ᐅ Floor plan designs for a single-family house on a 640 m² plot with a low eaves height
Created on: 22 Sep 2020 10:43
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derschwax
Good morning!
My girlfriend and I have reserved a plot of land in between other properties, which is being sold privately through a real estate agent, and we already had an initial meeting with an architect. A second meeting with another architect is scheduled for tomorrow. During the first meeting, our needs and wishes were recorded, and at the end, a rather steep price was given. We reluctantly accepted it for the time being and then silently drove home for 30 minutes. We continued researching construction costs and found out that—no matter how you look at it—building significantly cheaper is hardly possible without compromises.
Since then, my mind has been spinning about what the house’s floor plan on the plot could even look like. My girlfriend is dreaming of two full floors and is looking at nice floor plans on Instagram. That is not practical at all in my opinion because a solution deviating from the "standard" is needed to meet our requirements. So these are daydreams that are likely to burst soon. Arguments and conflict are inevitable. I’m trying to prevent that by reading up and educating myself.
I hope for honest assessments, advice, and perhaps some links to helpful threads.
Questionnaire about Your Floor Plan
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: approximately 640 m² (7,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Site occupancy index (floor area ratio): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.7
Setback from property boundary: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof (24–30° pitch)
Orientation: ridge parallel to street
Eaves height on valley side: 3 m (10 feet)
Eaves height on hillside side: 6 m (20 feet)
I will attach the zoning plan including the section to locate the plot, as well as aerial photos later.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Living space: 160–180 m² (1,700–1,940 sq ft)
Basement and floors: maximize floor space index, basement with double garage and office on hillside side
2 (4) persons: ages 32 and 30, 2 children planned
Room needs on ground floor: cloakroom, guest toilet, open living-dining area, additional room (playroom, office for family use, guest room)
Room needs on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms with bathroom for children, 1 master bedroom with dressing room and private bathroom
Office: family use on ground floor, home office in basement
Guests overnight per year: 4
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative style
Open kitchen with island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music/speaker wall: no
Balcony: not necessary—if it fits the floor plan, OK, but not essential
Garage, carport: double garage in basement with parking spaces in front
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
So far, we’ve considered pushing the basement forward so that a terrace could be extended like a kind of balcony in front of the house at this offset. We enjoy the evening sun. Otherwise, I’m holding back ideas and waiting to see what the architect will answer tomorrow to the questions that have come up during the planning process.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you know floor plan designs with similar restrictions (slope, floor space index 0.7, eaves heights 3 m/6 m)? Or any other useful tips? The zoning plan is from 1978—can we negotiate with the city about these requirements?
My girlfriend and I have reserved a plot of land in between other properties, which is being sold privately through a real estate agent, and we already had an initial meeting with an architect. A second meeting with another architect is scheduled for tomorrow. During the first meeting, our needs and wishes were recorded, and at the end, a rather steep price was given. We reluctantly accepted it for the time being and then silently drove home for 30 minutes. We continued researching construction costs and found out that—no matter how you look at it—building significantly cheaper is hardly possible without compromises.
Since then, my mind has been spinning about what the house’s floor plan on the plot could even look like. My girlfriend is dreaming of two full floors and is looking at nice floor plans on Instagram. That is not practical at all in my opinion because a solution deviating from the "standard" is needed to meet our requirements. So these are daydreams that are likely to burst soon. Arguments and conflict are inevitable. I’m trying to prevent that by reading up and educating myself.
I hope for honest assessments, advice, and perhaps some links to helpful threads.
Questionnaire about Your Floor Plan
Zoning plan / restrictions
Plot size: approximately 640 m² (7,000 sq ft)
Slope: yes
Site occupancy index (floor area ratio): 0.4
Floor space index (FSI): 0.7
Setback from property boundary: 3 m (10 feet)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 1
Roof type: gable roof (24–30° pitch)
Orientation: ridge parallel to street
Eaves height on valley side: 3 m (10 feet)
Eaves height on hillside side: 6 m (20 feet)
I will attach the zoning plan including the section to locate the plot, as well as aerial photos later.
