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.
P
Philip St30 Aug 2025 18:4311ant schrieb:
"Better halves" are not always necessarily wiser. Over a dozen years with half a kilometer (0.3 miles) of walking between the garage and the house (no envy, it’s not the same property), I can count on one hand how many times I’ve gotten wet on that path.
I roughly sketched how I would position the buildings. Next to the garage, I left space for trash bins and otherwise relocated the garage with the same footprint. I extended the house by one meter (3 feet) in floor area and kept it in the same position by aligning the lower-left corner for easier comparison. If widened by one and a half meters (5 feet), the floor area would remain the same while saving a full meter (3 feet) of length, which would result in a 20 cm (8 inches) height difference between the uphill and downhill eaves at a 20% slope: Thank you very much for your effort. May I ask how it would be practical to design a forecourt to allow ground-level parking spaces?
Would the path to the house then require steps, or is the house positioned low enough already?
P
Philip St30 Aug 2025 19:21This house would have the garage positioned across the width, but then three floors, with the middle one at the back level with the garden. Can I implement this with two floors instead, since there also needs to be space for technical equipment inside the house? Sleeping on the ground floor would be difficult, as the entire rear would be a windowless basement.
There would also be access to the house.
Image 3 could work well. In my opinion, adjustments are necessary to reduce costs. I will take a closer look at it.
Then you have two floors up to the living area. As already mentioned, my suggestion would be to have the living area on the ground floor.
Save costs with a smaller house. You can plan well with 150m2 (1,615 sq ft). 50m2 (538 sq ft) × 3,000 euros equals 150,000 euros, which you need for the double garage and slope.
Are there already any details about the building ground? Have you asked the neighbors if there is rock there? Why did the previous owner back out?
There would also be access to the house.
Image 3 could work well. In my opinion, adjustments are necessary to reduce costs. I will take a closer look at it.
Then you have two floors up to the living area. As already mentioned, my suggestion would be to have the living area on the ground floor.
Save costs with a smaller house. You can plan well with 150m2 (1,615 sq ft). 50m2 (538 sq ft) × 3,000 euros equals 150,000 euros, which you need for the double garage and slope.
Are there already any details about the building ground? Have you asked the neighbors if there is rock there? Why did the previous owner back out?
Philip St schrieb:
Thank you very much for your effort. May I ask how it would make sense to create a forecourt to provide level parking spaces? Then the path to the house would have steps, or is the house located low enough already? If you keep the driveway where it is in your current planning stage, you’ll end up with a “forecourt as far as the eye can see” (possibly exceeding the allowable paved surface area). I didn’t want to address the question of “how many cars can park in front of the garage door” but only to show you where the garage could be accessed without needing to overcome a height difference. I placed the house only for easier comparison at the same “left front” corner as before. In this sense, the front door threshold remains exactly as originally planned. I would probably shift the driveway about its full width to the left as shown in the plan and pave only the area leading to the garage. I would follow the terrain for the path to the house using a compacted gravel surface (gravel bound surface) with stepping stones scattered within it. My sketch is only intended to inspire your imagination; it is neither a proposal from me nor a “go ahead and do it this way” stamp on this starting point in the form of the mentioned house corner. The ground floor layout was used as a placeholder and scaled proportionally, in this case keeping the same area but one meter wider. You could make the house roughly three meters wider overall (or accordingly shift it within the buildable area). I am not suggesting any specific alternative here, as that would go far beyond an informal consultation. As a prompt, this should suffice: 1a. separate the garage from the house; 1b. place the garage downhill >> purpose: driveway without gradients; 2. adjust the shape/proportions of the house aiming for a narrower gable >> purpose: primarily to reduce the height difference between the front and back of the house; optionally 3. shift the house within the building plot >> this also creates more garden space alongside the house, whether on the west or east side, your choice. If I recall correctly from @haydee, the house does not only “start” behind the garage. If you want more planning input from me: new projects currently being discussed can only be handled starting next year, so in about four months. But judging from the rough measurements of your planner(s), you don’t strictly need my consultation, so this brief nudge should suffice.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
haydee schrieb:
@11ant your memory. No, our house is next to the garage. That’s how it happened.Exactly, that’s what I said: it doesn’t only start behind it. I remember seeing it from the street, to the left of the garage. Whether and how far it is set back along the front building line, I don’t recall in detail. In any case, the house is not set so far back that its front only aligns with the end of the garage (in the original poster’s case even with a gap). In my sketch, the garage is positioned so close to the street that the front edge of the house is noticeably set back and therefore clearly higher.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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