ᐅ Floor plan, house layout EFW 150 m², basement with granny flat – feedback welcomed
Created on: 29 Dec 2024 00:08
N
njAiiii
Hello dear forum,
we have been quietly following along for some time, knowing that we will eventually build our own home. Thanks in advance to everyone who regularly posts here and shares their knowledge. This is very helpful for laypeople like us. We already appreciate you taking the time to focus on our project and critically review it. The moment is getting closer. The plot is secured. It is located near a protected landscape area with a gentle slope. The soil report indicates occasional hydrostatic pressure.
How will we proceed?
What do we want to build?
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 650m2 (7000 sq ft approx.)
Slope: Yes, gentle (scale 1:250, see elevation in attachment; 1m (3.3 ft) over approx. 10x11m)
Floor area ratio (FAR): No formal development plan, approx. 220m2 (2368 sq ft) floor area possible after approval by building authority
Building coverage ratio: No formal plan, approx. 220m2 (2368 sq ft) floor area possible
Building setback lines and boundaries:
- 5m (16 ft) from the street
- 3m (10 ft) from neighboring properties
Edge building: On both sides and opposite along the street
Number of parking spaces: Probably 3 required (we could move the house back so parking is directly in front)
Number of floors:
- Technically 2 floors,
- But visually aligned with surrounding buildings, so a 1.5-story appearance desired
Roof type: Gable roof with 30-40cm (12-16 inches) overhang
Style: Modern
Orientation: Southeast, but surrounded by many mature historic trees from east to west along the plot boundary
Maximum heights/restrictions: Neighboring buildings, street alignment
Additional requirements: For flat roof, 1m (3.3 ft) setback from street and sides
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style: Modern
Roof pitch:
- Gable roof between 25-33°
- Originally flat roof to the left neighbor, now gable roof preferred for budget, maintenance, and required setbacks
Building type: Single-family house with separate apartment
Basement: Yes
Stories: "1.5"
Knee wall height: 1.90m (6.2 ft) (no official requirement); we want to minimize sloped ceilings
Number of occupants: 4 (2 adults age 40, 2 children aged 4 and 1) + 1 family member for the separate apartment
Space requirements for ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF):
- Originally 141m2 (1519 sq ft) net usable area without circulation space
GF:
- Open living/dining area with pantry
- Office (possibly bedroom later in life)
- Shower bathroom
- Entrance hall
UF:
- 2 children’s rooms from 13m2 (140 sq ft) each
- Bedroom as small as possible + walk-in closet with standard wardrobes
- Bathroom with T-layout, shower, tub, toilet
- Second workspace
Office: Family use or home office?
- Home office twice a week, about 3-4 days out of 5 at home
Visitors per year: One overnight guest per quarter
Open or closed architecture: Open
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen with island: Yes
Number of dining seats: 4-6, extendable up to 10 (2m (6.5 ft) table extendable to 3m (10 ft))
Fireplace: No
Music/sound system wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage/Carport: Prefabricated garage 3x7m (10x23 ft), possibly 3x9m (10x30 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes (vegetables, fruit, cistern)
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why some options are excluded:
House Design
Designer:
What do you particularly like and why?
What do you dislike and why?
Price estimate by architect/planner: $3,300 - $3,500 per m2 (approx. $307 - $325 per sq ft), total approx. $700,000 - $800,000 plus additional costs
Personal maximum budget including fittings: $750,000 plus additional construction costs
Preferred heating technology: sustainable + underfloor heating (comfort); geothermal possible but based on current research not cost-effective
If you had to give up something, which features/finishes?
-cannot give up:
-could give up: probably everything else
Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Standard plan from designer? No; from architect
- We shared all our ideas and preferences with the architect and discussed them beforehand
- This is the second iteration; earlier option had flat roof dormer with southwest children’s room, which we discarded; roof pitch probably 25° now
Which wishes did the architect implement?
What do you think about it, especially focusing on current pain points:
Due to the maximum number of attachments allowed, we couldn’t add an aerial photo of the tree cover. There are three large deciduous trees directly to the southeast and on the southwest side about two chestnut trees and around 15 pines from the 1950s. We have no worries about summer heat protection 😉 – on the contrary: enlarging the house footprint would cost us garden and especially daylight.
Feel free to ask any questions.
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
we have been quietly following along for some time, knowing that we will eventually build our own home. Thanks in advance to everyone who regularly posts here and shares their knowledge. This is very helpful for laypeople like us. We already appreciate you taking the time to focus on our project and critically review it. The moment is getting closer. The plot is secured. It is located near a protected landscape area with a gentle slope. The soil report indicates occasional hydrostatic pressure.
How will we proceed?
