ᐅ Floor plan and elevations of a single-family house with approximately 1,700 sq ft on a sloped site
Created on: 6 Dec 2022 21:01
K
Karl-Jupp
Dear forum members, today we would like to present our floor plan and hope for positive feedback and suggestions on possible improvements. Our basic wish is for a bright house with 4 bedrooms on the upper floor and a living-level basement designed to accommodate 2 offices. We see the basement as necessary, especially due to the sloping site. The ground floor will then provide a spacious living and kitchen area. We have now received the first plans from the architect and would like to optimize them as much as possible with your help. The furniture layouts are only examples and still need to be finalized. Note: The room labeled as an office on the upper floor is intended to become Child 3’s bedroom. The guest room in the basement will be a combined guest/office room. The design of the outdoor areas, such as the terrace and the shape of the new property boundary, still needs to be planned in more detail.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 702 sqm (7,555 sq ft)
Slope: yes, approximately 1.7 m (5.6 ft) higher at the street than at the rear of the property
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: none
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: garage minimum 5 m (16 ft) from street, house minimum 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable, hip, or pyramid roof with pitch between 22° and 43°
Orientation: southwest
Owner requirements
Roof type: preferably gable roof
Basement, floors: basement yes, preferably 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (35, 33, 4, and 2)
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: preferably 3 children’s bedrooms on the upper floor
Office: 2 home office spaces desired
Guest stays per year: about 10 times per year from grandparents, hence a guest room
Conservative or modern design: rather modern, I would say
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island
Fireplace: desirable
Balcony, roof terrace: possibly convert the garage roof later into a balcony
Garage, carport: garage for 1 car with sufficient storage space for bicycles
Additional wishes/details/daily routine, including reasons for choices:
We wanted the 3 children's bedrooms and the master bedroom on the upper floor. Additionally, a small bathroom for the parents there. The basement made sense to us because of the sloping site. It should provide one dedicated office and one combined office/guest room, both with daylight windows. Additionally, a large hobby room for versatile use is desired. On the ground floor, a pantry and laundry room connected to the garage were requested. Later on, it should be possible to convert the garage roof into a terrace.
House design
Origin of the design: Architect based on our detailed requirements (see above).
What do you particularly like? Why?
Our room layout wishes have been implemented.
What do you not like? Why?
The bathrooms on the upper floor and the living area on the ground floor may be too small.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: not available yet. Probably around 650,000 - 700,000 € (including additional building costs)
Preferred heating technology: air or ground-source heat pump
If you had to give up some details/extras
- Could give up: fireplace, possibly 2nd bathroom on upper floor, walkable garage roof
- Could not give up: 4 bedrooms on upper floor, basement with 2 offices
Why is the design the way it is now?
Our basic considerations were passed on directly to the architect. He has largely implemented our specifications and added some minor touches.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We find the existing floor plan generally well done and hope to receive constructive criticism and further suggestions from you to optimize it.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 702 sqm (7,555 sq ft)
Slope: yes, approximately 1.7 m (5.6 ft) higher at the street than at the rear of the property
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: none
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: garage minimum 5 m (16 ft) from street, house minimum 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Number of parking spaces: no requirement
Number of floors: 2
Roof type: gable, hip, or pyramid roof with pitch between 22° and 43°
Orientation: southwest
Owner requirements
Roof type: preferably gable roof
Basement, floors: basement yes, preferably 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages: 4 (35, 33, 4, and 2)
Room requirements on ground and upper floors: preferably 3 children’s bedrooms on the upper floor
Office: 2 home office spaces desired
Guest stays per year: about 10 times per year from grandparents, hence a guest room
Conservative or modern design: rather modern, I would say
Open kitchen, kitchen island: kitchen island
Fireplace: desirable
Balcony, roof terrace: possibly convert the garage roof later into a balcony
Garage, carport: garage for 1 car with sufficient storage space for bicycles
Additional wishes/details/daily routine, including reasons for choices:
We wanted the 3 children's bedrooms and the master bedroom on the upper floor. Additionally, a small bathroom for the parents there. The basement made sense to us because of the sloping site. It should provide one dedicated office and one combined office/guest room, both with daylight windows. Additionally, a large hobby room for versatile use is desired. On the ground floor, a pantry and laundry room connected to the garage were requested. Later on, it should be possible to convert the garage roof into a terrace.
House design
Origin of the design: Architect based on our detailed requirements (see above).
What do you particularly like? Why?
Our room layout wishes have been implemented.
What do you not like? Why?
