ᐅ Floor Plan Silverager New Single-Family House with Option to Upgrade to a Two-Family House
Created on: 15 Nov 2025 20:20
U
Underdog
Hello everyone,
As our planned construction project is gradually taking shape, I would like to share a first draft for discussion.
The plot is already secured, and we want to make full use of the space to maximize potential living area. Retirement is foreseeable for both of us, but after 28 years, we still want to build once more.
Our eldest daughter has made us grandparents twice over, and we often enjoy having the grandchildren stay during the day so their mother can go to work. Our younger daughter will be studying for about four more years and is planned to have her own space in the basement, which could later be converted into a guest room, office, etc. The plan includes a separate entrance via a generous lightwell, but with access to the ground floor (maximum of two living units).
The attic is not intended to be finished right away but will be designed for potential future development. Whether this will ever be implemented remains uncertain.
The ground floor should offer approximately 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) within a 10x15m (33x49 ft) building envelope. The open kitchen/dining/living area should accommodate many guests, as we frequently host large family gatherings and groups of friends. The bathroom should be en suite, and the guest toilet should include a shower. A multipurpose room is planned as a utility/laundry room with direct access to the garden, serving as a mudroom with an integrated sink and/or washing machine. In emergencies, this room can also serve as a guest bedroom. This will be less necessary once the basement is available.
The ground floor is optimized for a couple without children but should also work well for families without needing to use the attic. The attic is designed to function as a fully independent living unit, which we consider important for maintaining property value.
Families with young children could use the utility room as a children's bedroom, while older children could occupy two bedrooms with a bathroom in the basement.
Our main request is constructive feedback on the draft. We like the ground floor layout so far but are open to improvements.
We haven’t spent much time on the attic plan yet; we find the concept acceptable for now. We do like the idea of accessing the attic via an external staircase, ensuring completely separate entrances for the attic and ground floor. If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 677 sqm (7,284 sq ft)
Slope: 1m (3 ft) decline from sidewalk to field path
Floor area ratio:
Floor space index:
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Exact building envelope for garage and house as shown in the draft
Adjacent buildings: Gap site with similar neighboring plots on left and right, development plan
Parking spaces: Double garage
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Modern
Orientation: Sketch shows southwest at the top
Maximum heights/limits: Ridge line max 8m (26 ft) above ground floor level, side exterior walls max 4m (13 ft)
Additional requirements
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type:
Basement, floors: Basement yes, attic planned but not to be finished
Number of occupants, ages: Couple nearing retirement on ground floor, daughter (with partner) in basement until end of studies in about 4 years
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) ground floor, potential about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) upper floor, approx. 60 sqm (646 sq ft) finished basement
Office: Family use or home office?
Number of overnight guests per year: about 2–3 times per year
Open or closed architecture: Open
Conservative or modern building style: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes
Number of dining seats: Many, at least for 8, preferably 12
Fireplace: Somewhat
Music/sound system: Large TV, but not a priority
Balcony, roof terrace: Balcony planned facing northwest, as this side overlooks open fields
Garage, carport: Double garage, wide covered side walkway to the main entrance, effectively functioning as a carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: Raised beds for herbs and various berries (for grandchildren)
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions
As our planned construction project is gradually taking shape, I would like to share a first draft for discussion.
The plot is already secured, and we want to make full use of the space to maximize potential living area. Retirement is foreseeable for both of us, but after 28 years, we still want to build once more.
Our eldest daughter has made us grandparents twice over, and we often enjoy having the grandchildren stay during the day so their mother can go to work. Our younger daughter will be studying for about four more years and is planned to have her own space in the basement, which could later be converted into a guest room, office, etc. The plan includes a separate entrance via a generous lightwell, but with access to the ground floor (maximum of two living units).
The attic is not intended to be finished right away but will be designed for potential future development. Whether this will ever be implemented remains uncertain.