Homeowners’ Requirements
Living space: 160–180 m² (1,700–1,940 sq ft)
Basement and floors: maximize floor space index, basement with double garage and office on hillside side
2 (4) persons: ages 32 and 30, 2 children planned
Room needs on ground floor: cloakroom, guest toilet, open living-dining area, additional room (playroom, office for family use, guest room)
Room needs on upper floor: 2 children’s bedrooms with bathroom for children, 1 master bedroom with dressing room and private bathroom
Office: family use on ground floor, home office in basement
Guests overnight per year: 4
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative style
Open kitchen with island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Music/speaker wall: no
Balcony: not necessary—if it fits the floor plan, OK, but not essential
Garage, carport: double garage in basement with parking spaces in front
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
House Design
So far, we’ve considered pushing the basement forward so that a terrace could be extended like a kind of balcony in front of the house at this offset. We enjoy the evening sun. Otherwise, I’m holding back ideas and waiting to see what the architect will answer tomorrow to the questions that have come up during the planning process.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Do you know floor plan designs with similar restrictions (slope, floor space index 0.7, eaves heights 3 m/6 m)? Or any other useful tips? The zoning plan is from 1978—can we negotiate with the city about these requirements?
derschwax schrieb:
My girlfriend and I have reserved an intermediate plot of land, which is being sold privately through an agent.I forgot to ask earlier what exactly an intermediate plot of land is.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
D
derschwax23 Sep 2020 07:20hampshire schrieb:
Don’t just think about what kind of house you want to live in and which rooms it should have, but also how your daily life will unfold.
[...]
If the (architect) is good, they’ll be excited and create a design that will surprise you – hopefully in a positive way.
What a skilled architect can come up with on a sloped site exceeds the imagination of us “less dimensionally thinking” laypeople. That’s definitely something to keep in mind.haydee schrieb:
Don’t get stuck with living downstairs and sleeping upstairs.
[...]
What’s important to you, what sets you apart from others.I’m taking this to heart. Yesterday, I mentally went through my weekly routine and will probably write it down as well to become more aware of the specifics.
ypg schrieb:
You mixed something up. Valley locations are allowed more because they’re above ground level.
What about the additional construction costs? Are they included?That’s correct, I wrote it down wrong. Additional construction costs are included in the total (580k).
11ant schrieb:
Earlier, I forgot to ask what exactly an “intermediate plot” is.To me, that’s a plot located between existing houses and not in a new development area. It could be that the term is incorrect or inappropriate.
Check if anything extra is added to that price. Furniture and kitchen also need to be paid for. Let "the lady" (Honestly, I find this phrase a bit odd) look at floor plans. On Pinterest and similar sites, there are also plans for sloped plots. Who hasn’t looked for inspiration there?
D
derschwax23 Sep 2020 08:10The phrase "has taste" is correct. But don’t be misled by it. I really like them.
derschwax schrieb:
Do you know of any floor plan designs with similar restrictions (sloping site, floor area ratio 0.7, eaves height 3 or 6 meters (10 or 20 feet))? Or do you have other useful tips for us? The zoning plan is from 1978 – is it possible to discuss the regulations with the local authority? We are also building on a slope in a gap between buildings, and our zoning plan is almost identical (from 1982, which apparently was common at the time...). Don’t worry, there are great floor plans for this! But as others have already mentioned: it’s best to work with an architect or a builder who creates custom floor plans, because the standard plans from prefab house companies just don’t work here.
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out, for example, Bittermann and Weiss customers’ house Plüderhausen-Walkersbach. Or Fingerhaus – custom-designed architect houses – “Schöne Aussicht.”
D
derschwax23 Sep 2020 09:37We have two architectural firms from the local area shortlisted. Both were recommended to us by family and friends. They have experience with sloped sites, which are quite common here in the Sauerland region.
We have already had the first meeting, which we approached somewhat naively. The second one will take place today.
We have already had the first meeting, which we approached somewhat naively. The second one will take place today.
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