ᐅ Single-Family House on a Slope – Living Area on the Upper Floor, Open-Plan First Floor
Created on: 1 Apr 2026 13:34
B
BarnabyHello everyone,
we are planning a single-family house on a relatively steep slope (Northern Bavaria). An extension is mandatory, and the house shape is determined by the neighboring house.
The special feature is that we plan to live on the upper floor to have direct access to the terrace. Additionally, we want the upper floor to be open to the roof ridge—meaning no intermediate ceiling or attic space (no mezzanine, attic, etc.).
We really like the design. We are aware of the stairs (e.g., carrying groceries, etc.; water will come from a Quooker 😉...) but we still like the option of an upper-level terrace.
We have already received a turnkey offer from the general contractor, including our requests (parquet flooring, 4 m (13 ft) lift-and-slide door, 3 bathrooms) and exterior work, and we could start now. We are curious to hear what the professionals think, if there are any critical points we might have missed—we would build it like this!
Development plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 600 m2 (already owned)
Slope: yes, steep
Floor area ratio: 0.4 – 0.7
Floor space index: 0.47
Building window, building line, and boundary: determined by neighbor
Edge development: yes
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 main floors + basement
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation:
Maximum height/limitations: none
Other requirements:
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house with gable roof
Basement: yes
Number of floors: 2
Number of people: 2 adults (mid-30s) + 2 small children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors
Office: 4 days home office
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen block
Number of dining seats: 8–10
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage in basement
Utility garden, greenhouse: not currently, possibly later
House design
Origin of the design: based on existing floor plans from the internet + personal adjustments + adaptations with the general contractor’s planner
What do you particularly like? Why?
+ Open upper floor with high ceilings
+ Separate master suite
+ Separate children’s bathroom
What do you not like? ...mostly compromises we accept
- Rather tight space between the top of the stairs and entry on the ground floor
- Children’s bathroom without daylight
Price estimate according to architect/planner: offer from general contractor 750,000 including basement, incidental costs, fixtures, 100,000 for landscaping + groundworks
Personal price limit for the house, including features: 750,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
- could you give up:
- could you not give up:
Why is the design the way it is?
The starting point was a found prefabricated house plan from the internet; we then swapped the ground and upper floors.
Other:
We will have a shaft prepared for an elevator (without the elevator). This will be left open in the floor slabs and will run from the garage → children’s bathroom → pantry upwards.
Thank you for your feedback
we are planning a single-family house on a relatively steep slope (Northern Bavaria). An extension is mandatory, and the house shape is determined by the neighboring house.
The special feature is that we plan to live on the upper floor to have direct access to the terrace. Additionally, we want the upper floor to be open to the roof ridge—meaning no intermediate ceiling or attic space (no mezzanine, attic, etc.).
We really like the design. We are aware of the stairs (e.g., carrying groceries, etc.; water will come from a Quooker 😉...) but we still like the option of an upper-level terrace.
We have already received a turnkey offer from the general contractor, including our requests (parquet flooring, 4 m (13 ft) lift-and-slide door, 3 bathrooms) and exterior work, and we could start now. We are curious to hear what the professionals think, if there are any critical points we might have missed—we would build it like this!
Development plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 600 m2 (already owned)
Slope: yes, steep
Floor area ratio: 0.4 – 0.7
Floor space index: 0.47
Building window, building line, and boundary: determined by neighbor
Edge development: yes
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: 2 main floors + basement
Roof type: gable roof
Style: modern
Orientation:
Maximum height/limitations: none
Other requirements:
Homeowners’ requirements
Style, roof type, building type: single-family house with gable roof
Basement: yes
Number of floors: 2
Number of people: 2 adults (mid-30s) + 2 small children
Space requirements on ground and upper floors
Office: 4 days home office
Overnight guests per year: few
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen with kitchen block
Number of dining seats: 8–10
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: garage in basement
Utility garden, greenhouse: not currently, possibly later
House design
Origin of the design: based on existing floor plans from the internet + personal adjustments + adaptations with the general contractor’s planner
What do you particularly like? Why?
+ Open upper floor with high ceilings
+ Separate master suite
+ Separate children’s bathroom
What do you not like? ...mostly compromises we accept
- Rather tight space between the top of the stairs and entry on the ground floor
- Children’s bathroom without daylight
Price estimate according to architect/planner: offer from general contractor 750,000 including basement, incidental costs, fixtures, 100,000 for landscaping + groundworks
Personal price limit for the house, including features: 750,000
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details/extensions
- could you give up:
- could you not give up:
Why is the design the way it is?
