ᐅ Floor plans for a single-family house with a separate apartment, 280 m² on a compact 320 m² plot
Created on: 29 Aug 2022 11:51
M
medow1982
Hello everyone,
attached is our project with a request for suggestions for improvement, especially regarding the interior layout. The building permit application is currently in process, so please avoid complete redesign proposals for the building envelope, entrance, etc. Doors and walls can still be adjusted inside.
And yes, we are fully aware that this is a small constrained plot with limited garden space, but this is all we have here and we’re happy with it!
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 310 m2 (3,337 sq ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1.5–2
Roof type: 45-degree gable roof
Orientation: SW
Additional requirements: Must be attached to neighbors and adapted accordingly. Changes to roof shape, knee wall height, number of floors, etc. are not possible!
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Attached house, adapted to neighbors. This is restricted. Open floor plan. Flexible for aging occupants.
Basement, floors: Basement = self-contained apartment according to regional building codes, with separate entrance for permanent rental in the basement.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults + 2 children (4 and 1 year old), basement apartment: either 2 people or a shared office for 2 to max. 6 people
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: at least 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft). We have 165 m2 (1,776 sq ft) + 18 m2 (194 sq ft), so more than needed.
Office: Family use or home office? All three desired. One mixed-use room for home office and guests planned on the ground floor.
Guest sleepers per year: maximum 2, 1–3 times per year
Modern construction style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: possibly
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no due to neighbors
Garage, carport: no, only 2 parking spaces and storage rooms on the floors. One parking space will be realized with grass pavers and a sliding gate so that the garden visually appears larger.
House Design
Who designed the plan: 2 years of our own planning, final design approved by an architect as feasible.
- Planner from a construction company: yes
- Architect: yes
What do you particularly like? Why: We planned 3 separate living units so that we can live on the ground floor as we get older and the kids move upstairs or we can rent it out. A barrier-free ground floor was very important to us. In case of emergency, we can also rent out the ground and upper floors. Only the basement apartment is planned for rental; ground and upper floors for own use.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 1 million €
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, split system for cost reasons. 8 kWp solar system, 2 centralized ventilation systems. Basement made of concrete + Styrodur insulation, ground and upper floors with Poroton T7-MW 36.5 bricks. Soundproofing and increased living space were priorities, and unfortunately, we no longer qualify for KfW40+ funding. We simply didn’t have enough time for the KfW40+ NH standard because interest rates have risen sharply.
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions?
- Can give up: definitely the garage. We don’t own a car and use car sharing, which works well for the family. We can occasionally use a garage and shed on the neighboring property.
- Cannot give up: terrace, garden, balcony
Why is the design as it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? No, everything developed by us. Strong restrictions due to attachment to neighbors and limits on ridge height, roof shape, and height of the adjoining building. “Wish for” options are hardly possible here since the house must be attached to the neighbor.
Which wishes did the architect implement? Most of them.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We have a very small plot and limited freedom in terms of shape, but in our opinion, we made the best of it. For cost reasons, we omitted Gutex insulation in the roof. We only have the attic peak, the bathroom, and one room with a sloping ceiling (knee wall height 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in)).
According to the site manager, this should not lead to extreme overheating, but we might still install it depending on feedback. The attic is open and connected to the ventilation system, so air in the basement will be mixed via the heat exchanger anyway. My parents also don’t have Gutex insulation in their prefab home from the 1980s, and yes, the attic gets quite warm but not over 35°C (95°F). We planned to compensate with blinds but are still unsure.
Additionally, we plan to convert the kitchen on the ground floor into a living room as we age and relocate the kitchen accordingly. Everything is optional, and planned with flexible plumbing. In the basement, we might still plan another room but are unsure of the location.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the size of the bathroom and hallway sufficient, or should we have it adjusted?
In the basement, we will add a south-facing window on the left side to brighten the basement apartment. This will reduce privacy and garden space but should please the basement occupants.
attached is our project with a request for suggestions for improvement, especially regarding the interior layout. The building permit application is currently in process, so please avoid complete redesign proposals for the building envelope, entrance, etc. Doors and walls can still be adjusted inside.
And yes, we are fully aware that this is a small constrained plot with limited garden space, but this is all we have here and we’re happy with it!
