ᐅ House Design on a 1,000 m² Sloped Plot: Reviewing Our Modern Single-Family Home Plan

Hello everyone,

so ... starting over, and this time properly ;-)

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size
- approx. 1,000 sqm (10,764 sq ft)

Slope
- slight slope starting from the middle; drops about 1.5 m (5 ft), but should not be a problem for the house

Site occupancy index / Floor area ratio
- Buildable according to the building regulations of RLP, similar to neighboring buildings ... 2 houses nearby also have 2 full stories + 45° gable roof

Building window, building line, and boundary
- about 20 m (66 ft) from the street, 3 m (10 ft) boundary clearance
- boundary construction max. 12 m (39 ft) on one side, average wall height 3.2 m (10.5 ft), construction facing the street does not count as boundary construction ... only 50 cm (20 inches) distance must be kept from the sidewalk
- Plot width: 25.8 m (85 ft) - depth: approx. 38 m (125 ft)

Edge development
- no

Parking spaces
- Garage = 2 parking spaces, at least 4 more cars can fit in the driveway (for visitors, for example)

Number of floors
- 2 full stories

Roof type
- Gable roof with 45° pitch (= slight optimization for photovoltaic systems from autumn to spring ... summer gets plenty of sun anyway)

Architectural style
- simple but modern

Orientation
- South-southeast

Maximum heights / limits
- previous building (demolished) was 11.9 m (39 ft) high

Further requirements

Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
- see above

Basement, floors
- no basement, 2 full stories + unfinished attic under the gable roof

Number of occupants, ages
- 2 adults in their mid to late 50s, 2 teenagers

Space requirements on ground and upper floors
- We currently live in an old building with large rooms ... it should not feel cramped ;-)

Office: family use or home office?
- Yes, "multipurpose room for office + guests"

Guest stays per year
- rare ... probably mainly used as office, or if one parent wants to "move abroad" for a while ;-)

Open or closed plan
- living, dining, and kitchen open; rest closed

Conservative or modern construction
- modern, whatever that means ;-)

Open kitchen, kitchen island
- Yes

Number of dining seats
- basically a table for 6 is enough but should be extendable for gatherings

Fireplace
- no

Music / stereo setup
- 2 floor-standing speakers next to the TV

Balcony, roof terrace
- terrace ... the one on the east is shaded in midsummer (= good), but the terrace also extends to the south ... we will see which becomes our "main terrace" once we live there

Garage, carport
- large garage with plenty of storage space (since we don’t have a basement)

Utility garden, greenhouse
- some space for growing things ... strawberries, mint, chives, rhubarb, tomatoes

Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions
- the "village main road" is to the north and relatively busy during peak hours. Therefore, all living areas face south

House Design
Who designed it:
- Do-it-yourself

What do you particularly like? Why?
- Large, bright rooms with unobstructed views of greenery

What do you not like? Why?
- Overall it fits, but where/how does the living room door open onto the terrace ... we still don’t know where our main terrace will be.
- When I wasn’t sure how much space I needed, I preferred to have "a bit more" ... maybe it’s too big? ... honestly, I don’t know where to cut significantly ... okay, I could reduce 1 m (3 ft) in the south, but I don’t want the dining table and sofa directly at the glass wall. Upstairs this would be easier, but that one meter???
- I originally wanted the wardrobe directly between the front door and the door to the garage (on the exterior wall, where the guest WC is now). But a guest WC without daylight is probably not desirable.

Cost estimate from architect/designer:
Personal price limit for the house, including fittings:
- none yet ... but I’m relatively flexible

Preferred heating technology:
- waiting for the heating demand calculation ... ideally, at least 80% would be covered by controlled residential ventilation. For extremely cold days (if they still happen), more baking in the oven or other heating methods will be used ;-)

If you had to give up on any details or additions
- basically nothing ... we are only building once in life, and then it should fit.

Why was the design made this way?
Own design based on “gut feeling” about what we would like ... it has been in my mind for years.

