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-Jupp7 Dec 2022 08:14kbt09 schrieb:
In addition to the kitchen being too small, I also find the master bedroom layout very unfavorable, with the head of the bed near the entrance and poor closet arrangement. And then the south-facing orientation. For that reason, Child 3 has been moved to the north side. Also, with so many people, I would consider moving the laundry to the upper floor.
The utility/pantry room is almost 7 sqm (75 sq ft), but in terms of furnishing, only a 2.9 m (9.5 ft) long single line is possible.
The cloakroom area protrudes in depth into the living room entrance space.
The garage access from the garden limits the terrace depth in the protected corner.
Overall, I still can’t quite visualize the shape of the entire plot. There will definitely be quite a large light well on the south/east side. Thank you very much for the feedback.
What exactly is the issue with the south-facing master bedroom? We could probably improve the upper floor layout if we adjust the bathrooms a bit. So, this will be reviewed all at once. We’d rather not move the laundry upstairs since we don’t want to increase the total or upper floor area.
The cloakroom area might be optimized. We would need to check how deep it will actually be.
Does the garage door limit the terrace depth along the width of the plot, or is that meant differently? We definitely want to keep access to the garage. Of course, the door could be shifted toward the property boundary.
K
Karl-Jupp7 Dec 2022 08:19Myrna_Loy schrieb:
That would be savings of maybe 4,000 euros. Even with inexpensive doors and simple plastering, you’re looking at around 2,200–2,500 €/m² (205–232 $/ft²), depending on the region.
Even in rural Lower Saxony, standard features now cost about 3,000 €/m² (280 $/ft²). And you’re planning three full bathrooms, a fireplace, and a lounge area in addition to the living room. Larger windows also increase costs. I would start mentally preparing for 50–80 m² (540–860 ft²) less space. I really don’t see where we could save 50 m² (540 ft²) that would also translate into meaningful cost savings. Of course, we could consider a partial basement, but from what I’ve read here, the cost reduction is minimal. In our opinion, the upper floor area can hardly be reduced, which means the space on the ground floor and consequently the basement would remain the same.
We could do without the fireplace, but would that save 10,000 euros?
Mmh... well, I would urgently address the budget question first.
I’m also interested in the plot of land; the terrain slope within the building area doesn’t necessarily require a basement.
The issue is that the wish list takes up quite a lot of square meters. So the question arises: what do you really need, and what is just nice to have?
In my opinion, the set budget won’t be sufficient. How much have you calculated for the total budget? If I already see two light wells... who is responsible for the landscaping work? And what is budgeted for that?
If the budget is sufficient, a lot can be realized. But if not, it’s the architect’s task to align the wish list with the budget and clarify what can and cannot be achieved. You will live, eat, cook, and lounge in just under 60 sqm (645 sq ft). And in many other areas, you have been quite generous. There is potential to save a lot by implementing things smartly—that should now be the architect’s responsibility. But everything starts with the budget question...
I’m also interested in the plot of land; the terrain slope within the building area doesn’t necessarily require a basement.
The issue is that the wish list takes up quite a lot of square meters. So the question arises: what do you really need, and what is just nice to have?
In my opinion, the set budget won’t be sufficient. How much have you calculated for the total budget? If I already see two light wells... who is responsible for the landscaping work? And what is budgeted for that?
If the budget is sufficient, a lot can be realized. But if not, it’s the architect’s task to align the wish list with the budget and clarify what can and cannot be achieved. You will live, eat, cook, and lounge in just under 60 sqm (645 sq ft). And in many other areas, you have been quite generous. There is potential to save a lot by implementing things smartly—that should now be the architect’s responsibility. But everything starts with the budget question...
Your budget is too small for 240m² (2,583 sq ft)...
Where you can save:
- Remove the master bathroom
- Reduce the bedroom to a children’s room size
That already cuts about 7m² (75 sq ft). 7 * 3 floors = 21m² (226 sq ft) saved.
Further:
- Remove the upper-level projection
- Remove the garage
- Remove the fireplace
Ask yourself whether you really need the basement, or if it might be better to build 2 floors of 100m² (1,076 sq ft) each instead of 3 floors of 80m² (861 sq ft).
Either way: Just a little tweaking won’t be enough here, unless your budget is flexible (on the higher end!).
Where you can save:
- Remove the master bathroom
- Reduce the bedroom to a children’s room size
That already cuts about 7m² (75 sq ft). 7 * 3 floors = 21m² (226 sq ft) saved.
Further:
- Remove the upper-level projection
- Remove the garage
- Remove the fireplace
Ask yourself whether you really need the basement, or if it might be better to build 2 floors of 100m² (1,076 sq ft) each instead of 3 floors of 80m² (861 sq ft).
Either way: Just a little tweaking won’t be enough here, unless your budget is flexible (on the higher end!).
M
motorradsilke7 Dec 2022 09:42Karl-Jupp schrieb:
Thank you very much for the feedback.
What exactly is the issue with having the parents’ room on the south side? We could probably improve the layout of the upper floor by adjusting the bathrooms a bit. This will be reviewed all at once, then. Washing probably not on the upper floor, since we don’t want to increase the overall or upper floor space any further. The south-facing room is the warmest room. For sleeping, you probably want it cooler. Also, the south room is one of the brightest rooms. It’s a pity to give a child a dark north-facing room while not using the nicely bright south room yourself.
I also wouldn’t put the laundry on the upper floor, because then you have to carry the washed laundry downstairs to hang it outside.
I definitely wouldn’t do without a fireplace, especially nowadays. It lets you quickly create a cozy warmth in the evening, which the slow radiant floor heating cannot provide.
motorradsilke schrieb:
I definitely wouldn’t do without a fireplace, especially nowadays. It lets you quickly create a cozy warmth in the evening, something that a slow-acting underfloor heating system can’t provide. A fireplace is certainly nice and can be practical. However, it also needs to fit the house and the budget.
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