ᐅ Floor Plan Revision: Tips and Experiences for Improvement?
Created on: 29 Aug 2025 22:16
P
Philip St
Hello,
we had a local construction company prepare a design for our future building project, which we have already revised several times. We would be very grateful for tips or alternative design ideas for the current plan.
We would like an exposed roof truss and would prefer to do without the otherwise very small attic space.
We accepted the steep driveway in order to achieve a better view.
The terrace at the back is currently only accessible through the garden.
Construction is planned for about 8 months from now for various reasons. Two adults, two children (who will then be 13 and 11 years old).
Slightly sloped plot, 670sqm (7,215 sqft).
Development Plan / Restrictions
No development plan / zoning restrictions
Plot size
670sqm (7,215 sqft)
Slope
Yes, visible in the plan
Floor Area Ratio
2 (The builder said otherwise it would look too bulky and we only want two floors)
Number of parking spaces
We need at least two car spaces
Garage large enough for easy entry and exit. Parking in front of the garage must also be possible.
Roof style
Gable roof, staggered shed roof, flexible at this point, preferably with exposed roof truss because the current attic space is very limited
Architectural style
Modern, with lots of wood
Orientation
South
Maximum height / limits
Unknown to me. Neighbor does not accept any setback easement, so we have added greenery on the east side of the patio towards them.
Owners’ Requirements
Number of occupants
Two adults, 40 years old, two children, 11 and 13 years old
Office: Family use or home office?
Office to be usable as a guest room, no home office needed. Still requires a desk and cabinets
Possibly later on the upper floor as the parents’ bedroom, so one child can use the ground floor granny flat. So two separate living units.
Guest bedrooms per year
Very rare visitors
Open or closed architecture
Open, but with retreat options
Conservative or modern construction style
Modern
Open kitchen with cooking island
Seating for 8
Fireplace yes
Balcony currently planned, slightly overhangs the terrace below
Roof terrace on garage
Garage as a large multi-purpose garage with some storage space
Utility garden for ornamental plants, many shrubs, and a hedge at the front for privacy. We would prefer to avoid a shed.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be
We want to take advantage of the view since the plot was expensive.
We are not fully satisfied with the current design, as I explained in the post.
Steep driveway, path from garage to kitchen, after the stairs you face a wall upstairs and don’t have a direct view out of the windows, roof terrace is isolated, no quick garden access from the upper floor to the north terrace
House Design
Who created the plan:
Construction company from our area, one architect prepared the plan
What do you particularly like? Why?
Good use of space inside and outdoors for a small plot
Enough garden area remains
Bright rooms, sleeping downstairs, living upstairs, large dining area, fireplace in living area, possible two living units later, half-landing stairs
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
680k including exterior works
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 700k excluding land
Preferred heating technology: Air heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or features
We are completely flexible
Why is the design like it is?
Standard design from the planner? No, it was individually planned, but largely without us and with little discussion about details, no advice
Attached are images and the site plan.
we had a local construction company prepare a design for our future building project, which we have already revised several times. We would be very grateful for tips or alternative design ideas for the current plan.
We would like an exposed roof truss and would prefer to do without the otherwise very small attic space.
We accepted the steep driveway in order to achieve a better view.
The terrace at the back is currently only accessible through the garden.
Construction is planned for about 8 months from now for various reasons. Two adults, two children (who will then be 13 and 11 years old).
Slightly sloped plot, 670sqm (7,215 sqft).
Development Plan / Restrictions
No development plan / zoning restrictions
Plot size
670sqm (7,215 sqft)
Slope
Yes, visible in the plan
Floor Area Ratio
2 (The builder said otherwise it would look too bulky and we only want two floors)
Number of parking spaces
We need at least two car spaces
Garage large enough for easy entry and exit. Parking in front of the garage must also be possible.
Roof style
Gable roof, staggered shed roof, flexible at this point, preferably with exposed roof truss because the current attic space is very limited
Architectural style
Modern, with lots of wood
Orientation
South
Maximum height / limits
Unknown to me. Neighbor does not accept any setback easement, so we have added greenery on the east side of the patio towards them.
Owners’ Requirements
Number of occupants
Two adults, 40 years old, two children, 11 and 13 years old
Office: Family use or home office?
Office to be usable as a guest room, no home office needed. Still requires a desk and cabinets
Possibly later on the upper floor as the parents’ bedroom, so one child can use the ground floor granny flat. So two separate living units.
Guest bedrooms per year
Very rare visitors
Open or closed architecture
Open, but with retreat options
Conservative or modern construction style
Modern
Open kitchen with cooking island
Seating for 8
Fireplace yes
Balcony currently planned, slightly overhangs the terrace below
Roof terrace on garage
Garage as a large multi-purpose garage with some storage space
Utility garden for ornamental plants, many shrubs, and a hedge at the front for privacy. We would prefer to avoid a shed.
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be
We want to take advantage of the view since the plot was expensive.
We are not fully satisfied with the current design, as I explained in the post.