The bathrooms on the upper floor and the living area on the ground floor may be too small.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: not available yet. Probably around 650,000 - 700,000 € (including additional building costs)
Preferred heating technology: air or ground-source heat pump
If you had to give up some details/extras
- Could give up: fireplace, possibly 2nd bathroom on upper floor, walkable garage roof
- Could not give up: 4 bedrooms on upper floor, basement with 2 offices
Why is the design the way it is now?
Our basic considerations were passed on directly to the architect. He has largely implemented our specifications and added some minor touches.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
We find the existing floor plan generally well done and hope to receive constructive criticism and further suggestions from you to optimize it.
K
Karl-Jupp6 Dec 2022 23:37Regarding the windows: Thank you for the suggestions. The design with larger windows appears more harmonious to us as non-experts. We will definitely take this recommendation into consideration.
Regarding the basement: We plan to choose a slightly lower quality of finishes in the basement compared to the rest of the house. This includes more affordable floor coverings, probably fewer electrical outlets, and so on. We hope that the basement level will therefore be less expensive than the upper floors. This is something we will likely discuss with the architect.
Regarding the basement: We plan to choose a slightly lower quality of finishes in the basement compared to the rest of the house. This includes more affordable floor coverings, probably fewer electrical outlets, and so on. We hope that the basement level will therefore be less expensive than the upper floors. This is something we will likely discuss with the architect.
K
Karl-Jupp6 Dec 2022 23:44ypg schrieb:
Calculation 1: €700,000 + 20% = €840,000 (Architects often underestimate costs by around 20%)
Calculation 2: 250m² (2,690 sq ft) x €3,000 = €750,000 plus additional construction costs €50,000 plus double garage €35,000 = €835,000
These are just estimates… 😉
The slope isn’t really a reason for a basement. It will be leveled by the fill.
Regarding the floor plan: it’s a pity that you can’t access the garden directly from the open living area, only through the relatively small doors on the terrace.
And the kitchen is definitely too small: there is no space at all for tall cabinets.
Avoid routing the drainage for the children’s bathroom through the dining area. Otherwise, it’s solid, if you disregard the cost calculations. Thank you for the comments about the small doors. This fits with our plan to optimize the windows, which we also want to review again. Indeed, it would probably be nicer to have a somewhat wider door (possibly a sliding door) leading to the garden.
Whether the kitchen is actually too small, I don’t know. Friends of ours have a kitchen of a similar size; we plan to visit them and discuss it with them.
M
Myrna_Loy6 Dec 2022 23:45These savings might amount to around 4,000 euros. Even with inexpensive doors and basic plastering, you will be looking at approximately 2,200 to 2,500 €/m² (20.4 to 23.2 $/ft²), depending on the region.
Even in rural Lower Saxony, the current estimate for standard fittings is around 3,000 €/m² (27.9 $/ft²). You are planning three full bathrooms, a fireplace, and a lounge area in addition to the living room. Larger windows will also increase costs. I would mentally prepare yourself for a reduction of 50 to 80 m² (540 to 860 ft²).
Even in rural Lower Saxony, the current estimate for standard fittings is around 3,000 €/m² (27.9 $/ft²). You are planning three full bathrooms, a fireplace, and a lounge area in addition to the living room. Larger windows will also increase costs. I would mentally prepare yourself for a reduction of 50 to 80 m² (540 to 860 ft²).
M
Myrna_Loy7 Dec 2022 00:00I get the impression that many architects still design as if there were generous subsidies and low interest rates, allowing the homeowner to easily extend their budget.
In addition to the kitchen being too small, I also find the master bedroom layout very inconvenient, with the head of the bed near the entrance and poor closet arrangement. Then there is the southern orientation. For that reason, Child 3 has been moved to the north. Also, with so many people, I would consider relocating the laundry to the upper floor.
The utility room/pantry is almost 7 sqm (75 sq ft), but in terms of layout, only a single run of 2.9 m (9.5 ft) is possible. The cloakroom area extends in depth into the living room entrance zone.
The garage access from the garden limits the terrace depth in the sheltered niche.
Overall, I still can’t quite picture the overall layout of the plot. There will definitely be quite a large light well on the south/east side.
The utility room/pantry is almost 7 sqm (75 sq ft), but in terms of layout, only a single run of 2.9 m (9.5 ft) is possible. The cloakroom area extends in depth into the living room entrance zone.
The garage access from the garden limits the terrace depth in the sheltered niche.
Overall, I still can’t quite picture the overall layout of the plot. There will definitely be quite a large light well on the south/east side.
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