Hello,
we already own a plot of land and are considering the best way to position the house on it.
The plot is 665 sqm (7159 sq ft), approximately 21.5 m (70.5 ft) wide and 31 m (102 ft) long, with access from the south side. The slope is about 1.5 m (5 ft) from south to north and about 2 m (6.5 ft) from east to west. There is a relatively free building area, except for a 3 m (10 ft) setback at the front and rear, as well as the usual boundary setbacks. See item no. 6 in the attached plan.
We would like a house with about 140-150 sqm (1507-1615 sq ft) of living space distributed over the ground floor and first floor (either without or possibly with a high knee wall), plus a double garage. Two fundamental questions are troubling us:
1. With or without a basement? Is a basement advisable on this slight slope? Basically, we could do without a basement, then with a small utility room on the ground floor and a small laundry room on the upper floor, plus possibly a slightly larger garage. However, if a basement would not cost much more due to the site conditions, we would not mind. A partial basement would also be sufficient, but we often read that the cost savings compared to a full basement are minimal. With a basement, the house could also have only 140 sqm (1507 sq ft) instead of 150 sqm (1615 sq ft). We would not want less than that because we would like to have an office/guest room on the ground floor.
2. An equally important question is where and how to best position the house. Due to the southern access, it is unfortunately not so easy. So far, we have the following ideas (the first two are shown in the attached sketch):
a) House with east entrance as far back as possible in the northeast, garage with 5-6 m (16.5-20 ft) driveway in front in the southeast. Pros: a large southwest garden, privacy thanks to the garage. Cons: longer and potentially wet path to the house.
b) House with east entrance roughly centered at the back and garage attached at the boundary to the east side. Pros: direct access to the house, large south garden. Cons: long driveway (snow removal), less western garden.
c) House with west entrance roughly centered at the back and garage attached at the boundary to the west side. Pros: direct access to the house, large south garden. Cons: long driveway (snow removal), no western garden but rather an eastern garden.
We might not push the house fully to the back as far as possible but leave some northern garden instead. So instead of the 3 m (10 ft) minimum distance, perhaps 5 to 7 m (16.5-23 ft). To have a secluded and shaded garden area in midsummer. Does that make sense or not?
I look forward to your opinions and advice. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Thomas
we already own a plot of land and are considering the best way to position the house on it.
The plot is 665 sqm (7159 sq ft), approximately 21.5 m (70.5 ft) wide and 31 m (102 ft) long, with access from the south side. The slope is about 1.5 m (5 ft) from south to north and about 2 m (6.5 ft) from east to west. There is a relatively free building area, except for a 3 m (10 ft) setback at the front and rear, as well as the usual boundary setbacks. See item no. 6 in the attached plan.
We would like a house with about 140-150 sqm (1507-1615 sq ft) of living space distributed over the ground floor and first floor (either without or possibly with a high knee wall), plus a double garage. Two fundamental questions are troubling us:
1. With or without a basement? Is a basement advisable on this slight slope? Basically, we could do without a basement, then with a small utility room on the ground floor and a small laundry room on the upper floor, plus possibly a slightly larger garage. However, if a basement would not cost much more due to the site conditions, we would not mind. A partial basement would also be sufficient, but we often read that the cost savings compared to a full basement are minimal. With a basement, the house could also have only 140 sqm (1507 sq ft) instead of 150 sqm (1615 sq ft). We would not want less than that because we would like to have an office/guest room on the ground floor.
2. An equally important question is where and how to best position the house. Due to the southern access, it is unfortunately not so easy. So far, we have the following ideas (the first two are shown in the attached sketch):
a) House with east entrance as far back as possible in the northeast, garage with 5-6 m (16.5-20 ft) driveway in front in the southeast. Pros: a large southwest garden, privacy thanks to the garage. Cons: longer and potentially wet path to the house.
b) House with east entrance roughly centered at the back and garage attached at the boundary to the east side. Pros: direct access to the house, large south garden. Cons: long driveway (snow removal), less western garden.
c) House with west entrance roughly centered at the back and garage attached at the boundary to the west side. Pros: direct access to the house, large south garden. Cons: long driveway (snow removal), no western garden but rather an eastern garden.
We might not push the house fully to the back as far as possible but leave some northern garden instead. So instead of the 3 m (10 ft) minimum distance, perhaps 5 to 7 m (16.5-23 ft). To have a secluded and shaded garden area in midsummer. Does that make sense or not?
