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
H
hanghaus20231 Sep 2023 13:34@WilderSueden that can definitely be helped.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Here, the original poster even provides the contour lines (which is very helpful).ypg schrieb:
However, it’s still not entirely clear how the elevations are distributed across the plot,My concern is the exact distribution. But we, or rather I, can also put the slope issue aside. It doesn’t change the fact that we are discussing a two-family house here.
Hello.
First of all, thank you for your comments.
I will try to describe the situation a bit more and answer the questions:
1. We have two children (12 and 14) and currently live in my parents’ house, where we renovated the upper floor ourselves. Everything is fine there so far. We basically have everything we need, but it is not barrier-free; there are steps and stairs everywhere. However, we don’t have any active loans.
Then I inherited this building plot and have also saved some money that I would like to invest in a house before inflation reduces its value.
Whether I will move in there in old age, or one of my children, or none of us because of their future careers is still unknown.
Therefore, I am looking for flexible use. A larger family could use both housing units, or two smaller families could live in the house.
The attic can initially be used as storage space, or later one or two rooms could be added there. I am still considering how to design the staircase to the attic (pull-down ladder vs. proper staircase in the stairwell).
2. I have also thought about moving the garage further forward in favor of a longer driveway (see picture), which would make the driveway 4m (13 feet) shorter. Whether I need to provide parking spaces on the driveway is still unknown, but it would work with both versions.
3. I have also considered giving a room on the upper floor two doors so that it can be used by both housing units as needed, see sketch, I edited the picture accordingly myself.
4. Since the plot is narrower at the front than at the back, I have pushed the house and garage further back, also because of the garden on the south side.
Since there is no urgent need, it is difficult to know exactly how it should turn out.
But I definitely want the first housing unit to have everything on one level. Then there is the option to add a basement or a second floor, and I expect the second floor to offer better use at probably the same cost.
Best regards
Ralf
First of all, thank you for your comments.
I will try to describe the situation a bit more and answer the questions:
1. We have two children (12 and 14) and currently live in my parents’ house, where we renovated the upper floor ourselves. Everything is fine there so far. We basically have everything we need, but it is not barrier-free; there are steps and stairs everywhere. However, we don’t have any active loans.
Then I inherited this building plot and have also saved some money that I would like to invest in a house before inflation reduces its value.
Whether I will move in there in old age, or one of my children, or none of us because of their future careers is still unknown.
Therefore, I am looking for flexible use. A larger family could use both housing units, or two smaller families could live in the house.
The attic can initially be used as storage space, or later one or two rooms could be added there. I am still considering how to design the staircase to the attic (pull-down ladder vs. proper staircase in the stairwell).
2. I have also thought about moving the garage further forward in favor of a longer driveway (see picture), which would make the driveway 4m (13 feet) shorter. Whether I need to provide parking spaces on the driveway is still unknown, but it would work with both versions.
3. I have also considered giving a room on the upper floor two doors so that it can be used by both housing units as needed, see sketch, I edited the picture accordingly myself.
4. Since the plot is narrower at the front than at the back, I have pushed the house and garage further back, also because of the garden on the south side.
Since there is no urgent need, it is difficult to know exactly how it should turn out.
But I definitely want the first housing unit to have everything on one level. Then there is the option to add a basement or a second floor, and I expect the second floor to offer better use at probably the same cost.
Best regards
Ralf
W
WilderSueden2 Sep 2023 08:41Ralf1980 schrieb:
Since there is no urgent need, it’s difficult to know exactly what it should be like. With that requirement, you can only build something that is neither fish nor fowl.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
Then I inherited this building plot and have already saved some money that I would like to invest in a house before inflation eats up the money. You have a hammer (the plot of land) and now only see the nail to build something there. Money can also be invested elsewhere. Or you go all in and build a house purely for rental purposes, if that makes sense in the area.
Your children probably won’t live in the house for more than five years. In your early 40s, a few steps might sometimes be annoying, but that’s no reason to build a different house.
@WilderSueden is right. This way, it ends up being neither one thing nor the other. You need to decide whether you want a two-family house or a single-family house. At the moment, you have a suboptimal two-family house that might, with many compromises, be used as a single-family house for a family with teenage children.
Ralf1980 schrieb:
Since there is no urgent need, it’s difficult to know exactly how it should be. You first need to consider whether you are building for yourself or as an investment property and then plan accordingly. Of course, it is possible to build an accessible apartment and use it later yourself.
However, two apartments are not enough for two families. Even for a large family, the design shows a significant barrier, namely the staircase and the separation of rooms.
If there is no urgent need on your side and currently no requirement for accessible living, then perhaps an investment property with two apartments—where realistically two small families can live, or you can live in the accessible unit below later—is the solution. In that case, there should be no communal area allowing one party to access the other. This assumes there is demand for apartments in your area and potential tenants from a planning perspective.
Similar topics