Hello!
We have owned a plot of land for some time now but haven’t been able to get a good house plan together. It’s starting to drive us a bit crazy.
The plot has a slight west-facing slope and a minimal north-facing slope, which together total about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) diagonally. The driveway will be accessed from the south—ideally the southeast—but unfortunately, that is the highest point, which complicates things.
We want to build with a general contractor (GC), so the architect they work with is doing the planning. The first architect tried to push a standard plan on us. That would have been fine if it matched our ideas and was more affordable, but it didn’t. Also, the GC wasn’t very reliable.
The second GC has been great so far, and the chemistry with his partner architect was good right away. The first architect just wanted a long driveway with the house and garage next to each other at the north end. The second architect immediately proposed what we envisioned: a shorter driveway and a garage set apart to the southeast in front of the house with a covered walkway to the entrance. I mentioned that, given the terrain heights, it might be challenging, but he said that would be his responsibility.
Since then, things have changed quite a bit after we saw their official proposals. Three out of four versions had a driveway in front of the garage with slopes of up to 20%, and then steps from the garage to the house. The floor plans didn’t impress us either; some room sizes were about 20% smaller than what we had already planned as tight. They told us not to fuss over a few square meters. Then, in the last meeting, the bombshell: they now say the planned version is not realistically feasible on this plot. The best solution would be to put the garage next to the house, push everything as far north as possible, resulting in a long driveway (25 meters / 82 feet)! So, basically, no progress from their side. We’re quite frustrated. Why did they create three alternative plans if the agreed version wasn’t really workable? How many hours have they spent on this already?
Besides the fact that we still don’t have a final plan and building costs keep rising, we’re wondering whether to continue working with this architect. It feels like there’s a lack of creativity. Or are we expecting too much?
We’re unsure what to do now. We don’t want to switch again if possible. Another question is what costs have already been incurred and how to handle that.
We are cautious and don’t want to provoke a confrontation, especially since things are fine on a personal level. But professionally and creatively, we’re not convinced, and we wonder if this will work out at all.
What do you think? I would appreciate your advice. Many thanks in advance.
We have owned a plot of land for some time now but haven’t been able to get a good house plan together. It’s starting to drive us a bit crazy.
The plot has a slight west-facing slope and a minimal north-facing slope, which together total about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) diagonally. The driveway will be accessed from the south—ideally the southeast—but unfortunately, that is the highest point, which complicates things.
We want to build with a general contractor (GC), so the architect they work with is doing the planning. The first architect tried to push a standard plan on us. That would have been fine if it matched our ideas and was more affordable, but it didn’t. Also, the GC wasn’t very reliable.
The second GC has been great so far, and the chemistry with his partner architect was good right away. The first architect just wanted a long driveway with the house and garage next to each other at the north end. The second architect immediately proposed what we envisioned: a shorter driveway and a garage set apart to the southeast in front of the house with a covered walkway to the entrance. I mentioned that, given the terrain heights, it might be challenging, but he said that would be his responsibility.
Since then, things have changed quite a bit after we saw their official proposals. Three out of four versions had a driveway in front of the garage with slopes of up to 20%, and then steps from the garage to the house. The floor plans didn’t impress us either; some room sizes were about 20% smaller than what we had already planned as tight. They told us not to fuss over a few square meters. Then, in the last meeting, the bombshell: they now say the planned version is not realistically feasible on this plot. The best solution would be to put the garage next to the house, push everything as far north as possible, resulting in a long driveway (25 meters / 82 feet)! So, basically, no progress from their side. We’re quite frustrated. Why did they create three alternative plans if the agreed version wasn’t really workable? How many hours have they spent on this already?
Besides the fact that we still don’t have a final plan and building costs keep rising, we’re wondering whether to continue working with this architect. It feels like there’s a lack of creativity. Or are we expecting too much?
We’re unsure what to do now. We don’t want to switch again if possible. Another question is what costs have already been incurred and how to handle that.
We are cautious and don’t want to provoke a confrontation, especially since things are fine on a personal level. But professionally and creatively, we’re not convinced, and we wonder if this will work out at all.
What do you think? I would appreciate your advice. Many thanks in advance.
