ᐅ Design of a single-family house, 2 full stories, gable roof, no basement, double garage
Created on: 28 Mar 2025 14:34
S
schrauberlouis
Hello dear forum members,
Over 1.5 years ago, we were lucky to secure a 500m² (5,382 sq ft) plot in our highly sought-after hometown and now want to upgrade from our terraced house to a great single-family home. To achieve the best possible improvement, I am hoping for your experience and suggestions for improvement.
I have been enthusiastically following this forum for months and have already learned a lot. We have spent the time that has passed in a kind of “self-discovery” process and, for example, took a long time to come to terms with the idea of “no basement” due to cost/benefit considerations. (Unfortunately, this is still a prejudice in the area and among acquaintances.)
We have already visited two general contractors and were relatively disappointed with their designs because a lot of information and wishes were overlooked. Since it is also very difficult to find an architect who suits us, I have spent the past year reviewing and adapting numerous prefab house designs, designs from here, etc., or drawing my own. Of course, we will then go to a planner or architect. This approach is obviously not the right one, but I don’t want to waste any more time on countless meetings where the key points get lost again.
DIY designs are often harshly criticized here and in other forums 🙂 I hope to be spared and am curious what you think about this. Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 500m² , ridge direction predetermined from east to west
Slope no, very flat
Floor area ratio 0.4 (may be exceeded by 50% by counting garages, etc., but the municipality is not very strict about it)
Edge development boundary garage
Number of parking spaces 1.5 per residential unit
Number of storeys I + attic or II
Roof type gable, hip, tent, and staggered shed roofs allowed
Orientation south
Maximum heights / limits
I + attic:
Eaves height from finished ground level on ground floor max. 4.3m (14 ft)
Roof pitch 35 - 42 degrees
II:
Eaves height min. 5.25m (17 ft)/max. 5.75m (19 ft)
Roof pitch 20 - 35 degrees
Garages:
gable roof 18 - 25 degrees or matching main building
shed roof 8 - 18 degrees
flat roof with green roofing
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type single-family home, gable roof
Basement, storeys
no basement due to high groundwater, flat site, and cost/benefit considerations, 2 storeys + attic storage (possibly above garage)
Number of people 4, ages 34, 32, 2, 0
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor approx. 170m² (1,830 sq ft) total
Office: home office (possibly bedroom later in life or for health reasons)
Overnight guests per year almost none, but 3rd children’s/guest room upstairs as a spare room or due to lack of basement for children’s hobbies etc.
Open or closed layout living room can be closed off as a retreat, cooking + dining open
Conservative or modern design both
Open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats at least 6, expandable for birthdays etc.
Fireplace no
Music/stereo wall no
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage double garage with 9m (30 ft) length (max boundary development) for 2 cars + motorcycle, workshop for DIY maintenance or woodworking, bicycles, etc. (currently mostly stored at parents or elsewhere)
Utility garden, greenhouse no
Other wishes/features/daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
- since gable roofs on a garage on the boundary are allowed in Bavaria, I also considered putting the technical room + laundry room in the attic of the garage (accessible from the upper floor, but difficult to implement and 35-degree roof partly too shallow). Instead, we now plan a “cold roof” with an intermediate floor (access e.g. by freight elevator from the garage) to create some basement replacement, e.g., for winter tires and more.
- staircase separated from living area because children are noise-sensitive
- functional and relatively large cloakroom (only 2m (6.5 ft) closet here, but we see the office as a backup cloakroom for seasonal jackets etc.)
- straight or half-landing staircase
- shower on ground floor desirable, not a must. Large shower upstairs without glass wall
- kitchen and dining open, living room separable
- space in living room for U-shaped sofa + play area
- ground floor office also as multifunctional room for home office, additional cloakroom, guest, or elderly bedroom
- upstairs 2 children’s rooms and a third (smaller) children’s room initially and possibly permanently for laundry, hobbies, additional children’s play area, spare bedroom, or occasional second home office (after mother’s parental leave).
- as much south-facing garden as possible towards the quiet residential street, resulting in the disadvantage of a “long driveway,” but we see this as practical space for playing, parking, etc.
