ᐅ Single-family house floor plan on a slightly sloped plot, approximately 175 m²

Hello,

we are a family of four and are planning our first own house.
We are completely new to this and hope to avoid some pitfalls or at least get some useful warnings here in the forum before making mistakes.

This is my first post here – please be patient if I have forgotten important details for you and I will try to add anything missing.
Hopefully, most questions can be answered from the questionnaire.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 439m² (according to development plan – residential area not fully serviced yet, plot not surveyed. Front approx. 13m (43 feet) wide, widening to 17m (56 feet) after a curve, approx. 27m (89 feet) long)
Slope: Gentle north-facing slope, plot rises about 2.5m (8 feet) towards the south
Site coverage ratio: 0.3
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundaries: See development plan excerpt. 3m (10 feet) setback from road, otherwise according to BayBO (Bavarian building code). Carports/garages may also be built outside the building boundaries (not at the rear)
Edge development: Fill or similar up to a maximum of 2m (6.5 feet) above traffic surface
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors allowed: 2 full stories permitted
Roof style: Any allowed
Style: Detached or semi-detached house allowed
Orientation: As far as I can tell, we may choose the access road
Maximum heights/limits: Wall height 6.5m (21 feet) (“reference point is the respective topographically highest point at the public traffic area within the street facade length in front of the middle of the main building”). Ridge height 12m (39 feet).
Further regulations: The development plan feels very detailed, I don’t know what else might be relevant but can look it up. I believe I’m not allowed to share a link?!

Homeowners’ Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: We want a single-family house for a family of four with dogs. Preferably with a cozy garden.
Basement and floors: Due to the slope and a need for plenty of (storage) space, we considered a basement (facing north and partially above ground), plus 2 full floors. Knee wall (kniestock) 1.6–1.8m (5–6 feet) if possible. Preferred roof type is gable roof, currently planned with a 25° pitch.
Number of occupants, age: 2 adults, 2 children (5 and 6 years old), and 3 dogs
Space requirements on ground and upper floor: Our current ideas:
- Ground floor: open kitchen-living-dining area, guest toilet, pantry. Preferably a generous hallway/entrance area with room for arriving and storage.
- Upper floor: 2 children’s rooms, bright and spacious, children’s bathroom (with shower), master area with bedroom/walk-in closet/master bathroom (shower and bathtub).
- Basement: utility/technical room, storage, office, guest room. If possible, office and guest room with as large windows as possible facing downhill; the basement should protrude about 1–1.5m (3–5 feet) from the ground (facing north/towards the service road).
Office: Family use or home office? Office room with home office for 1 person.
Guests per year: 8–10 times per year, usually 2–4 guests for several days each
Open or closed architecture: Preferably as open and bright as possible
Conservative or modern construction: Normal?
Open kitchen, island: Kitchen preferably open, cooking island optional (or flush with wall for more countertop space), pantry desired
Number of dining seats: 4–10, often have guests for meals
Fireplace: No
Music/audio wall: “Regular TV/music family living room” with no special acoustic requirements
Balcony, roof terrace: Rather not – garden terrace is sufficient
Garage, carport: No garage needed, a carport with storage space for 1 car (+ space for garden tools and bikes, possibly with preparation for electric car charging) would be great
Utility garden, greenhouse: No
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why certain things are desired or not:
- We want our own space with lots of light and room for everyone, including places to retreat and to work. The living-dining area with a large dining table should be the heart of family life.
- Originally, we wished for a “two-story gable bay window” (according to the catalog) to brighten the dining area and also enhance the exterior appeal. Financially, this is questionable (~€30,000 approx. cost, not yet included). Maybe a large seating window next to the dining area instead?
- We would like to modify the shown floor plans as follows (see hand-drawn sketches): In the basement, largest possible windows (light wells or shafts possible?) and 2 rooms as a living basement. On the ground floor, entrance from the east side, large hallway, pantry. On the upper floor, the children’s rooms should face south, the master area north. Generally, as many large windows as possible, especially in living spaces.
- We would like the carport including the shed described above to be located eastwards up to the plot boundary, preferably the full possible 9m (30 feet) length and as wide as possible when the house is sited as close as possible to the road on the west side. However, with the front door on the ground floor, the driveway to the carport would slope upward. The carport should also provide the canopy over the front door.

House Design
Who created the design: By us based on the “Evolution139” by Bien-Zenker plus “grid extensions”. Exterior dimensions based on current calculation 9.41m + 11.92m (31 feet + 39 feet).
What do you particularly like? Why? Open living area: living room is open but without a direct line of sight to the kitchen, large children’s rooms
What do you dislike? Why?
- We are unsure about the best layout for the entrance area including wardrobe/guest toilet/pantry. Should the hallway’s access to the living area be aligned with the front door or the stairs?
- As currently planned in our heads, only the guest toilet and master bathroom are stacked vertically. Children’s bathroom and utility room are in different areas – will this work?
Price estimate from architect/planner: House with grid extensions including basement (not a living basement), turnkey (KfW 40+ or NH40 standard): €520,000
Personal budget limit for the house including equipment: €600,000
Preferred heating system: Air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating.

