ᐅ Preliminary Floor Plan Design for a Hillside House in the Second Row

Hello,

there are two of us, and we have a nice plot of land in a small village. The plot is on a northwest-facing slope, and the house with garage must be built in the second row. Preliminary approval for construction with this rough plan has already been granted:

Orientation: North is at the top. The neighboring houses (17, 15) are already built, and the driveway is about five meters (16 feet) wide. The garage must have green roofing (city requirement).

Our architect created a first draft based on our wishes (below). We are very pleased with the exterior and think the house and garage integrate nicely into the plot. However, we are still unsure whether the interior layout works as planned.

We look forward to your opinions—please provide honest feedback.

Questionnaire with answers:

Development plan/restrictions

• Plot size: 650 m² (7000 sq ft)
• Slope: Yes, northwest-facing
• Building envelope, building line and boundary: sketch
• Edge development: Yes
• Number of parking spaces: 2 garages (one with higher clearance for a box van)
• Number of floors: 2
• Roof type: gable roof
• Architectural style: modern
• Further requirements: rough placement of house and garage predetermined (see sketch)

Client requirements

• Style and building type: modern, appealing, streamlined, and functional
• Basement, floors: Yes, entrance through the basement (due to slope)
• Number of occupants, age: 2, 40 years old
• Space requirements on ground floor (GF), upper floor (UF): dining & living on GF, sleeping in attic
• Office: family use or home office? Home office (2x)
• Guest visitors per year: several times a year
• Open or closed architecture: open
• Conservative or modern construction: modern but not cold/impersonal
• Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
• Number of dining seats: 6, extendable to 18
• Fireplace: no
• Music/stereo wall: no (TV mounted on wall)
• Balcony, roof terrace: optional (we currently have one in front of the attic office, but it is not essential)
• Garage, carport: double garage on basement level
• Utility garden, greenhouse: yes, no
• Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences:

- Sheltered terrace with roof covering
- Walk-in closet
- Guest room
- Two offices (home offices)
- Large kitchen and dining area
- Smaller, somewhat separated living area with sofa facing TV and outdoors
- Guest toilet on ground floor with urinal
- Bedroom with just bed and bedside tables (wardrobes separate in walk-in closet)
- Bathroom with double sinks, walk-in shower with masonry walls (no glass), bathtub, toilet
- Basement: heating/technical room with ventilation system, laundry/drying room, storage cellar, hobby/workshop cellar
- Living area about 120 m² (1300 sq ft)

House design

• Planner: architect
• Most liked features? Building, orientation on terrain, connection between house and garage, visible entrance
• What is not liked and why? Terrace too small, utility/pantry room behind kitchen too large, too many corridors, bedroom located in southwest (heat issues)
• Cost estimate by architect/planner: not yet available
• Personal budget for house including fittings: €450,000
• Preferred heating system: open, aiming for KFW40 standard (possibly only KFW55 due to cost)
• Key question about the floor plan in 130 characters: Do you see any problems or possible improvements? Preferably a smaller living area.

Views:

Basement floor plan with garage and driveway:

Ground floor plan:

Attic floor plan:

Section:

If your budget limit is 450,000 (450 TE), I would quickly get a cost estimate from the architect. It usually doesn’t work with this budget, probably not even if the additional construction costs are on top. Take a look at the thread in Building Planning.

I think the planning for the plot is clever, but first you have to talk about the money!

soneva2012 schrieb:

If your price limit is 450,000, I would quickly get a cost estimate from the architect; this budget usually isn’t enough, probably not even when additional building-related costs are added on top. Check out the thread in Construction Planning.

I think the design for the plot is clever, but first you need to talk about the money!

Thanks for the advice, we will do that. The plot is not included in that price, only the house with the garage. If necessary, we can increase the credit limit.

I see about 165 m2 (including living space in the basement) where you have to expect at least 2,650 EUR per m2 (which is around 440,000), plus basement rooms, plus a nicely attached garage, plus outdoor areas, additional costs, etc. KfW 40 standard as well.

But it’s a great project, hopefully the bank will cooperate. What about the land behind the house, is it allowed to be built on?

soneva2012 schrieb:

I see about 165 m² (including living space in the basement), where you have to expect at least 2,650 EUR/m² (which is about 440,000), plus basement rooms, plus a nicely attached garage, plus outdoor areas, additional costs, etc. KfW 40 as well.

But it’s a great project, hopefully the bank will agree. What about the land behind the house, is building allowed there?

Living space can be reduced if it makes sense (our target was about 120 m²), KfW 40 offers better subsidies but is still undecided due to costs. The land behind the house is not allowed to be built on. For now, we're focusing less on exact costs and more on the floor plan 🙂

frank1982 schrieb:

Happy to reduce the living area.

- For two people, the house is planned quite conservatively. Despite the sloping garage, which actually suggests creativity and boldness. It is family-friendly, except that the home office is located in the two children's rooms.
You don’t really notice the 160 sqm (1720 sq ft).
- Furthermore, I notice placeholder rooms in the basement: kitchen/laundry/pantry… isn’t that nicely arranged on the ground floor?
The technical room is huge compared to the hobby room, which actually can’t be big enough. Do you have a hobby?
You could combine the hobby room with a guest room, and put the guest room in the home office… guest toilet on the ground floor, guest bathroom in the basement.
You know what I think? The planner’s brief was: typical single-family home (home office instead of children’s room), plus basement because of the slope. Then personal planning stopped or/and budget was not considered.
- Apart from that: the sofa has no view, but enjoys the southern sun. No proper wardrobe planned anywhere, instead a museum corner in the main hallway. Sleeping area is somewhat uncomfortable for the person sleeping at the front, the walk-in closet is rather tight. The terrace turns its back to the sun… it might feel a bit damp.

frank1982 schrieb:

Personal price limit for the house, including fixtures: €450,000

frank1982 schrieb:

At this stage, we’re not concerned about the exact costs but the floor plan

No pain, no gain! You can’t plan a dream house that is not within budget.

My suggestion:
The basement is fixed because of the slope. The floor area is probably not productive if enlarged. What exactly is included in the 650 sqm (7000 sq ft)? I don’t see it, but maybe it relates to the driveway?!
So: 2 home office rooms in the basement with southern exposure. One a bit larger, possibly to accommodate hobby and/or guests. Spacious wardrobe in the back, plus cold storage, laundry, and perhaps a guest shower-toilet*.
Ground floor: generous living area, with the living room facing north with a view. Dining/kitchen to the south, small pantry and storage room, possibly guest shower-toilet*. The utility room and laundry could also be swapped between basement and ground floor. This might make more sense.
There is no upper floor.
But the attic would serve as the sleeping and private level with bedroom, proper walk-in closet, and private bathroom.

With this approach, you can stay within the €450,000 budget.