ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for New Construction, Single-Family House with Two Full Stories and No Basement on a Slope
Created on: 11 Aug 2021 15:27
S
Steiran
Dear forum community,
just newly registered after months of reading and I would already appreciate your feedback. We have signed the contract for a new single-family house in northern Hesse and have had preliminary floor plans created based on our ideas.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 578m² (6,225 sq ft)
Slope: 3m (10 ft) height difference sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building zone, building line, and boundary: all according to HBO
Number of stories: 2 full floors
Maximum average ridge height: 10.0m (33 ft)
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: hipped roof
Basement: no
Stories: 2 full floors
Number of occupants: 2 adults mid/late 30s, 2 children “in planning”
Space requirements on ground floor: living, dining, kitchen, study, utility room, guest toilet; upper floor: adult bedroom, child 1 + 2, bathroom, possibly hobby/storage room.
Office: used by one adult
Overnight guests per year = few
Open kitchen: yes
Number of dining seats: 6 – 8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony: yes
Carport: yes
House design
Who designed it:
- Ideas DIY, plan by prefab house provider
What do we like most? dining table in the bay window overlooking the garden
What do we dislike? hallway on the ground floor is very long (?), little storage space
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €390,000 (KFW40+ house)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €450,000
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
Why is the design like it is now?
Our ideas were:
- open living/dining area with open kitchen
- lots of light in the living/dining area with large sliding door to the garden
- guest toilet including shower
- adult bedroom with 3.30m (11 ft) wall for our wardrobe, which we would like to keep
- access to balcony from adult bedroom
- no adjoining walls between adult bedroom and children’s rooms
- shower/toilet plumbing not running in a wall adjacent to a bedroom
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We would appreciate any general suggestions/ideas/criticism to improve the floor plan.
The final architect meeting with the prefab house provider is scheduled for December. Until then, we would like to make good use of the time and contribute ideas if useful.
The idea is to position the house in the northeast corner of the plot with a 3m (10 ft) distance to the property boundary so that the garden faces southwest. Due to the slope, there is a beautiful view southwest over the village to the church. To the west is a horse farm, so not the nearest house either.
Best regards,
Steffi
just newly registered after months of reading and I would already appreciate your feedback. We have signed the contract for a new single-family house in northern Hesse and have had preliminary floor plans created based on our ideas.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 578m² (6,225 sq ft)
Slope: 3m (10 ft) height difference sloping from north to south
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.8
Building zone, building line, and boundary: all according to HBO
Number of stories: 2 full floors
Maximum average ridge height: 10.0m (33 ft)
Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: hipped roof
Basement: no
Stories: 2 full floors
Number of occupants: 2 adults mid/late 30s, 2 children “in planning”
Space requirements on ground floor: living, dining, kitchen, study, utility room, guest toilet; upper floor: adult bedroom, child 1 + 2, bathroom, possibly hobby/storage room.
Office: used by one adult
Overnight guests per year = few
Open kitchen: yes
Number of dining seats: 6 – 8
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Balcony: yes
Carport: yes
House design
Who designed it:
- Ideas DIY, plan by prefab house provider
What do we like most? dining table in the bay window overlooking the garden
What do we dislike? hallway on the ground floor is very long (?), little storage space
Price estimate according to architect/planner: €390,000 (KFW40+ house)
Personal budget limit for house including fittings: €450,000
Preferred heating technology: air-to-water heat pump
Why is the design like it is now?
Our ideas were:
- open living/dining area with open kitchen
- lots of light in the living/dining area with large sliding door to the garden
- guest toilet including shower
- adult bedroom with 3.30m (11 ft) wall for our wardrobe, which we would like to keep
- access to balcony from adult bedroom
- no adjoining walls between adult bedroom and children’s rooms
- shower/toilet plumbing not running in a wall adjacent to a bedroom
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?
We would appreciate any general suggestions/ideas/criticism to improve the floor plan.
The final architect meeting with the prefab house provider is scheduled for December. Until then, we would like to make good use of the time and contribute ideas if useful.
The idea is to position the house in the northeast corner of the plot with a 3m (10 ft) distance to the property boundary so that the garden faces southwest. Due to the slope, there is a beautiful view southwest over the village to the church. To the west is a horse farm, so not the nearest house either.
Best regards,
Steffi
For me, it remains crazy to place this "cabin" on the slope. Here, you can hardly call it “into the slope.”
Those are the cons (for you), and what about the pros?
At least the extra costs would get you storage space (square meters) instead of retaining walls...
I’ll throw in split-level design!
Regarding the floor plan:
I only see dimensions of windows/walls, but not of the rooms.
Otherwise, I don’t see any major blunders...
Steiran schrieb:
We ruled out the alternative of entering the house through the upper floor and building the lower floor into the slope for several reasons. 1. About half of the rooms on the lower floor would have no natural light, as they would be built into the slope. 2. You would have to go up the stairs to the ground floor after entering the house to reach the kitchen/living areas. 3. The ground floor could not have been built using a timber frame structure. The exterior walls would have had to be 17cm (7 inches) thicker each. That would have reduced living space and increased costs again.
Those are the cons (for you), and what about the pros?
At least the extra costs would get you storage space (square meters) instead of retaining walls...
I’ll throw in split-level design!
Regarding the floor plan:
I only see dimensions of windows/walls, but not of the rooms.