Steep driveway, path from garage to kitchen, after the stairs you face a wall upstairs and don’t have a direct view out of the windows, roof terrace is isolated, no quick garden access from the upper floor to the north terrace
House Design
Who created the plan:
Construction company from our area, one architect prepared the plan
What do you particularly like? Why?
Good use of space inside and outdoors for a small plot
Enough garden area remains
Bright rooms, sleeping downstairs, living upstairs, large dining area, fireplace in living area, possible two living units later, half-landing stairs
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
680k including exterior works
Personal price limit for the house including fittings: 700k excluding land
Preferred heating technology: Air heat pump
If you had to give up something, which details or features
We are completely flexible
Why is the design like it is?
Standard design from the planner? No, it was individually planned, but largely without us and with little discussion about details, no advice
Attached are images and the site plan.
@Philip St Just a side note. I would carefully consider whether this time constraint might put too much pressure on you and result in a rather average house that you don’t like.
Having enough time and calm for each phase is a helpful factor, as frustration or stress often occur during construction anyway.
I still see you far from having a good design, especially because the plot is not straightforward.
Having enough time and calm for each phase is a helpful factor, as frustration or stress often occur during construction anyway.
I still see you far from having a good design, especially because the plot is not straightforward.
H
hanghaus20232 Sep 2025 17:14In the upper floor, the TV is mounted on the wall facing the parents' bedroom.
H
hanghaus20232 Sep 2025 17:50Here is my draft. I need one more day to fully visualize it.
The garage still needs to be a bit higher because the street has a slope of 4.3%.
The garage still needs to be a bit higher because the street has a slope of 4.3%.
P
Philip St2 Sep 2025 17:56We are very excited and looking forward to the visualization.
Philip St schrieb:
We were advised by someone to possibly rotate the house by 90 degrees.That advice is either complete nonsense or exactly right: it is best to align the house’s main axis parallel to the contour lines of the land, not perpendicular to them (because that would be highly disadvantageous, as it places the elevation difference along the longer side of the house, which increases the height variation—something you want to minimize). If, in this way, a patio door on the uphill side of the house ends up exactly one floor above the front door on the downhill side, matching the terrain height perfectly, then this can exceptionally be a smart move. However, the adjoining garden must then follow the slope of the land. It’s best to visualize this using a wireframe model that faithfully represents the site’s elevation contours.Philip St schrieb:
I also find the partial basement interesting, since it could accommodate even more of our wishes. I assume the costs here would be significantly higher? It would raise the house, and the main floor would be level with a terrace. Can anyone estimate what additional costs might arise? The garage would then be eliminated and moved into that space.The post titled "Partial Basement: The Solution Between Yes and No?" in my basement question series (on “Bauen jetzt”) deals exactly with the classic partial basement question (which I do not see as an open issue here). Your plot has too steep a slope for a floor-based planning approach with the classic “basement” / “ground floor” / “upper floor/attic” layout (this applies where the height difference between uphill and downhill sides nearly equals a full story, ideally around 2.8 / 3.0 meters (9 ft 2 in / 10 ft)). I don’t see that situation here, so you should rather think in terms of a “walkout lower level” and an “uphill floor”. You automatically have a partial basement here because only one section of the lower level on the uphill side is basement, while the downhill part contains living spaces. In a classic partial basement (where the basement footprint is smaller than the full floor above—though that is not your case), the cost would be roughly 70% of a full basement for about 50% of the area. A (especially double or double-plus) garage is a large blocky element that generally does not integrate economically well. A double garage alone takes about 35+ square meters (380+ square feet), roughly half of a standard full floor, and requires a prominent “showcase” location, leaving little room on the rest of the lower level for mechanical rooms except in awkward small corners. In other words, integrating the garage seriously hampers a functional mixed-use lower level. Again: “forget about the door between the spaces—the door is useless, I got it out of a gumball machine!” (loosely paraphrasing Mel Brooks in “Spaceballs”). Let the cars park outside rather than destroying the house’s floor plan!Arauki11 schrieb:
@Philip St Just as a side note. I would carefully check whether this strict timeline puts too much pressure on you and results in an average house that you don’t really like at the end. Time and calm during each phase are crucial; frustration and stress are common during building anyway. I still see you far from a good design, especially because the site is not straightforward.Absolutely. The “resting phase” between planning stages 2 and 3 is the most important planning phase of all. It’s almost even more important than not skipping stage 5.1. Approve the garage connection/integration for demolition, i.e., prioritize it as “Priority 999”;
2. Distribute the room program “terrain-smart” and align the house axis with the contour lines—probably roughly parallel to the street here;
3. I see a children’s granny flat either in the walkout lower level or not at all. Regarding “senior living,” you can also find two posts from me on that topic.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
hanghaus20233 Sep 2025 09:15The visualization only makes sense if you can view it on a screen. I create the slope visualization just for myself to better understand how the plan can be implemented on the existing terrain. The complete visualization is done only after the planning is finished. If something like this is desired in advance, I can gladly prepare it. In which area of BY are you planning to build?
Similar topics