- Purchase plot, conduct soil survey
- Position and design house on plot with architect (phases 1-3)
- Invitation to bid for general contractor and individual trades for interior work, followed by comparison
- Construction with expert supervision
What do we want to build?
- Single-family house with separate apartment (for family and mainly for tax reasons, especially for the various depreciation options, therefore also with QNG [quality seal for sustainable building])
- Why basement? To maximize garden space, add storage area, and supposedly take advantage of the slope
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 650m2 (7000 sq ft approx.)
Slope: Yes, gentle (scale 1:250, see elevation in attachment; 1m (3.3 ft) over approx. 10x11m)
Floor area ratio (FAR): No formal development plan, approx. 220m2 (2368 sq ft) floor area possible after approval by building authority
Building coverage ratio: No formal plan, approx. 220m2 (2368 sq ft) floor area possible
Building setback lines and boundaries:
- 5m (16 ft) from the street
- 3m (10 ft) from neighboring properties
Edge building: On both sides and opposite along the street
Number of parking spaces: Probably 3 required (we could move the house back so parking is directly in front)
Number of floors:
- Technically 2 floors,
- But visually aligned with surrounding buildings, so a 1.5-story appearance desired
Roof type: Gable roof with 30-40cm (12-16 inches) overhang
Style: Modern
Orientation: Southeast, but surrounded by many mature historic trees from east to west along the plot boundary
Maximum heights/restrictions: Neighboring buildings, street alignment
Additional requirements: For flat roof, 1m (3.3 ft) setback from street and sides
Homeowners’ Requirements
Style: Modern
Roof pitch:
- Gable roof between 25-33°
- Originally flat roof to the left neighbor, now gable roof preferred for budget, maintenance, and required setbacks
Building type: Single-family house with separate apartment
Basement: Yes
Stories: "1.5"
Knee wall height: 1.90m (6.2 ft) (no official requirement); we want to minimize sloped ceilings
Number of occupants: 4 (2 adults age 40, 2 children aged 4 and 1) + 1 family member for the separate apartment
Space requirements for ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF):
- Originally 141m2 (1519 sq ft) net usable area without circulation space
GF:
- Open living/dining area with pantry
- Office (possibly bedroom later in life)
- Shower bathroom
- Entrance hall
UF:
- 2 children’s rooms from 13m2 (140 sq ft) each
- Bedroom as small as possible + walk-in closet with standard wardrobes
- Bathroom with T-layout, shower, tub, toilet
- Second workspace
Office: Family use or home office?
- Home office twice a week, about 3-4 days out of 5 at home
Visitors per year: One overnight guest per quarter
Open or closed architecture: Open
Conservative or modern construction: Modern
Open kitchen with island: Yes
Number of dining seats: 4-6, extendable up to 10 (2m (6.5 ft) table extendable to 3m (10 ft))
Fireplace: No
Music/sound system wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage/Carport: Prefabricated garage 3x7m (10x23 ft), possibly 3x9m (10x30 ft)
Utility garden, greenhouse: Yes (vegetables, fruit, cistern)
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why some options are excluded:
- We are an early riser (Larch + Owl), so with two kids (maybe 3 someday), a second shower bathroom is essential
- Open living/dining area as the heart of the home: We cook a lot and enjoy it; this is the social center
- Standard sizes where possible (wardrobe widths, doors, windows, house shape, etc.)
- If reasonable, include basement
- Covered walkway from house entrance to garage (still discussing presentation; garage likely needs attic height >3m (10 ft), which may require an easement on the boundary)
- We will very likely install a “glass awning” on the terrace afterwards
- Photovoltaic system
- Air-to-water heat pump
- Ventilation system
- Open living-dining area (L-shaped)
- Light-filled rooms
- Maximum knee wall height
- Maximized ceiling height on GF/UF
- Living/dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows
- Daylight bathrooms
- Dining table 2m (6.5 ft) long (extendable to 3m (10 ft))
- Modern look with individual accents
- Low roof pitch
- Interior doors at least 1m (3.3 ft) wide
- Shower bathroom on the ground floor
- Walk-in closet
- Pantry also as storage room
- Staircase not directly at entrance door (airlock/dirty corridor)
- Office potentially usable as bedroom
- Kitchen island at least 2m (6.5 ft) wide
- Flat roof dormer and/or bay window
- Second workspace (bedroom, landing, or similar)
- Bathroom with T-layout
- Daylight in landing
- Basement apartment
- Separate entrance to basement apartment
- Lift-and-slide door
- Maximize southwest garden area
- Partially covered terrace
- View axis from hallway to garden
- Daylight in walk-in closet
- External access to basement
- Laundry chute
- Window seat
- Basic smart home features
House Design
Designer:
- Architect, phases 1-3
What do you particularly like and why?
