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?

Site plan: yellow street at left, red polygon marks building area; blue lines/markings.


Floor plan of a house with basement, laundry room, bathroom, bedroom (bed 200x200) and kids' room.


Floor plan of a house: garage, hallway, kitchen, dining/living room, office/guest, guest bath, balcony.


Floor plan of building space: office/guest, open gallery and open space with central brown column.


3D floor plan of a house from above with stairs and rooms.


Isometric 3D floor plan of a house with various rooms, hallway, and entrance.


3D floor plan of a house with interior walls, doors and entrance.
H
hanghaus2000
1 Jun 2021 07:26
Window areas facing south also act as solar energy collectors. However, with good insulation, this is not that important anyway.
H
hanghaus2023
23 Jan 2023 12:48
Is there already a finalized plan or even photos of the construction?
11ant23 Jan 2023 15:38
hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Is there already a final plan or even pictures of the construction?
To my knowledge, A yes, B not yet
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
J
JayneCobb
24 Jan 2023 02:08
hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Is there already a final plan or even some pictures from the construction?
Hello!
The finished floor plan is very similar to the one shown on page 9. The biggest difference is that the garage had to be moved to the northern boundary. To meet the legal requirements for the wall surface facing the neighbor, we had to shorten the left side of the garage by 1.50 m (5 feet). Two cars still fit inside.
Inside, there are a few minor changes (e.g., the staircase to the attic is in a different location; bathrooms are arranged differently), but nothing major.

Unfortunately, construction is progressing very slowly.
Excavation only started in October 2022. Currently, we are at the stage where the foundation slab was poured last week (at temperatures just above freezing…).
Here are three photos from the end of last year.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask again.

Foundation with reinforcing steel (rebar grid) in the ground, construction equipment and surrounding houses in greenery.


Aerial view of a suburban construction site: two cranes, excavations, containers, neighboring houses.


Construction site foundation with steel reinforcement, wooden formwork, excavator and residential houses behind.
J
JayneCobb
13 Mar 2023 13:13
Hello everyone,
for those interested: Progress is moving along well. This is the status as of yesterday.
The damaged bricks in the lower left corner (covered by a tarp exposed by the wind in the third photo) are a bit concerning. I’m not sure if this is acceptable?


Construction site of a house: orange brick walls on foundation, scaffolding, building materials in the yard.

Shell construction made of red bricks with window openings, scaffolding, and materials on the site.

Construction site with unfinished brickwork, crane, concrete foundation, and construction tools.

Construction site with open excavation, wooden beam barrier, vibrating plate, and building materials.
11ant13 Mar 2023 14:54
JayneCobb schrieb:

For those interested: Progress is really moving now. This was the status as of yesterday.

Yes, of course I'm interested. You are already pretty much surrounded by houses that are (almost) finished.
JayneCobb schrieb:

The damaged blocks at the bottom left (the wind-exposed tarp in the 3rd photo) confuse me a bit.

Especially the one that is out of alignment (top row, second from the left) doesn’t look good to me; and they don’t appear fully filled. The two more or less “chips” from lost formwork aren’t critical, but I would want to find out their cause. As far as I remember (or maybe not), no formwork blocks were supposed to be used in the basement. Have you read my post “Caution with formwork blocks – risk of bursting!”?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/