ᐅ Floor Plan for a Two-Family House (Side-by-Side) on a South-Facing Slope
Created on: 7 May 2025 15:59
P
philipe
Hello everyone.
My partner and I are planning to build a house, specifically a two-family house with side-by-side apartments. We would live in the larger apartment, and the future parents-in-law would occupy the smaller one. A visit to a home builder resulted in an initial draft. This is attached along with the plot.
I am mainly referring to the larger apartment.
I look forward to hearing your opinions.
Regards
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 2218 sqm, about 860 sqm (9240 sq ft) covered by the development plan, the rest is outdoor area, building zone according to the development plan
Slope: yes, about 5 m (16 ft) over 30 m (98 ft) from north to south
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio / total floor area ratio: 0.8
Building zone, building line, and boundary: see screenshot (north at top, south at bottom)
Edge development: yes. Garage may have height issues due to the sloping terrain
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 1, with a permitted residential basement due to the slope (excerpt from the development plan: I-full floors are stipulated. The number of full floors is the maximum. However, due to the challenging topography, one additional full floor is exceptionally allowed under § 31 para. 1 of the Building Code because the basement caused by the slope can be counted as a full floor according to regional regulations.)
Roof shape: 23–28° (23–28°) gable or hip roof, orientation open
Architectural style: classic
Orientation: terrace facing south
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height 8.50 m (28 ft), eaves height 3.75 m (12 ft), floor-to-floor height 3 m (10 ft)
Other regulations
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement, floors: ground floor full floor, basement residential, attic unfinished
Number of people, ages: party 1: 2 (eventually 2 children); party 2: 2
Space requirement on ground and upper floor: party 1: approx. 150 sqm (1615 sq ft); party 2: approx. 100 sqm (1076 sq ft)
Office use: family use or home office? Partially home office
Guest bedrooms per year: 3
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: open
Number of dining seats: 6–8 // 4
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, preferably 2 double garages
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions:
Mandatory: level access from the kitchen-living area to the terrace
House Design
Who designed it:
- Planner from a building company
What do you like most? Why? Terrace access
What do you dislike? Why? Dark entrance area, bedroom next to the main entrance
Price estimate from architect/planner: not yet available
Personal budget for the house, including fittings: 550,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions
- You can give up: one double garage
- You cannot give up: terrace access
Why is the design the way it is now? For example
Standard design from the planner? Custom design
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Yes, but these have changed. Currently, a straight open staircase leading down would be interesting to create a visual axis from the front door to the terrace.
My partner and I are planning to build a house, specifically a two-family house with side-by-side apartments. We would live in the larger apartment, and the future parents-in-law would occupy the smaller one. A visit to a home builder resulted in an initial draft. This is attached along with the plot.
I am mainly referring to the larger apartment.
I look forward to hearing your opinions.
Regards
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 2218 sqm, about 860 sqm (9240 sq ft) covered by the development plan, the rest is outdoor area, building zone according to the development plan
Slope: yes, about 5 m (16 ft) over 30 m (98 ft) from north to south
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio / total floor area ratio: 0.8
Building zone, building line, and boundary: see screenshot (north at top, south at bottom)
Edge development: yes. Garage may have height issues due to the sloping terrain
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of floors: 1, with a permitted residential basement due to the slope (excerpt from the development plan: I-full floors are stipulated. The number of full floors is the maximum. However, due to the challenging topography, one additional full floor is exceptionally allowed under § 31 para. 1 of the Building Code because the basement caused by the slope can be counted as a full floor according to regional regulations.)
Roof shape: 23–28° (23–28°) gable or hip roof, orientation open
Architectural style: classic
Orientation: terrace facing south
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height 8.50 m (28 ft), eaves height 3.75 m (12 ft), floor-to-floor height 3 m (10 ft)
Other regulations
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement, floors: ground floor full floor, basement residential, attic unfinished
Number of people, ages: party 1: 2 (eventually 2 children); party 2: 2
Space requirement on ground and upper floor: party 1: approx. 150 sqm (1615 sq ft); party 2: approx. 100 sqm (1076 sq ft)
Office use: family use or home office? Partially home office
Guest bedrooms per year: 3
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: open
Number of dining seats: 6–8 // 4
Fireplace: no
Music/sound system wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: yes, preferably 2 double garages
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for preferences or exclusions:
Mandatory: level access from the kitchen-living area to the terrace
House Design
Who designed it:
- Planner from a building company
What do you like most? Why? Terrace access
What do you dislike? Why? Dark entrance area, bedroom next to the main entrance
Price estimate from architect/planner: not yet available
Personal budget for the house, including fittings: 550,000 EUR
Preferred heating technology: air-source heat pump
If you have to give up something, which details or expansions
- You can give up: one double garage
- You cannot give up: terrace access
Why is the design the way it is now? For example
Standard design from the planner? Custom design
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Yes, but these have changed. Currently, a straight open staircase leading down would be interesting to create a visual axis from the front door to the terrace.
