ᐅ Design of a Single-Family House Floor Plan (Convertible to a Two-Family Home for Later Use) on a Sloped Site
Created on: 1 Apr 2021 21:58
S
Seppl's Häusle
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 440 m² (4,736 ft²)
Slope: steep slope of 30° - 40° in the rear area, 7-10 m (23-33 ft) towel-shaped plateau along the street
Floor area ratio: not applicable, suitable
Gross floor area ratio: not applicable, suitable
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no zoning plan, building permit for another project already approved
Edge development: single-family house, 2 full stories, mostly gable roof, but also flat and hipped roofs
Number of parking spaces: 2 required (no trapped parking space)
Number of stories: 2 full stories plus partial basement on the south-facing slope
Roof type: gable roof
Design style: open to planning
Orientation: hillside facing southwest
Maximum heights / limits: unknown
Other requirements: no zoning plan
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof, timeless both inside and out
Basement, stories: partial basement (on the slope) + 2 full stories (see cross-section)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults + 2 children
Space needed on ground and upper floor: approx. 85 m² (915 ft²) per floor
Office: initially none, if needed in guest room or basement
Overnight guests per year: hopefully many 🙂
Open or closed architecture: compromise, as the two apartments should remain separable in old age on ground and upper floor
Conservative or modern construction: as above
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 4
Fireplace: yes, in the conservatory
Balcony, roof terrace: yes, on the basement level, 2.5 m (8 ft) facing south
Garage, carport: yes, on the east side by the main entrance
Utility garden, greenhouse: terraced garden planned with usable areas
Other wishes / special features: no water connection in the basement to avoid a lifting system. Therefore, laundry room in the upper floor instead of basement. It is located by the stairwell so it can still be used in old age when the upper-floor apartment is separated by a door.
House Design
Who designed it:
Planner from a construction company together with us
What is especially liked? Why?
Open floor plan on the ground floor combined with private retreat areas on each floor. Bay window facing south (downhill side), conservatory, and terrace there as well
What is disliked? Why?
Basement and shape of the basement are not entirely satisfactory but likely cannot be changed due to staircase position in the stairwell.
WC and room on the ground floor feel cramped; have not found a better solution as access should not be through the main hallway
Cost estimate: none yet
Personal price limit including fittings: as long as we stay under 5 million, everything is fine 😀
Preferred heating system: solar combined with pellet heating
What you could live without
-could live without:
Upper floor bathroom is still very large; could be smaller
-cannot live without:
Ability to separate living units for old age, bay window in the living room
Why is the design like this?
The plot has a towel-shaped plateau measuring 22 m (72 ft) wide and 7-10 m (23-33 ft) long. The house’s mass will be placed there. A seating area/garden is planned to the west with access from the kitchen via a few meters of wooden terrace. The slope on the south side drops steeply. The garage and a parking space at the driveway will be located on the east side.
Windows are positioned symmetrically from the outside perspective, which is why their arrangement on the ground and upper floor appears a little unusual.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We want to use the plot as it is, not fight against it. The unobstructed south view should be emphasized. The sightline from the entrance through the hallway, glass door over the dining table to the garden in the west should make the house feel spacious. Three old trees on the plot will be integrated into the garden. Inside, we aim for minimalism and a timeless living feel.
We welcome all suggestions and ideas but also have clear concepts that can hopefully already be seen in the floor plan.
Is there anything you think we should consider or improve?
Thank you very much for your support 🙂
Plot size: 440 m² (4,736 ft²)
Slope: steep slope of 30° - 40° in the rear area, 7-10 m (23-33 ft) towel-shaped plateau along the street
Floor area ratio: not applicable, suitable
Gross floor area ratio: not applicable, suitable
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: no zoning plan, building permit for another project already approved
Edge development: single-family house, 2 full stories, mostly gable roof, but also flat and hipped roofs
Number of parking spaces: 2 required (no trapped parking space)
Number of stories: 2 full stories plus partial basement on the south-facing slope
Roof type: gable roof
Design style: open to planning
Orientation: hillside facing southwest
Maximum heights / limits: unknown
Other requirements: no zoning plan
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: gable roof, timeless both inside and out
Basement, stories: partial basement (on the slope) + 2 full stories (see cross-section)
Number of people, ages: 2 adults + 2 children
Space needed on ground and upper floor: approx. 85 m² (915 ft²) per floor
Office: initially none, if needed in guest room or basement
Overnight guests per year: hopefully many 🙂
Open or closed architecture: compromise, as the two apartments should remain separable in old age on ground and upper floor
Conservative or modern construction: as above
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: minimum 4
Fireplace: yes, in the conservatory
Balcony, roof terrace: yes, on the basement level, 2.5 m (8 ft) facing south
Garage, carport: yes, on the east side by the main entrance
Utility garden, greenhouse: terraced garden planned with usable areas
Other wishes / special features: no water connection in the basement to avoid a lifting system. Therefore, laundry room in the upper floor instead of basement. It is located by the stairwell so it can still be used in old age when the upper-floor apartment is separated by a door.
