially for KFW 55 funding. Here is the guest area and a large gym.
Office: yes
Guests per year: 20. Family members do not live on site but visit often
Open architecture
Conservative construction method
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes, masonry stove
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace on the west side
Garage: double garage

Further wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or should not be included

House Design
Planner:
- Architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
We really like the upper floor.
Open living/dining area with large windows facing the garden since it’s not overlooked.
The basement offers enough space for technical installations and storage.
The basement garage has space for garden tools and a workbench.
South-facing roof is well suited for photovoltaic panels.

What do you not like? Why?
Cost estimate per architect/planner: 450,000
Personal price limit for the house including equipment: 550,000 (furniture is available except bathroom and kitchen). Lots of DIY work planned for interior finishing.
Preferred heating technology: water-circulated masonry stove, buffer tank with heating element, large photovoltaic system, wall heating

If you have to give up on certain details or expansions
You could give up: open space, bathtub
You cannot give up: office, garage, basement

Why has the design turned out the way it has? For example:
Which wishes were implemented by the architect? Yes
The challenge is in the ecological and sustainable timber construction and the budget.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?

What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Is the living area sufficient? Does the floor plan work well in daily life?
Is the staircase placement suitable? Is the hallway/entrance area large enough?
What do you think about the windows in general?

Attachments

I’m having trouble getting comfortable with the design.
I understand the location of the study right by the entrance, and the size is acceptable, but the daylight planning is poor. Considering the almost wastefully unused spaces in the open-plan living area and the basement, the overall impression is quite unbalanced. The opportunity to integrate direct garden access from the basement into daily life remains unused. The basement room is confusingly difficult to reach – too many corridors. I really like galleries. While the desire for one is realized here, I can’t see how this layout contributes to a comfortable living experience – on what occasion would you want to enjoy this open space in this location?
Rather than desperately trying to fit all wishes into one floor plan without any of them being really well implemented, I would recommend letting go of one or two aspects and focusing on executing the most important wishes really well.

The basement is separated from the living areas... Am I correct in understanding that the best-located rooms facing the garden are merely placeholder rooms? I don’t think this is well designed, and I’m not a fan of the hallway in the basement either. The space between the kitchen and the terrace seems too long to comfortably access the garden.

In the end, it’s “just” a captain’s house with a basement tucked under due to the slope.

Otherwise, it’s livable if that was the intention.

Meets your requirements:
"Classic,
Solid wooden house with wood cladding on the upper floor
Roof type: gable roof with approx. 34° (34 degrees), open roof slope, no attic!
Building type
Basement: with basement
Stories: 1.5"

What can I say? Wood cladding implemented even better than expected.

hampshire schrieb:

I’m not really comfortable with the design.
I can understand the location of the study right by the entrance, and the size is still acceptable, but the natural light planning is poor. Considering the almost wasteful unused spaces in the “all-purpose room” and basement, the overall impression is very unbalanced. The opportunity to integrate direct access to the garden from the basement into daily life remains unused. The cellar room is awkwardly located and hard to reach – too many passageways. I really like galleries. While I see the intention implemented here, I can’t imagine how this arrangement contributes positively to the living experience – when exactly would one want to enjoy this open space in this spot?
Instead of trying hard to fit all wishes into one floor plan without doing any of them really well, I would let go of one or two aspects and focus on implementing the most important wishes properly.

Good morning and thanks for the quick feedback. We have also noticed the natural light issue in the office. That might be solved with a bigger window, or where do you see this room better located?
What exactly do you consider the all-purpose room? Where are you seeing wasted space? We have also discussed the garden access a lot. We believe that the terrace on the west side with proper stairs to the terrain provides good access down to the garden. The cellar room and utility room will be swapped. The gallery is primarily intended to distribute the heat from the stove upstairs.

ypg schrieb:

The basement is separated from the living areas... Am I correct in understanding that the best-located rooms facing the garden are only placeholder rooms? I don’t think this is well designed, and I’m not a fan of the basement hallway either. The area between the kitchen and the terrace seems too long to conveniently access the garden.
In the end, it’s “just” a captain’s house with a basement tucked under because of the slope.
Otherwise, it’s something you can live with, if that’s the intention.

The basement includes the frequently used guest area and a very often used sports/yoga room. Both are very important spaces for us.
What do you mean by a captain’s house?
Best regards