ᐅ Floor plan design for a single-family house on a 10% south-facing slope. Entrance with a landing staircase.
Created on: 2 Aug 2025 23:15
H
Hanger1
Hello everyone,
Some time ago, I created a post about the layout and optimal use of our approximately 600 sqm (6460 sq ft) plot of land with about a 10% south-facing slope.
We have now spent some time drawing, considering, erasing, and so on, and have developed the following floor plan.
Since we have about a 10% slope, I want to make optimal use of the hillside. My idea is that the main entrance is on the landing staircase, meaning on the level between the ground floor and the first floor, but with an enlarged landing.
From there, half a flight of stairs leads up to the upper floor (sleeping area) or half a flight down to the ground floor (living area).
This idea comes from the split-level concept.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Size of the plot: 600 sqm (6460 sq ft)
Slope: 10% south-facing slope
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Number of parking spaces: not yet decided, probably 2
Number of stories: currently planning 2 full stories
Roof type: gable or hip roof
Architectural style: classic
Orientation: north-south
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, number of floors
Number of residents, age: 2 adults, currently 1 child, 2-3 children planned in future
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Office: family use or home office? The office could alternatively be used as a third child’s bedroom
Overnight guests are negligible
Open or closed architecture: open design
Conservative or modern construction: conservative
Open kitchen, cooking island: U-shaped kitchen, already planned at the kitchen studio. The optimal size for us is 3 x 4 m (10 x 13 ft). We want a hidden door on the short side leading to the storage/pantry.
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Guest WC should include a shower, as my wife will be working shift work again in the future and having a shower away from the bedrooms is convenient.
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a building company: ideas from a builder, but we are doing it ourselves (DIY)
What do you like about it? Why?
What do you not like? Why? We are uncertain whether the north side near the entrance on the intermediate level looks too disjointed, because the upper floor windows start at the height where the front door ends.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 500k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details or extras
- could you give up? Preferably less square meters.
- cannot do without? WC/shower on the ground floor.
The following rooms are planned:
1: Living room with sliding door to dining area
2: Dining area
3: Kitchen with sliding door to dining area
4: Utility room
5: Guest WC/shower
6: Corridor
7: Landing staircase with enlarged landing
8: Storage room
9: Bathroom
10: Child I
11: Child II
12: Parents’ bedroom, possibly with a partition wall so you enter the bedroom through a small dressing room
13: Corridor (the landing staircase is not shown here)
14: Office / Child III
I look forward to your feedback!
Some time ago, I created a post about the layout and optimal use of our approximately 600 sqm (6460 sq ft) plot of land with about a 10% south-facing slope.
We have now spent some time drawing, considering, erasing, and so on, and have developed the following floor plan.
Since we have about a 10% slope, I want to make optimal use of the hillside. My idea is that the main entrance is on the landing staircase, meaning on the level between the ground floor and the first floor, but with an enlarged landing.
From there, half a flight of stairs leads up to the upper floor (sleeping area) or half a flight down to the ground floor (living area).
This idea comes from the split-level concept.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Size of the plot: 600 sqm (6460 sq ft)
Slope: 10% south-facing slope
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Number of parking spaces: not yet decided, probably 2
Number of stories: currently planning 2 full stories
Roof type: gable or hip roof
Architectural style: classic
Orientation: north-south
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Basement, number of floors
Number of residents, age: 2 adults, currently 1 child, 2-3 children planned in future
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor
Office: family use or home office? The office could alternatively be used as a third child’s bedroom
Overnight guests are negligible
Open or closed architecture: open design
Conservative or modern construction: conservative
Open kitchen, cooking island: U-shaped kitchen, already planned at the kitchen studio. The optimal size for us is 3 x 4 m (10 x 13 ft). We want a hidden door on the short side leading to the storage/pantry.
Number of dining seats: 1
Fireplace: no
Guest WC should include a shower, as my wife will be working shift work again in the future and having a shower away from the bedrooms is convenient.
House Design
Who created the plan:
- Planner from a building company: ideas from a builder, but we are doing it ourselves (DIY)
What do you like about it? Why?