The starting point was a found prefabricated house plan from the internet; we then swapped the ground and upper floors.
Other:
We will have a shaft prepared for an elevator (without the elevator). This will be left open in the floor slabs and will run from the garage → children’s bathroom → pantry upwards.
Thank you for your feedback
I miss the neighboring house in the illustrations. My reading recommendation would be https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissplanung-fuer-zweifamilienhaus-im-hang.g8x8d7/ by @sichtbeton82 from 2017.
Given the special plot, it does not seem reasonable at all to try to adapt a "standard" set of floor plans. While the staircase layout is just unnecessarily complicated, I consider the elevator to be complete nonsense. When you become frail, I see an even clearer need for moving somewhere else than anywhere else; in the design by the member mentioned above, there is a "ground-level" apartment on the uphill side at the top.
The uphill-facing exterior walls are apparently planned to be made of reinforced concrete, but to me the insulation layer seems rather meager (especially compared to the rest of the exterior wall, which is about 425mm (17 inches) thick), and the connection to the other walls is, to put it mildly, thermally not trivial. Did you really let a general contractor’s draftsman produce something like this?
In the budget, I miss any surcharge for the slope, even if the exterior stairs are supposed to be provided on site.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Barnaby schrieb:
The starting point was a found plan of a prefab house on the internet, then we swapped the ground floor and first floor [...] We will have an elevator shaft (without an elevator) prepared, which will be left open in the floor slabs and run from the garage → children's bathroom → pantry upwards.
Given the special plot, it does not seem reasonable at all to try to adapt a "standard" set of floor plans. While the staircase layout is just unnecessarily complicated, I consider the elevator to be complete nonsense. When you become frail, I see an even clearer need for moving somewhere else than anywhere else; in the design by the member mentioned above, there is a "ground-level" apartment on the uphill side at the top.
The uphill-facing exterior walls are apparently planned to be made of reinforced concrete, but to me the insulation layer seems rather meager (especially compared to the rest of the exterior wall, which is about 425mm (17 inches) thick), and the connection to the other walls is, to put it mildly, thermally not trivial. Did you really let a general contractor’s draftsman produce something like this?
In the budget, I miss any surcharge for the slope, even if the exterior stairs are supposed to be provided on site.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Barnaby schrieb:
Plot size: 600m2 (already owned) A photo would be interesting to get a look at the site.
Barnaby schrieb:
that we plan living on the upper floor to have direct terrace access. It seems that the middle floor could actually have a terrace following the existing terrain, but you are adding a significant amount of soil at the back because of your flat roof without a ridge?
Barnaby schrieb:
General contractor offer of 750,000 including basement, incidental costs, furnishings, 100,000 for exterior works + earthworks That seems very ambitious! How many square meters is it anyway? 180? Plus basement? I would rather expect from 850,000/900,000€, assuming 3,300€/sqm.
Barnaby schrieb:
We will have a shaft prepared for an elevator (without elevator), this will be left free in the floor slabs and runs from the garage → children’s bathroom → pantry upward. Does that mean you no longer can park the car or that you always have to walk around it?
Is that preparation for aging in place? Hmm, is the property generally still suitable for aging in place then? I don’t think so.
Regarding the design:
The basement shouldn’t be a big issue now.
The two staggered staircases seem quite pointless to me. You end up with two stair openings. Their proximity—just about one meter apart—seems accident-prone to me. With a straight staircase, you can already get around quite fast, so in my opinion this one-meter "landing" is not enough to feel safe. Especially when carrying laundry, groceries, etc. This is not about awareness as you mean it,
Barnaby schrieb:
We are aware of the stairs (e.g., carrying groceries, water comes from the Quooker?...) but rather regarding practical daily usability of the stairs. Rotating the straight staircase 180 degrees would significantly reduce that risk and confine it.
In the master bedroom area, the privacy wall is unnecessary; I would swap the toilet with the washbasin and possibly omit the door as well.
On the upper floor, I unfortunately have to say again—this always happens where a pantry is planned—that the kitchen is too small for four people.
