ᐅ Houses Without Basements: Storage Space or Hobby Room?

DNL, do you have any children or are you planning to have any? I couldn’t find anything about it, or did I miss it?

Yes, we have two small children. No more are planned.

For things like bicycles, outdoor toys, etc., I honestly see one (or maybe two?) garden sheds. Alternatively, a carport-like but much smaller structure on the side of the house.

Hello,

DNL schrieb:

I’d like to add that we
- are building with a mono-pitched roof and therefore no attic

If a mono-pitched roof is permitted, then a staggered mono-pitched roof might also be an option ... perhaps an alternative?

Attached you will find the loft plan of a building project we will start soon. There are already two children in the household, and the client is expecting again; so far, five children are planned. For this reason, the design fully explores the limits of the zoning plan. Aside from the fact that you probably won’t need a bathroom in the loft, the design highlights the available storage space with a staggered mono-pitched roof.

Best regards, Bauexperte

5 planned children – you don’t see that very often nowadays.
I once saw in another floor plan/house that the pantry (behind the kitchen) also served as a craft room. On one wall there were closed storage cabinets, and on the opposite side a work surface with a rolling drawer unit and wall cabinets.
The room itself wasn’t very large (about 6sqm (65 sq ft)) but was used optimally.

Hello,

milkie schrieb:

5 planned children—for today, that’s quite rare.

That’s certainly true.

milkie schrieb:

I once saw in another floor plan/house that the pantry (behind the kitchen) was also used as a craft room. On one wall there were closed storage cabinets, and on the other side a worktop with a rolling cabinet and wall cupboards.
The room itself wasn’t very large (maybe 6 sqm (65 sq ft)) but was used very efficiently.

In our design—10.00 x 12.00 m (33 x 39 ft), two stories, 0.70 m (28 inches) knee wall, and 30° roof pitch—we have also tried to consider everything that might possibly be “needed” at some point; a rather pointless exercise, but our clients contributed their ideas. Five bedrooms, separate master area with walk-in closet, guest room on the ground floor, two full bathrooms plus an additional shower bathroom on the ground floor, as well as plenty of storage on every level. This brings us to roughly 230 sqm (2,475 sq ft) without a basement, plus a garage measuring 3.00 x 9.00 m (10 x 30 ft); so plenty of space indeed.

Regards, Bauexperte

Bauexperte schrieb:
5 children’s rooms, separate parents’ area with walk-in closet, guest room on the ground floor, 2 bathrooms plus an additional shower bathroom on the ground floor, as well as plenty of storage space on every floor. That brings us to roughly 230 sqm (2,474 sq ft) without a basement, plus a garage measuring 3.00 x 9.00 m (10 x 30 ft); so there’s plenty of space.

Wow, five planned children! That’s pretty rare these days. Honestly, it’s a bit of a shame.
How large are the five children’s rooms? I’m really curious about that. I’m not sure I would give each child their own room from the start — until they’re about 10 years old, two kids can easily share a room. A nice bunk bed can work really well for that.

DNL – I’d definitely plan for lots of closet and shelving space in all the rooms, with cabinets going up to the ceiling (built-in wardrobes in the bedroom, for example). Depending on the children’s ages, maybe loft beds in the children’s rooms. That way you gain extra play space underneath and might be able to fit in an additional dresser or similar piece elsewhere.
And in the kitchen, definitely tall cabinets. Ours go almost up to the ceiling, for example. In the top cabinet, I keep items I’d normally put in the basement because I only use them rarely (waffle maker, raclette set, fondue set, etc.). Pay attention to the plinth height. If you choose a lower plinth, depending on the supplier you can fit an extra row of drawers underneath (we have only an 8cm (3 inch) plinth, which allows for 4 drawers instead of just 3).