ᐅ Single-family house floor plan on a southwest-facing slope, approximately 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) of living space plus basement

We are currently in the floor plan design phase and welcome any feedback and suggestions for improvement.
We have completed the questionnaire as thoroughly as possible.

Our plot is located on a southwest-facing slope, with the driveway planned from the northeast side.
The main entrance to the house will be on the upper side of the plot. Due to the slope, we envision a basement level that opens directly onto the garden.

We want a cozy single-family home with a maximum of 160m2 (1,722 sq ft), preferably around 150m2 (1,615 sq ft). It is especially important for us to have a spacious dining and living area that is visually separated by a large, open rounded arch.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size approximately 1300m2 (0.32 acres), roughly 29 x 47m (95 x 154 ft), with the wider side facing southwest
Slope 10-15%
Number of parking spaces: 2, planned area 6 x 6m (20 x 20 ft)
Building levels: ground floor and upper floor plus basement
Roof type: gable roof
Style: traditional
Orientation: southwest

Homeowner Requirements
Project planned for 2 adults + 2 children
Two full floors plus basement planned
Space requirements on ground floor: separate kitchen with pantry, combined living/dining room, guest toilet, wardrobe area near basement access
Space requirements on upper floor: 2 children's rooms, separate toilet and bathroom, master bedroom with walk-in closet
Office: none (possibly in basement)
Guest room to be planned in the basement
Open or closed architectural style
Conventional construction
No fireplace
No balcony
Carport: roof to be extended to cover the bay window
Utility garden + play area for children

House Design
Designed by: planner from a construction company + DIY
Preferred heating system: heat pump + photovoltaic system

If you had to give up anything, which details/expansions could you do without?
- Could give up: square meters, especially on the upper floor
- Cannot give up: separate kitchen, separate toilet and bathroom, bathtub + shower

Why does the design look the way it does now?
It currently best meets our requirements

What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Likes: dining area in the bay window + living room “around the corner,” separate storage space near basement stairs

Identified problems: collision between entrance door and guest toilet door, collision between toilet and bathroom doors

Matthias F schrieb:

We want a cozy single-family house with no more than 160m2 (1720 sq ft), preferably around 150

..and here 255m2 (2745 sq ft) are planned including the basement living area.

The third floor is also missing here. Is the second floor the basement or the upper floor?

What is the slope of the terrain? If you want to access the garden directly from the basement, then actually the ground floor does not have garden access.

Looking at the ground floor layout regardless, I see a very generous living area but actually only a small utility kitchen. You can only reach it by walking all the way around the central axis and the main wall of the house. This is poorly designed.

Such a generously sized plot extending between two streets—why don’t you divide it? How is the building envelope positioned there? I’m missing a clear picture of the access routes to the parking spaces and the front door. I would also be interested in the basement and the design status before the DIY phase.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Before diving into this, you first need a plan with elevations. North is probably at the top??? Photos of the surroundings. Is there a building permit / planning permission? Budget details are missing. Dimensions on the floor plan.

Matthias F schrieb:

at most 160m² (1,722 sq ft), preferably around 150m² (1,615 sq ft).

So why is the current floor plan set up that way? It already has 170m² (1,830 sq ft) in the ground floor and upper floor combined.

Otherwise, many requirements are unfortunately missing, @Matthias F, to make a proper assessment. As my predecessors have already pointed out, especially 11ant and hanghaus2023.

First of all, thank you very much for the quick responses.
We are currently still in an early planning stage, so please excuse me if I don’t have all the details yet.
Overall, the floor plan has turned out a bit larger than we originally intended. Maybe someone here has a good idea where we could save some square meters.

ypg schrieb:

The third floor is still missing here. The second one, is that the basement or the upper floor?

The basement has not been planned yet. The second floor would be the upper floor with two children’s rooms, a parents’ bedroom plus a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a toilet.

ypg schrieb:

What is the slope direction? If you want to access the garden from the basement, then you actually won’t have garden access from the ground floor.

The slope faces southwest, and the house is aligned exactly along the slope on the site plan.
The ground floor will have a terrace in front of the kitchen and dining room, with access to the garden via stairs from there.

ypg schrieb:

Looking at the ground floor layout separately, I see a very spacious living area but only a small utility kitchen. To get to it, you have to walk all the way around the central axis and the middle wall of the house. That’s poorly designed.

I’m not sure I understand what you mean here? The kitchen is directly adjacent to the dining room and is therefore easily accessible.

11ant schrieb:

Such a generously sized lot extending between two streets – why not divide it? What about the building envelope?
I’m missing the idea of how to access the parking spaces and the front door.
I would also be interested in the basement plan and the design status before any do-it-yourself modifications.

Regarding the building envelope, a 4m (13 ft) setback from the property boundary must be observed.
For access, a driveway is planned from the right side of the lot (there is a right of way).
The parking spaces are intended to be perpendicular to the driveway.

As for the basement, no plan exists yet. It is intended to house a guest room, technical room, utility room, shower, and toilet.

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Before I get into this, you first need a plan with elevations. North is probably at the top???

The site overview is oriented to the north.
The slope falls quite linearly toward the southwest, meaning the house would stand perpendicular to the slope.
Overall, the site drops about 4m (13 ft).
The plan is to partly compensate this gradient, probably with several levels.

Regarding the surroundings, the slope to the southwest below the property is farmland/green space.

The budget is about 650,000.