House Design
Who designed it:
Planner from a construction company together with us
What is especially liked? Why?
Open floor plan on the ground floor combined with private retreat areas on each floor. Bay window facing south (downhill side), conservatory, and terrace there as well
What is disliked? Why?
Basement and shape of the basement are not entirely satisfactory but likely cannot be changed due to staircase position in the stairwell.
WC and room on the ground floor feel cramped; have not found a better solution as access should not be through the main hallway
Cost estimate: none yet
Personal price limit including fittings: as long as we stay under 5 million, everything is fine 😀
Preferred heating system: solar combined with pellet heating
What you could live without
-could live without:
Upper floor bathroom is still very large; could be smaller
-cannot live without:
Ability to separate living units for old age, bay window in the living room
Why is the design like this?
The plot has a towel-shaped plateau measuring 22 m (72 ft) wide and 7-10 m (23-33 ft) long. The house’s mass will be placed there. A seating area/garden is planned to the west with access from the kitchen via a few meters of wooden terrace. The slope on the south side drops steeply. The garage and a parking space at the driveway will be located on the east side.
Windows are positioned symmetrically from the outside perspective, which is why their arrangement on the ground and upper floor appears a little unusual.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We want to use the plot as it is, not fight against it. The unobstructed south view should be emphasized. The sightline from the entrance through the hallway, glass door over the dining table to the garden in the west should make the house feel spacious. Three old trees on the plot will be integrated into the garden. Inside, we aim for minimalism and a timeless living feel.
We welcome all suggestions and ideas but also have clear concepts that can hopefully already be seen in the floor plan.
Is there anything you think we should consider or improve?
Thank you very much for your support 🙂
Preliminary remark: You should approach any criticism, no matter how harsh (since it is not directed at you but at the presented plans), with calmness and goodwill. Your frustration is understandable, but this "purpose" does not justify considering these plans buildable or resulting in a successful house. They still need thorough revision, in my opinion, fundamentally so. For a vineyard plot like this, for example, it might be helpful to reduce the house’s depth, at least in the terrace area. You could make it wider by distributing the parking spaces to both sides of the building footprint. Are these really two such luxury cars that neither can be trusted to park outdoors?
Amateur mistakes are not suitable for a bullet-point list. I also can’t precisely locate them yet because the (to put it kindly: “not professional”) dimensioning is insufficient for that. However, a common thread throughout the floor plans is that the planner has clearly never worked with masonry module sizes. This is something the bricklayers will not be able to fix later on.
You only indicated “Adults” for your household. I still suspect you belong to a generation more likely to build again close to retirement than to renovate an existing property for a frail old age. I have elaborated on this recently in "Misguided Approaches in Forward-Looking House Planning" and a follow-up post (a quick search online should help).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
What exactly? A bullet-point list or something similar would be helpful.
Amateur mistakes are not suitable for a bullet-point list. I also can’t precisely locate them yet because the (to put it kindly: “not professional”) dimensioning is insufficient for that. However, a common thread throughout the floor plans is that the planner has clearly never worked with masonry module sizes. This is something the bricklayers will not be able to fix later on.
You only indicated “Adults” for your household. I still suspect you belong to a generation more likely to build again close to retirement than to renovate an existing property for a frail old age. I have elaborated on this recently in "Misguided Approaches in Forward-Looking House Planning" and a follow-up post (a quick search online should help).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
What exactly do you mean? A bullet-point list or something similar would be helpful. Well, you explained the utility room with the cloakroom... but I would actually expect that closer to the main entrance. If you use the carport with two vehicles, the east entrance is practically unusable—more like a tight squeeze—and certainly not manageable with a stroller or shopping basket.
