Hello.
I have a plot of land with a slight slope; the height difference from the front to the back is about 1.5m (5 feet).
For cost reasons, I would prefer to forgo a basement and have as much as possible on the ground floor level. The upper floor is intended to be used either by the children or possibly rented out later, depending on what the children decide to do.
I expect that building upwards with an additional upper floor will provide more flexibility than building downwards with a basement, which is usually less pleasant to live in compared to the same area at ground level.
A large double garage will be built on the east boundary. The neighboring property on that side only has frosted bathroom windows, and the owner (a relative) has also agreed to an easement if the garage is somewhat larger.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 814m² (8,761 sq ft)
Slope: approx. 1.5m (5 feet) across the entire area
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio / floor space index: 0.7
Maximum number of floors: 2
Roof style: gable, 30 degrees
Ridge orientation: east to west
Maximum heights / limits: none, the development plan dates from 1980, and various roof and building shapes can be found in this area
Owner Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: definitely no flat roof, no bay windows or dormers
Preferably solid construction (masonry)
Guest toilet on every floor
Basement still undecided, 2 floors possible
Walk-in (level-access) shower preferred, bathtub not necessary
Flexible use for one large or two small families in the future should be possible.
House Design
Based on consultation with a licensed general contractor (GC) from the region
The shell construction will be provided by the contractor, while I will do the interior finishing myself, including electrical work, plumbing, water installations, flooring, interior plastering, etc., as I am a professional. I plan to organize and subcontract the remaining work to experienced local companies.
There is no rush, so the complete interior finishing can take some time.
Preferred heating technology:
District heating connection supplied 100% with renewable energy
Why does the design look the way it does?
The design was created by the architect after consultation based on our ideas.
What do you think of the design? What would you change?
Since the terrain needs to be adjusted and the foundation slab filled to compensate for the slight slope, how much would you estimate the additional cost for a basement? The planner suggests that a basement should be considered with a height difference between 1.5m and 2m (5 to 6.5 feet).
Do you have any other thoughts? Once you commit to a design, it’s easy to become a bit blind to alternatives...
Thank you and best regards!
Contour lines
Aerial image with dimensions and boundaries
Overview of neighboring plots
Ground Floor (GF)
Upper Floor (UF)
Front view
Front view
Rear view
I have a plot of land with a slight slope; the height difference from the front to the back is about 1.5m (5 feet).
For cost reasons, I would prefer to forgo a basement and have as much as possible on the ground floor level. The upper floor is intended to be used either by the children or possibly rented out later, depending on what the children decide to do.
I expect that building upwards with an additional upper floor will provide more flexibility than building downwards with a basement, which is usually less pleasant to live in compared to the same area at ground level.
A large double garage will be built on the east boundary. The neighboring property on that side only has frosted bathroom windows, and the owner (a relative) has also agreed to an easement if the garage is somewhat larger.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 814m² (8,761 sq ft)
Slope: approx. 1.5m (5 feet) across the entire area
Floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4
Plot ratio / floor space index: 0.7
Maximum number of floors: 2
Roof style: gable, 30 degrees
Ridge orientation: east to west
Maximum heights / limits: none, the development plan dates from 1980, and various roof and building shapes can be found in this area
Owner Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: definitely no flat roof, no bay windows or dormers
Preferably solid construction (masonry)
Guest toilet on every floor
Basement still undecided, 2 floors possible
Walk-in (level-access) shower preferred, bathtub not necessary
Flexible use for one large or two small families in the future should be possible.
House Design
Based on consultation with a licensed general contractor (GC) from the region
The shell construction will be provided by the contractor, while I will do the interior finishing myself, including electrical work, plumbing, water installations, flooring, interior plastering, etc., as I am a professional. I plan to organize and subcontract the remaining work to experienced local companies.
There is no rush, so the complete interior finishing can take some time.
Preferred heating technology:
District heating connection supplied 100% with renewable energy
Why does the design look the way it does?
The design was created by the architect after consultation based on our ideas.
What do you think of the design? What would you change?
