ᐅ Looking for floor plan ideas for a house on a sloped site

Hello everyone,

I have been searching for a suitable floor plan to meet my needs for a few weeks now.
Currently, I have two unfinished drafts and I’m not making much progress. Attached is a design for an attic floor, with the ground floor and terrace below and the upper floor on top. Exterior dimensions 11.50 x 10.00 m (38 x 33 ft)

What I like:
Entrance to the house, technical room in the garage, kitchen-dining-living area facing south, office on the ground floor
Arrangement of bathroom – dressing room – bedroom on the upper floor, office downstairs can later be used as a bedroom
Little hallway space

What I don’t like:
Two staircases, utility room too small, no pantry, layout of the granny flat

Numbers, data, facts:

Development plan/restrictions: few, preliminary building approval granted for own plot
Plot size approx. 800 sqm (8,600 sq ft), probably 25 m x 32 m (82 x 105 ft), will be measured
Slope approx. 3 m (10 ft) rising over 10 m (33 ft) length

Minimum number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: 2
Roof style: shed roof, 20–30°?
Design style: classic modern
Orientation: kitchen, living, dining facing south
Maximum height / limits: none so far

Client requirements
Single-family house, possibly with a granny flat accessible via external stairs
No basement, 2 floors
Currently single, 28 years old, part to be rented out
Estimated space requirement: 170 sqm (1,830 sq ft)
Office: home office (sales engineer)
Few overnight guests per year
Living room preferably closed off for home cinema
Construction style: conservative with modern influences
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: yes
Roof terrace possibly on garage
Double garage with storage

Additional wishes
- Access from garage to house
- Granny flat to be used later as children’s room

House design created by me with the help of an architect
Budget target: 300k including kitchen and bathroom (plot already owned)
Preferred heating system: still under consideration

I would appreciate tips, ideas, and suggestions for improvements. Thanks in advance.

Maybe you should consider hiring a professional architect? Building a house on a slope by simply digging into the hill is probably not that easy, or at least would require significant compromises...

How do you plan to rent out part of it? There is actually a separate entrance available...

The living areas seem very tight and small to me. Especially in the granny flat, where the view of the built-in wall unit is blocked when the door is open, or does the person sitting on the sofa get hit by the door against their legs? The tenant then has to walk through the landlord’s private area to get to their apartment, and the sleeping area is locked separately, or can the tenant access it as well? Hmm, the tenant must be a good friend... otherwise, I would reconsider this and, if necessary, provide access from outside.

Our house is also built on a slope and, due to the hillside location, has ground-level access to the outside on both floors. In this case, you could avoid having two staircases. With a hillside location, you have to be a bit creative. Our previous owners planned with a split-level design, with the living area and kitchen on different floors, etc.

Tip: Have an architect handle the planning!

Unfortunately, the design is missing the entrance door to the granny flat, which I plan to access via an external staircase at the back of the house.
I have three younger sisters to whom I will rent the flat until I need it for personal use. If there is a third-party tenant later on, the door to my area on the upper floor will be locked or removed if I never need it for myself.