ᐅ Looking for ideas for an open floor plan

Thirteen schrieb:

Yes, we need the basement rooms.
We have also considered relocating other rooms and the basement level. However, we find it difficult to imagine placing bedrooms in the basement. We have already discussed elsewhere that there are challenges with children’s rooms there. Since the slope rises from the street side, and the garden is accessible from the ground floor, we want the main living area on the ground floor as well.

Why do you find it hard to imagine sleeping in the basement? For example, if the front door is also located in the basement and it is open on three sides, it surely wouldn’t feel like a typical "basement atmosphere." I think bedrooms directly against the slope would be more comfortable—because they’re cooler—than in the attic. My idea was actually the opposite of the other suggestion (children later moving to the basement): initially, the children would share a bedroom in the basement while the upper floor might only have an office and a shower room. Later, the arrangement would switch so the children have their own rooms upstairs.

If that doesn’t appeal to you, I would at least move the pantry to the basement.
I wouldn’t reserve basement space for a vague “maybe later” but would use it fully from the start. I still can’t imagine that you will be able to manage the budget.

How to find general contractors? Search this forum for your state or neighboring counties. Maybe there is already a report about experiences. Visit newly developed areas with hillside plots and ask about their experiences. Use Google Maps (search terms: residential construction, masonry house, house building, architect), regional building fairs.

@Thirteen You’ve received some really great suggestions from @Ideensucher and @Ysop***, ideas that could truly solve your situation in a new way. You should let go of your previously fixed requirements. Even though your situation might be quite different, I had almost the same one myself. It’s not about sleeping in the basement, but rather at the front on the ground floor, which is probably pleasantly cool; we had that and decided to create a spacious bedroom instead. Free yourself from the idea of a dark, cold, musty basement and design it as living space, because that’s what it actually is. You just need to properly equip it with windows, sufficient ceiling height, and so on—basically, make it NOT feel like a basement. The exposed part will probably not be concrete but built with regular masonry anyway. If you include the basement in your plans as living space, you’ll gain completely new and attractive options.

People usually think (we did too) only about the time when the kids are happily running around and want a cozy, comfortable home. But as Bob Dylan sings, “The times are a-changin’”… and quite fast. You’ll feel great when you can allow your oldest child to have their own space somewhere. I totally agree with [USER=52074]@Ideensucher when he says that children might even sleep better in the same room for a certain time, or even should. You might encounter some head shaking with such thoughts in your environment (many know-it-alls); well, we did. Time will tell, and I’m confident that these suggestions will pay off for you, while others often end up living in unsuitable floor plans.

Be brave and go for it if that feels right for you personally!

You are absolutely right! I’m very grateful for your ideas!

I’m actually considering removing the second bathroom from the upper floor, since you really only need it once the kids are older and tend to occupy the bathroom for a long time.

We generally want to keep the option open to move to the basement when we’re older or create a separate living area there for older children or possibly even a tenant.
I’m going back and forth, trying to decide which solution would be better.

- Three bedrooms in the basement with a shower bathroom, then on the upper floor just one large bathroom and a master bedroom with walk-in closet plus two office rooms, so the kids would eventually move to the basement. (Of course, with a shower bathroom there as well.)

- Master bedroom with walk-in closet and shower bathroom in the basement, possibly plus two other rooms, and then the upper floor fully developed for the children, meaning three children’s bedrooms plus a bathroom.

Thirteen schrieb:

We generally want to keep the option open to move to the basement when we’re older or to create a separate living area there for grown children or possibly even a tenant.
I’m currently weighing up which would be the better solution.

If I were to have a tenant in the house, I would prefer them to live below me. That way, you don’t have anyone stomping on the ceiling.
Since you don’t have children yet, that won’t be for at least another 20 years – planning that far ahead is quite ambitious.
Five years ago, I bought a condominium, and now it’s too small for us because our situation has changed.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

@11ant describes it absolutely correctly; I would have the basement built, so in your case, only solid construction would be an option for me.

Invalid causal connection!

pagoni2020 schrieb:

For me, the part in the ground was poured in concrete by the construction company, and the rest was built with masonry at the front.

That is probably the most sensible combination.

Thirteen schrieb:

I roughly made a basement floor plan,

... which, however, is methodologically nonsense because you are continuing based on an outdated building volume.

Moreover, the new development area borders one that is already a whole generation old. Their construction companies from back then will probably still exist for the most part.

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

Thirteen schrieb:

We generally want to keep the option open to move into the basement later in life or create a separate living area there for older children or possibly even a tenant.

Absolutely, very good option…..with a separate exit to the outside, so it’s truly independent. Who knows who or why you might rent it out to someday… From my own experience, I can say that this solution ultimately increased the resale value significantly, mainly because of the separate sale potential. Just keep in mind the distribution of water, heating, etc., from the start, so it can be separated if needed. That doesn’t cost much more besides some thoughtful planning.

Thirteen schrieb:

I’m actually considering removing the second bathroom from the upper floor, because you really only need it when the kids are older and monopolize the bathroom for a long time.

Exactly;… and then it’s better for it to be on a different floor anyway. Much more comfortable for the overall living situation and frees up much-needed space upstairs. A fatherly friend used to say: “What happens often, happens often, and what is rare, stays rare.” I try to keep that in mind during house planning, because enthusiasm often leads to ideas that don’t match everyday life very well.

Option A:
Sounds good, and you could always decide situationally whether the room is used as an office or a bedroom. Children are at different ages and have different needs. Just by furnishing, you can easily switch uses, because there’s a comfortable living environment everywhere and a bathroom nearby.

Option B:
Basically, it’s no different rooms, just different uses, which you can change again as you like, even shortly before or after moving in. In general, I could imagine the kids would prefer to be upstairs. In the basement, you would have an outside exit, which the kids probably wouldn’t need to use. The idea of a basement bedroom, really large and nice, divided with lightweight walls for possible future changes, sounds good. A potential tenant (could also be grandparents or family members, depending on the situation) should obviously only be downstairs, otherwise it won’t work. This is also just a fallback plan. Option B would cover all that, and then you only need the right floor plan with somewhat flexible walls, which I would prefer anyway. Maybe you should have the floor plan redesigned with these new ideas in mind, rather than tweaking the existing one floor by floor from now on. Have fun……