ᐅ Split-Level Single-Family House Floor Plan – Architect’s Design
Created on: 19 Oct 2025 21:49
D
dbertig
Hello dear forum members,
We are very excited to renovate a settlement house from the 1960s. Many thanks for this forum and the great opportunity to share our plan and receive your feedback:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 519 m2 (5583 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 1
Floor area ratio: 2.5
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback from the property line
Edge development: see pictures
Number of parking spaces: 2 or 3
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof (original building) and flat roof (extension)
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights/limits: see pictures
Additional requirements: The house needs a complete renovation. It is a single-family home with split levels. We wanted direct access to the garden at ground level, so our architect recommended an extension for a cloakroom, hallway, kitchen, and dining room. This extension is planned as a wooden construction (vertical spruce cladding painted black). The living room (accessed from the dining room by 7 steps), toilet, and office are located on the first split level, then one half level up is currently planned as the master bedroom. This floor contains only this one room. One more half level up / on the top floor, there are two equally sized children’s rooms plus a toilet and bathroom planned.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: renovation of existing building and extension
Basement, floors: 1 basement and 2.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults and 2 children (3 and 6 years old)
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floors: 150 m2 (1615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats: 8–12
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 carport, former garage repurposed as storage for bicycles, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons for why this or that should or should not be included:
House Design
Designer: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Single-family house can be preserved (inherited from grandmother)
- Ground-level garden access very well solved
- Good floor plan concept and a unique idea – not a standard layout
- Open space combining kitchen/dining and living room with 7 steps – maybe the entrance could be raised to reduce this to 5 steps to the living room. Do we need fall protection, and if so, what kind?
- Spacious areas, especially in the living space
- Children’s rooms orientation and size
- Generally generous spaces in the basement, WC, and office
What do you not like? Why?
- Unsure whether the open kitchen/dining/living layout is community-friendly enough and if steps will be inconvenient in daily life
- Unsure about the size of the kitchen/dining area and the window/glass front in the dining/kitchen area
- Terrace planning: dining area on the west side planned by the architect, but rather narrow. Unsure about the 2 m (6.5 ft) terrace on the south side — what would really fit here? Will everything be covered?
- Still unsure how the extension will look visually (original house facade white, wooden-aluminum windows in black, extension in modern timber construction with vertical spruce cladding in black)
- Unsure about the hallway between cloakroom and kitchen – no door (according to architect there should be no door for visual reasons, as the view and movement direction should be toward the dining room, not the upper floor)
- Bathroom and toilet planning in upper floor – maybe combine toilet into bathroom and convert the room (which has no window) into a wardrobe – master bedroom on split level does not allow a very large wardrobe
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 600–800k
Personal maximum budget for house including fixtures: 800k
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the second design. In the first design, there was no glass front on the south side, only windows and a comfortable bench instead. Since the view and activity focus on the main garden, we wanted access there as well, so it was changed into a full glass front. Due to heat buildup, the architect recommended a roof overhang of 1.20 m (4 ft), which we extended to 2 m (6.5 ft).
Many thanks from my side for your input! Feel free to ask any questions at any time!
1st design:
Revised design:
We are very excited to renovate a settlement house from the 1960s. Many thanks for this forum and the great opportunity to share our plan and receive your feedback:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 519 m2 (5583 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 1
Floor area ratio: 2.5
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback from the property line
Edge development: see pictures
Number of parking spaces: 2 or 3
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof (original building) and flat roof (extension)
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights/limits: see pictures
Additional requirements: The house needs a complete renovation. It is a single-family home with split levels. We wanted direct access to the garden at ground level, so our architect recommended an extension for a cloakroom, hallway, kitchen, and dining room. This extension is planned as a wooden construction (vertical spruce cladding painted black). The living room (accessed from the dining room by 7 steps), toilet, and office are located on the first split level, then one half level up is currently planned as the master bedroom. This floor contains only this one room. One more half level up / on the top floor, there are two equally sized children’s rooms plus a toilet and bathroom planned.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: renovation of existing building and extension
Basement, floors: 1 basement and 2.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults and 2 children (3 and 6 years old)
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floors: 150 m2 (1615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats: 8–12
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 carport, former garage repurposed as storage for bicycles, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons for why this or that should or should not be included:
House Design
Designer: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Single-family house can be preserved (inherited from grandmother)
- Ground-level garden access very well solved
- Good floor plan concept and a unique idea – not a standard layout
- Open space combining kitchen/dining and living room with 7 steps – maybe the entrance could be raised to reduce this to 5 steps to the living room. Do we need fall protection, and if so, what kind?
