ᐅ Floor Plan Design for a Single-Family Home on a Sloped Site
Created on: 23 Nov 2020 16:56
J
JayneCobb
Hello everyone,
As I introduced myself here in the general forum, we have had several discussions with different general contractors, both for solid construction and timber frame.
We are now at the point where we have received some floor plan proposals.
I would like to present to you here (firstly?) the draft from the company Holz 1, which we particularly like because of the gallery and because it includes many of the features we communicated in advance.
I redrew this myself, so please forgive me if some elements appear a bit amateurish.
Most of the windows are not included in the drawing. What we would find extremely appealing is the (probably very expensive) idea of extending the eastern glass area at the southeast corner over two floors, but I couldn’t quickly find this option in the program.
I sketched in the larger bed on the ground floor to show proportions, as this room could potentially serve as a bedroom for us later.
From the linked thread above, it was already suggested by several forum members to locate the living/dining area on the garden level and the sleeping area upstairs.
Our reasons for planning it this way (though we are not yet entirely fixed):
- significantly shorter distances for carrying groceries, taking out trash, etc.
- nicer view from the living area into the greenery/mini-valley I described compared to the basement level
- more spacious feeling with an open ceiling/the gallery
- entering and being able to "just relax"
- simple accommodation of a frailty scenario (potentially living on one floor later, at least for a certain time)
We appreciate any further comments, ideas, etc. — thank you in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Lot size: 791 sqm (8505 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see attachment
Number of parking spaces: 2 (double garage planned)
Number of floors: 2 to 2.5 (garden floor, ground floor, and possibly half an attic as a gallery with open space above ground floor)
Roof type: gable roof (35-42° specified)
Orientation: still open
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in); eaves height 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Additional requirements: Distance from house to street approx. 4.50 m (15 ft), terrain slopes downward from street
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof form, building type:
Unfortunately, the development plan restricts us to a gable roof; if we had free choice, I would have opted for a clear Bauhaus style.
Basement, floors:
Garden floor 1/4 basement, 3/4 sleeping area. Above that, ground floor as living area, possibly a half open attic (gallery with open space + 1 room).
Number of people, ages:
3-4 people: 44 and 46 years old; son 1.5 years old, and husband’s 12-year-old daughter (she either spends every second weekend there or lives there permanently).
Space requirements on ground and upper floors:
Because the garage will likely need a basement due to the slope, we have planned the basement (storage, possibly workshop) there with access both from the garden side and from inside the house. On the garden/basement floor itself: technical room and laundry, three bedrooms, and main bathroom. On the ground floor (level with street, also accessible from garage) is the living area with kitchen, open living and dining area, pantry/utility room, an office/guest room, and a guest bathroom. An architect from a developer suggested the possibility of a half attic as a gallery with open space over the living area and a small room (guest room, office), which I really like.
Office: family use or home office?
There will definitely be some home office usage.
Number of guests per year:
Hard to say, but a small guest room is planned.
Open or closed architecture:
Rather open in the living area; above all, the view into the unbuildable, sloping green space (southeast) should be emphasized by high ceilings (no intermediate floor there) and large windows.
Open kitchen, kitchen island:
Kitchen can be separated by sliding door; no kitchen island needed.
Number of dining seats:
6
Fireplace:
Preferred (or wood stove), but not a must.
Music/Stereo wall:
Yes
Balcony, roof terrace:
Balcony on the ground floor facing southeast (preferably partly recessed into the house, but probably too little space), south side.
Garage, carport:
Garage preferred.
Productive garden, greenhouse:
Partly productive garden, partly digging/play area, partly nice to look at, partly play options for our son.
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be:
We imagine a KfW55 standard house prepared for photovoltaic system installation.
I want the ground floor designed so that if mobility becomes limited in the future, we don’t have to move out immediately but can live on one level. Therefore, an additional room on the ground floor is a must, currently used as office/guest room and potentially convertible into a bedroom. For the same reason, the guest bathroom should already have a shower, and somewhere on the ground floor space for washing machine connections should be planned.
I personally lean toward spaciousness and many rooms but notice that the budget clearly limits this. My partner is more minimalist and wouldn’t mind if the house isn’t too large.
House Design
Planner:
Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
Gallery/open space (openness)
What do you not like? Why?
Less space (e.g. currently small bathroom, which can be adjusted) — budget-driven
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
520,000-550,000 euros gross (very rough estimate, no formal offer yet)
Personal price limit for house including fittings:
530,000 euros (but never say never)
Preferred heating technology:
Air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up, on which details/extensions
- can you live without:
Garage can be shorter
- can you not live without:
Something open (some special feature/beautiful detail)
View of the biotope strip to the southeast
Why is the design the way it is now?