I look forward to your opinions and advice. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Thomas
tepee schrieb:
...
I had also thought of a solution like the one ypg kindly suggested. Sort of like a bungalow, but with a small basement and living space downstairs. However, having the bedrooms downstairs might not be our preference. Still, we’ll keep it as a possible option.
Basically, we are leaning more toward a modern house with a ground floor plus an upper floor and a shallow pitched roof. Hmm...
...You could also have living areas and kitchen downstairs, with the bedrooms upstairs.
Best regards, Yvonne
Hello again,
We would like to stick with the house design that includes the double garage next door. We have received an initial floor plan, see attachment. There are still quite a few changes needed (smaller kids’ rooms, larger master bedroom, utility room on the upper floor, etc.), but what do you generally think about it?
By the way, for a different, smaller house version with 130 sqm (1400 sq ft) of living space distributed over the ground and upper floors, we received a basement offer for €75,000. Is that normal (even though it’s a KfW55 standard)? Other general contractors offer a basement of about 65 sqm (700 sq ft) “according to the catalog” for roughly €40,000, after accounting for the differences between a slab-on-grade and a basement.
For raising the concrete slab (foundation walls), we have been quoted €10,000.
We would like to stick with the house design that includes the double garage next door. We have received an initial floor plan, see attachment. There are still quite a few changes needed (smaller kids’ rooms, larger master bedroom, utility room on the upper floor, etc.), but what do you generally think about it?
By the way, for a different, smaller house version with 130 sqm (1400 sq ft) of living space distributed over the ground and upper floors, we received a basement offer for €75,000. Is that normal (even though it’s a KfW55 standard)? Other general contractors offer a basement of about 65 sqm (700 sq ft) “according to the catalog” for roughly €40,000, after accounting for the differences between a slab-on-grade and a basement.
For raising the concrete slab (foundation walls), we have been quoted €10,000.
I like the floor plan. Simple and clear.
Regarding the house positioning: I would push the house all the way to the back and then as far as possible to the right. I would accept the long driveway and the higher connection costs for that. You can nicely separate the driveway from the garden with some shrubs. The neighbor at the back will have their garden adjacent, so you will get good natural light from all sides.
Personally, I’m not a fan of having a garden all around the house. I like to have everything in view.
About the basement: I really dislike basements. That’s why we built without one. We had to raise the ground by 15 x 15.5 m (49 x 51 feet) due to poor soil conditions (excavated 1 m (3 feet), then added 2 m (6 feet) of fill). This cost us 25,000. A basement would have cost more than twice that. If you don’t really need the space (and be honest with yourselves about that), then skip it. Maybe plan a bit more storage space inside the house so you can store a lot initially. After construction, the money for a garden shed usually isn’t available, and garages often fill up very quickly.
Regarding the house positioning: I would push the house all the way to the back and then as far as possible to the right. I would accept the long driveway and the higher connection costs for that. You can nicely separate the driveway from the garden with some shrubs. The neighbor at the back will have their garden adjacent, so you will get good natural light from all sides.
Personally, I’m not a fan of having a garden all around the house. I like to have everything in view.
About the basement: I really dislike basements. That’s why we built without one. We had to raise the ground by 15 x 15.5 m (49 x 51 feet) due to poor soil conditions (excavated 1 m (3 feet), then added 2 m (6 feet) of fill). This cost us 25,000. A basement would have cost more than twice that. If you don’t really need the space (and be honest with yourselves about that), then skip it. Maybe plan a bit more storage space inside the house so you can store a lot initially. After construction, the money for a garden shed usually isn’t available, and garages often fill up very quickly.
I quite like it as well. However, I noticed two things. For my taste, Child 1 has too many windows. In fact, there are four windows. And I would skip the passage to the garage. The main entrance is just one meter (3 feet) away. In a 6-meter (20 feet) garage, there isn’t much space (depending on the car) to comfortably walk around.
Thanks for your opinions.
The plan is to place the house almost entirely towards the back, leaving about 5-6 meters (16-20 feet) at the rear (north side). This could be useful in summer to have a small shady and private garden. Also, this spacing results from a 3-meter (10 feet) minimum distance plus the garage protruding 2-3 meters (6.5-10 feet) beyond the house at the back. This way, we would still have a 16-meter (52 feet) south-facing garden at the front. We plan to pave the driveway only about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide and only expand to full width beside the house or in front of the garage.