Ant, thanks for the link. The plot really needs to be approached differently. In my opinion, the house should be positioned at the top near the street. If I build down there in the northern valley, how would I get the wastewater to the street? A sewage lifting station? Please, not that! So, we would build the house facing southeast. The garage or carport could be located west next to it. Then we would leave the northwest and northeast parts undeveloped, which would allow for evening sun. Possibly, the garage and main building could be swapped, placing the car in the southeast and the house in the middle. It’s good that the western neighbor is situated significantly lower, so the sun isn’t blocked too much. This plot simply doesn’t allow for a south-facing garden without major earthworks.
Thank you all, also for the building advice, although right now I’m more focused on the issues with the architect.
I find the term “burned” a bit harsh. We didn’t force the architect into our idea. The first one wanted a south-facing garden and everything at the back, plus the long driveway. The reason things didn’t progress there was actually the general contractor. The quote for certain parts was supposed to be about amount x, but officially it ended up almost 50% higher, and so on. Accessibility was very poor, no return calls, etc. That’s what I meant by service...
Architect 2 took a look at the plot and spontaneously suggested a building layout that secretly aligned with what we had in mind as laypeople. Later, he presented several 3D images (just the structure) as well. When the first plans came in, we were almost blown away. He even referred to it as our “dream house.”
At the last meeting, quite unexpectedly, he then proposed a house located at the back on the north side with a long driveway as the best compromise, stating that the other option really wouldn’t work properly given the plot. So who is burning whom here?
By the way, the idea that a sump pump system might be needed with a basement came from me. Until then, he hadn’t even considered it and said, well, it’s not that expensive anyway.
Incidentally, the sewer connection is further down the road, at about three-quarters along from the southeast corner, approximately 1.5m (5 feet) lower and is supposed to be laid at 4.5m (15 feet) deep. Without a basement, I don’t think a sump pump would be necessary.
P.S.: Yes, this is about the linked project.
I find the term “burned” a bit harsh. We didn’t force the architect into our idea. The first one wanted a south-facing garden and everything at the back, plus the long driveway. The reason things didn’t progress there was actually the general contractor. The quote for certain parts was supposed to be about amount x, but officially it ended up almost 50% higher, and so on. Accessibility was very poor, no return calls, etc. That’s what I meant by service...
Architect 2 took a look at the plot and spontaneously suggested a building layout that secretly aligned with what we had in mind as laypeople. Later, he presented several 3D images (just the structure) as well. When the first plans came in, we were almost blown away. He even referred to it as our “dream house.”
At the last meeting, quite unexpectedly, he then proposed a house located at the back on the north side with a long driveway as the best compromise, stating that the other option really wouldn’t work properly given the plot. So who is burning whom here?
By the way, the idea that a sump pump system might be needed with a basement came from me. Until then, he hadn’t even considered it and said, well, it’s not that expensive anyway.
Incidentally, the sewer connection is further down the road, at about three-quarters along from the southeast corner, approximately 1.5m (5 feet) lower and is supposed to be laid at 4.5m (15 feet) deep. Without a basement, I don’t think a sump pump would be necessary.
P.S.: Yes, this is about the linked project.
The plot is actually quite suitable for building despite three restrictions (south-facing street, hillside location, and a tree at the driveway) – it is almost square-shaped, and most importantly: it has a huge building area. Something should definitely be possible there. But without assigning blame: communication issues rarely involve just one party. In post #4 of your land thread (see the link in this post #5), I basically covered everything on this topic.
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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Communication problems or the persistence of an idea in the homeowner’s mind that the architect believes cannot be implemented.
I would now rather say: I would not give up on the idea of having the house positioned further forward, but I also don’t know the slope of the plot.
Whether the architect is being overwhelmed or if a bad or uncreative one was chosen is something you have to figure out yourself: this kind of insight into people should be enough to find someone with experience in building on slopes.
However, the budget is often limited as well, so you usually have to make some compromises.
I would now rather say: I would not give up on the idea of having the house positioned further forward, but I also don’t know the slope of the plot.
Whether the architect is being overwhelmed or if a bad or uncreative one was chosen is something you have to figure out yourself: this kind of insight into people should be enough to find someone with experience in building on slopes.
However, the budget is often limited as well, so you usually have to make some compromises.
If it’s my property, into which I have already invested a lot of money and care, I wouldn’t wait for a third or fourth architect to come up with a brilliant idea. Instead, I would take the plans and carefully review what is feasible and what isn’t, and why. Once you understand that, you can think about how you would like it to be and then work together with the architect to create a new design.
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