- The ground floor hallway needs light. Front door with glass panel, fixed glazed side panel, glass door to living room
- Dining table should be moved slightly closer to the living area
- You’ve already installed the “I look at the slope” window 😀
- Bathroom on the upper floor: I would switch the bathtub and washbasin positions
- Due to too many windows and awkward door placements, no closet space...
- What is the balcony for? Morning cigarette? Shaking out carpets? I explicitly read the desire for a balcony. Sunbathing as long as there are no children?
Otherwise, I don’t see any major blunders...
driver55 schrieb:
Let me bring up split-level! Yes, a split-level would probably fit the plot perfectly here. It nicely opens the rooms towards the south and west... but if the future homeowners only know a standard town villa and the builder doesn’t consider other options... I can also imagine that they might not even be capable of building a split-level.
driver55 schrieb:
You’ve also already installed the “I look at the slope from the window” feature 😀 I had to smile a bit too. It reminds me of the apartment dweller mindset: looking is more important than experiencing.
Regarding the floor plan:
I don’t see the dining area as integrated. It feels like an add-on and like a second balcony that has been glazed in. I also don’t like the kitchen; it seems closed off and the access is on the opposite end of the house.
The dining area is placed in front of the sliding door and needs to be moved into the room.
The staircase has already been mentioned; it seems to meet only the minimum dimensions. It doesn’t offer comfort.
The door underneath should open towards the entrance door.
I like the cloakroom and the office.
Is the door from the utility room to the garage meant to provide a connection? That could cause installation problems, since no one will be responsible for the connection.
The upper floor is okay.
H
hanghaus200012 Aug 2021 13:32Since the contract for the timber frame house has been signed, the matter is probably settled. The city villa will be built.
Is there a site plan showing the house and land elevations? This is usually the first plan drawn up for a hillside house.
What is the reference elevation for the building height according to the development plan / zoning regulations?
Is there a site plan showing the house and land elevations? This is usually the first plan drawn up for a hillside house.
What is the reference elevation for the building height according to the development plan / zoning regulations?
I find the floor plan acceptable, and considering the description of the plot (southwest-facing view, horse paddock to the west), the rooms on the ground floor are well arranged. The upper floor could be mirrored, as the children’s rooms would likely benefit more from a west/southwest orientation than the master bedroom. Additionally, the bathroom would then be located above the utility room.
Generally, I’m not a fan of bay windows or hipped roofs... purely subjective, but I find both outdated. Therefore, I would extend the ground floor by the bay window’s depth (to 13m (43 feet)) and possibly narrow the house to 9m (30 feet) in width (which also has the advantage of reducing the slope across the house’s width). The upper floor could remain as is (mirrored), resulting in a great balcony for the children. Due to my preference against hipped roofs, I would redesign the bathroom to accommodate a gable roof with a medium-height knee wall (possibly with an exposed roof structure). This would make the house appear less bulky. It might also be worth considering extending the roof slightly over the children’s balcony.
Regarding the slope: if the west side is designed with minimal slope, the area south of the house could be terraced and largely left unused. On the west side, there could be a terrace directly accessible from the open-plan living area, with an adjoining flat garden area. The ground floor layout would generally allow the house to be set half a level lower, which in my opinion would significantly improve access to the plot and garden. Unfortunately, there are two issues with this:
1. The ground floor would then be partly underground and would need to be constructed accordingly (i.e., not a timber frame). Technically, this is possible, but the question is whether the prefabricated home company would agree to this.
2. The street level would then be higher than the entrance. While this might still be acceptable here, it needs to be carefully planned.
If possible, you should definitely find out what your southern neighbor is planning. The more modest and considerate their build, the flatter your design can be.
Generally, I’m not a fan of bay windows or hipped roofs... purely subjective, but I find both outdated. Therefore, I would extend the ground floor by the bay window’s depth (to 13m (43 feet)) and possibly narrow the house to 9m (30 feet) in width (which also has the advantage of reducing the slope across the house’s width). The upper floor could remain as is (mirrored), resulting in a great balcony for the children. Due to my preference against hipped roofs, I would redesign the bathroom to accommodate a gable roof with a medium-height knee wall (possibly with an exposed roof structure). This would make the house appear less bulky. It might also be worth considering extending the roof slightly over the children’s balcony.
Regarding the slope: if the west side is designed with minimal slope, the area south of the house could be terraced and largely left unused. On the west side, there could be a terrace directly accessible from the open-plan living area, with an adjoining flat garden area. The ground floor layout would generally allow the house to be set half a level lower, which in my opinion would significantly improve access to the plot and garden. Unfortunately, there are two issues with this:
1. The ground floor would then be partly underground and would need to be constructed accordingly (i.e., not a timber frame). Technically, this is possible, but the question is whether the prefabricated home company would agree to this.
2. The street level would then be higher than the entrance. While this might still be acceptable here, it needs to be carefully planned.
If possible, you should definitely find out what your southern neighbor is planning. The more modest and considerate their build, the flatter your design can be.
H
hanghaus200012 Aug 2021 14:02This is how I imagine it on the plot.
Is north at the top as I assumed?
What is the exact slope?
Where does the street elevation come from?
What does the zoning plan say about retaining walls and terrain modifications?
Is north at the top as I assumed?
What is the exact slope?
Where does the street elevation come from?
What does the zoning plan say about retaining walls and terrain modifications?
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