ᐅ Floor Plan Optimization for a Single-Family House: Gable Entrance and Basement

Dear housebuilding community,

We are just at the very beginning of our housebuilding journey. So far, we have gathered information, visited houses, and mainly thought about the requirements we have for our future home. We have tried to incorporate this in the attached floor plan. Not everything is perfect down to the last detail yet; it is mostly about the basic layout and such. We already own the plot (see photo, north is at the top). The house should be positioned as far northeast as possible.

In the next few weeks, we plan to schedule appointments with various general contractors to get initial assessments and offers, which will help us decide with which company we want to build. We are not under any time pressure since it is a private development area, but we would like to start building by the end of 2025 or early 2026.

I hope it is okay to ask for feedback and criticism at this early stage. We thought the earlier we identify mistakes or add new ideas, the better. If this is not the right place for such questions, I’m happy to accept that feedback and come back better prepared.

We appreciate any feedback!

Below is the questionnaire completed to the best of our knowledge and belief.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 719 m2 (7735 sq ft)
Slope: approx. 60 cm (24 inches) gradient within the building area
Building coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio:
Building area, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 feet) distance on all sides
Boundary construction: Open construction method; boundary garages up to 9 m (30 feet) allowed
Number of parking spaces: -
Number of storeys: Max. 1 full storey
Roof shape: -
Architectural style: -
Orientation: -

Owners’ requirements
Basement: Yes
Roof shape: Gable roof
Architectural style: Country house
Stories: 1 + attic. Preferably with a high knee wall.
Number of people, ages: 2 (28, 27), two children planned
Room needs on ground floor and upper floor: GF (kitchen, dining, living, office, guest bathroom, vestibule). UF: 3 bedrooms, bathroom, laundry room
Office: I work 80% from home
Guest sleepers per year: 2-3 times per year
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Open with double sliding door
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: No
Music/sound system wall: No
Balcony, roof terrace: No
Garage, carport: Carport
Additional wishes/special features: Access to garden from kitchen, vestibule, laundry room on upper floor, shower in guest bathroom, open kitchen with sliding door

House design
Source of the design:

• Do-it-yourself

What do you particularly like? Why?

• Staircase not in the dirty area
• Kitchen can be either open or closed
• Laundry room on upper floor

What do you not like? Why?

• Basement stairs unfortunately not in the vestibule
• Bathroom on upper floor not clearly divided into wet and dry areas

Price estimate according to architect/planner: -
Personal price limit for the house including fixtures: 500k
Preferred heating technology: -

If you have to give up something, which details/extensions:
-can you give up:
-can you not give up:

Why has the design turned out this way?
Based on a standard design of a house with gable entrance as a starting point. Large office that could later also be used as a bedroom with a double bed, vestibule, and laundry room on upper floor planned.

Please show the building boundary and the zoning plan. What is that to the north? Are the three lines an overhead power line? With 16m (52.5 feet), the plot is quite narrow. That limits the use of the 660 m2 (7,100 sq ft).

Here is the site plan. Without a building permit / planning permission, it is difficult to provide proper advice.

The budget is too low for approximately 170m2 (1830 sq ft). Is a basement really planned? If so, you are easily short by 150,000.

If you remove the basement and reduce the size to 130m2 (1400 sq ft), then it might just fit.

Please show the heights within the building envelope and on the property.

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Could you please show the building envelope and the zoning plan? What is that to the north? Are the three lines an overhead power line? With 16m (52.5 feet), the lot is quite narrow. That leaves little space on a 660 m² (7,104 sq ft) lot.

Hi

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Could you please show the building envelope and the zoning plan? What is that to the north? Are the three lines an overhead power line? With 16m (52.5 feet), the lot is quite narrow. That leaves little space on a 660 m² (7,104 sq ft) lot.

Hi & thanks for the quick reply!
The three lines at the top indicate a division into small parcels. These have now all been merged into one lot of 719 m² (7,736 sq ft). There are no power lines or anything similar.

Attached is the current zoning plan from the city. Unfortunately, some property boundaries are still missing here. This is less important for the planning since the house is intended to be placed toward the north. The blue line shows a 3 m (10 feet) setback from the street, where no construction is allowed. A 3 m (10 feet) distance must also be maintained from the neighboring lots, which results in a building envelope 10.36 m (34 feet) wide. So yes, at 16 m (52.5 feet), the lot is definitely rather narrow.

Hope this helps!

Best regards

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Could you please show the heights within the building envelope and on the plot?

Here are the measured heights again: