Hello everyone,
we have purchased a quite challenging sloped plot and have now received the first draft from our architect. I have personally revised it to address some weaknesses that arose due to my requested changes. The exterior dimensions are relatively fixed. I am fairly satisfied but would appreciate some additional feedback before sending it back to the architect.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 731 sqm (7870 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, steep slope; the street runs north down into the valley and the garden is elevated on the mountain to the east
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: 3 m (10 feet) to neighbors/street
Orientation: Garden east, street west
Maximum heights/limits: still uncertain. According to the preliminary building inquiry, about 9.50 m (31 feet) from basement slab
Other requirements: according to § 34
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern, flat roof
Basement, floors: Basement plus 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages: 4 persons (41 years, 29 years, 3 years, 1 year), possible third child later
Space needs on ground floor: Living-dining-cooking area, storage/pantry, guest WC, office
Space needs on upper floor: Bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, utility room, 2 children’s bedrooms, children’s bathroom
Space needs in basement: Secondary apartment as office and fitness area, technical room, entrance/wardrobe, storage, technical room, garage
Office: Family use or home office? 2 home office rooms
Overnight guests per year: 2 weeks per year
Open or closed layout: Very open living-dining-kitchen area; rest more closed
Conservative or modern construction: ?
Open kitchen, kitchen island: both desired
Number of dining seats: 8-10
Fireplace: rather no
Music/sound wall: if possible
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Large garage with double door
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included: very different daily rhythms, husband goes to bed late and sleeps accordingly long. Basement office for undisturbed work.
We would like the garden level to be as high as possible above street level since the plot borders a nice meadow that is currently about 1-2 m (3-6 feet) above garden level. However, the house cannot be set too high because otherwise the garage entrance would become too steep.
House Design
Planner: Architect, with interior adjustments by myself
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area, bay window
What do you dislike? Why? Unfavorable cloakroom situation when arriving from the garage. Long dirt zone through which you have to pass to reach the office.
Price estimate by architect: over 1 million
Personal price limit for house, including features: basically already stretched at 1 million, possibly up to 1.1-1.2 million
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump, underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details/extensions
- Can you give up: Installation of the basement office as a separate apartment, but desired for tax reasons
- Cannot give up: Basically everything is in some way desired/important
Why does the design look the way it does? For example:
Due to the challenging slope of the plot, many factors are more or less predetermined. There was already an approved building application from another architect, which independently resembles this design closely.
I fell in love with the kitchen bay window in a show home, which unfortunately means the pantry cannot be used as the direct extension of the kitchen as originally planned... Since the kitchen is very large, the room will probably function more as a storage pantry.
On the upper floor, the second children’s bedroom is located in the northwest rather than the southwest because the higher neighbor's house stands directly to the south, and to the north there is a great view of the green valley.
we have purchased a quite challenging sloped plot and have now received the first draft from our architect. I have personally revised it to address some weaknesses that arose due to my requested changes. The exterior dimensions are relatively fixed. I am fairly satisfied but would appreciate some additional feedback before sending it back to the architect.
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 731 sqm (7870 sq ft)
Slope: Yes, steep slope; the street runs north down into the valley and the garden is elevated on the mountain to the east
Building envelope, building line and boundaries: 3 m (10 feet) to neighbors/street
Orientation: Garden east, street west
Maximum heights/limits: still uncertain. According to the preliminary building inquiry, about 9.50 m (31 feet) from basement slab
Other requirements: according to § 34
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Modern, flat roof
Basement, floors: Basement plus 2 full floors
Number of occupants, ages: 4 persons (41 years, 29 years, 3 years, 1 year), possible third child later
Space needs on ground floor: Living-dining-cooking area, storage/pantry, guest WC, office
Space needs on upper floor: Bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, utility room, 2 children’s bedrooms, children’s bathroom
Space needs in basement: Secondary apartment as office and fitness area, technical room, entrance/wardrobe, storage, technical room, garage
Office: Family use or home office? 2 home office rooms
Overnight guests per year: 2 weeks per year
Open or closed layout: Very open living-dining-kitchen area; rest more closed
Conservative or modern construction: ?
Open kitchen, kitchen island: both desired
Number of dining seats: 8-10
Fireplace: rather no
Music/sound wall: if possible
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: Large garage with double door
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons why something should or should not be included: very different daily rhythms, husband goes to bed late and sleeps accordingly long. Basement office for undisturbed work.