What do you not like? Why? We are uncertain whether the north side near the entrance on the intermediate level looks too disjointed, because the upper floor windows start at the height where the front door ends.
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: 500k
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you have to give up anything, which details or extras
- could you give up? Preferably less square meters.
- cannot do without? WC/shower on the ground floor.
The following rooms are planned:
1: Living room with sliding door to dining area
2: Dining area
3: Kitchen with sliding door to dining area
4: Utility room
5: Guest WC/shower
6: Corridor
7: Landing staircase with enlarged landing
8: Storage room
9: Bathroom
10: Child I
11: Child II
12: Parents’ bedroom, possibly with a partition wall so you enter the bedroom through a small dressing room
13: Corridor (the landing staircase is not shown here)
14: Office / Child III
I look forward to your feedback!
H
hanghaus20239 Sep 2025 16:22I visualized this once.
@ypg You are absolutely right.
I am now looking at a house measuring 9 x 11 m (29.5 x 36 ft).
![1757426970461.png"]92864[/ATTACH]<br />
<br />
Floor plans are not really my thing, but I gave it a try anyway. Maybe mirror it later.<br />
<br />
<br />
[ATTACH type="full" alt="Detailed floor plan of a house with kitchen, dining area, living room, and bathroom.](/attachments/92865/)
Systems located in the northeast.
Children’s rooms all facing south. Bathroom in the northeast.
The eaves may need to be lowered depending on the reference point. In that case, the central children’s room should get a dormer or a gable window. To break up the wide south-facing facade, a small bay window could also be considered.
I would slightly model the terrain. Delivery material is not that expensive anyway.
@ypg You are absolutely right.
I am now looking at a house measuring 9 x 11 m (29.5 x 36 ft).
Systems located in the northeast.
Children’s rooms all facing south. Bathroom in the northeast.
The eaves may need to be lowered depending on the reference point. In that case, the central children’s room should get a dormer or a gable window. To break up the wide south-facing facade, a small bay window could also be considered.
I would slightly model the terrain. Delivery material is not that expensive anyway.
H
hanghaus20239 Sep 2025 16:28Not just possibly reflect. Definitely reflect.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I visualized it.
@ypg You are absolutely right. hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Floor plans are not really my thing, but I gave it a try anyway. Maybe mirror it afterwards. Basically, if you have a budget for a 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) house, a standard floor plan works. However, watch out: without a landing staircase, possibly a quarter-turn staircase next to the front door. And you have to slightly reduce room sizes on the upper floor, possibly planning a small cantilever to fit the layout.
Plan the upper floor first, the ground floor can then adapt.
The exterior visualization is quite accurate. The earth excavation will shape the terrace.
I think @Hanger1 is a bit quiet because the architect’s design is considered somewhat unusual, which doesn’t really cast the architect in a good light.
One might think that this thread was unnecessary or that all of this could have been avoided in the forum.
When dealing with a challenging plot, you have to work out your goals through brainstorming or different approaches. And not only at the kitchen table—you sometimes forget the constraints even here. You go from one idea to another and then have to reset what is actually possible. So, you basically adjust from 240sqm (2,583 sq ft) to 160sqm (1,722 sq ft) down to 150sqm (1,615 sq ft).
Here, the budget is set at 500,000€, which roughly corresponds to a 150sqm house on a site with a 10% slope.
Additionally, the desire for children is not defined as 2, but as 3.
This makes a big difference in room planning and sizes. While one child might be fine with 4 meters (13 feet) of countertop length in the kitchen, three children require about 5 meters (16 feet). A bathroom of 8sqm (86 sq ft) is usually sufficient, but for five people, 9–10sqm (97–108 sq ft) might be needed. While two people can do without extra space inside a bathroom, (small) children need additional room.
While two people can manage with a simple sofa in front of the TV with a depth of 3 meters (10 feet), with children you need a second sofa at a right angle, an L-shaped sofa, or a large lounge area. Possibly also footstools, armchairs, or a bench.
While four people can manage with a dining table 1.8 meters (6 feet) long, you need at least a 2-meter (6.5 feet) table. And don't forget, children often have visitors: one child’s guest means 2 children, but three children’s guests means 6 children at the table.