The ground floor should offer approximately 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) within a 10x15m (33x49 ft) building envelope. The open kitchen/dining/living area should accommodate many guests, as we frequently host large family gatherings and groups of friends. The bathroom should be en suite, and the guest toilet should include a shower. A multipurpose room is planned as a utility/laundry room with direct access to the garden, serving as a mudroom with an integrated sink and/or washing machine. In emergencies, this room can also serve as a guest bedroom. This will be less necessary once the basement is available.
The ground floor is optimized for a couple without children but should also work well for families without needing to use the attic. The attic is designed to function as a fully independent living unit, which we consider important for maintaining property value.
Families with young children could use the utility room as a children's bedroom, while older children could occupy two bedrooms with a bathroom in the basement.
Our main request is constructive feedback on the draft. We like the ground floor layout so far but are open to improvements.
We haven’t spent much time on the attic plan yet; we find the concept acceptable for now. We do like the idea of accessing the attic via an external staircase, ensuring completely separate entrances for the attic and ground floor. If more information is needed, I am happy to provide it.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 677 sqm (7,284 sq ft)
Slope: 1m (3 ft) decline from sidewalk to field path
Floor area ratio:
Floor space index:
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: Exact building envelope for garage and house as shown in the draft
Adjacent buildings: Gap site with similar neighboring plots on left and right, development plan
Parking spaces: Double garage
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: Gable roof
Style: Modern
Orientation: Sketch shows southwest at the top
Maximum heights/limits: Ridge line max 8m (26 ft) above ground floor level, side exterior walls max 4m (13 ft)
Additional requirements
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof type, building type:
Basement, floors: Basement yes, attic planned but not to be finished
Number of occupants, ages: Couple nearing retirement on ground floor, daughter (with partner) in basement until end of studies in about 4 years
Space needs on ground floor and upper floor: approx. 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) ground floor, potential about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) upper floor, approx. 60 sqm (646 sq ft) finished basement
Office: Family use or home office?
Number of overnight guests per year: about 2–3 times per year
Open or closed architecture: Open
Conservative or modern building style: Modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: Yes
Number of dining seats: Many, at least for 8, preferably 12
Fireplace: Somewhat
Music/sound system: Large TV, but not a priority
Balcony, roof terrace: Balcony planned facing northwest, as this side overlooks open fields
Garage, carport: Double garage, wide covered side walkway to the main entrance, effectively functioning as a carport
Utility garden, greenhouse: Raised beds for herbs and various berries (for grandchildren)
Further wishes, special features, daily routine, including reasons for choices or exclusions
Thank you to everyone who has contributed in the meantime!
We have used the past few days to fundamentally rethink the overall space utilization.
There will soon be a meeting with the architect to take a step back and, after a reset, weigh the different options (attic conversion vs. basement conversion, with/without basement or partial basement, separate attic access, or via a shared stairwell with the ground floor).
Of course, finances play an important role here, and I want to address a certain assumption.
While up to 1 million is a significant amount, it sounds like a smaller version of “finances don’t matter.”
That is clearly not the case, and this amount should largely include the garage and outdoor areas.
Here are a few questions (about unclear answers to me), which might come across as a bit provocative:
1. Additional costs for an open space were meant compared to a full conversion in the attic.
(Of course, it will be more based on the floor area on the ground floor.)
The roof surfaces don’t differ, but there should still be a difference, right?
2. Complete abandonment of the basement
The technical room then takes up valuable space upstairs.
3. Partial basement
Is there any savings when only 75 instead of 150 square meters (sqm) are basemented, or does the extra work cancel that out?
There seems to be a strong general rejection of basements here in the forum.
Is this (also) because a prefab house faction is very active here?
The links to the prefab house providers make me a bit unsure, in the sense of “can the rest still be considered neutral?”
We have used the past few days to fundamentally rethink the overall space utilization.
There will soon be a meeting with the architect to take a step back and, after a reset, weigh the different options (attic conversion vs. basement conversion, with/without basement or partial basement, separate attic access, or via a shared stairwell with the ground floor).
Of course, finances play an important role here, and I want to address a certain assumption.
While up to 1 million is a significant amount, it sounds like a smaller version of “finances don’t matter.”
