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.
S
Sunshine3877 Dec 2022 21:11I would personally always prefer a ground-level terrace facing the garden and then use about 8m (26 feet) of lawn area before containing the rest with 2.3 rows of L-shaped retaining wall blocks, in order to achieve a more house-like feel rather than an apartment vibe. From my point of view, even a single step down to the garden, even if it is only 1m (3 feet), disrupts this significantly.
Karl-Jupp schrieb:
Let’s imagine that the terrain slopes more steeply next to the basement windows on the side of the house… But maybe you could share your initial thoughts? You would need to provide a site plan or a sketch. The house should adapt to the slope or the property. If there is a slope “on the side,” the house adapts to it by making the garden area inaccessible.
Please read @K a t j a’s #41 carefully again and try to understand it.
Karl-Jupp schrieb:
We are currently planning with a prefab house and have obtained two quotes so far for turnkey houses based on our (basic) requirements. May I ask from whom you obtained your quotes and what you and the company specifically mean by “turnkey”?
Karl-Jupp schrieb:
Basement usable as living space This does not necessarily mean that the basement is finished, but that it can be developed as living space. The general contractor (GC) provides the ceiling height and the windows. Scope of work descriptions are often very tricky!
H
hanghaus20237 Dec 2022 22:19Hello @K a t j a
The plot should be similar.
The plot should be similar.
H
hanghaus20237 Dec 2022 22:32It’s becoming clearer to me now. If the garage is provided by the builder, then this is not an independent architect, but rather an agent working for the prefabricated house manufacturer (sometimes referred to here as a draftsman).
Now I’m not surprised why a slope towards the garage is planned, why the terrace is elevated, why the house is set too high, and so on. This isn’t really a sloped lot within the building plot. An architect would probably have considered something like a split-level design, at least on the ground floor.
Now I’m not surprised why a slope towards the garage is planned, why the terrace is elevated, why the house is set too high, and so on. This isn’t really a sloped lot within the building plot. An architect would probably have considered something like a split-level design, at least on the ground floor.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
The plot should be similar. Similar is not sufficient when it comes to the slope profile.
K
Karl-Jupp7 Dec 2022 22:39ypg schrieb:
You would need to provide the site plan or a sketch. The house should adapt to the slope or the property. If you have a hillside “on the side,” the house fits by making the garden inaccessible.
Please read @K a t j a’s post #41 carefully again and try to understand it.
May I ask who you requested your quote from and what you mean by turnkey, as well as what the company describes as turnkey?
Because that does not necessarily mean the basement is finished, but that it can be developed into living space. The general contractor offers the ceiling height and the windows. Work descriptions are often very tricky! I am attaching the leveling plan here. Hopefully, it makes things clearer. The representation by @hanghaus2023 fits very well, as you can see. To the east of the house, I would only adjust the terrain minimally. From the rear edge of the house, you could aim for an average ground level of 463.60 meters (1,521 feet). The terrace and ground floor might then be approximately at about 464.80 meters (1,525 feet). As mentioned, these are all just initial thoughts. Maybe both could be 20 cm (8 inches) higher.
The offers are from reputable manufacturers. I do not want to start a discussion about individual providers here. Turnkey really means turnkey. I receive the keys and move my furniture in. The house is completely finished inside. Regarding the basement, we had some discussions until underfloor heating and so on were fully included there as well. But I insisted that this part be finished, too.
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