ᐅ Planning a Single-Family Home for a Family with Three Children and a Basement

Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading along a lot over the past few days, and now I’d like to get your opinions on possible improvements...

In the next few days, there will be five of us.
I’m 34, self-employed; my partner is 33; the children are 6, 3, and soon a newborn.

We built a house 9 years ago, but back then we never planned for 3 kids, so now we’re bursting at the seams.

We are looking at two plots: one is about 2000sqm (21,528 sq ft) without a building permit / planning permission;
the other is about 1500sqm (16,146 sq ft) with a development plan allowing a ridge height of 9m (30 ft) and a roof eave height of 4m (13 ft), with one full floor.

We want a large open living/dining area and children’s rooms that are not too small. To keep the house from becoming too large, one child’s room will be in the basement, which has a separate entrance and bathroom, just like our current setup, which works well.

The plan is a timber frame construction built to KfW 55 energy efficiency standards, with an air-to-water heat pump and photovoltaic panels so we can benefit from the Renewable Energy Act subsidies. I would also like to install a KNX smart home system, and the basement will be developed as a livable space. We only have overnight guests about 3-4 times a year.

Instead of a carport, we want a double garage with a gable roof. It doesn’t have to be directly attached to the house; I think it could also be placed on the north side.

I have some concerns about the usability of the rooms because of the sloping ceilings. Also, I’m a bit worried the entrance might be somewhat dark.

What are your thoughts on this?

Good luck