The open-plan living area narrows in the middle, making it far from practical. The conservatory is basically an enclosed bay window, as it has walls towards the living area and can’t be furnished because furniture would block the door. It doesn’t feel spacious, nor cozy. The kitchen size results in a 60cm (24 inch) kitchen counter that works only for a single person. The occupied dining table is practically right up against the seating area. A 3 x 3.30 m (10 x 11 ft) living room is not ideal for TV viewing, and with the loss of the angled wall, the couch area doesn’t feel comfortable either.
If the housing units are eventually separated, the carport can no longer function as a double carport and will even require additional parking spaces.
S
Seppl's Häusle18 Oct 2021 12:32Elokine schrieb:
How do you get to your terrace on the ground floor?Either through the conservatory or via the window in the dining area; that is where the only piece of garden is located on the plateau at the top of the slope.Elokine schrieb:
And how is the furniture supposed to be arranged to keep a passageway clear?Only two armchairs and a stool are planned there, for having coffee or enjoying the sun.Elokine schrieb:
Why does the conservatory have a continuous wall to the hallway/dining area?It isn’t supposed to, but the glass wall looks like an interior wall on the floor plan.11ant schrieb:
With all due respect for your frustration, this "purpose" alone does not justify considering these plans buildable or a successful house design.I’m not frustrated; I am open-minded and considerate, currently waiting for the first concrete suggestion for improvement.11ant schrieb:
It might be helpful, for example, to reduce the house’s depth, at least in the terrace area.Every additional meter of depth means cantilevering at least one meter above the plot line, under which I could open an insect farm 😀11ant schrieb:
It could be made wider if the cars are distributed to the two side building sections.Every extra meter of width reduces outdoor seating space on the plateau. If we want to connect indoor and outdoor areas, a wider house eventually stops making sense.11ant schrieb:
The dimensions for this are not sufficient.Thanks for the point; I will address that tomorrow.11ant schrieb:
The designer has apparently never dealt with stone dimensioning before.And what if it becomes a timber frame construction?11ant schrieb:
I have elaborated on this in the last few weeks in "The pitfalls of forward-thinking house planning".Thanks for the article, very interesting, but for the sake of sustainability, I’m willing to accept living forever with a compromise instead of moving to a new house every 10 years.ypg schrieb:
Cloakroom... but I would usually expect that closer to the main entrance.Next to the staircase, there will be built-in furniture to store some shoes, a few jackets, and provide a seating option. The space should be sufficient for that, right?ypg schrieb:
With two vehicles using the carport, the east entrance isn’t usable at all.With one vehicle and four bicycles, I even have room there for the garbage bins; don’t you think so?ypg schrieb:
The multipurpose room narrows in the middle, making it anything but practical to use.That also leaves me dissatisfied, so the room is still marked as a hallway…ypg schrieb:
The conservatory is practically a closed bay window, with walls to the multipurpose room and not furniture-friendly because any furniture would block the door from opening.We had the idea to either open the space completely or use a wide sliding door so it can be opened enough to make it fully usable as the narrower passage in the multipurpose room.ypg schrieb:
I even need to build additional parking spaces.That depends on the local regulations.H
hanghaus200018 Oct 2021 12:40The April Fool’s joke completely passed me by. (Forced vacation)
Why does the property suddenly look so different?
Why move the house further away from the street?
Is there a rock layer?
What does the view look like?
What’s the surrounding development like?
The three-story conservatory doesn’t make the house feel more livable.
If you have a budget of 5 million, you can build it like that. If you don’t like it, just start over.
Spend the money on a lawyer experienced with hillside construction. This won’t work otherwise.
Why does the property suddenly look so different?
Why move the house further away from the street?
Is there a rock layer?
What does the view look like?
What’s the surrounding development like?
The three-story conservatory doesn’t make the house feel more livable.
If you have a budget of 5 million, you can build it like that. If you don’t like it, just start over.
Spend the money on a lawyer experienced with hillside construction. This won’t work otherwise.
S
Seppl's Häusle18 Oct 2021 12:50hanghaus2000 schrieb:
Why does the property suddenly look so different?
Why is the house being moved away from the street? New planner, new planning approach.
The house is set back from the street and 50cm (20 inches) lower because of the slope of the site. This avoids excessive overhang from the hillside and allows for a full basement.
H
hanghaus200018 Oct 2021 12:54Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
New planner, new planning approach.
That is no reason to change the plot geometry. What is the purpose of the easement? Is it still the same plot?
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