ᐅ 160 m² single-family house with timber frame construction on a north-facing slope, including a basement

Created on: 26 Aug 2018 17:03
L
Lbx
Hello,

below you will find our (almost) final floor plan. Only a few adjustments and changes to the windows are still being made. We would appreciate your feedback.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Construction according to Paragraph 34 of the Building Code. Neighboring buildings are 1.5 to 2 stories with pitched roofs.

Plot Size
3000m2 (approximately 0.74 acres), building area around 600m2 (0.15 acres) along the street

Slope
Approximately 2m (6.6 feet) diagonal incline where the house will be located, rising from southwest to northeast

Orientation
South (uphill side)

Client Requirements: Style, Roof Type, Building Type
Single-family house, pitched roof (most cost-effective), rather open design

Basement, Floors
Full basement + 2 floors

Number of Occupants, Age
2 adults + 2 children (planned)

Room Requirements on Ground Floor and Upper Floor
Open kitchen + dining area + living room, pantry, study, guest WC, parents’ area (bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom), children’s area (2 bedrooms + bathroom), garage, utility room, storage room

Office: Family use or home office?
Family use + emergency children’s bedroom

Overnight Guests per Year
1-2

Open or Closed Architecture
Rather open

Conservative or Modern Building Style
Rather modern

Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island
Open kitchen, island not necessary

Number of Dining Seats
6

Fireplace
No

Music / Stereo Wall
5.1 surround, approx. 3 meters (10 feet) for TV, etc.

Balcony, Roof Terrace
No

Garage, Carport
In the basement

House Design
Who Created the Plan:

Floor plan from a construction company, modified according to our wishes by the planner of a prefab house company (structural engineer)

What Do You Like Especially? Why?

- Separate parents’ area

- Open design with living room accessible from two sides

- Staircase on the north side, where the street is

- Garage inside the house

- Large windows facing south

- Living room + kitchen + dining areas facing south

- Open ridge ceiling on the upper floor

What Do You Dislike? Why?

- Low, small windows on the upper floor due to the 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall height – we will probably raise this to 2.10m (6.9 feet)

- Boring exterior appearance

- Small study room, but currently the best compromise for us

- Kitchen windows not floor-to-ceiling, will be changed

- Possibly too few windows

Cost Estimate from Architect / Planner:

Approximately 400,000 Euro turnkey, including photovoltaic system and natural fiber insulation (ecological) fixed-price offer including basement, electric garage door, etc.

Laminate flooring

External roller blinds in living/kitchen/dining areas

No controlled mechanical ventilation.

No waterproof concrete basement (no “white tank” system).

Personal Price Limit for the House, Including Equipment:
House including all ancillary costs 470,000 Euro

Preferred Heating Technology:
Air-to-water heat pump + photovoltaic system

If You Had to Cut Back, Which Details / Extensions Could You Forgo:
Basement, but due to the slope it does not make much economic sense. Otherwise, we have already cut back as much as we can imagine.

Why Does the Design Look Like It Does Now?
We liked the design from the start, especially the south orientation of all main rooms suits the plot very well.

What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan in 130 Characters or Less?
1. From what knee wall height do windows including rolling shutters below the knee wall really make sense? At 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall, windows would be at hip height, which is not a solution for us. For example, in the children’s room, a desk should fit underneath.

2. According to the soil report, we have about 1m (3.3 feet) of soil class 4 and below that soil class 5-6. What costs could be expected for earthworks on a sloped site?

3. Do you think a mechanical ventilation system is essential in a timber frame house? According to two reputable prefab house providers, it is mostly unnecessary and mainly important only for allergy sufferers.

A small note on the attached files: in the Google Maps image, south is at the top and the plot is where the two yellow markers are. In the views, I sketched around a bit unfortunately.

Topographic site plan of a plot with terrain contours and survey lines


Aerial view of a residential area with plots, trees and streets, markers visible


Floor plan of a house with garage, car, utility room, basement and entrance.


Upper floor plan with bedroom, walk-in closet, 2 bathrooms, hallway, 2 children’s rooms


Floor plan of a house: hallway, study, pantry, kitchen, dining, living room.


Modern white single-family home with garage on lower floor, many windows and green slope.


Modern white house with dark pitched roof, large glass fronts and wooden terrace.
11ant4 Sep 2018 14:54
haydee schrieb:
In my opinion, the best way is to include the basement area in the living space.

The slope says: with basement. Or in this case, a hybrid basement/lower ground floor. So: use the basement—for everything that can then be removed from the upper floor area (utility room, storage room, pantry). Exclude the garage entirely, and consistently exclude the stairwell.
Obstlerbaum schrieb:
But a children’s room in the basement when the kids are only “planned” for the future? That’s unused space for many years…

That’s why they should queue up at the back as vague co-inhabitants when dividing the prime spaces—in the naive logic that “less building volume in the attic means a cheaper house,” this approach is quite consistent.

A smarter way might be to first finalize the children’s needs and then the house.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
kaho6744 Sep 2018 15:28
11ant schrieb:

It might be smarter to decide on the children first and then the house.

Only a man could say that! Just have two kids quickly – it can’t be that hard...
11ant4 Sep 2018 16:08
kaho674 schrieb:
Only a man could say that! Just have two kids quickly – it can’t be that hard...

I wasn’t talking about speed, but rather the order (instead of a sequence).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
K
Kekse
4 Sep 2018 16:48
kaho674 schrieb:
Only a man could say that! Just have two kids quickly – it can’t be that hard...

However, I already wanted to suggest that here (at least one of them) – especially because having children doesn’t always work out the way you imagine. Suddenly you have triplets, or you can’t have any at all, both of which are difficult. And you already know the people you put in the basement and whether you want to subject a specific Mia-Sophie to that on the particular plot of land.
kaho6744 Sep 2018 17:20
11ant schrieb:
I wasn’t talking about speed, but about sequence (instead of order of occurrence)
Well, hasn’t the plot already been purchased?
M
Medis
5 Sep 2018 22:58
Hello everyone,
I am planning to build a single-family house without a basement. The planned construction is as follows:
- Compacted gravel. Slope evened out with topsoil and gravel.
- Styrodur (rigid foam insulation) for full thermal insulation
- Concrete slab 25 cm (10 inches) thick (without strip footings)

The house will be built on a slight slope. The gradient across the width of the house (10 m / 33 feet) is about 90 cm (35 inches), with the first half of the house on a flat section, and the slope starting in the second half.
I have some concerns about the concrete slab. Could the compacted gravel eventually shift or settle so that the ground/gravel beneath the house “moves away”? Or is compacted gravel sufficient and acceptable? Would it be better to use strip footings (strip foundations/plinths), or are there other ideas?

I would appreciate your opinions and possibly suggestions on how this could be executed better. Thank you.

Best regards