ᐅ Feedback on Floor Plan for a Hillside House

Created on: 16 Aug 2017 09:49
C
Crossy
Hello everyone,

We are now in contact with several home builders and have a first floor plan that we like overall, with only a few minor details to adjust. Some changes have already been discussed with the designer. Unfortunately, I don’t have updated plans yet, so I have marked the changes in red on the current plans. I’m looking forward to your opinions and input on the floor plan.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1,300 sqm (0.32 acres)
Slope: yes, 6 m (20 ft) incline — rising from street level
Site coverage ratio: unknown
Floor area ratio: unknown
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: only Section 34 applicable
Edge development
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: basement + upper floor
Roof style: not yet decided (no hipped roof; rather modern like staggered shed roof, flat roof, or simple gable roof)
Style: rather modern
Orientation: see site plan, plot 488/5

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: not finalized, we are deciding between flat roof or staggered shed roof with an open double-height living room
Basement, floors: basement due to sloped site, south and east sides are at ground level, west and north sides partially below ground + one upper floor
Number of occupants, ages: she 32, he 33, plus two children aged 0 and 2, with one more child planned
Space requirements on the ground floor: this is basically the basement level for us, including entrance area, hallway, 3 children’s rooms each 15–17 sqm (160–183 sq ft), bathroom, plus space for technical and utility rooms, if possible a small cloakroom

Space requirements on the upper floor: living/dining/kitchen in L-shape, small pantry, guest toilet, master bedroom with bath, small office
Office use: family use
Overnight guests per year: 1–2
Open or closed layout: rather open
Conservative or modern construction: rather modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes, possibly with a large sliding door for separation
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Garage or carport: yes, double garage

Additional wishes/particulars/daily routine, including reasons why some options are preferred or rejected:
Due to the plot conditions, building with a basement is necessary, and we want to use this space as much as possible as living area. We like having the entrance in the basement, as this eliminates the need for a large exterior staircase.

The following changes have already been discussed with the designer (marked in red):
- The partition wall between kitchen and dining area will be removed,
- Pantry and guest toilet will be extended,
- Fireplace position adjusted,
- Flat roof of the garage will be used as a second terrace,
- 3 m (10 ft) sliding element will connect the kitchen to the second terrace on the garage roof,
- Sliding element behind the sofa will be removed and replaced with a normal full-height window,
- Guest toilet will get a window

House Design
Designer: planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?: room orientation
What do you dislike? Why?: pantry and master bathroom are too small, partition wall between kitchen and dining room will be removed, garage will be larger with direct access to the technical room in the basement
Cost estimate according to the architect/planner: 350,000 EUR + 80,000 EUR ancillary costs (some work will be done by ourselves, such as laying floors, tiling including bathroom, building the garage walls ourselves, painting, possibly also installing doors and windows)
Personal budget limit for the house including fixtures: 480,000 EUR including kitchen
Preferred heating system: underfloor heating with geothermal borehole

If you had to give up something, which details or additional features
- Can give up: garage, cloakroom, maybe guest toilet
- Cannot give up: children’s rooms not smaller than 15 sqm (better 17 sqm), generous living/dining area

Why does the design look the way it does? For example, which requirements from the architect were implemented?
The room program was specified by us; as much floor space as possible in the basement should be finished to make best use of it.

Cadastral site plan with plots, buildings, and boundary lines


Floor plan of a house with garage on the left, hallway, bathroom, and three children’s rooms.


Floor plan of a house with open kitchen/dining/living area, hallway, master and office rooms, WC/shower.
J
j.bautsch
25 Jul 2018 08:48
I don’t like the door solution to the living room; the path into the house usually leads me into the kitchen first (since I shop daily, mostly after work). I would place the door toward the dining area rather than the living room, even if it’s a bit tight near the stairs.

Overall, I find the hallways too narrow and corridor-like.
C
Crossy
25 Jul 2018 09:56
We also want to change the access to the living room and dining room. There should be a wide glass sliding door leading to the living room, and a "standard" door to the dining room.

I find the hallways quite narrow and long. On the lower floor, we want to partially disguise this in the entrance area and install a glass railing along the staircase, which should also make the upper hallway leading to the guest bathroom look a bit more spacious. The hallway upstairs leading to the bedroom will also be shortened somewhat, and the last door section will be added to the master suite. Access to the master area will then go through the walk-in closet.
kaho67425 Jul 2018 15:21
I preferred the first draft. Sorry, I didn’t read everything.
Maybe place 3 children’s rooms on the lower floor like this:


Floor plan of a house: living room, kitchen/dining area, hallway, bathroom, bedroom, office/guest room, terrace.

Floor plan: left garage, bathroom, utility room, hallway with stairs; right area basement and room (K)
kaho67426 Jul 2018 09:05
Actually, the design in the last proposal would work better if the "garage terrace" is omitted and the entrance is placed on the right side of the plan. This would allow the bathroom on the ground floor to have a light well, the basement to have a separate entrance, and the path from the entrance to the kitchen would be shorter.

Floor plan of a house with kitchen, dining and living area, office, bathroom, hallway, and terrace.

Floor plan of a house with utility room, bathroom, basement, cloakroom, garage, hallway.


I’m not quite sure what exactly the garage on the right side of the plan prevents.
C
Crossy
26 Jul 2018 10:54
In terms of your layout, having the garage on the left side of the plan is definitely better.
For us, it is planned on the right to avoid the need for a retaining wall on that side, which would otherwise be quite costly. On the left, we can simply slope the ground to match the neighbor’s property.
Additionally, placing the garage on the left would mean losing garden space on the right side, and with the planned terrace, we would end up very close to the right neighbor.
kaho67426 Jul 2018 11:20
Crossy schrieb:

Also, by placing the garages on the left, we would simply lose garden space on the right side and, with the planned terrace, end up very close to the right neighbor.

How wide is the "polygon"?
With the second proposal, I have some concerns that Child 2 will be exposed to car exhaust through the only window.
Does the parking space on the left side of the house also separate the children significantly from the garden? Or is there supposed to be an external staircase somewhere?