House Design
Designer:
- own design (wall thicknesses roughly assumed: exterior 40cm (16 in), interior 20cm (8 in))
What do you especially like? Why?
- fits all wishes
- large garage with storage room above
- open kitchen with island and direct access to the main terrace
- adjacent pantry with more than 4m (13 ft) of shelves
What do you dislike? Why?
- location of bathroom upstairs is above ground floor office → drainage difficult & noise issue if used as a bedroom later.
- kitchen relatively small, but acceptable compromise due to the long shelf wall in the utility room as backup for fryer, pantry, etc.
- bathroom with T-layout at 3.6m x 3.6m (12 ft x 12 ft) almost too tight
- technical room only along a 3.6m (12 ft) long wall and in the middle of the house (long supply routes regarding connections) → questionable if feasible
- entrance is right at driveway without a landing, but unavoidable due to only 17m (56 ft) wide building zone and urgent desire for a double garage
- generally, we would like to have the option to separate the upper floor as a separate living unit later in life, which is not possible here. An external staircase would be required in that case.
- house size & living area of about 180m² (1,940 sq ft) feels large at first, but we find it hard to do without the usual basement and have therefore planned a reserve.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: own estimate approx. €650,000 - 700,000
Personal price limit including equipment: we have not set a fixed price limit; we want to build the optimal, efficient house that suits us (as expensive as necessary and as inexpensive as possible…). The land (standard land value €440/m²) is paid for, we live in a paid-off terraced house with 136m² and have some equity available.
Preferred heating technology : heat pump (air or ring trench)
If you have to give up something, which features / expansions
- can give up if necessary: pantry, large office on ground floor, third room upstairs
- cannot give up: everything else
Over 1.5 years ago, we were lucky to secure a 500m² (5,382 sq ft) plot in our highly sought-after hometown and now want to upgrade from our terraced house to a great single-family home. To achieve the best possible improvement, I am hoping for your experience and suggestions for improvement.
I have been enthusiastically following this forum for months and have already learned a lot. We have spent the time that has passed in a kind of “self-discovery” process and, for example, took a long time to come to terms with the idea of “no basement” due to cost/benefit considerations. (Unfortunately, this is still a prejudice in the area and among acquaintances.)
We have already visited two general contractors and were relatively disappointed with their designs because a lot of information and wishes were overlooked. Since it is also very difficult to find an architect who suits us, I have spent the past year reviewing and adapting numerous prefab house designs, designs from here, etc., or drawing my own. Of course, we will then go to a planner or architect. This approach is obviously not the right one, but I don’t want to waste any more time on countless meetings where the key points get lost again.
DIY designs are often harshly criticized here and in other forums 🙂 I hope to be spared and am curious what you think about this. Many thanks in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 500m² , ridge direction predetermined from east to west
Slope no, very flat
Floor area ratio 0.4 (may be exceeded by 50% by counting garages, etc., but the municipality is not very strict about it)
Edge development boundary garage
Number of parking spaces 1.5 per residential unit
Number of storeys I + attic or II
Roof type gable, hip, tent, and staggered shed roofs allowed
Orientation south
Maximum heights / limits
I + attic:
Eaves height from finished ground level on ground floor max. 4.3m (14 ft)
Roof pitch 35 - 42 degrees
II:
Eaves height min. 5.25m (17 ft)/max. 5.75m (19 ft)
Roof pitch 20 - 35 degrees
Garages:
gable roof 18 - 25 degrees or matching main building
shed roof 8 - 18 degrees
flat roof with green roofing
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type single-family home, gable roof
Basement, storeys
no basement due to high groundwater, flat site, and cost/benefit considerations, 2 storeys + attic storage (possibly above garage)
Number of people 4, ages 34, 32, 2, 0
Space requirements ground floor, upper floor approx. 170m² (1,830 sq ft) total
Office: home office (possibly bedroom later in life or for health reasons)
Overnight guests per year almost none, but 3rd children’s/guest room upstairs as a spare room or due to lack of basement for children’s hobbies etc.