Were the corresponding/which wishes implemented by the architect?
Yes.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
Airy, sufficient number of rooms
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the layout of the house suitable to meet our requirements?
As I introduced myself here in the general forum, we have had several discussions with different general contractors, both for solid construction and timber frame.
We are now at the point where we have received some floor plan proposals.
I would like to present to you here (firstly?) the draft from the company Holz 1, which we particularly like because of the gallery and because it includes many of the features we communicated in advance.
I redrew this myself, so please forgive me if some elements appear a bit amateurish.
Most of the windows are not included in the drawing. What we would find extremely appealing is the (probably very expensive) idea of extending the eastern glass area at the southeast corner over two floors, but I couldn’t quickly find this option in the program.
I sketched in the larger bed on the ground floor to show proportions, as this room could potentially serve as a bedroom for us later.
From the linked thread above, it was already suggested by several forum members to locate the living/dining area on the garden level and the sleeping area upstairs.
Our reasons for planning it this way (though we are not yet entirely fixed):
- significantly shorter distances for carrying groceries, taking out trash, etc.
- nicer view from the living area into the greenery/mini-valley I described compared to the basement level
- more spacious feeling with an open ceiling/the gallery
- entering and being able to "just relax"
- simple accommodation of a frailty scenario (potentially living on one floor later, at least for a certain time)
We appreciate any further comments, ideas, etc. — thank you in advance!
Development Plan / Restrictions
Lot size: 791 sqm (8505 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Site coverage ratio: 0.35
Floor area ratio: 0.6
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see attachment
Number of parking spaces: 2 (double garage planned)
Number of floors: 2 to 2.5 (garden floor, ground floor, and possibly half an attic as a gallery with open space above ground floor)
Roof type: gable roof (35-42° specified)
Orientation: still open
Maximum heights/limits: ridge height 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in); eaves height 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Additional requirements: Distance from house to street approx. 4.50 m (15 ft), terrain slopes downward from street
Owners’ Requirements
Style, roof form, building type:
Unfortunately, the development plan restricts us to a gable roof; if we had free choice, I would have opted for a clear Bauhaus style.
Basement, floors:
Garden floor 1/4 basement, 3/4 sleeping area. Above that, ground floor as living area, possibly a half open attic (gallery with open space + 1 room).
Number of people, ages:
3-4 people: 44 and 46 years old; son 1.5 years old, and husband’s 12-year-old daughter (she either spends every second weekend there or lives there permanently).
Space requirements on ground and upper floors:
Because the garage will likely need a basement due to the slope, we have planned the basement (storage, possibly workshop) there with access both from the garden side and from inside the house. On the garden/basement floor itself: technical room and laundry, three bedrooms, and main bathroom. On the ground floor (level with street, also accessible from garage) is the living area with kitchen, open living and dining area, pantry/utility room, an office/guest room, and a guest bathroom. An architect from a developer suggested the possibility of a half attic as a gallery with open space over the living area and a small room (guest room, office), which I really like.
Office: family use or home office?
There will definitely be some home office usage.
Number of guests per year:
Hard to say, but a small guest room is planned.
Open or closed architecture:
Rather open in the living area; above all, the view into the unbuildable, sloping green space (southeast) should be emphasized by high ceilings (no intermediate floor there) and large windows.
Open kitchen, kitchen island:
Kitchen can be separated by sliding door; no kitchen island needed.
Number of dining seats:
6
Fireplace:
Preferred (or wood stove), but not a must.
Music/Stereo wall:
Yes
Balcony, roof terrace:
Balcony on the ground floor facing southeast (preferably partly recessed into the house, but probably too little space), south side.
Garage, carport:
Garage preferred.
Productive garden, greenhouse:
Partly productive garden, partly digging/play area, partly nice to look at, partly play options for our son.
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons why something should or should not be:
We imagine a KfW55 standard house prepared for photovoltaic system installation.
I want the ground floor designed so that if mobility becomes limited in the future, we don’t have to move out immediately but can live on one level. Therefore, an additional room on the ground floor is a must, currently used as office/guest room and potentially convertible into a bedroom. For the same reason, the guest bathroom should already have a shower, and somewhere on the ground floor space for washing machine connections should be planned.
I personally lean toward spaciousness and many rooms but notice that the budget clearly limits this. My partner is more minimalist and wouldn’t mind if the house isn’t too large.
House Design
Planner:
Planner from a construction company
What do you particularly like? Why?
Gallery/open space (openness)
What do you not like? Why?