The house including the garage as an attached building is shifted as far as possible to the “right rear.” It can’t go further because of the garage and entrance area. I would have preferred a bit more space on the “left” side, i.e., on the west, mainly due to potential shading, as it’s uncertain how the neighbor might build in the future. But with a plot width of 21.5 meters (70.5 feet) and an east-facing entrance with double garage, space is tight. However, I don’t want to give up the double garage.
By the way, the garage is quite large—actually 9 by 6 meters (30 by 20 feet), contrary to the plan. Besides two parking spaces, this should allow for about 20 sqm (215 sqft) of storage space replacing a basement. There will also be some attic space. Rooms for technical equipment and the utility room would then be located inside the building. I think this will be sufficient. We don’t mind having a basement either, especially since the land slopes slightly. However, we wouldn’t need a full basement; a partial basement would be enough. But everyone advises against that because it’s not much cheaper and might be problematic due to settlement or other issues. Given the current offered price for a basement, we’ve decided against it.
Our idea is to have as few stairs as possible and to make everything comfortably accessible. That’s why the utility room will be on the upper floor (this will still be added to the plan), where laundry is done, and possibly even a rooftop terrace above the prefabricated garage to hang laundry directly. We would probably skip the large balcony shown on the south side, partly for cost reasons, and instead opt for a covered area, pergola, or something similar.
The floor plan proposal is based on a first smaller version and thus still has some flaws here and there. We generally like the ground floor. The garage access there is due to the slope: the garage would be slightly higher, requiring steps. Hopefully, this can be resolved by lowering the garage about 50 cm (20 inches), which would better fit our idea of a “single-level” layout.
I also see room for improvement on the upper floor. Not only does one children’s room have many windows, but the children’s rooms at about 20 sqm (215 sqft) each are somewhat large, while the bedroom is a bit small. The goal is to have children’s rooms of about 15 sqm (160 sqft) each and a master bedroom of 20 sqm (215 sqft) including a walk-in closet. That would leave a few extra square meters for the utility room and similar uses.
The plan is to place the house almost entirely towards the back, leaving about 5-6 meters (16-20 feet) at the rear (north side). This could be useful in summer to have a small shady and private garden. Also, this spacing results from a 3-meter (10 feet) minimum distance plus the garage protruding 2-3 meters (6.5-10 feet) beyond the house at the back. This way, we would still have a 16-meter (52 feet) south-facing garden at the front. We plan to pave the driveway only about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide and only expand to full width beside the house or in front of the garage.
The house including the garage as an attached building is shifted as far as possible to the “right rear.” It can’t go further because of the garage and entrance area. I would have preferred a bit more space on the “left” side, i.e., on the west, mainly due to potential shading, as it’s uncertain how the neighbor might build in the future. But with a plot width of 21.5 meters (70.5 feet) and an east-facing entrance with double garage, space is tight. However, I don’t want to give up the double garage.
By the way, the garage is quite large—actually 9 by 6 meters (30 by 20 feet), contrary to the plan. Besides two parking spaces, this should allow for about 20 sqm (215 sqft) of storage space replacing a basement. There will also be some attic space. Rooms for technical equipment and the utility room would then be located inside the building. I think this will be sufficient. We don’t mind having a basement either, especially since the land slopes slightly. However, we wouldn’t need a full basement; a partial basement would be enough. But everyone advises against that because it’s not much cheaper and might be problematic due to settlement or other issues. Given the current offered price for a basement, we’ve decided against it.
Our idea is to have as few stairs as possible and to make everything comfortably accessible. That’s why the utility room will be on the upper floor (this will still be added to the plan), where laundry is done, and possibly even a rooftop terrace above the prefabricated garage to hang laundry directly. We would probably skip the large balcony shown on the south side, partly for cost reasons, and instead opt for a covered area, pergola, or something similar.
The floor plan proposal is based on a first smaller version and thus still has some flaws here and there. We generally like the ground floor. The garage access there is due to the slope: the garage would be slightly higher, requiring steps. Hopefully, this can be resolved by lowering the garage about 50 cm (20 inches), which would better fit our idea of a “single-level” layout.
I also see room for improvement on the upper floor. Not only does one children’s room have many windows, but the children’s rooms at about 20 sqm (215 sqft) each are somewhat large, while the bedroom is a bit small. The goal is to have children’s rooms of about 15 sqm (160 sqft) each and a master bedroom of 20 sqm (215 sqft) including a walk-in closet. That would leave a few extra square meters for the utility room and similar uses.
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