Hello everyone,
it's me again. But now things are getting concrete. We have actually found OUR plot of land and had it surveyed. The preliminary contract is already here. 🙂
The architect is currently preparing the first draft after I clarified everything with him on Tuesday. For this plot, he also suggested placing the entrance to the basement level there and is now designing accordingly... I find the idea very interesting. My husband is a bit skeptical. What do you think? Practical or rather inconvenient, or how? Has anyone planned like this before or maybe already lives in such a house and can share their experience?
About the plot: It is a 700 sqm (7,535 sq ft) plot, about 17 m (56 ft) wide and 42 m (138 ft) long. It slopes upward towards the back by about 4-5 m (13-16 ft) along the full length, with the first 3 m (10 ft) of height difference rising within the first third. It is a south-facing slope, so the garden will be at the back, facing north (which doesn’t bother us given the length of the plot, and we find a north-facing terrace quite pleasant). We have only one immediate neighbor on the right side (east). The left side (west) is completely undeveloped, and the neighbor at the back (north) is about 100 m (328 ft) or even further away. The street, along with the driveway and planned main entrance, will be at the front (south).
House concept: To use the full buildable width of 11 m (36 ft) and since a double garage is a must for us, the architect suggests placing it in the basement. This means essentially a full basement where you can drive into the garage at street level. Next to it, the architect plans to position the main entrance with a nice foyer and stairs leading up. The basement will otherwise mostly contain storage rooms, with the living room, kitchen, etc., located on the upper floors. From there, you can access the garden at the back on the same level.
I would appreciate hearing about some experiences and any feedback.
it's me again. But now things are getting concrete. We have actually found OUR plot of land and had it surveyed. The preliminary contract is already here. 🙂
The architect is currently preparing the first draft after I clarified everything with him on Tuesday. For this plot, he also suggested placing the entrance to the basement level there and is now designing accordingly... I find the idea very interesting. My husband is a bit skeptical. What do you think? Practical or rather inconvenient, or how? Has anyone planned like this before or maybe already lives in such a house and can share their experience?
About the plot: It is a 700 sqm (7,535 sq ft) plot, about 17 m (56 ft) wide and 42 m (138 ft) long. It slopes upward towards the back by about 4-5 m (13-16 ft) along the full length, with the first 3 m (10 ft) of height difference rising within the first third. It is a south-facing slope, so the garden will be at the back, facing north (which doesn’t bother us given the length of the plot, and we find a north-facing terrace quite pleasant). We have only one immediate neighbor on the right side (east). The left side (west) is completely undeveloped, and the neighbor at the back (north) is about 100 m (328 ft) or even further away. The street, along with the driveway and planned main entrance, will be at the front (south).
House concept: To use the full buildable width of 11 m (36 ft) and since a double garage is a must for us, the architect suggests placing it in the basement. This means essentially a full basement where you can drive into the garage at street level. Next to it, the architect plans to position the main entrance with a nice foyer and stairs leading up. The basement will otherwise mostly contain storage rooms, with the living room, kitchen, etc., located on the upper floors. From there, you can access the garden at the back on the same level.
I would appreciate hearing about some experiences and any feedback.
Hello Kisska,
to be honest, I still don’t find the orientation quite successful. Now, in the basement you have the bathroom and kitchen facing south, and the living room in the northwest...
On the ground floor, the bedroom and bathroom are also facing south. This means the bedroom will get quite warm, and the sunlight in the bathroom is somewhat “wasted.” I would prefer to swap the sides on the upper floor to give the children more light. After all, they will have to do homework or play during the day in their rooms. A northwest or northeast orientation might not be ideal for that.
Also, what is the reason for this “partial” basement? Is it more cost-effective than a full basement?
Good luck,
WildThing
to be honest, I still don’t find the orientation quite successful. Now, in the basement you have the bathroom and kitchen facing south, and the living room in the northwest...
On the ground floor, the bedroom and bathroom are also facing south. This means the bedroom will get quite warm, and the sunlight in the bathroom is somewhat “wasted.” I would prefer to swap the sides on the upper floor to give the children more light. After all, they will have to do homework or play during the day in their rooms. A northwest or northeast orientation might not be ideal for that.
Also, what is the reason for this “partial” basement? Is it more cost-effective than a full basement?
Good luck,
WildThing
Thanks, WildThink, for the comments.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about the orientation. It is simply a north-facing plot. Our friends’ children’s rooms are quite similar, and because of the large windows and the dormer, it’s not dark at all. Our office in the apartment right now also faces northwest and has two large floor-to-ceiling windows, and it’s not dark either. We don’t really have any true south-facing rooms since the ridge runs south to north. Well, having the living room face south just doesn’t make sense. Why would we want to spend all our time looking at the street when we have such a beautiful garden? 🙂
The partial basement is considerably cheaper for us. It’s a sloped plot, so very little excavation is needed at the front for the basement. And actually, we didn’t want a full basement at all. This way, it’s a sufficient compromise.
The entrance door is located right next to the garage. We can’t enter through the garage because of thermal bridging. There is also double insulation between the garage and the house. We didn’t want cold air and moisture from the garage directly entering the house.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about the orientation. It is simply a north-facing plot. Our friends’ children’s rooms are quite similar, and because of the large windows and the dormer, it’s not dark at all. Our office in the apartment right now also faces northwest and has two large floor-to-ceiling windows, and it’s not dark either. We don’t really have any true south-facing rooms since the ridge runs south to north. Well, having the living room face south just doesn’t make sense. Why would we want to spend all our time looking at the street when we have such a beautiful garden? 🙂
The partial basement is considerably cheaper for us. It’s a sloped plot, so very little excavation is needed at the front for the basement. And actually, we didn’t want a full basement at all. This way, it’s a sufficient compromise.
The entrance door is located right next to the garage. We can’t enter through the garage because of thermal bridging. There is also double insulation between the garage and the house. We didn’t want cold air and moisture from the garage directly entering the house.
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