Hello everyone!
I have been in the planning phase for our single-family house for some time now, but it is proving to be very difficult and complicated due to the characteristics of our plot.
Here is a brief description of our plot:
Orientation: South - North
Dimensions: 20m wide and 40m long (approx. 66 feet by 131 feet)
The access road is located on the south side. Therefore, our plot slopes upward about 3m (10 feet) from the south (access road) towards the north.
See attachment below:
We do not have a preferred layout for the floor plan of the single-family house. I am open to all ideas and would appreciate any suggestions or layouts that could help us realize our dream home. We have already considered all variants (basement & ground floor, ground floor & upper floor)…
What we want:
- Double garage and barrier-free access through a utility/mudroom into the house & a technical room for the building
- Basement / Ground floor:
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen & pantry/storage room
Office
Bathroom
Toilet
Entrance hall & cloakroom
Access to the next floor via stairs
- Ground floor / Upper floor:
Master bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Bathroom
Toilet
Roof type: Gable roof
South orientation is not a must, as we are not sun worshippers and summers are getting hotter. We want nice, open, and bright rooms, as well as a garden on both the south and north sides with small terraces.
I would be very grateful for your help, thoughts, and experiences, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards from beautiful Austria!
I have been in the planning phase for our single-family house for some time now, but it is proving to be very difficult and complicated due to the characteristics of our plot.
Here is a brief description of our plot:
Orientation: South - North
Dimensions: 20m wide and 40m long (approx. 66 feet by 131 feet)
The access road is located on the south side. Therefore, our plot slopes upward about 3m (10 feet) from the south (access road) towards the north.
See attachment below:
We do not have a preferred layout for the floor plan of the single-family house. I am open to all ideas and would appreciate any suggestions or layouts that could help us realize our dream home. We have already considered all variants (basement & ground floor, ground floor & upper floor)…
What we want:
- Double garage and barrier-free access through a utility/mudroom into the house & a technical room for the building
- Basement / Ground floor:
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen & pantry/storage room
Office
Bathroom
Toilet
Entrance hall & cloakroom
Access to the next floor via stairs
- Ground floor / Upper floor:
Master bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Child’s bedroom
Bathroom
Toilet
Roof type: Gable roof
South orientation is not a must, as we are not sun worshippers and summers are getting hotter. We want nice, open, and bright rooms, as well as a garden on both the south and north sides with small terraces.
I would be very grateful for your help, thoughts, and experiences, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards from beautiful Austria!
H
hanghaus202322 May 2025 15:52Show the surroundings. Where are the neighboring houses located?
wiltshire schrieb:
I think the idea of positioning it centrally between the two garden areas is quite good. Keep in mind that you will need a long access path to the house. This not only increases costs but can also mean lost garden space.
Do you mean it all on one level, or would a small external ramp be an option? Yes, we are aware of that and would really like to avoid it (after all, we want to use the area as garden space considering the land prices 😀). From the garage, we want to be able to enter the house on the same level. At the main entrance (outside area) or right at the house entrance, a ramp or a few steps don’t bother us, since they help with overcoming height differences.
What is important to us is that pedestrians or cars cannot look directly into our living areas from outside... Therefore, it is not absolutely necessary for everything to face south. Having a living area such as the kitchen, or even kitchen plus dining room facing south, would be sufficient for us.
Issues that have come up:
1) Garage in front of the house: (preferred option)
Our house will be built into the slope and will sit lower in the terrain = less sunlight. The ground floor and garage levels are supposed to be on the same plane. Consequently, the garden level would also be roughly on this level. In the rear section of the building plot, the garden area would need to be terraced multiple times to compensate for the height difference of almost 3m (about 10 feet). (Water should not flow toward the building during rain events)
2) Garage behind the house:
Long driveway, higher costs, and less garden space → should be avoided but is not a deal-breaker if it cannot be solved otherwise with the existing ground level. Our priority is an even access from the garage (carrying groceries, etc., is just exhausting with every step or elevation). On the positive side, the house would not have to be built as deep into the slope. On the street side, the level could be raised with a retaining wall.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Is there a specific reason why you prefer level surfaces? Lawn mowers can handle slopes up to 10%.
We want a level garden area for a play lawn, outdoor furniture, etc. We want to make life easier in the future. At the moment, we have to carry everything up several steps into the house. Also, we currently have only one garage, which is 50m (55 yards) away. Carrying groceries, strollers, and so on will get tiring over time and can be done more conveniently! We simply want more comfort than we have now.
A slope under 10% should not be a problem.
Development costs increase if you build higher up. Yes, unfortunately! That’s why we want to position ourselves “in the middle” so we can use both sides. A sunny garden in front and a secluded area at the back for more privacy.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Is there a specific reason why you are focusing so much on level surfaces? Lawn mowers can handle a 10% slope.
A slope under 10% shouldn’t be a problem.
Development costs will increase if you build higher up. We want a level garden area for a play yard, outdoor furniture, etc.
We want to make life easier for ourselves in the future. At the moment, we have to carry everything up several steps into the house. We currently only have one garage, which is 50m (55 yards) away. Carrying groceries, strollers, etc., will eventually become tiring and can definitely be done more easily! We just want more comfort here than we have now.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Show the surroundings. Where are the neighboring houses located? Neighboring buildings are not present yet. There are houses to the north. The east, south, and west sides are currently undeveloped!
H
hanghaus202322 May 2025 16:24The driveway is 12m (39 feet) long and has an approximately 8% gradient.
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