ᐅ South-facing sloped plot, 700 sqm, single-family house about 150 sqm, looking for design ideas?
Created on: 28 May 2025 22:52
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Hanger1
Hello everyone,
We have been working for some time now on how best to position our future single-family home on our plot. We want to utilize the existing slope as efficiently as possible and avoid losing too much green space.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approximately 700 sqm (8,400 sq ft)
Slope: yes, 10% south-facing slope
Site coverage ratio (Floor Area Ratio) 0.3
Floor space index 0.6
Number of parking spaces: 2 (garage or carport)
Orientation: Ridge direction can be freely chosen
Maximum heights / limits: The eaves height on the valley side must not exceed 6.65 m (21.8 ft)
Maximum 2 full floors
Setback distances according to the regulations of the Bavarian building code
Attached garages to the boundary are only permitted where garages are built together within the areas designated in the development plan
For other garages, a minimum distance of 1.20 m (4 ft) from the property boundary applies
Client Requirements
Approximately 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) of living space
Basement, floors: open. However, due to the slope, a basement is likely. Possibly using the basement as a garage.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 2 children
House Design
Designer: Do-it-yourself
Could you please provide some input on the preliminary planning of a single-family home?
The building site has a south-facing slope of about 10%.
The road is located on the north and west sides.
I have already marked the key points by laser. Zero point at northeast. The measurements are given in centimeters and should actually be negative since it is a south-facing slope.
The plan is for a single-family home of about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) with a garage or carport.
Option I a
5 m (16.4 ft) from north and west
House approximately 10 x 10 m (33 x 33 ft)
Garage integrated into the basement. Driveway access from south/west.
Guest entrance on the north side.
Advantage:
Everything fits within the 10 x 10 m (33 x 33 ft) footprint.
Disadvantage:
The garage driveway must be in front of the house, which results in a substantial loss of green space since there is only 7.5 m (24.6 ft) width available on the east side.
Option I b
House is positioned 5 m (16.4 ft) from north and east, leaving 7.5 m (24.6 ft) on the west street side. However, the driveway to the basement garage would definitely be too steep here.
Option II
Build the basement slightly higher and place the sleeping and bathroom areas in the basement so that the garden can be accessed directly from this level.
The upper floor has the main entrance on the north side, accessed by several steps. This floor contains the kitchen, dining, and living areas.
The garage or carport is built beside the house.
There is a balcony terrace on the upper floor, accessible from the dining area. The garden is reachable via stairs.
Advantage: Much more green space remains on the south side.
Disadvantage: Significantly more earthworks required. Overall less green area preserved.
Similar properties in the neighborhood:
2 full floors + basement + garage: In my opinion, the basement is only used as unnecessary storage space here. The costs are too high for this.
Slab foundation + 2 full floors + garage: Due to the slope, this requires extensive earthworks.
Attached are the height measurements, sketches of the options, and an excerpt from the development plan.
I would appreciate any input or other ideas very much.
We have been working for some time now on how best to position our future single-family home on our plot. We want to utilize the existing slope as efficiently as possible and avoid losing too much green space.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approximately 700 sqm (8,400 sq ft)
Slope: yes, 10% south-facing slope
Site coverage ratio (Floor Area Ratio) 0.3
Floor space index 0.6
Number of parking spaces: 2 (garage or carport)
Orientation: Ridge direction can be freely chosen
Maximum heights / limits: The eaves height on the valley side must not exceed 6.65 m (21.8 ft)
Maximum 2 full floors
Setback distances according to the regulations of the Bavarian building code
Attached garages to the boundary are only permitted where garages are built together within the areas designated in the development plan
For other garages, a minimum distance of 1.20 m (4 ft) from the property boundary applies
Client Requirements
Approximately 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) of living space
Basement, floors: open. However, due to the slope, a basement is likely. Possibly using the basement as a garage.
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 2 children
House Design
Designer: Do-it-yourself
Could you please provide some input on the preliminary planning of a single-family home?
The building site has a south-facing slope of about 10%.
The road is located on the north and west sides.