PS: This is my second attempt here; the first one (under https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/unser-efh-aufm-land-4-personen.49842/) had too little information.
I have already adjusted the plan a bit here:
- The garage is less deep so that the technical room gets a window, and the supply / air for controlled residential ventilation can go directly outside.
- I have slightly redesigned the kitchen (dining table in the middle instead of at the bottom). This could save some space downstairs, but not much.
... I’m a bit clueless ... but maybe you can give me some suggestions. I will also talk to the planner again and ask a friendly architect for advice.

Okay, now “fire away” 😀

THANK YOU!
Uwe-gss11

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings:
- not determined yet ... but I am quite flexible

So, a seven-figure budget is not an issue?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

We are only building once in a lifetime, so it has to be right.

Honestly? Then just discard the current design and go to an architect. Tell them what you want – room program (which rooms are necessary), your daily routine, your “wishes,” preferred style, and so on.
The architect has studied for this and has the experience to avoid all the mistakes you will make (not to offend you, but you simply don’t have the knowledge).
A 1.5m (5 feet) slope can, by the way, get expensive.

That’s where I step out.

No offense intended... but please tell me (constructively) WHAT mistakes you mean! Architects are not gods either... I know several cases where it was more about looking “nice” and “impressive from the outside (and for our references)” – but the owners were less enthusiastic.

So again: What mistakes? … not that the architect makes them too ;-)

- Expensive, useless spaces (e.g., upstairs corridor – 60,000 for an oversized hallway)
- Entrance with stairs
- Confusing entrance to bedroom
- Bedroom doors
- Utility room doesn’t work with controlled ventilation system (by the way, you can’t heat with that)
- Lighting in upstairs bathroom
- Structural stability to be ignored for now
- Window positions (exterior view) unplanned
Just to name a few.

You’ve simply made everything huge, and of course, then everything fits in. But that’s not really a proper design of a turnkey and individually suitable floor plan.
The staircase solution looks like the result of playing Tetris, and you’re basically running into a wall; have you considered the stair length, height, and so on? What is the floor-to-ceiling height?
How old are the teenagers? Will there soon be just two of you, and then what? Or wouldn’t it make more sense, given the available space and budget, to prepare two separate apartments for the teenagers, perhaps with a shared bathroom? There are modern floor plans online for that as well.
How wide are the doors? Do you really want to spend time in the living room like that — is the TV really the central focus of life? Are the kitchen cabinets really enough for all the supplies and appliances?
Why no generous walk-in showers in a house this size, and why nearly 18sqm (190 sq ft) of empty hallway space on the upper floor, especially with today’s construction costs?
You enter the bedroom and stand in front of the next door leading to the bathroom, facing what is basically a dance hall that has unnecessary open space in the middle; an overly large bathroom is usually uncomfortable.
The large space in front of the bed also feels uninviting — the same goes for the living and dining areas, unless you want to show your furniture ideas.
The teenagers will soon be adults but still sleeping right next to Mom and Dad. Parents often appreciate that even when the children are 30, but kids usually stop liking it around 14.
In fact, I consider this the biggest conceptual and “planning” mistake — those two kids’ rooms designed there, which will soon be occupied by adults.
It seems the budget is there; I would look for a good floor plan with flexible options for young adults soon and a house where maybe just two people will live comfortably in the near future.
Just to mention a few points. Find a ready-made floor plan and refine it — that would be an option. Of course, architects are not gods, but you are not an architect either, and as you can see, not exactly a gifted amateur planner. That’s fine; you just need to recognize it for yourself.
You can still contribute a lot to a good floor plan, but with this Tetris approach, you won’t get far, except that the money will be spent. I know people who built something like this and were happy with it, so it’s possible. I wouldn’t be.
What are your thoughts on the subject of teenagers and an appropriate, separate area for them?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Not meant to be rude… then please tell me (constructively) WHAT mistakes!
Architects are not gods either…

Not only architects have a sense of space. The impact of space, use of the golden ratio, wall proportions, avoidance of awkward corners, atmosphere for comfortable living, harmony, stylistic and aesthetic possibilities, seamless transitions between functional areas, practical feasibility of functions, privacy protection, and so on. These are things an architect has learned and studied, and experienced architects have empirical knowledge and a lot of empathy towards their clients.
What often makes a design feel off is usually due to demands taken from glossy brochures.

