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
nordanney schrieb:
Whether it ends up at 889k or maybe 937k –Hehe, at some point I’ll also just count in hundreds. If it doesn’t really matter anymore, then the original poster has enough financial flexibility. Many people think a basement is cheap, but it is actually quite expensive compared to the benefits it provides.
Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention another building idea:
If the basement is a must-have here, then you might consider not finishing the attic at all (2 skylights, two gable windows, and a service shaft are allowed 😉). A full basement, half of it finished as living space with a conventional interior staircase. You could create a separate apartment there for your daughter. (By the way, you can build a separate apartment but don’t have to label it as such for the building permit / planning permission; it can simply be defined as living rooms.) Once your daughter moves out, a caregiver could eventually live in the actual separate apartment, giving you additional years in the house.
However, this needs to be properly planned with privacy, a lot of expertise, and quite some organization.
Alternatively, you could sit down with the rest of the family, as @Arauki11 suggests. But honestly? I usually don’t see this as a win-win situation unless the plot happens to have a prime location regarding orientation and building envelope. For me, a 10 x 15 meter (33 x 49 foot) lot would be too restrictive for two fully independent units.
ypg schrieb:
If a split-level layout doesn’t appeal due to its age: consider a full or partial basement, a ground floor that is barrier-free or even fully accessible as “living on one level,” conventional staircase design leading up to the attic (30 degrees without knee wall). There, the daughter would have two rooms and a bathroom, possibly with an open loft space, because that’s just great.
When your daughter moves out, the grandchildren—who will be a bit older by then—can enjoy the attic conversion and use the telescope for stargazing.
And when you can no longer climb the stairs to visit the grandchildren, they can manage on their own, or the worst-case scenario of the second-to-last move will take over anyway. That probably comes closest to our actual (not the “it would be nice someday to have this or that”) wishes.
Honestly, I can’t really follow some of the details, which I hope is just due to the wine at dinner.
What exactly does “conventional staircase design” mean? I don’t think 30 degrees is allowed according to the building code/planning permission.
Why 30 degrees and no knee wall?
By “open loft space,” do you mean an open roof up to the ridge for the two bedrooms and bathroom on the upper floor?
ypg schrieb:
I would actually try to plan for two bedrooms with a bathroom in between. The second bedroom could be used as a guest room or an ironing room. I would plan storage more centrally. The shower toilet should be suitable for wheelchair users. Sorry, I can’t quite visualize that right now, but it sounds reasonable.
Underdog schrieb:
What is conventional staircase design? A nice indoor staircase, like those found in many other houses. Not a basement emergency stair or an external staircase. I wanted to emphasize that, so no one brings up those exterior stairs or internal emergency stairs again.
Underdog schrieb:
I don’t think 30 degrees is allowed according to the building regulations. I thought it was between 30 and 40 degrees.
Underdog schrieb:
Why 30 degrees and no knee wall? Because the knee wall unnecessarily expands the attic space. You can simply frame internally and that’s fine. Every Danhaus has done perfectly well with this approach for decades.
Underdog schrieb:
By open space, you mean an open roof up to the ridge for the two bedrooms and bathroom on the upper floor, right? No, it’s a bit of extra openness as a gift for your common living area.
Underdog schrieb:
But that sounds right. Believe me, I’m rarely wrong. Although my ideas often go a bit further than usual.
There’s a parallel thread where someone from Hamburg is insistent on having an open space. Every second person wants an open space.
Many open spaces don’t live up to their name, but here it really makes sense.
ypg schrieb:
I thought it was 30-40 degrees.Is the open-plan area kitchen/dining/living room? That probably makes quite an impression.Overall, I quite like the following approach:
- Single-level living. Two bedrooms with a bathroom in between, and one bedroom that can also be used as a utility room.
- Attic floor with less than maximum ceiling height for the daughter, with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The rest of the roof space mostly open over the living room, etc.
- Basement: to reduce costs, very minimal. Using the full area is hardly possible anyway, but maybe space for storage, a small workshop, gym, or sauna.
Concerns:
- The house will look very plain from the outside, being a rectangle with a gable roof – somewhat like a “house of Nikolaus” shape.
- Can the attic floor have a loggia, balcony, or something similar (dormer perhaps)?
- How does partial basement technically work?
I am still working on designing a level exclusively for you, including an accessible room for your grandchildren. The attic is planned as an apartment with a large open space for your big family gatherings.
This is how I would approach it, so you won’t need to make changes later (which most people usually want to avoid). The attic could, for example, be retrofitted with an external staircase and rented out, if you wish. If the basement can still be used as living space, then a caregiver could live there later, for example. Of course, this assumes it makes financial sense.
This is how I would approach it, so you won’t need to make changes later (which most people usually want to avoid). The attic could, for example, be retrofitted with an external staircase and rented out, if you wish. If the basement can still be used as living space, then a caregiver could live there later, for example. Of course, this assumes it makes financial sense.
Joedreck schrieb:
I am still working on designing a single-level living space for you, including a barrier-free grandchild’s room. The attic would be planned as an apartment with a large open area for your big family gatherings.
This is how I would approach it, so you won’t need to make changes later (which most people don’t want). The attic could be retrofitted with an external staircase and rented out if you wish. If the basement can still be used as living space, then a caregiver could live there later, for example—provided the finances work out. Thanks for the effort!
We need to let the discussion about the living units settle for now.
Basically, the desire to live on one level remains, but we invested too much effort into areas that don’t really add much value (the basement and potential upgrade to a two-family house, which might never actually happen).
Too much money is being buried unnecessarily in the basement, and the attic upgrade causes too many restrictions.
A smaller basement (around 60 sqm (650 sq ft)) without extensive finishing would still be nice for technical equipment, workshop, etc.
The fundamental question remains what the attic should cover—full finishing like Joedreck’s suggestion or partial finishing like ypg’s idea.
Besides the above questions, it would be helpful to get an assessment of how much the following might affect costs, or if at all:
a. Partial basement about 60 sqm (650 sq ft) instead of a full basement about 120 sqm (1300 sq ft)
b. Full attic finishing versus 50% finished area and 50% open space
This week I will probably only be able to respond briefly in the evenings, as I will be traveling for work.
Maybe that’s a good thing to approach the issue again with some distance.
Similar topics