Open or closed layout living room can be closed off as a retreat, cooking + dining open
Conservative or modern design both
Open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats at least 6, expandable for birthdays etc.
Fireplace no
Music/stereo wall no
Balcony, roof terrace no
Garage double garage with 9m (30 ft) length (max boundary development) for 2 cars + motorcycle, workshop for DIY maintenance or woodworking, bicycles, etc. (currently mostly stored at parents or elsewhere)
Utility garden, greenhouse no
Other wishes/features/daily routine, also reasons why some things should or should not be included
- since gable roofs on a garage on the boundary are allowed in Bavaria, I also considered putting the technical room + laundry room in the attic of the garage (accessible from the upper floor, but difficult to implement and 35-degree roof partly too shallow). Instead, we now plan a “cold roof” with an intermediate floor (access e.g. by freight elevator from the garage) to create some basement replacement, e.g., for winter tires and more.
- staircase separated from living area because children are noise-sensitive
- functional and relatively large cloakroom (only 2m (6.5 ft) closet here, but we see the office as a backup cloakroom for seasonal jackets etc.)
- straight or half-landing staircase
- shower on ground floor desirable, not a must. Large shower upstairs without glass wall
- kitchen and dining open, living room separable
- space in living room for U-shaped sofa + play area
- ground floor office also as multifunctional room for home office, additional cloakroom, guest, or elderly bedroom
- upstairs 2 children’s rooms and a third (smaller) children’s room initially and possibly permanently for laundry, hobbies, additional children’s play area, spare bedroom, or occasional second home office (after mother’s parental leave).
- as much south-facing garden as possible towards the quiet residential street, resulting in the disadvantage of a “long driveway,” but we see this as practical space for playing, parking, etc.
House Design
Designer:
- own design (wall thicknesses roughly assumed: exterior 40cm (16 in), interior 20cm (8 in))
What do you especially like? Why?
- fits all wishes
- large garage with storage room above
- open kitchen with island and direct access to the main terrace
- adjacent pantry with more than 4m (13 ft) of shelves
What do you dislike? Why?
- location of bathroom upstairs is above ground floor office → drainage difficult & noise issue if used as a bedroom later.
- kitchen relatively small, but acceptable compromise due to the long shelf wall in the utility room as backup for fryer, pantry, etc.
- bathroom with T-layout at 3.6m x 3.6m (12 ft x 12 ft) almost too tight
- technical room only along a 3.6m (12 ft) long wall and in the middle of the house (long supply routes regarding connections) → questionable if feasible
- entrance is right at driveway without a landing, but unavoidable due to only 17m (56 ft) wide building zone and urgent desire for a double garage
- generally, we would like to have the option to separate the upper floor as a separate living unit later in life, which is not possible here. An external staircase would be required in that case.
- house size & living area of about 180m² (1,940 sq ft) feels large at first, but we find it hard to do without the usual basement and have therefore planned a reserve.
Price estimate according to architect/planner: own estimate approx. €650,000 - 700,000
Personal price limit including equipment: we have not set a fixed price limit; we want to build the optimal, efficient house that suits us (as expensive as necessary and as inexpensive as possible…). The land (standard land value €440/m²) is paid for, we live in a paid-off terraced house with 136m² and have some equity available.
Preferred heating technology : heat pump (air or ring trench)
If you have to give up something, which features / expansions
- can give up if necessary: pantry, large office on ground floor, third room upstairs
- cannot give up: everything else
I also find the design successful (except for the front door driveway issue) and wouldn’t make it smaller if you have the budget.
Where I’m a bit unsure is the staircase length and the respective landing depths. They are very tight, and you can quickly end up with your face against the wall if you have too much momentum. The staircase also looks somewhat short. What length have you planned here, and what ceiling height are you expecting?
Where I’m a bit unsure is the staircase length and the respective landing depths. They are very tight, and you can quickly end up with your face against the wall if you have too much momentum. The staircase also looks somewhat short. What length have you planned here, and what ceiling height are you expecting?