- The ground floor overall; many wishes fulfilled, some highlights
- Bedroom and walk-in closet; probably adding a door in between later
- Landing staircase, view axis, kitchen windows, entrance hall
What do you dislike and why?
- GF office faces southwest instead of east or southeast
- GF living room: fixed glazing towards southwest too small
- GF living room: lift-and-slide door too large, couch doesn’t fit well
- GF living room: considering glazing the entire wall
- GF corridor quite long
- UF sizes depend on GF; rooms (except bedroom and closet) are rather large
- UF bedroom faces southwest instead of north
- UF considering all windows floor-to-ceiling except stair and landing for light and appearance
- Garage not directly attached to house due to access to separate apartment
- Separate apartment quite complex
- Initially we drafted an "L-shaped" house similar to post here, but could not solve circulation areas properly; currently seeing them as a “necessary evil.”
Price estimate by architect/planner: $3,300 - $3,500 per m2 (approx. $307 - $325 per sq ft), total approx. $700,000 - $800,000 plus additional costs
Personal maximum budget including fittings: $750,000 plus additional construction costs
Preferred heating technology: sustainable + underfloor heating (comfort); geothermal possible but based on current research not cost-effective
If you had to give up something, which features/finishes?
-cannot give up:
- Separate apartment (for family and tax benefits)
- Office (need a dedicated setup at least for one person; also for guests and as retreat)
- Two children’s rooms
-could give up: probably everything else
Why does the design look like it does now? For example:
Standard plan from designer? No; from architect
- We shared all our ideas and preferences with the architect and discussed them beforehand
- This is the second iteration; earlier option had flat roof dormer with southwest children’s room, which we discarded; roof pitch probably 25° now
Which wishes did the architect implement?
- Most of them, but not all possible
What do you think about it, especially focusing on current pain points:
- Actually, our space requirements are smaller, but we cannot fit that on the ground floor to align with upstairs (difference about 10-15 m2 (110-160 sq ft)); kids’ rooms and circulation spaces including landing could be smaller
- Window area not yet optimal in living/dining, office, and large upstairs living area; considering 1.10m (3.6 ft) fixed glazing and 2.50m (8.2 ft) lift-and-slide door
- House feels somewhat "buried"; considering raising overall or at least GF + UF by 40-80cm (16-32 inches) above ground level
- The whole topic of “house/garage connection,” earthworks, and plot landscaping is very complex and time-consuming
- No external blinds (raffstores) possible on landing due to knee wall and roof
- Separate “dirty corridor” and staircase; could be a minor disadvantage for aging, might make separate UF rental impossible in future
Due to the maximum number of attachments allowed, we couldn’t add an aerial photo of the tree cover. There are three large deciduous trees directly to the southeast and on the southwest side about two chestnut trees and around 15 pines from the 1950s. We have no worries about summer heat protection 😉 – on the contrary: enlarging the house footprint would cost us garden and especially daylight.
Feel free to ask any questions.
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
ypg schrieb:
How old is the older person?...so that they have to sleep in a storage room?Jasmin schrieb:
Good morning, I’m asking about the window heights! They are important to me. We messed them up, and anyone still in the planning stage can avoid having a lintel that disturbs the look by being disproportionately large. What ceiling height was planned? Is it correct that the windows have a height of 2.08m (6 ft 10 in)?Good morning Jasmin,
A window height of 220cm (87 inches) was planned as the standard. Clear ceiling height (finished floor to ceiling) is approximately 250cm (98 inches), depending on the manufacturer it may vary by a few centimeters up or down.
We are considering raising the ground floor ceiling height. Then the windows would probably be even larger. But at the moment that is more of a wish. We still need to see what fits into the budget in the end and what doesn’t.
ypg schrieb:
How old is the older person?Hello ypg,
Currently just under 70. The stairs could definitely become challenging eventually. At the moment, the person lives on the fifth floor and always has to walk at least one flight of stairs. That naturally helps keep them fit.
In draft 1, the entrance to the granny flat was from the "front" via the terrace. Then the access to the granny flat is a bit easier but more complex to build. Our naive idea is to raise the house slightly and thereby save 2-4 steps on the access. But we can’t fully foresee all the consequences of that. The planning office has reviewed this draft and given preliminary approval. A request to raise the house to the maximum height of the reference buildings was generally not approved. They want a detailed road review for that. Before proceeding with this, we want to gather more feedback and review the options.
SoL schrieb:
...so she has to sleep in a storage room?Hi SoL,
Of course, the granny flat is not a five-star hotel. But currently the person lives on the fifth floor in less than 30m2 (320 sq ft) in the middle of noise in the city center. Now there will be significantly more greenery, unfortunately less light for now, but closer to family.
