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 🙂
H
hanghaus200021 Oct 2021 17:25Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
I think we can manage it this way... I’m optimistic, and a good designer can be better than a poor architect :p So far, your designer hasn’t presented anything that even comes close to being good.
S
Seppl's Häusle21 Oct 2021 17:40hanghaus2000 schrieb:
So far, your planner hasn’t shown anything that comes close to being good. Nothing?
Well, that’s not quite right either. As I’ve already pointed out, it might not be to everyone’s taste, but I don’t think there’s anything fundamentally wrong with it...
At full scale, the floor plan was actually quite comfortable, and the architects who have seen the design so far didn’t say, “Oh my god, what a horrible depiction of hell, what hopeless losers came up with this” :p
I’ll sit down again tonight, put it into a 3D program, and try furnishing it...
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
The floor plan was actually quite comfortable when seen at full scale Where did you see it at full scale?
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
and the architects who have seen the design so far If you know architects who look over the plans review them, why don’t you have the plans created directly by architects?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
and the architects who have seen the design so far have There are professions where a colleague’s work is not criticized.
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
As I have already pointed out, it is certainly not to everyone’s taste, but I don’t think there is anything fundamentally wrong with it... Well... why don’t you ask the architect how you get from the living room to the terrace? Or to the garden...
This is not about personal taste. It’s about functionality and comfort, which distinguish a house from an apartment, ownership from renting.
- If you move the wardrobe to the other end of the house, that is not functional.
- If, when entering the house, you look at two corners, possibly at a cabinet placed diagonally in front or an open wardrobe, visual order is missing there.
- A staircase directly at the entrance door only makes sense in space-saving houses for that reason.
- If you want to go from the basement bedroom to the terrace but have to go through two rooms instead of directly, that makes no sense.
- Small conservatories or sunrooms that cannot be furnished make no sense, they are just a barrier to the garden.
- The office next to the children’s rooms is counterproductive.
- A washbasin in the master bathroom the size of a hand basin?....
I have already mentioned other issues (conservatory).
And then this slab-on-ground house was presented here as a hillside house.... honestly, I don’t see the architect here, but rather a general contractor’s draftsman.
ypg schrieb:
To be honest, I don’t see an architect here, but rather a general contractor’s draftsman. I feel the same way, but how does this fit in: ?
ypg schrieb:
There are professions where a colleague’s work is not disparaged. https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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