I have already marked the key points by laser. Zero point at northeast. The measurements are given in centimeters and should actually be negative since it is a south-facing slope.
The plan is for a single-family home of about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) with a garage or carport.
Option I a
5 m (16.4 ft) from north and west
House approximately 10 x 10 m (33 x 33 ft)
Garage integrated into the basement. Driveway access from south/west.
Guest entrance on the north side.
Advantage:
Everything fits within the 10 x 10 m (33 x 33 ft) footprint.
Disadvantage:
The garage driveway must be in front of the house, which results in a substantial loss of green space since there is only 7.5 m (24.6 ft) width available on the east side.
Option I b
House is positioned 5 m (16.4 ft) from north and east, leaving 7.5 m (24.6 ft) on the west street side. However, the driveway to the basement garage would definitely be too steep here.
Option II
Build the basement slightly higher and place the sleeping and bathroom areas in the basement so that the garden can be accessed directly from this level.
The upper floor has the main entrance on the north side, accessed by several steps. This floor contains the kitchen, dining, and living areas.
The garage or carport is built beside the house.
There is a balcony terrace on the upper floor, accessible from the dining area. The garden is reachable via stairs.
Advantage: Much more green space remains on the south side.
Disadvantage: Significantly more earthworks required. Overall less green area preserved.
Similar properties in the neighborhood:
2 full floors + basement + garage: In my opinion, the basement is only used as unnecessary storage space here. The costs are too high for this.
Slab foundation + 2 full floors + garage: Due to the slope, this requires extensive earthworks.
Attached are the height measurements, sketches of the options, and an excerpt from the development plan.
I would appreciate any input or other ideas very much.
Hanger1 schrieb:
Split Level Solution A split-level design is often exactly the solution you need. For some, the costs don’t justify it; others want to avoid stairs. Generally, a mezzanine level develops—that is, the main floor, which is then suitable for a home office or guest room, cloakroom, and WC. A split level usually doesn’t have a simple flat roof but rather two staggered shed roofs, since the half-levels are offset. Ideally, you have three floors.
Hanger1 schrieb:
What is defined as the ground floor in such cases? The basement, the upper floor, or the entrance level? According to your drawing, this might be complicated for the building authority or not an issue at all, since you don’t really have a ground floor, but only a basement and an upper floor. It also depends on the rest of the zoning plan (heights, eaves). It’s unwise to equip only the entrance area with a platform.
Hanger1 schrieb:
How would you have planned guest access in this case? To be honest: in my experience, there is only one entrance—the main entrance. Both invited guests and staff use this one. I don’t design a house specifically for guests but for myself. There are plenty of examples of smart house layouts, even without split-levels, that separate the entrance area from private zones, so children don’t hear every noise in the evening, and parents are not disturbed by visits from teenagers.
M
motorradsilke1 Jun 2025 00:36Hanger1 schrieb:
Hello everyone,
The 700 sqm (7,535 sq ft) mentioned both in the title and the first post was a typo. It should actually be 600 sqm (6,458 sq ft) as we have exactly 572 sqm (6,157 sq ft).
This time I actually attached the image with the height measurements. Unfortunately, I forgot to do so yesterday. The terrain slopes slightly downward to the south, but I think this is negligible. To the north and west, there is a street 4m (13 ft) wide. I recorded a few height points for this. The points are in the middle of the street (2m (6.5 ft) distance from the plot).
@motorradsilke / @ypg
We discussed your idea of having the basement at ground level towards the garden for the kitchen, dining, etc., with the sleeping area upstairs and access from the north.
How would you imagine guest access in this case? Would they enter through the front door near the bedrooms and then have to go down a floor to reach the dining area?
We researched a bit how this could be solved and came up with the idea of a kind of split-level solution. The entrance from the north side would be near ground level to the street, and the upper floor (sleeping) and basement (living) would be accessible by a half flight of stairs.
Yes, guests would definitely enter through the main entrance. They would then, just like you, go down one flight of stairs to reach the living area. I wouldn’t necessarily place the bedrooms near the entrance.