While one child can be given a fairly spacious room, with three children you aim for three nearly equal-sized rooms. If that isn’t achievable, there should be some special feature to make the child feel valued, such as a larger window, southern exposure, or a bed niche with a promised built-in hideout.
In combination with the budget, some wishes must be sacrificed for effective family space planning: second entrance, second utility room upstairs, walk-in closet, pantry, and other extras for which I currently lack imagination.
There were many changes regarding the position of the house—higher, lower, split or not. In the end, the budget is the decisive factor again.
You could certainly install a simple carport with corrugated metal roofing, but I think it makes more sense to invest the money in the house itself rather than in a massive roof for a carport. Counting space for two cars easily comes to over 50sqm (538 sq ft), and for three children about 40sqm (431 sq ft).
For the house, I am thinking of the floor plan of Maxime 330 with the version including 3 children’s rooms. That fits well with a house length of 11.60 meters (38 feet).
The garden side would look something like this
[ATTACH alt="IMG_1250.jpeg"]92868[/ATTACH]
And yes, such a terrace design costs money, but it is still one of the most affordable options.
When dealing with a challenging plot, you have to work out your goals through brainstorming or different approaches. And not only at the kitchen table—you sometimes forget the constraints even here. You go from one idea to another and then have to reset what is actually possible. So, you basically adjust from 240sqm (2,583 sq ft) to 160sqm (1,722 sq ft) down to 150sqm (1,615 sq ft).
Here, the budget is set at 500,000€, which roughly corresponds to a 150sqm house on a site with a 10% slope.
Additionally, the desire for children is not defined as 2, but as 3.
This makes a big difference in room planning and sizes. While one child might be fine with 4 meters (13 feet) of countertop length in the kitchen, three children require about 5 meters (16 feet). A bathroom of 8sqm (86 sq ft) is usually sufficient, but for five people, 9–10sqm (97–108 sq ft) might be needed. While two people can do without extra space inside a bathroom, (small) children need additional room.
While two people can manage with a simple sofa in front of the TV with a depth of 3 meters (10 feet), with children you need a second sofa at a right angle, an L-shaped sofa, or a large lounge area. Possibly also footstools, armchairs, or a bench.
While four people can manage with a dining table 1.8 meters (6 feet) long, you need at least a 2-meter (6.5 feet) table. And don't forget, children often have visitors: one child’s guest means 2 children, but three children’s guests means 6 children at the table.
While one child can be given a fairly spacious room, with three children you aim for three nearly equal-sized rooms. If that isn’t achievable, there should be some special feature to make the child feel valued, such as a larger window, southern exposure, or a bed niche with a promised built-in hideout.
In combination with the budget, some wishes must be sacrificed for effective family space planning: second entrance, second utility room upstairs, walk-in closet, pantry, and other extras for which I currently lack imagination.
There were many changes regarding the position of the house—higher, lower, split or not. In the end, the budget is the decisive factor again.
You could certainly install a simple carport with corrugated metal roofing, but I think it makes more sense to invest the money in the house itself rather than in a massive roof for a carport. Counting space for two cars easily comes to over 50sqm (538 sq ft), and for three children about 40sqm (431 sq ft).
For the house, I am thinking of the floor plan of Maxime 330 with the version including 3 children’s rooms. That fits well with a house length of 11.60 meters (38 feet).
The garden side would look something like this
[ATTACH alt="IMG_1250.jpeg"]92868[/ATTACH]
And yes, such a terrace design costs money, but it is still one of the most affordable options.
H
hanghaus202310 Sep 2025 08:21ypg schrieb:
Basically, if you have a budget for a 150sqm (1,615 sq ft) house, a standard floor plan works. However, be careful: no straight-run staircase, possibly a quarter-turn staircase next to the front door. Yes, spiral or curved staircases are generally the easier option for any design. Very likely also the more cost-effective choice.
Instead of a straight staircase, I didn’t want to go to the extreme right away. That’s why I chose a staircase with a landing. Also, my software cannot handle spiral staircases. I would have to design each step individually. I only put in that effort for my own design, not for forum members who don’t appreciate the work anyway.
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