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 310 m2 (3,337 sq ft)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1.5–2
Roof type: 45-degree gable roof
Orientation: SW
Additional requirements: Must be attached to neighbors and adapted accordingly. Changes to roof shape, knee wall height, number of floors, etc. are not possible!
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Attached house, adapted to neighbors. This is restricted. Open floor plan. Flexible for aging occupants.
Basement, floors: Basement = self-contained apartment according to regional building codes, with separate entrance for permanent rental in the basement.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults + 2 children (4 and 1 year old), basement apartment: either 2 people or a shared office for 2 to max. 6 people
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: at least 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft). We have 165 m2 (1,776 sq ft) + 18 m2 (194 sq ft), so more than needed.
Office: Family use or home office? All three desired. One mixed-use room for home office and guests planned on the ground floor.
Guest sleepers per year: maximum 2, 1–3 times per year
Modern construction style
Open kitchen, kitchen island: possibly
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Balcony: yes, roof terrace: no due to neighbors
Garage, carport: no, only 2 parking spaces and storage rooms on the floors. One parking space will be realized with grass pavers and a sliding gate so that the garden visually appears larger.
House Design
Who designed the plan: 2 years of our own planning, final design approved by an architect as feasible.
- Planner from a construction company: yes
- Architect: yes
What do you particularly like? Why: We planned 3 separate living units so that we can live on the ground floor as we get older and the kids move upstairs or we can rent it out. A barrier-free ground floor was very important to us. In case of emergency, we can also rent out the ground and upper floors. Only the basement apartment is planned for rental; ground and upper floors for own use.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: approx. 1 million €
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump, split system for cost reasons. 8 kWp solar system, 2 centralized ventilation systems. Basement made of concrete + Styrodur insulation, ground and upper floors with Poroton T7-MW 36.5 bricks. Soundproofing and increased living space were priorities, and unfortunately, we no longer qualify for KfW40+ funding. We simply didn’t have enough time for the KfW40+ NH standard because interest rates have risen sharply.
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions?
- Can give up: definitely the garage. We don’t own a car and use car sharing, which works well for the family. We can occasionally use a garage and shed on the neighboring property.
- Cannot give up: terrace, garden, balcony
Why is the design as it is now?
For example, standard design from planner? No, everything developed by us. Strong restrictions due to attachment to neighbors and limits on ridge height, roof shape, and height of the adjoining building. “Wish for” options are hardly possible here since the house must be attached to the neighbor.
Which wishes did the architect implement? Most of them.
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad? We have a very small plot and limited freedom in terms of shape, but in our opinion, we made the best of it. For cost reasons, we omitted Gutex insulation in the roof. We only have the attic peak, the bathroom, and one room with a sloping ceiling (knee wall height 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in)).
According to the site manager, this should not lead to extreme overheating, but we might still install it depending on feedback. The attic is open and connected to the ventilation system, so air in the basement will be mixed via the heat exchanger anyway. My parents also don’t have Gutex insulation in their prefab home from the 1980s, and yes, the attic gets quite warm but not over 35°C (95°F). We planned to compensate with blinds but are still unsure.
Additionally, we plan to convert the kitchen on the ground floor into a living room as we age and relocate the kitchen accordingly. Everything is optional, and planned with flexible plumbing. In the basement, we might still plan another room but are unsure of the location.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the size of the bathroom and hallway sufficient, or should we have it adjusted?
In the basement, we will add a south-facing window on the left side to brighten the basement apartment. This will reduce privacy and garden space but should please the basement occupants.
M
Myrna_Loy29 Aug 2022 13:58What kind of poor soul would rent such a basement apartment that is partially below ground? And in which region do you live that the effort of having a tenant in the basement is financially worthwhile?
M
medow198229 Aug 2022 14:11Hi Katja, thanks for your suggestions, some of which I will partially refute here. In some cases you are right, in others I see it differently.
M
medow198229 Aug 2022 14:17Myrna_Loy schrieb:
What kind of tenant would want to rent a basement apartment like that? And in which region do you live, where having a tenant in the basement makes financial sense? When I list this basement apartment, I will get at least 100 serious inquiries on the first try. I have searched for years myself and know the market situation very well. Are you even familiar with the prices and conditions in South Baden or Munich city? Of course, living elsewhere might be nicer, but here the price for a new square meter is at least €8,000 (about $8,700), and rent is about €15 (around $16) per square meter. If someone has expectations, they should look elsewhere. But it probably won't be better there either. Having around 200 inquiries per apartment is not uncommon here, and these are not luxury units. Especially in popular locations, demand is very high. We are not in the poorer regions like Saarland or in the East, where tenants might get a discount when renting or there is more room to negotiate when buying. Here, supply and demand control both availability and price, not comfort!