If you had to give up, on which details or upgrades
-you could give up:
-you cannot give up: Light, open living-dining area

Why is the design the way it is now?
We have a “pre-contract with price guarantee” with Bien-Zenker. After being allocated a plot by the municipality, we chose a house from the “Evolution” series that fits the plot dimensions. The internal layout should be “freely changeable,” or we could possibly choose another house from this series. Staircase shape and position should also be adjustable.
The floor plan screenshots come from the catalog or a preliminary plan from the seller. The hand-drawn floor plans reflect our ideas for the layout and the plot arrangement. I haven’t added windows yet.
With our ideas/wishes (and hopefully input/tips from you) the next step is the architect. Our architect so far does not seem to want to be very creative – if we give him a finished plan, he will probably just use it?! Hence, beforehand we ask for your opinions.

What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
- Does the plot layout make sense? Are there better alternatives?
- Are the carport and driveway feasible (incline? space by front door?)
- Can the bathrooms be located as per the sketches?
- Is a living basement financially possible?
- How much space is needed for light wells in front of basement windows?
- Ideas for floor plan variations or obvious mistakes?
- Obvious cost-saving potential?

Thanks in advance and have a sunny day!

Roland

Edit: The development plan excerpts are oriented north on top, south at bottom.

Then please tell us the zoning plan so that it can be found online.

Especially on a slope, you should know everything that is included.

Are you sure the driveway is allowed there? There is a tree shown in the zoning plan.

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Then please tell us the development plan so we can find it online.

Especially on a slope, you should know everything that’s included.

Are you sure the driveway is allowed there? There’s a tree marked in the development plan.

This is about the new residential area "Bickelsgraben" in the municipality of Rimpar. The plan can be found on the "Projects" page. Is that enough? I’m not sure how precise one needs to be here ;-)

The trees shown in the plan are just examples. We need to plant one, but I believe the location doesn’t matter.

For the opening post, you get a "like" from me, as you have done everything very exemplary: placing the questionnaire at the beginning and filling it out thoroughly, and by now also responsibly mentioning the development plan without a link. Clear hand drawings instead of a flashy 3D cluttered image — so far, excellent!

Less commendable (dear readers, please DO NOT follow this point!) is the tying-in with the preliminary contract. On the other hand, I think it’s a good idea to use a catalog home as the planning basis (however, I have not yet been able to identify which version was the base model here). What do the interior walls in blue and gray signify? The grid with expansions probably refers to steps of 62.5cm (25 inches); what were the original dimensions?

In the development plan excerpt, it is visible that the property lies on a knick line, so different regulations probably apply to the southern neighbors. The data there suggests a north-south slope of 80cm (31.5 inches) total and a cross slope of 5cm (2 inches) per 5m (16 feet). However, I do not follow the indication of 2.5m (8 feet 2 inches) in this context — this is also a crucial factor ("game changer") regarding the basement regulations.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

For the opening post, you’ve earned a “Like” from me. You did everything very correctly: starting with the questionnaire, which was well completed, and since then also properly referencing the site development plan (without a link), clear hand sketches instead of flashy 3D clutter. Overall, excellent!

Thanks – you want to get something out of it, not just be criticized for formal mistakes ;-)
Besides, I follow the rules when I’m a guest.

Less commendable (dear readers, please DO NOT copy this point!) is the commitment with the preliminary contract. What I do like, however, is using a catalog house as the basis for planning (although I haven’t yet identified which version the base model was in this case). What do the interior walls in blue and gray mean? I assume the expansion grid refers to increments of 62.5cm (25 inches), but what were the original dimensions?

Yes, about the preliminary contract... We hardly got started and have already done and sold quite a bit, which we’d rather count as mistakes. But it is what it is now, and I hope they’ll build us a nice house 🙂

The original house is the “Evolution139,” with original dimensions of 8.17 x 10.67m (27 x 35 feet).
The grid extensions were told to be the most cost-effective way to enlarge the footprint, cheaper than, for example, a bay window…

The currently planned dimensions are 9.41 x 11.92m (31 x 39 feet). These are also the basis for the price calculation.

Edit: I don’t know why the walls in the “nice” plans have different colors. In my sketches, I probably just pressed harder in some places...

In the site development plan excerpt, it can be seen that the property lies on a boundary line (“Knödellinie”), so different regulations likely apply for the southern neighbors. The data there suggest a north-south slope of 80cm (31.5 inches) total and a transverse slope of 5cm (2 inches) per 5m (16 feet), but I don’t understand the indication of 2.5m (8 feet) fully—this is also a crucial factor (“gamechanger”) concerning the basement regulations.

On the mentioned page, besides the site development plan there is also the civil engineering plan, from which I read the height data (yellow wavy line?). But otherwise, I don’t read building plans... 😉

I also find the foundations exemplary.

A small suggestion for improvement: always orient all plans uniformly to the north.