If you have an idea on how to fit everything together, we’re happy to hear it.
njAiiii schrieb:
Hi SoL,
Sure, the granny flat isn’t a 5-star hotel. But currently, the person is living on the 5th floor in less than 30cm (12 inches)² amidst noise in the city center. Now there will be significantly more greenery, unfortunately less natural light for the moment, but closer to family.
If you have an idea on how to arrange everything stacked vertically, we’re happy to hear it. Well, giving only 6m² (65ft²) of bedroom space to an elderly person in a 200m² (2,150ft²) house is borderline.
Take a few square meters from the granny flat living room.
I have nothing to add regarding the service phases.
As for the floor plan: there are no major mistakes. Personally, I am not a fan of a long, narrow pantry. I would rather omit the pantry and design the kitchen more spaciously and comfortably.
I have more of an issue accepting the separate apartment as it is.
I don’t see the "together" or "not alone" aspect through the separate external staircase. There is a significant difference whether the stairs are inside the building or outside. Especially for an older person, who may need more time on the stairs and might require rest pauses on the steps, which would likely encourage them to stay inside the apartment and avoid using the stairs.
Also, the exterior view suggests a view outside. But if you consider the position of the basement apartment, an average-height person can only look out onto a concrete wall. Although the terrace strip might be long and therefore large, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an unattractive 2-meter (6.5 feet) wide strip, located 2 meters (6.5 feet) below ground level.
I want to pick up on the word "necessary" and say: it is an emergency (makeshift) apartment. Who would want to rent that?
Regarding the sleeping balcony, there is no need to comment. In my opinion, I would place the sleeping area on the lower side of the plan and the kitchen near the entrance. Then the underground terrace strip could be shorter and designed with a slope to be deeper, meaning wider and more attractive with planting towards the garden. Does that make sense?
That’s a joke.
As for the floor plan: there are no major mistakes. Personally, I am not a fan of a long, narrow pantry. I would rather omit the pantry and design the kitchen more spaciously and comfortably.
I have more of an issue accepting the separate apartment as it is.
njAiiii schrieb:
The idea is as follows: The separate apartment is included so that the older generation can initially grow up with the kids and later not be "alone."
I don’t see the "together" or "not alone" aspect through the separate external staircase. There is a significant difference whether the stairs are inside the building or outside. Especially for an older person, who may need more time on the stairs and might require rest pauses on the steps, which would likely encourage them to stay inside the apartment and avoid using the stairs.
Also, the exterior view suggests a view outside. But if you consider the position of the basement apartment, an average-height person can only look out onto a concrete wall. Although the terrace strip might be long and therefore large, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an unattractive 2-meter (6.5 feet) wide strip, located 2 meters (6.5 feet) below ground level.
njAiiii schrieb:
If necessary, the apartment would “only” be rented out.
I want to pick up on the word "necessary" and say: it is an emergency (makeshift) apartment. Who would want to rent that?
Regarding the sleeping balcony, there is no need to comment. In my opinion, I would place the sleeping area on the lower side of the plan and the kitchen near the entrance. Then the underground terrace strip could be shorter and designed with a slope to be deeper, meaning wider and more attractive with planting towards the garden. Does that make sense?
njAiiii schrieb:
Office (possibly bedroom later in old age)
That’s a joke.
njAiiii schrieb:
But at the moment, the person lives on the 5th floor in less than 30cm (12 inches) of space amid noise in the city center. Now there is significantly more greenery, unfortunately currently less light, but on the other hand the proximity to family.I would prefer the city center in that case. And I have to say, I’m not a city person, but that basement apartment is just not acceptable to me.
Looking at your design, these all seem like compromise solutions that are never truly ideal. A basement granny flat – nobody wants to live like that. The slope is too gentle for a proper basement level, and the stairs become a challenge for people over 70, especially in winter. Access to the living area through the kitchen is inconvenient, and having to get to the pantry through kitchen cabinets is even worse.
If the granny flat really has to be included, you should design it so that people would genuinely want to live there. Please imagine that you have to move in there next year! In my opinion, that means a ground-level space with natural light and ventilation, without any excavation – for example, as an extension. The area you are currently “losing” to excavation isn’t large enough to bring enough light into the granny flat or to provide a proper terrace. On the other hand, it’s too big to use the garden behind it effectively. In that case, you might as well build on that space.
If the granny flat really has to be included, you should design it so that people would genuinely want to live there. Please imagine that you have to move in there next year! In my opinion, that means a ground-level space with natural light and ventilation, without any excavation – for example, as an extension. The area you are currently “losing” to excavation isn’t large enough to bring enough light into the granny flat or to provide a proper terrace. On the other hand, it’s too big to use the garden behind it effectively. In that case, you might as well build on that space.
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