M
medow198229 Aug 2022 14:28K a t j a schrieb:
Some points have already been made. As always, the question arises about the practicality of a secondary apartment. Sharing this tiny plot with someone else is, in my opinion (sorry for that), just ridiculous. A standard basement would definitely have been useful for bikes and such. Where is the tenant supposed to park—only one car each? Will they throw their trash in your bin?
The rest here:
[ATTACH alt="efh-mit-elw.jpg"]74406[/ATTACH] Sorry, but I don’t know a single apartment here that comes with more than one parking space. Expecting more is just nonsense. One apartment equals one parking space, period; it’s no different anywhere. Many apartments here don’t even have a parking space, so it’s a huge privilege not to have to look for a free spot on the street.
Since we poor homeowners are four people without a car or even a TV, we can even offer an additional parking space for the basement apartment for rent starting at €60 (about $65).
Trash can be separated or combined; there’s enough space either way. Combining would be much cheaper and also better for the environment.
medow1982 schrieb:
Hi Katja, thanks for your suggestions, some of which I partially refute with this. You are partly right, partly I see it differently. I mostly read "well, that’s just the way it is." I have to ask: are you building for yourselves or for others? At the moment, it looks like a multi-family house for 3 units, where parking spaces are missing – but not like owner-occupied property. I certainly wouldn’t sacrifice my tiny plot of land for strangers – whether living space is scarce or not. But I suspect that without the rental income, the calculations won’t add up and you really want to maximize coverage of the plot with concrete to avoid leaving any square meters unused.
On the comments:
- Planting is nice, of course. But then it will be even darker down there. Where was north again?
- Regarding the parking issue: this is usually regulated in the development plan / zoning plan and not something we made up to annoy you. So please check if and how many parking spaces per dwelling unit are required by the rules.
- Unused space of the tenant – yes, of course, they will fill it with something. But your thread is about finding a sensible floor plan. If everything is the tenant’s responsibility or a tax matter, you don’t even need to install walls and just put in supports so the building doesn’t collapse.
- Toilet adjacent to the living area: yes, first of all it’s about noise, but also, as @SoL already mentioned, about odor issues and generally the feeling of life when eating or cooking next to the toilet. I assume you also have a guest toilet now. Just imagine the sofa or dining table standing right next to it, if your imagination allows. That’s uncomfortable for everyone involved – especially guests.
Basically, you should consider whether to set the divisions between ground floor and upper floor now. Too many doors are annoying and can be easily added later with drywall (including the walls).
What I still don’t understand is the boundary development on the left side of the plan – if there is one at all? Who or what is “Schu” and why are you allowed to build right up to the property line?
In conclusion, I would say: the living spaces are still quite acceptable. The granny flat has been neglected as usual and just thrown together somehow. Let the tenant struggle with it.
The garden and terraces are unattractive because of the double usage on a very limited space – especially if it’s supposed to be your own “dream house.” The number of parking spaces and waste disposal is unclear, especially with the 3-unit option. How the separation of the billing for heating, electricity, and water is solved hasn’t been mentioned yet.
M
medow198229 Aug 2022 15:47You are correct, this is a house with three residential units, with us using the ground floor and first floor ourselves.
We neither need nor want a basement, so it will be rented out because that makes good financial sense and does not affect us upstairs at all. If it was just about money, it would be cheaper to build without a basement, but we did not want that.
Regarding the parking space: legally, according to the state building code, it is a single-family house with a granny flat, so two residential units and two required parking spaces. In practice, three residential units are possible. If you want to make this official later, you will, of course, need an additional parking space.
We will not install the door on the first floor as shown; you are 100% right about that. We will only do it when it becomes necessary.
The plot allows building on the boundary line, meaning that whoever builds next door on the right can do so just the same. There is currently a shed and garage on the right that will be demolished at some point. We understand that if the neighbor builds, there will be no six meters (20 feet) distance to our house; that is just how it is here.