S
schrauberlouis28 Mar 2025 18:21Wow, that was quick. I’ll give the quote function a try:
I agree with you, of course, because we are still in the decision phase and are still torn between cost and luxury.
The attic is planned for storage of Christmas decorations, etc., accessed via a pull-down ladder, and would be quite spacious. What annoys us about the “terraced house tower” is all the extra stair climbing, and we want to have as much as possible on two levels. We really miss having the office on the ground floor because you can quickly take care of paperwork or just put down packages, a baby bathtub, or whatever and get it “out of the way.” For working from home it doesn’t matter whether the office is on the ground floor or upper floor.
The third kids’ room is similar, for example laundry: we usually dry a lot on racks and use the dryer rarely. Since the utility room will probably often reach its limits, this room would be a backup area. The same applies for kids’ hobbies: if there is a basement, you can easily create space if a child wants to learn drums, for example. Without that extra room and no basement, it becomes difficult again.
It’s all tricky because we want to cover all eventualities and could probably afford it. But is it really necessary…?
The attic is planned as storage with access via a pull-down ladder, so no full staircase through the bathroom or child 2’s room. The confusion is due to the missing cross-section and the fact that the roof looks a little too steep in the 3D view—I was just glad to get it done at all, sorry.
The problem with using the attic is the eaves height of max. 5.75 meters (18.9 feet) above the finished floor and a maximum roof pitch of 35 degrees. Plus our reluctance about stairs.
Adapting the house for old age is one of those things we would prefer to ignore, but fortunately two relatives recently had that option. Building new near retirement might be difficult for us due to the extremely limited number of plots available.
nordanney schrieb:
I’m not an expert in floor plans. But where are the reserves or specifically planned basement/storage rooms? I only see many rooms (how exactly do you think the hobby room for the kids will be used?) and a lot of space.
The spare room and guest room could be the office. Overall, you can save a lot of space if you want. You can create endless storage in the attic; not very convenient, but you don’t run down to the basement all the time either.
Ground floor without an office, smaller ground floor, office upstairs, smaller kids’ rooms. No loss of quality of life and a lot of money saved.
You can afford it, that’s not the issue.
I agree with you, of course, because we are still in the decision phase and are still torn between cost and luxury.
The attic is planned for storage of Christmas decorations, etc., accessed via a pull-down ladder, and would be quite spacious. What annoys us about the “terraced house tower” is all the extra stair climbing, and we want to have as much as possible on two levels. We really miss having the office on the ground floor because you can quickly take care of paperwork or just put down packages, a baby bathtub, or whatever and get it “out of the way.” For working from home it doesn’t matter whether the office is on the ground floor or upper floor.
The third kids’ room is similar, for example laundry: we usually dry a lot on racks and use the dryer rarely. Since the utility room will probably often reach its limits, this room would be a backup area. The same applies for kids’ hobbies: if there is a basement, you can easily create space if a child wants to learn drums, for example. Without that extra room and no basement, it becomes difficult again.
It’s all tricky because we want to cover all eventualities and could probably afford it. But is it really necessary…?
11ant schrieb:
Do you reach the attic stairs through the bathroom or child 2’s room?
You should come to the architect without a self-made design, even if yours looks unusually good. I especially like the approach to plan with fixed wall thicknesses of 40/20 and room dimensions measured only to the nearest decimeter (about 4 inches). With 34/32, I wouldn’t even consider adapting it for old age use but assume building new near retirement instead. Going early and unadvised to the main contractor was, of course, a mistake.
The attic is planned as storage with access via a pull-down ladder, so no full staircase through the bathroom or child 2’s room. The confusion is due to the missing cross-section and the fact that the roof looks a little too steep in the 3D view—I was just glad to get it done at all, sorry.
The problem with using the attic is the eaves height of max. 5.75 meters (18.9 feet) above the finished floor and a maximum roof pitch of 35 degrees. Plus our reluctance about stairs.
Adapting the house for old age is one of those things we would prefer to ignore, but fortunately two relatives recently had that option. Building new near retirement might be difficult for us due to the extremely limited number of plots available.