That is clearly not the case, and this amount should largely include the garage and outdoor areas.
Here are a few questions (about unclear answers to me), which might come across as a bit provocative:
1. Additional costs for an open space were meant compared to a full conversion in the attic.
(Of course, it will be more based on the floor area on the ground floor.)
The roof surfaces don’t differ, but there should still be a difference, right?
2. Complete abandonment of the basement
The technical room then takes up valuable space upstairs.
3. Partial basement
Is there any savings when only 75 instead of 150 square meters (sqm) are basemented, or does the extra work cancel that out?
There seems to be a strong general rejection of basements here in the forum.
Is this (also) because a prefab house faction is very active here?
The links to the prefab house providers make me a bit unsure, in the sense of “can the rest still be considered neutral?”
N
nordanney22 Nov 2025 12:32Underdog schrieb:
Is it (also) because there is a strong prefabricated house faction active here?No, it’s because people simply don’t have an extra $100,000+ just for storage space. Or $250,000 for a livable version. A pitched roof, which you already have anyway, offers the same storage space for much less money.
P.S. I have 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) of useless basement myself.
Underdog schrieb:
Of course, finances play an important role here, and I want to address a possible misunderstanding. While up to 1 million is a significant amount, it sounds like a smaller version of "finances don’t matter." That is clearly not the case, and this figure should largely include the garage and outdoor area.Of course, it is the smaller version. However, you communicated it accordingly.Underdog schrieb:
Budget goal: stay in the six-figure rangeUnderdog schrieb:
- The budget is fine. Better a two-family house without the attic conversion for 1.0 million than a single-family house for 750k.Underdog schrieb:
Is this (also) because there is a strong prefabricated house faction active here?No, nobody really accepted that budget from you with the planning. A basement is simply too expensive if the space is not needed. And if you have read carefully, you always communicated that it should be an economical house. If you dream or talk about living on one level, then the basement is simply *extra*. Or the attic conversion. It is uneconomical and way too big to build for future generations if it is not needed. However, where you do have to weigh options is whether the slope allows for a basement or if the attic conversion is useful, possibly with a relatively inexpensive open space that adds atmosphere but is not comparable in cost to a full conversion since you don’t need the entire area.ypg schrieb:
No, it seems no one really accepted your budget during the planning phase.OK, so the budget hasn’t changed: up to 1 million for the house (complete with garage and garden, but excluding the land) is acceptable.If the project with the initial approach (basement expansion, attic prepared) doesn’t work out (financially or planning-wise),
then I am open to the new approach (attic expansion, omit the basement or reduce it partially by about two-thirds or one-half).
In both cases, the goal is living on one level for two people. If an attractive open space is possible, even better.
However, I still completely lack a clear sense of how changes (open space, partial basement) will affect the overall costs, so that I can set priorities accordingly.
That will be the main topic at the next meeting with the architect, but it doesn’t hurt to consider a second opinion from the forum.
And it should help to ask the right questions.
ypg schrieb:
Where you do have to weigh whether the slope favors the basement or the attic expansion being more useful, but possibly with a relatively cost-effective open space...Agreed! That’s exactly the issue, but I still don’t feel equipped to assess it.What does “relatively cost-effective” mean, and compared to what?
My basic question is: roughly how much more does each option cost now?
a. Open space solution of about 50 sqm (540 sq ft), with approximately 125 + 75 sqm (1345 + 810 sq ft) living area (okay, minus about 20 sqm (215 sq ft) of space lost to the sloping roof), or
b. Fully expand the attic with roughly 125 + 105 sqm (1345 + 1130 sq ft) (125 minus an estimated 20 sqm (215 sq ft) under the sloping roof)?
nordanney schrieb:
100k+ is for pure storage space. Or 250k for a livable version.My second dummy question is, how do the costs differ between a basement over 150 sq m (square meters) and a partial basement of say 50 or 75 sq m (square meters).
The house above, with 150 sq m (square meters) built on top, should be the same in both cases.
Similar topics