Whether it’s split-level or a whole floor down would depend on the actual height difference. It’s important to me that the living and dining area have direct ground-level access to the garden. Based on that, I would develop the other height levels and the floor plan.
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hanghaus20231 Jun 2025 11:40Hanger1 schrieb:
The zoning plan includes the following paragraph:
Plinth height:
The top edge of the raw floor on the ground floor of the plot, where the natural terrain is higher than the adjacent road, must not exceed 40cm (16 inches) above the natural terrain. Measurement is taken at the valley-side center of the house, parallel to the street.
In such cases, what is defined as the ground floor? The basement, the upper floor, or the entrance area? The bolded paragraph does not apply to you. Your terrain is lower. What exactly else does the zoning plan say about heights?
H
hanghaus20231 Jun 2025 12:16If a split-level, then possibly like this.
H
hanghaus20233 Jun 2025 15:16The @Hanger1 seems to be putting the thread to sleep. What a pity.
Hello everyone,
I’m still here. We are just thoroughly discussing your suggestions and haven’t yet come to a point where we can give a reasonable answer.
Honestly, the many stairs do discourage us a bit, especially as we get older. I’m aware that one should plan a house for about 25 years, not for the whole lifetime. An alternative would of course be to live with one staircase leading down to the sleeping area.
Having level access from the living area is really a good point we somewhat underestimated. In the solution with sleeping downstairs and living upstairs, we had thought of a larger wooden terrace with stairs leading to the garden. From the sleeping area, you could go outside at ground level. The question is, how often do you go from the bedroom to the garden? Very rarely.
I also took inspiration from the following thread.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-fuer-haus-am-hang-eg-und-wohn-ug-mit-max-150m.30074/page-10
My idea from the last post is that in old age the floors could be separated with the entrance from below. But to get windows into the basement due to the slope, I have to raise the basement almost so high that on the north side I need to overcome 90cm (35 inches) between the top edge of the ground floor and ground level. That’s quite a lot over 5m (16 feet).
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
It seems @Hanger1 is letting this thread fall asleep. What a shame.
I’m still here. We are just thoroughly discussing your suggestions and haven’t yet come to a point where we can give a reasonable answer.
ypg schrieb:
Split-level is often exactly the solution you need. For some, the costs aren’t proportional; others shy away from stairs. Usually, a mezzanine develops, which is the ground floor, suitable for a home office or guest room, wardrobe, and bathroom. Split-level also does not have a simple shed roof but usually two staggered shed roofs because the half floors are offset. Ideally, you have three stories.
Honestly: in my life, there is only one entrance, the main entrance. This can then be used by visitors and staff. I don’t design my house for guests but for myself. There are plenty of examples of smart house designs, even without split-level, that separate the entrance area from the private zone so children don’t hear every noise in the evening or parents aren’t disturbed by teenage visitors.
Honestly, the many stairs do discourage us a bit, especially as we get older. I’m aware that one should plan a house for about 25 years, not for the whole lifetime. An alternative would of course be to live with one staircase leading down to the sleeping area.
motorradsilke schrieb:
Yes, guests will certainly enter through the main entrance. They would then have to go down one staircase to reach living area. I wouldn’t necessarily locate the bedroom near the entrance. Whether split-level or a full floor down depends for me on the actual height difference. It’s important to me to have level access from the living and dining area to the garden. Based on that, I would develop the other levels and the floor plan.
Having level access from the living area is really a good point we somewhat underestimated. In the solution with sleeping downstairs and living upstairs, we had thought of a larger wooden terrace with stairs leading to the garden. From the sleeping area, you could go outside at ground level. The question is, how often do you go from the bedroom to the garden? Very rarely.
I also took inspiration from the following thread.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-fuer-haus-am-hang-eg-und-wohn-ug-mit-max-150m.30074/page-10
My idea from the last post is that in old age the floors could be separated with the entrance from below. But to get windows into the basement due to the slope, I have to raise the basement almost so high that on the north side I need to overcome 90cm (35 inches) between the top edge of the ground floor and ground level. That’s quite a lot over 5m (16 feet).
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