S
schrauberlouis28 Mar 2025 18:25MachsSelbst schrieb:
My all-time favorite... the third child must feel quite unwanted when allowed to live in a tiny 11.5m² (124 sq ft) room, while the siblings have 16m² (172 sq ft).
The suggested furniture layout already shows it, a bed and wardrobe fit, but no desk.
Or is the third child not supposed to go to school but rather be sent on night watch? Unfortunately, Nordanny has already let you down with your all-time favorite 🙂 Additionally, about the third child's room (11ant will stone me): Its size is partly a result of the ground floor’s area... and as explained in the previous post, it also makes sense on the upper floor for us.
BTW: We already know two cases in our circle of acquaintances where the third child unexpectedly arrived. Thanks to the attic or basement, parents were able to accommodate them.
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schrauberlouis28 Mar 2025 18:37roteweste schrieb:
I really like the design. You have a lot of well-thought-out details, like the access from the utility room to the garage.
What I’m still not entirely clear on conceptually:
At this point, I would make a firm decision about whether you want to use that extra living space as planned or use it differently, or perhaps build smaller accordingly. 180m² (1,938 sq ft) for a single-family home with 2 children's bedrooms is quite generous. But I do think the cost estimate is realistic with moderate standards (our prices are quite similar).
A few points that stand out to me:
- The master bedroom is already quite large at 19m² (205 sq ft). Maybe the space would be more valuable to you elsewhere upstairs (bathroom?).
- The hallway upstairs is nicely compact. But I don’t see a window there. Perhaps you could add a window on the west side above the garage.
- Personally, I would reconsider separating the living room. Especially with children, rooms tend to connect naturally when playing. You already have soundproofing upstairs via the door in the hallway. Also, separating the living room makes the nice open space unnecessarily smaller.Thank you for the compliments, of course, but is it possible that there has been some confusion with the floor plan or that I may have confused you? Unfortunately, I do not have direct access to the garage from the utility room, but I have considered adding an entrance to the garage next to the front door. I’m still unsure whether it’s worth having that 1m (3 ft) access right next to the front door.
Thanks for your points:
- I also agree the master bedroom might be a bit large, but I have drawn several other versions and haven’t come up with a better solution. Do you have any suggestions?
- I agree about the hallway upstairs being dark; currently, it hardly bothers us since there is usually a door open to a room anyway. I had thought about adding a glass door to the utility room so some light from its north-facing window can come through.
- The separation of the living room is tricky because we really miss having it sometimes (for example, when cooking or playing and someone wants to do something quietly). But with the office on the ground floor, the situation changes. Also, experience from friends shows that the doors mostly remain open and people move through easily. We definitely need to think this through again. Thanks!
K a t j a schrieb:
I also find the design successful (except for the front door to driveway issue) and wouldn’t make it smaller if you can afford it. What I’m a bit unsure about is the length of the staircase and the respective stair landings. They seem very tight and you can easily bump into the wall if moving too quickly. The staircase also looks a bit short. What length did you plan here, and what floor-to-floor height are you working with?Thank you. The staircase is planned with a length of 4m (13 ft). The upper landing wouldn’t bother us because the short half-wall railing helps with the sense of space. I have also doubted the lower landing but accepted it because visually the railing only starts after the second step, which loosens things up a bit.
Regarding the floor-to-floor height, the rules in the development area are very strict, and with the eaves height capped at 5.75m (18.9 ft) above the finished floor level, it’s quite challenging. Please see the sectional elevation from the development plan attached to the first post.
schrauberlouis schrieb:
I gratefully accept the compliment, but could it be that there is some confusion regarding the floor plan, or that I may have confused you? Unfortunately, there is no passageway to the garage, but I had considered adding a doorway to the garage next to the main entrance. However, I was still unsure whether it’s worth having a 1m (3.3 ft) gap next to the front door.I wasn’t very clear. Of course, I meant the patio door in the utility room.H
hanghaus202328 Mar 2025 18:53I like the design. There have been much worse ones here before. If you can afford it, you shouldn’t make it unnecessarily smaller.
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