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

I know several examples where they did it just to look "nice" and "great from the outside (and for our portfolio)... but the owners were less thrilled.

Try to decipher this sentence: who is “they,” “several,” “our”? Which owners? And why should a house be built just to look good while the owner isn’t happy with it?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Building envelope, building line and boundary
- approximately 20 m (65 ft) from the street, 3 m (10 ft) setback from the boundary
- boundary construction max. 12 m (39 ft) on one side, average wall height 3.2 m (10.5 ft), construction facing the street does not count as boundary construction... only 50 cm (20 inches) distance to the sidewalk must be maintained
- plot width: 25.8 m (85 ft). Depth: approx. 38 m (125 ft)

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Slope
- slight incline starting from the middle; drops about 1.5 m (5 ft)

Please show the plot sketch. A slope is not unimportant. A plot on a slope definitely belongs in the hands of architects, because simple 2D thinking looks bad on a house built into a slope. It’s not about “on the slope,” you actually build “into the slope.”

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Buildable according to the building code RLP, so similar to neighboring construction…

Do you mean §34 of the Building Code?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

We currently live in an old building with large rooms... it should not feel cramped ;-)

If the budget allows, it is perfectly reasonable to want that.

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Office: family use or home office?
- Yes, "multi-purpose room for office + guests"

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Or if one parent wants to "emigrate" sometime ;-)

And then with a staircase in the same room? How does one have privacy as a guest? Or quiet in the office?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Terrace... the one on the east is shaded in mid-summer

Why would the east-facing terrace be shaded?

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

Large garage with a lot of storage space (since we don’t have a basement)

Many items cannot be stored in a garage because it gets damp and mold develops.

Uwe-gss11 schrieb:

When I wasn’t sure how much space I needed, I preferred to build “a bit bigger”… maybe it’s too large?

Yes, that is exactly what you should not do. A house needs to be designed carefully, over days and weeks. If you want a lot of space, it should be well planned. Right now, I see an oversized open-plan area that feels quite dull and is basically naked facing south. There is no protective wall or furniture arrangement that offers structure. The sofas are placed awkwardly in front of the TV wall, forcing awkward neck movement. The kitchen is furnished very tightly. Nobody wants a 60 cm (24 inch) door. The hallway feels uninviting due to its angle, the utility room door is practically framed by furniture, the staircase is hidden and right next to the dirt zone. The toilet also. Everything is blunt and rough, just drawn with a tool, the thinking process hasn’t started yet. You can build “nicer” houses with The Sims.

Upstairs: the hallway has a trip hazard corner and narrows into a pseudo-hall.
Children’s rooms are already overextended at over 6 meters (20 ft) length. The middle room no longer receives daylight at the door.
The bedroom also feels uncomfortable. Very few like the idea of people walking behind the head of the bed. There is no sense of protection. The windows are too large for a bedroom, the walk-in closet is rather functional.
Bathroom: what is the purpose of the free corner between the urinal and wall? You don’t need a shower exit right at the window, neighbors would get a show 😉
Children’s bathroom: the shower is a joke because it’s far too small. You know how it should be done. Storage space is completely missing.

For 240 sqm (2,580 sq ft) the house offers nothing that a 160 sqm (1,720 sq ft) house couldn’t. Yes, it’s large. But big is not the same as functional, efficient, beautiful, spacious, or clever. It looks like a box without functional shading or any aesthetics.
The outdated passive house topic has already been discussed.