H
hanghaus20238 May 2025 17:36I am still not clear on how the garages will be positioned. Is the basement the living area?
philipe schrieb:
We once sketched a straight staircase (quite different) and found it difficult to implement... To be honest, I only like straight staircases if they have enough space in the room to make an impact and are designed in an attractive way.
For our build, we also considered various options, including a straight staircase. In the end, we chose one that fits well into the room, and since it is situated in the middle of the open-plan area, it was important that we really liked it—and we do!
If you like the floor plan shown, I would
philipe schrieb:
Does anyone have other ideas for enabling a view from above onto the terrace? I even briefly thought about a 1x2 meter (3x6.5 feet) glass element in the floor of the upper floor. Which apartment and which room should have the view, and what is the reason for wanting to look onto the terrace? At the moment, it would be the children’s rooms, right? The kids would probably enjoy a glass floor. If you have the financial resources, I would rather invest in enhancing the fittings, for example with terrace roofs, external blinds (raffstores), or air conditioning, since that really improves comfort.
For the parents, depending on the view, I could also imagine a horizontal window band in the bedroom in front of the bed. Currently, it seems a bit shifted. Maybe even move the children’s rooms elsewhere so they are not directly facing south, because children don’t normally spend hours drinking coffee in bed looking out at the greenery—older people tend to do that more.
philipe schrieb:
We don’t like the terraces being directly next to each other 100%, but maybe that could be solved with an outdoor kitchen. Or by increasing the offset between them. If they really are right next to each other (on one plan image I saw the terrace to the west, right?), I would change that. That is better for both sides. You can see and hear each other, but you don’t have to. An outdoor kitchen doesn’t solve that issue. For me, just knowing that someone is sitting right next door (maybe even an unknown visitor) already makes me feel less free. Conversations get quieter... I wouldn’t want that.
With my parents, it was like this: they lived upstairs and their rooftop terrace was directly above ours. Because we had a glass roof, sound (talking to each other) was managed, but the feeling that someone up there could look down wasn’t good—especially when I later had to sell the upper floor. From that moment on, I knew I would move out as soon as possible. But we had a very considerate relationship with my parents, so I dread to think how it might be otherwise. So: I wouldn’t design terraces like that.
I also see many possibilities for window openings and even a seat window with a bay. Have you looked into the effects of controlled residential ventilation systems? We have installed one ourselves for the first time, and I’d prefer fewer openable windows and more fixed glazing on my large windows, since you generally have good air quality inside. Regarding seat windows, we’ve had discussions before. I would also examine the additional costs versus actual use and function carefully to decide whether it is just a nice (and expensive) gimmick.
H
hanghaus20238 May 2025 18:01If you really want the two bay windows, I would suggest implementing them without a bay projection. Bay projections cost unnecessary money and can be problematic if you want to add a roof over the terrace later.
Yes, the plan comes from a house building company that currently has some available capacity, so this draft was created already without height details and a contract.
The positioning of the garages will be tricky; a double garage for the father-in-law is almost a must. I’m also thinking a carport might be needed. I placed the garage there because ideally, a driveway should remain open above on the garden plot. This area is currently outside the zoning plan, so that still needs to be checked.
It’s not about looking out onto the terrace, but more about the fact that when entering the front door at the upper level (sleeping floor, private area), you are directly guided to the living floor below.
A direct line of sight with a straight staircase would be nice for this, but right now I also think that may be impractical and that we don’t have the right floor space for it.
A terrace roof with glass walls is planned at least for the seniors; this would help dampen sound a bit, but yes, the seating arrangement is quite close in the current design, so maybe the offset should be increased?
Regarding the windows, we are also tending to plan a lot of fixed glazing and to avoid some floor-to-ceiling windows. Similarly, the window seats are generally on the cutting list. (We had said at one meeting that those would be quite nice.)
The positioning of the garages will be tricky; a double garage for the father-in-law is almost a must. I’m also thinking a carport might be needed. I placed the garage there because ideally, a driveway should remain open above on the garden plot. This area is currently outside the zoning plan, so that still needs to be checked.
It’s not about looking out onto the terrace, but more about the fact that when entering the front door at the upper level (sleeping floor, private area), you are directly guided to the living floor below.
A direct line of sight with a straight staircase would be nice for this, but right now I also think that may be impractical and that we don’t have the right floor space for it.
A terrace roof with glass walls is planned at least for the seniors; this would help dampen sound a bit, but yes, the seating arrangement is quite close in the current design, so maybe the offset should be increased?
Regarding the windows, we are also tending to plan a lot of fixed glazing and to avoid some floor-to-ceiling windows. Similarly, the window seats are generally on the cutting list. (We had said at one meeting that those would be quite nice.)
H
hanghaus20238 May 2025 18:06I also built with a granny flat for the southwest parents. However, I would only do this if it is actually the southwest parents who will live there.
H
hanghaus20238 May 2025 18:11I can hardly imagine a garage in the living area. However, it is not necessary. It should be placed along the north boundary if the site allows for it.
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