ᐅ Single-family house floor plan on a slightly sloped plot, approximately 175 m²
Created on: 14 Feb 2023 13:53
U
Unnerfranggn
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.
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.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Are there any pictures of the plot?There are pictures on the municipality’s website showing some cute little machinery labeled "Komatsu" and man- to shoulder-high openings in the ground leading into the sewer system; the latest blog entry from today reads: The company Pfeuffer resumed work on the BG Bickelsgraben site yesterday, Monday. Due to current weather and ground conditions, it is not possible to work on the unpaved areas, so the pipeline construction will be advanced in the area of the road below the fire station up to the junction with Estenfelder Street.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
U
Unnerfranggn14 Feb 2023 21:38Good evening and thank you very much for all the responses so far. I’m trying to sort everything out a bit...
Thanks for the feedback on the floor plan itself. I think the simple house shape and the tidy staircase on the side do actually create something useful/unpretentious... I sometimes just worry a bit about "too much space" in the dining area or it feeling too narrow and elongated.
@hanghaus2023 and @11ant
The hillside location does seem more interesting than I had hoped. I took another look at this civil engineering plan and I honestly can’t imagine the municipality wanting to “reverse” the slope conditions... That would mean a huge drop edge somewhere in the valley, right? Also, houses south of the Knödel line are only allowed to be lower than those to the north (at least in that rabbit hutch in the middle of the development) — so reversing the slope wouldn’t make any sense at all, would it?
Could it be that those pink numbers mean filling on top of the existing elevation to smooth out waves in the slope? If you read it like that, we’d only have about 25cm (10 inches) less incline within the property and the same slope direction?
Regarding the basement, I can only quote the cost estimate:
Basement with 250cm (8 ft 2 in) structural height and interior walls according to plan, including 4 basement windows 90x75cm (36x30 inches) 80,383
including efficiency house 40 and 40+ insulation package (20cm (8 inches) perimeter insulation on the exterior walls) and
12cm (5 inches) below the basement slab, including waterproofing of exterior walls against occasional pressurized water
--> What else should I expect besides larger windows if I want to live/work down there?
There isn’t a photo of the plot itself yet for the reasons mentioned, but several photos on the website described give an impression of the slope. Filling that in elsewhere would also create a really big hole... But nowadays, nothing surprises me anymore... honestly — if they really reverse the slope, I’d suddenly be almost at the top — I wouldn’t mind ;-))
I will still add my own photo of the hillside... The plot is uphill along the road that runs away. Left = north, straight ahead = east.
Where do I clarify this? District office or municipality?
@hanse987
With a 17m (56 ft) wide plot, the idea would be to set about 3m (10 ft) building setback to the west, then the 9.41m (31 ft) house width, and the remainder (~4.5m (15 ft)) would be available for the carport. That should pretty much work out? Thanks for the dimensions, I had little sense of those... The second parking space is officially supposed to be on the driveway. Our car has been an only child for the past 15 years — probably will stay that way. I commute by bike ;-)
Thank you very much so far!
Thanks for the feedback on the floor plan itself. I think the simple house shape and the tidy staircase on the side do actually create something useful/unpretentious... I sometimes just worry a bit about "too much space" in the dining area or it feeling too narrow and elongated.
@hanghaus2023 and @11ant
The hillside location does seem more interesting than I had hoped. I took another look at this civil engineering plan and I honestly can’t imagine the municipality wanting to “reverse” the slope conditions... That would mean a huge drop edge somewhere in the valley, right? Also, houses south of the Knödel line are only allowed to be lower than those to the north (at least in that rabbit hutch in the middle of the development) — so reversing the slope wouldn’t make any sense at all, would it?
Could it be that those pink numbers mean filling on top of the existing elevation to smooth out waves in the slope? If you read it like that, we’d only have about 25cm (10 inches) less incline within the property and the same slope direction?
Regarding the basement, I can only quote the cost estimate:
Basement with 250cm (8 ft 2 in) structural height and interior walls according to plan, including 4 basement windows 90x75cm (36x30 inches) 80,383
including efficiency house 40 and 40+ insulation package (20cm (8 inches) perimeter insulation on the exterior walls) and
12cm (5 inches) below the basement slab, including waterproofing of exterior walls against occasional pressurized water
--> What else should I expect besides larger windows if I want to live/work down there?