Less space (e.g. currently small bathroom, which can be adjusted) — budget-driven
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
520,000-550,000 euros gross (very rough estimate, no formal offer yet)
Personal price limit for house including fittings:
530,000 euros (but never say never)
Preferred heating technology:
Air-to-water heat pump
If you have to give up, on which details/extensions
- can you live without:
Garage can be shorter
- can you not live without:
Something open (some special feature/beautiful detail)
View of the biotope strip to the southeast
Why is the design the way it is now?
Were the corresponding/which wishes implemented by the architect?
Yes.
What makes it particularly good or bad in your eyes?
Airy, sufficient number of rooms
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the layout of the house suitable to meet our requirements?
J
JayneCobb27 May 2021 00:54Elokine schrieb:
Overall, I do like the design at first glance. But the longer I look, the more the staircase bothers me.
I’m a fan of having a staircase in the living area—but only if it goes upstairs and serves as a design feature or room divider. Here, it’s just an opening.
This creates a huge hallway downstairs—actually two hallways. You can call it a "living hallway," but it feels more like a dark basement corridor, which you also want to separate from the kids’ area because it’s somewhat noisy.
Therefore, in my opinion, this shape and/or orientation of the staircase doesn’t really suit the house and its residents.
A half-turn staircase where your utility room next to the kitchen is now could fit better, for example.Thanks for your thoughts!
We still need to figure out something about the darkness in the hallway downstairs, yes.
However, we really like the floor plan as it is now.
I’m reluctant to give up the large utility room right next to the kitchen to make space for a different staircase layout.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, it’s not absolutely necessary to keep the door to the children’s rooms closed—only if needed for noise reduction.
J
JayneCobb27 May 2021 00:59ypg schrieb:
Looking back at the initial planning stages, this is a great example of how much support a forum can provide.
Even though there have been a few hiccups here and there, at least on the plans (which have all been mentioned), it’s going to be a beautiful home offering great quality of life.
I probably would have swapped the levels, but you found a good compromise! 🙂Haha, I don’t think we’ll ever agree on the levels in this lifetime. 😉
Maybe in three years I’ll say, “I should have listened to the forum about the levels…” 😱
Thanks to you too for your kind words about the house!
And thanks to everyone for the helpful discussions here in the forum.
They really helped us a lot and made us aware of things we might have overlooked ourselves.
J
JayneCobb27 May 2021 01:13hanghaus2000 schrieb:
I like it. Refreshingly different.Wow, thanks! 😀askforafriend schrieb:
I’d be interested in your updated cost estimate.It’s hard to say how much the significant price increases in the construction sector will affect the total. If those are not or only slightly taken into account, I’d estimate around 550,000 euros.hanghaus2000 schrieb:
What I don’t understand is that the site plan allows the garage as a border building. So why isn’t it allowed? I’d file an objection.As 11ant said, it’s because of the wall surface facing the neighbor.11ant schrieb:
It’s because of the wall surface. To me, the unnecessary seventh meter of garage is to blame.No, not really. It actually went the other way: “Oh, since we’re already set back from the boundary, we could extend the garage by one meter—that doesn’t matter then and gives us more space inside the garage.”Do you see the setback from the boundary as such an issue? I’m not really bothered by it given the extra space. I’d find a quick path to the garden on the left side of the house/garage quite practical, as well as the possibility of a storage area for garbage bins and such.
H
hanghaus200028 May 2021 11:33JayneCobb schrieb:
Do you see moving away from the property boundary as a big issue?
I’m actually not too upset about the extra space. I think having a quick path to the garden on the left side of the house/garage would be quite practical, as well as the possibility of a storage area for garbage bins, etc. No, but you yourself wrote that you will miss having the garden on the south side.
"It’s obviously a pity because the south garden will then be missing 2.5m (8 feet 2 inches)."
Something seems off with the slope. On the site plan, the plot slopes towards the south, but on the north elevation?
Please upload the site plan with all the heights marked. Unfortunately, not all are visible in the uploaded plan. Could you also add the north arrow?
J
JayneCobb28 May 2021 12:46Hello,
I had posted this relatively early on, but of course, there are now many pages. 😉
Here is the plan, and on page 5 of this thread I posted some photos.
North is at the top of the plan.
11ant once described the site as a tank training ground or something similar. 😎
I had posted this relatively early on, but of course, there are now many pages. 😉
Here is the plan, and on page 5 of this thread I posted some photos.
North is at the top of the plan.
11ant once described the site as a tank training ground or something similar. 😎
H
hanghaus200028 May 2021 13:28Thank you. All clear. The street was raised, which unfortunately wasn’t visible on the last plan. The original terrain slopes down towards the southeast.
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