Since the terrain needs to be adjusted and the foundation slab filled to compensate for the slight slope, how much would you estimate the additional cost for a basement? The planner suggests that a basement should be considered with a height difference between 1.5m and 2m (5 to 6.5 feet).
Do you have any other thoughts? Once you commit to a design, it’s easy to become a bit blind to alternatives...
Thank you and best regards!
Contour lines
Aerial image with dimensions and boundaries
Overview of neighboring plots
Ground Floor (GF)
Upper Floor (UF)
Front view
Front view
Rear view
hm…
First of all, some important information is missing here that we need to properly assess the project.
I don’t see a single-family house, but rather two apartments in a duplex. This does not change even if the kitchen is initially not installed upstairs.
So I don’t see what defines a single-family home.
If you intend from the beginning to build a duplex because the children are already 20 years old, please state that clearly.
We don’t know you, your family, or your requirements.
…
As I said, I currently see no flexibility, just two separate living units.
In my opinion, such a staircase separated from the family living area is a no-go, not just for a young family.
Also, for living in retirement, the lack of clear zoning between public and private spaces — such as the bedroom opening directly into the living area without offering intimacy or privacy — is a no-go for me.
I have seen much more clever solutions when considering separating two levels.
Well, I see a two-story building plus an attic space suitable for conversion plus a double garage.
With a 1.5 slope (1.5 meters (5 feet)), the most cost-effective option is usually a single-story with an expanded attic, or a single-story with a small attic and a basement.
However, it is not clear how the site levels are distributed, so it’s difficult to estimate.
Whether it must be a two-story from the start or can be, is a budget question that unfortunately has not been answered.
First of all, some important information is missing here that we need to properly assess the project.
I don’t see a single-family house, but rather two apartments in a duplex. This does not change even if the kitchen is initially not installed upstairs.
So I don’t see what defines a single-family home.
If you intend from the beginning to build a duplex because the children are already 20 years old, please state that clearly.
We don’t know you, your family, or your requirements.
…
Ralf1980 schrieb:
Flexible use for one large or two small families should be possible for the future.
As I said, I currently see no flexibility, just two separate living units.
In my opinion, such a staircase separated from the family living area is a no-go, not just for a young family.
Also, for living in retirement, the lack of clear zoning between public and private spaces — such as the bedroom opening directly into the living area without offering intimacy or privacy — is a no-go for me.
I have seen much more clever solutions when considering separating two levels.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
For cost reasons, I would like to avoid a basement,
Well, I see a two-story building plus an attic space suitable for conversion plus a double garage.
With a 1.5 slope (1.5 meters (5 feet)), the most cost-effective option is usually a single-story with an expanded attic, or a single-story with a small attic and a basement.
However, it is not clear how the site levels are distributed, so it’s difficult to estimate.
Whether it must be a two-story from the start or can be, is a budget question that unfortunately has not been answered.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
The height difference from front to back is about 1.5m (5 feet).
For cost reasons, I would like to avoid having a basement. I just explained my basement guideline this Tuesday: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundstueck-vorbereiten-fuer-bodenplatte-bei-leichter-hanglage.45997/#post-639138 – what matters is the elevation difference beneath the building footprint.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
And the owner (a relative) also agrees to an easement if it becomes somewhat larger. A tolerance declaration is not sufficient; setback areas must be maintained.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
Maximum height/limits: none, the development plan dates from 1980, At that time, qualified development plans without height restrictions were already rather uncommon.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
hanghaus20231 Sep 2023 13:08ypg schrieb:
However, it is not possible to clearly see how the elevations are distributed across the plot in order to make an assessment.The original poster even provides the contour lines (very commendably).
H
hanghaus20231 Sep 2023 13:25The slope is between 5 and 7%. In my opinion, the basement doesn’t pay off yet.
W
WilderSueden1 Sep 2023 13:29An image showing the building volumes drawn into the elevation profile would be helpful. However, when I put this together for myself, I am not very pleased with the placement. The house is not only positioned far back (long utility lines, 18m (59 feet) driveway...), but also in a depression. Is all of this going to be filled in, and how will the upper boundary of the plot be retained?
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