There isn’t a photo of the plot itself yet for the reasons mentioned, but several photos on the website described give an impression of the slope. Filling that in elsewhere would also create a really big hole... But nowadays, nothing surprises me anymore... honestly — if they really reverse the slope, I’d suddenly be almost at the top — I wouldn’t mind ;-))
I will still add my own photo of the hillside... The plot is uphill along the road that runs away. Left = north, straight ahead = east.
Where do I clarify this? District office or municipality?
@hanse987
With a 17m (56 ft) wide plot, the idea would be to set about 3m (10 ft) building setback to the west, then the 9.41m (31 ft) house width, and the remainder (~4.5m (15 ft)) would be available for the carport. That should pretty much work out? Thanks for the dimensions, I had little sense of those... The second parking space is officially supposed to be on the driveway. Our car has been an only child for the past 15 years — probably will stay that way. I commute by bike ;-)
Thank you very much so far!
Unnerfranggn schrieb:
The second parking space is supposed to be officially on the driveway. Is that allowed? Because then the carport space would be blocked in, which is usually not permitted.
Due to time constraints, I only looked at the design pictures of the model house in the initial post and immediately thought: open-plan living area around the corner, children’s rooms facing south, and definitely no bathrooms above the living space (the latter to avoid long plumbing runs).
I think your basic ideas are good, with hardly anything questionable in the sketch.
One point: the freezer in the basement could possibly be placed in the southwest instead. If access is from the west, the utility run would be shorter and cheaper.
Did I overlook the target budget?
Unnerfranggn schrieb:
The hillside location actually seems more interesting than I expected. I looked at this site excavation plan again and honestly, I can’t imagine the municipality wants to “reverse” the slope conditions... That would mean a huge retaining wall or cliff somewhere down in the valley, right? Also, houses south of the Knödel line are only allowed to be built lower than those north of it (at least in that confined lot in the middle of the development) – so a slope reversal wouldn’t make any sense here, would it?
Could it be that these pink numbers represent fill material added on the existing elevation profile to smooth out any waves in the slope? If that’s the case, we would have only about 25cm (10 inches) less gradient within the property, maintaining the same downward slope direction? I think your interpretation is also a plausible explanation. However, a slope reversal might indeed be possible: while very unusual, the increased focus on flood and heavy rain disasters has shifted the assumed risk assessments on these planning maps, and rainwater retention appears to be a high-priority issue in this development area. South of the Knödel line, the difference compared to your lot is that you are allowed to build a two-story house of the “city villa” type, while neighbors are allowed a two-story house of the one-and-a-half story category (however with a full upper floor in the attic). So, ground floor plus OG for you, but ground floor plus DG for them. The elevations are otherwise equal, and the reference point is always the street.
Unnerfranggn schrieb:
I will add my own photo of the hillside as well... The lot is uphill along the diverging street. Left = north, straight ahead = east. Mark your location and viewing direction directly on the plan. When was the photo taken? (The terrain still looks untouched there).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Unnerfranggn schrieb:
Basement with 250 cm (98 inches) raw construction heightFrom the 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) raw construction height, you still have to subtract the floor structure. You will probably end up with a clear height between 2.3 and 2.35 m (7 ft 7 in and 7 ft 9 in). Personally, I would find that too low. Otherwise, you need to check the construction specifications to see the standard of equipment for the basement (heating, electrical, etc.).As mentioned before, two parking spaces arranged one behind the other (tandem parking) are often not counted as two separate parking spaces since both cannot be accessed independently.
At first glance, I think the approach is very good. However, I have not yet checked whether the dimensions on the plot are sufficient.
What would bother me is having the front door under the carport. Since space there will be very tight, your car will probably always be in the way. If that’s the case, I would consider swapping the pantry and the front door.
Having the children's bathroom above the living room raises the question of where the wastewater will go. For that, I would want to have a clear solution during the initial planning phase.
In your sketch, I would probably give the living/dining area a bit more depth.
What would bother me is having the front door under the carport. Since space there will be very tight, your car will probably always be in the way. If that’s the case, I would consider swapping the pantry and the front door.
Having the children's bathroom above the living room raises the question of where the wastewater will go. For that, I would want to have a clear solution during the initial planning phase.
In your sketch, I would probably give the living/dining area a bit more depth.
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