Are you left-handed? (Sink?) Doesn’t matter, these are just placeholders, but there should definitely be a bit more countertop space around the sink. Which appliances must be within easy reach? I refer to changing times, where not only eating habits change, but you also want one or two appliances readily accessible, and also dietary changes, whether intentional or necessary, within easy reach and not hidden behind a door.
Otherwise, the planning is structurally quite solid and compact.
11ant schrieb:
My reading recommendation would be Thanks for this! I’ve read many threads here already, but I actually didn’t know this one. It will be my evening reading today.
11ant schrieb:
Given the special plot, it seems completely pointless to try to adapt a "standard" floor plan. Okay, maybe I was a bit brief.
Origin: Custom-designed house from a prefab home company, with a very, very similar plot.
Next step: Enquiries with, among others, 2 architects and several general contractors (GCs).
Preliminary result: Original floor plan adapted with plot-specific adjustments and input from the rounds with the architect.
Final result: After deciding on a slope specialist GC, we adapted the floor plan again incorporating his (the owner’s) feedback.
Maybe that makes it a bit more understandable...
11ant schrieb:
While the stair layout is just unnecessarily complicated, I consider the elevator to be the absolute worst nonsense ever. This has been the biggest point of discussion so far; we’ve gone through countless variants — somehow, we actually like this one best. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. The architects’ proposals were, frankly, the least appealing to us.
11ant schrieb:
When you get a bit frail, I would clearly see the need to move somewhere else more than anywhere else; in the design mentioned by the previous member, there is a walk-in apartment on the uphill side, level with the ground. The elevator shaft can be implemented at nearly no extra cost — many people in our circle have actually asked if we plan something like that. Selling the house and moving to the city is quite realistic.
11ant schrieb:
The uphill exterior walls are supposed to be made of reinforced concrete here; not only does the insulation layer seem rather thin compared to the rest of the exterior wall (425mm caliber), but the connection to the other walls is, to put it mildly, thermally not trivial. Did you have that done by a GC draftsman? Good point, I will double-check the final insulation thickness. 12cm (5 inches) was initially planned for the utility basement, but since it will also be living space, it should be thicker.
The suggestion to implement it this way comes directly from the slope specialist GC’s owner.
11ant schrieb:
I miss any slope surcharge in the budget, even if the exterior stairs were to be "builder-supplied" ;-) Slope surcharge is included in the GC’s overall price; his statement was: waterproofing against all load cases. The 100,000 for exterior works includes development (e.g. 36,000 just for landfill fees) and retaining walls. Nevertheless, we are still planning to include an additional buffer...
ypg schrieb:
It seems that the mezzanine level could actually have a terrace following the existing terrain, but you are adding a lot of soil at the back because of your roof without a ridge? Our neighbor did this and it looks more like a gorge; they face a 3m (10 feet) concrete wall. We prefer to build up the ground for a flat terrace of about 10m (33 feet) at the back of the house instead...
ypg schrieb:
Rotating the straight staircase by 180 degrees would significantly reduce and contain this risk. That was considered, but we didn’t want to always have to go “around the stairs.” The idea is to be able to walk straight through in one go (for example, when guests arrive), though yes, it could also mean a straight uninterrupted path down.
Maybe we can extend the landing to about 1.20/1.30m (4 to 4.3 feet) and start the railing on the straight staircase from the third step, which would make it feel a bit more spacious.
ypg schrieb:
That the kitchen is too small for 4 people. Are you left-handed? (Sink?) Doesn’t matter, they’re just placeholders, These are only placeholders... The plan is for an island measuring 240x120cm (8 by 4 feet) and a countertop along one wall of 350cm (11.5 feet). There will be tall cabinets on each side, leaving about 2m (6.5 feet) in the middle for the sink and workspace. We think this will be sufficient, especially with the small pantry shown alongside.
What is this supposed to represent exactly? The plan is missing fall protection measures.
And something else I just noticed: the smooth flow from the recessed entrance towards the stairs is not achieved. I would also make the recess for the entrance door wider, otherwise you might face problems with furniture deliveries or ladder transport into the house. It would also be better to relocate the garage door to the hallway opposite the main entrance door, so you can have a comfortable turning radius.
And something else I just noticed: the smooth flow from the recessed entrance towards the stairs is not achieved. I would also make the recess for the entrance door wider, otherwise you might face problems with furniture deliveries or ladder transport into the house. It would also be better to relocate the garage door to the hallway opposite the main entrance door, so you can have a comfortable turning radius.
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