We would like the garden level to be as high as possible above street level since the plot borders a nice meadow that is currently about 1-2 m (3-6 feet) above garden level. However, the house cannot be set too high because otherwise the garage entrance would become too steep.
House Design
Planner: Architect, with interior adjustments by myself
What do you particularly like? Why? Open, spacious living area, bay window
What do you dislike? Why? Unfavorable cloakroom situation when arriving from the garage. Long dirt zone through which you have to pass to reach the office.
Price estimate by architect: over 1 million
Personal price limit for house, including features: basically already stretched at 1 million, possibly up to 1.1-1.2 million
Preferred heating technology: Heat pump, underfloor heating
If you have to give up something, which details/extensions
- Can you give up: Installation of the basement office as a separate apartment, but desired for tax reasons
- Cannot give up: Basically everything is in some way desired/important
Why does the design look the way it does? For example:
Due to the challenging slope of the plot, many factors are more or less predetermined. There was already an approved building application from another architect, which independently resembles this design closely.
I fell in love with the kitchen bay window in a show home, which unfortunately means the pantry cannot be used as the direct extension of the kitchen as originally planned... Since the kitchen is very large, the room will probably function more as a storage pantry.
On the upper floor, the second children’s bedroom is located in the northwest rather than the southwest because the higher neighbor's house stands directly to the south, and to the north there is a great view of the green valley.
H
hanghaus202314 Jan 2025 23:11I started with the location of the house.
The house should be 12.8 x 8 m (42 x 26 ft). With the exact dimensions of the plot, I can specify this more precisely.
Or with the garage at the boundary.
The house should be 12.8 x 8 m (42 x 26 ft). With the exact dimensions of the plot, I can specify this more precisely.
Or with the garage at the boundary.
H
hanghaus202314 Jan 2025 23:13K a t j a schrieb:
For that, you would first need to provide the entire plot with elevation data. Maybe my contour lines can help, etc.
Skya2020 schrieb:
You’re not wrong, but I would really like to hear a completely different idea on how to use the plot of land. I haven’t seen a site plan yet. No drawing of the property or anything similar.
Skya2020 schrieb:
That’s why I’m here. I observe: this is difficult when you defend all the flaws.
* Your dining area is a wide hallway where the dining table is pushed against the wall.
* Children miss out on the nice view.
* A hallway with windows feels much more open and spacious, one without natural light feels oppressive.
* In your bedroom with the nice view, you will probably spend much less awake time than on the stairs and in the hallway.
* If views from neighbors could be an issue, other sightlines or alternative window placements should be considered.
* And even if your husband does other things while working, the access is dreadful.
* Etc.
With good planning, explanations are usually not needed.
There is also a difference between compromise and suboptimal. In the latter case, one should know it should be done differently or improved. Sometimes you even need to remove a floor level.
Skya2020 schrieb:
But so far I haven’t had a better idea. Could it be that the architect you mentioned didn’t contribute any ideas or expertise, but just copied what you fed her?
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Maybe my contour lines will help, etc.To me, they appear incredibly consistent.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
S
Schorsch_baut15 Jan 2025 09:01My two cents:
If the approved plan was fought for with a lot of time and effort to have two full stories and a hip roof, then switching to a flat roof might end the fun with the permitting authority.
If the accessory apartment is important for saving on taxes and rental schemes within the marriage are being considered, then the house planned that way with the sketched extra features (like a staircase to the raised garden and a bay window) is too expensive for the budget. The dream house would probably be closer to 1.5 million.
And kids don’t care about the view, but they do need light. No child sits in their room admiring the view. My little ones wouldn’t even be able to say what’s outside their windows, but they regularly steal my desk lamp to build Lego better.
If the approved plan was fought for with a lot of time and effort to have two full stories and a hip roof, then switching to a flat roof might end the fun with the permitting authority.
If the accessory apartment is important for saving on taxes and rental schemes within the marriage are being considered, then the house planned that way with the sketched extra features (like a staircase to the raised garden and a bay window) is too expensive for the budget. The dream house would probably be closer to 1.5 million.
And kids don’t care about the view, but they do need light. No child sits in their room admiring the view. My little ones wouldn’t even be able to say what’s outside their windows, but they regularly steal my desk lamp to build Lego better.
H
hanghaus202315 Jan 2025 09:4011ant schrieb:
They seem incredibly uniform to me.They were determined as accurately as possible from the geodata provided by the OP. I do this only for myself, for free, and without revealing the address, just to get an idea of what the plot roughly looks like. If the OP does not share the surveyor’s plan, it can’t be precise.