ᐅ Floor plan of a single-family home with a daylight basement on a hillside?
Created on: 24 Nov 2013 21:37
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Dipl-WiING
Hello, as I mentioned before on the forum, due to the sloped site (and the fact that we need a basement anyway) we will probably omit the upper floor.
Now we plan to develop the basement as a fully functional living area with a large glass front. We spent several hours working on the floor plan and wanted to ask an architect for their opinion, but unfortunately all three architects I contacted are currently too busy with other projects.
So I’m asking for your help.
It was important to us that you can go directly from the ground floor down the stairs to the terrace, and otherwise to have as few square meters wasted on hallways as possible. The ground floor (above) is mostly open except for a small guest toilet and an office.
The staircase is separated by a large built-in wall cabinet. The terrace above partly extends the carport and partly will have a wooden structure to bring the terrace size to about 12–14m² (130–150 sq ft). The house is oriented southwest.
Thank you very much for any advice!
Pit
Now we plan to develop the basement as a fully functional living area with a large glass front. We spent several hours working on the floor plan and wanted to ask an architect for their opinion, but unfortunately all three architects I contacted are currently too busy with other projects.
So I’m asking for your help.
It was important to us that you can go directly from the ground floor down the stairs to the terrace, and otherwise to have as few square meters wasted on hallways as possible. The ground floor (above) is mostly open except for a small guest toilet and an office.
The staircase is separated by a large built-in wall cabinet. The terrace above partly extends the carport and partly will have a wooden structure to bring the terrace size to about 12–14m² (130–150 sq ft). The house is oriented southwest.
Thank you very much for any advice!
Pit
W
Wanderdüne21 Dec 2013 14:18Just between us: Why don’t you find an independent architect who can create a design based on your wishes, the surroundings, and the legal requirements? And please, don’t influence the design with your floor plan.
I’m sure you won’t regret it.
When I read terms like sloped site, building window width 15m (50 feet), etc., I imagine an exciting building that integrates the residents into the landscape and offers a great view. In your design, there is a corner sofa in front of the window. If you’re lucky, you can see the TV; the others look at a wall corner or into the building. But for that, you don’t need a sloped site...
WD
I’m sure you won’t regret it.
When I read terms like sloped site, building window width 15m (50 feet), etc., I imagine an exciting building that integrates the residents into the landscape and offers a great view. In your design, there is a corner sofa in front of the window. If you’re lucky, you can see the TV; the others look at a wall corner or into the building. But for that, you don’t need a sloped site...
WD
D
Dipl-WiING21 Dec 2013 16:17Wanderdüne schrieb:
Just between us: Why don’t you hire an independent architect who, based on your wishes, the surroundings, and the legal requirements, creates a design for you? And please, without influencing them with your floor plan.
I’m sure you won’t regret it.
When I read terms like sloped site, building plot width 15m (50 feet), etc., I imagine an exciting building that integrates the residents into the landscape and offers a fantastic view.
In your design, there’s a corner sofa in front of the window; if you’re lucky, you see the TV, otherwise, you’re looking at a corner wall or into the building. But for that, you don’t need a sloped site...
WDFirst of all, thanks for the feedback!
@WD, of course I fully agree with you, and that’s our plan as well. Unfortunately, it will still take almost two weeks until we have an appointment with an architect who will also visit the site in person.
A quick note regarding your comments: I don’t understand why the sofa is placed that way either. The bay window is actually meant to be a kind of sunroom with two lounge chairs... The bay is located there because around 10m (33 feet) to the left, the neighbor’s house with a balcony at the same level stands. This “bay window” is intended to act as a visual shield for our balcony. Having a good view is very important to me, which is why we plan to install large floor-to-ceiling windows both upstairs and downstairs. Just a little remark—overall, I’m currently slowly getting clearer on what I actually want... and I find this discussion very helpful.
Regards, Pit
Hello Pit,
What is the slope like exactly, from where to where? What is the current natural terrain like, and how is the house positioned within it?
A sloped plot can be a great opportunity if you embrace it, and you can certainly distinguish yourself architecturally from the typical designs. But this is not a project for an amateur—you need an architect who is enthusiastic about this kind of challenge. Even for a professional, it can be quite demanding to bring together the slope, surrounding buildings, and the residents’ requirements.
We also have a sloped plot with a 3.30-meter (11 feet) drop diagonally and a southwest orientation. We approached four architects with our requirements from three different perspectives and discussed our plans. Number 1 dismissed everything because it would be too expensive, number 2 had no ideas related to building on a slope, number 3 showed us five projects they had built on slopes, and number 4 sketched out their ideas on several 5x5cm (2x2 inch) squares during a two-hour meeting, explaining what is possible on a sloped site. This architect was also the only one who immediately understood how steep the slope really is.
We will receive the second draft on Monday. The first one was already about 90% right, and it included some really cool ideas for building on the slope. We plan to build a split-level house and place the living area lower down, basically level with the gardens.
My advice is also to get two sets of plans and then start searching for an architect— not everyone is willing or able to design on a slope...
Ddx
What is the slope like exactly, from where to where? What is the current natural terrain like, and how is the house positioned within it?
A sloped plot can be a great opportunity if you embrace it, and you can certainly distinguish yourself architecturally from the typical designs. But this is not a project for an amateur—you need an architect who is enthusiastic about this kind of challenge. Even for a professional, it can be quite demanding to bring together the slope, surrounding buildings, and the residents’ requirements.
We also have a sloped plot with a 3.30-meter (11 feet) drop diagonally and a southwest orientation. We approached four architects with our requirements from three different perspectives and discussed our plans. Number 1 dismissed everything because it would be too expensive, number 2 had no ideas related to building on a slope, number 3 showed us five projects they had built on slopes, and number 4 sketched out their ideas on several 5x5cm (2x2 inch) squares during a two-hour meeting, explaining what is possible on a sloped site. This architect was also the only one who immediately understood how steep the slope really is.
We will receive the second draft on Monday. The first one was already about 90% right, and it included some really cool ideas for building on the slope. We plan to build a split-level house and place the living area lower down, basically level with the gardens.
My advice is also to get two sets of plans and then start searching for an architect— not everyone is willing or able to design on a slope...
Ddx
D
Dipl-WiING26 Dec 2013 20:45Hello Demian,
we have about a 20% slope towards the street at the top, less at the bottom and somewhat more further down. Our plot also faces southwest, and with around 1000m² (10,764 sq ft) it is quite large, but only about 21-23 meters (69-75 feet) wide, so rather long...
I understand your point about architects as well. We have already spoken with several, but the connection hasn’t quite happened yet. I will now try reaching out to smaller firms, as I think they might be easier to work with...
Best regards
Pit
we have about a 20% slope towards the street at the top, less at the bottom and somewhat more further down. Our plot also faces southwest, and with around 1000m² (10,764 sq ft) it is quite large, but only about 21-23 meters (69-75 feet) wide, so rather long...
I understand your point about architects as well. We have already spoken with several, but the connection hasn’t quite happened yet. I will now try reaching out to smaller firms, as I think they might be easier to work with...
Best regards
Pit
D
Dipl-WiING28 Dec 2013 20:28Hello again,
I was able to revise the draft after chatting with an old school friend (who is now an architect) over a beer and sorting out a few points, which I think improved the design (I then digitized the drawing at home).
Maybe someone would be kind enough to give some general feedback.
Pit
Upper floor:
I was able to revise the draft after chatting with an old school friend (who is now an architect) over a beer and sorting out a few points, which I think improved the design (I then digitized the drawing at home).
Maybe someone would be kind enough to give some general feedback.
Pit
Upper floor:
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