The trash area is clearly marked on the site plan. Still, the tenant in the granny flat can also place the bins in front of the technical entrance.
As for the garden, the rear parking space will be discarded to provide a good separation between the garden and the basement entrance/parking space. As mentioned, we actually do not need parking space, so we plan one for the granny flat, and the second one will be designed with grass pavers in the garden, along with a sliding gate. This way, there is more garden space. The parking space will be used maybe 1% of the year, at most for occasional visitors.
We are aware that the granny flat is a bit of a compromise. I hope there will still be some constructive criticism here, meaning a suggestion for improvement. The technical room, entrance, and so on are fixed. The floor plan could be reduced, but since the terrace is above, we deliberately planned it larger, even though unfortunately, very little to no sunlight reaches there.
We had thought about a window at the bottom left corner in the basement so that at least some daylight from the south would come in. That would, of course, require a light well and come at the expense of the garden. I also like the comments regarding the toilet; we had not considered that, and the architect did not mention anything either. We will now see what else can be improved. Hopefully, there will be some improvement examples here, rather than just referring to a detached larger plot and house.
Of course, it should be a dream home, and we are quite satisfied with the current state, but I cannot change the 310 m² (3,340 sq ft) available area, the technical room, or the building obligation. Clearly, much more can be done with a detached house on 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft). The granny flat has its own entrance, electrical connection, separate water meters, and a dedicated central ventilation system. The ground floor and first floor share their own water/electricity/ventilation system, although individual water meters can be installed later in the first floor units in the planned fittings. A separate electrical meter panel is also possible on the first floor. Since the first floor will not have its own ventilation system, it will probably only be occupied by one child to avoid conflicts over shared use. Alternatively, they could agree on a base level or delegate control to a dedicated residential unit. Planting will be arranged by the architect; of course, we will not plan any large trees.
We neither need nor want a basement, so it will be rented out because that makes good financial sense and does not affect us upstairs at all. If it was just about money, it would be cheaper to build without a basement, but we did not want that.
Regarding the parking space: legally, according to the state building code, it is a single-family house with a granny flat, so two residential units and two required parking spaces. In practice, three residential units are possible. If you want to make this official later, you will, of course, need an additional parking space.
We will not install the door on the first floor as shown; you are 100% right about that. We will only do it when it becomes necessary.
The plot allows building on the boundary line, meaning that whoever builds next door on the right can do so just the same. There is currently a shed and garage on the right that will be demolished at some point. We understand that if the neighbor builds, there will be no six meters (20 feet) distance to our house; that is just how it is here.
The trash area is clearly marked on the site plan. Still, the tenant in the granny flat can also place the bins in front of the technical entrance.
As for the garden, the rear parking space will be discarded to provide a good separation between the garden and the basement entrance/parking space. As mentioned, we actually do not need parking space, so we plan one for the granny flat, and the second one will be designed with grass pavers in the garden, along with a sliding gate. This way, there is more garden space. The parking space will be used maybe 1% of the year, at most for occasional visitors.
We are aware that the granny flat is a bit of a compromise. I hope there will still be some constructive criticism here, meaning a suggestion for improvement. The technical room, entrance, and so on are fixed. The floor plan could be reduced, but since the terrace is above, we deliberately planned it larger, even though unfortunately, very little to no sunlight reaches there.
We had thought about a window at the bottom left corner in the basement so that at least some daylight from the south would come in. That would, of course, require a light well and come at the expense of the garden. I also like the comments regarding the toilet; we had not considered that, and the architect did not mention anything either. We will now see what else can be improved. Hopefully, there will be some improvement examples here, rather than just referring to a detached larger plot and house.
Of course, it should be a dream home, and we are quite satisfied with the current state, but I cannot change the 310 m² (3,340 sq ft) available area, the technical room, or the building obligation. Clearly, much more can be done with a detached house on 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft). The granny flat has its own entrance, electrical connection, separate water meters, and a dedicated central ventilation system. The ground floor and first floor share their own water/electricity/ventilation system, although individual water meters can be installed later in the first floor units in the planned fittings. A separate electrical meter panel is also possible on the first floor. Since the first floor will not have its own ventilation system, it will probably only be occupied by one child to avoid conflicts over shared use. Alternatively, they could agree on a base level or delegate control to a dedicated residential unit. Planting will be arranged by the architect; of course, we will not plan any large trees.
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