- Spacious areas, especially in the living space
- Children’s rooms orientation and size
- Generally generous spaces in the basement, WC, and office
What do you not like? Why?
- Unsure whether the open kitchen/dining/living layout is community-friendly enough and if steps will be inconvenient in daily life
- Unsure about the size of the kitchen/dining area and the window/glass front in the dining/kitchen area
- Terrace planning: dining area on the west side planned by the architect, but rather narrow. Unsure about the 2 m (6.5 ft) terrace on the south side — what would really fit here? Will everything be covered?
- Still unsure how the extension will look visually (original house facade white, wooden-aluminum windows in black, extension in modern timber construction with vertical spruce cladding in black)
- Unsure about the hallway between cloakroom and kitchen – no door (according to architect there should be no door for visual reasons, as the view and movement direction should be toward the dining room, not the upper floor)
- Bathroom and toilet planning in upper floor – maybe combine toilet into bathroom and convert the room (which has no window) into a wardrobe – master bedroom on split level does not allow a very large wardrobe
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 600–800k
Personal maximum budget for house including fixtures: 800k
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the second design. In the first design, there was no glass front on the south side, only windows and a comfortable bench instead. Since the view and activity focus on the main garden, we wanted access there as well, so it was changed into a full glass front. Due to heat buildup, the architect recommended a roof overhang of 1.20 m (4 ft), which we extended to 2 m (6.5 ft).
Many thanks from my side for your input! Feel free to ask any questions at any time!
1st design:
Revised design:
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Then rather 2 skylights. Or maybe 3 smaller ones. Yep. I'm still in favor of a strip of windows above the kitchen counter 🙂ypg schrieb:
I’m still in favor of a strip window above the kitchen countertop 🙂 Would you place that in the kitchen alcove then? It would be relatively small there, unfortunately. Maybe consider leaving out the upper cabinets? Too high is not ideal either, since the neighbor could look straight in from their balcony :-)
dbertig schrieb:
Would you then do that in the kitchen nook? Yes.
dbertig schrieb:
It will be relatively small, unfortunately, maybe leave out the upper cabinets? No, I would install a deep horizontal window strip at the same height as the countertop. This keeps the view downwards from inside.
ypg schrieb:
No, I would install a deep window strip, the same height as the countertop. This keeps the view from inside looking downward. And about how high would that be?
Since the window would still appear relatively small from the outside, I’m considering extending it onto the terrace. Something like that, but then it wouldn’t be quite the right height for the terrace? Hmm... what do you think?
dbertig schrieb:
Since the window would still be relatively small from the outside, I’m considering extending it onto the terrace. Something like that, but then wouldn’t it be at the wrong height for the terrace? Hmmm... what do you think? I don’t understand.
The window has nothing to do with the terrace, does it?! It would stand alone on the façade.
I would choose the width based on the kitchen layout (is it approximately 180 or 240?) and set the height at countertop level. Then about 70–80cm (28–31 inches) high. That way, you can still place wall cabinets above it. So 180 x 70 or 240 x 80 (or something similar).
ypg schrieb:
I don’t understand.
The window has nothing to do with the terrace, right? It would stand alone on the front.
I would take the width based on the kitchen layout (is it roughly 180 or 240?) and set that as the countertop height. Then about 70/80cm (28/32 inches) high. That way, you can still easily install wall cabinets above. So 180 x 70 or 240 x 80 (or something similar) May I ask where you would place sockets and so on? And does the window need to be high enough to look out of while standing? I don’t think so, right?
By the terrace, I meant that you could extend the window, somewhat like in the picture. The architect said that on this east side, if anything, a large window; otherwise, better none:
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