Hello everyone,
maybe this thread is a bit early since we don’t have a planned floor plan yet. But we would still appreciate your advice. First of all, because this is probably the most important information: We are planning with a budget of 600,000 euros for the house plus additional building-related costs. We have received approval to purchase the plot shown here. We will sign the purchase contract at the end of next week. Now to our problem:
We are very uncertain about which is the better decision for our plot: a (partial) basement with a smaller floor plan (about 130 – 140 m² (1400 – 1500 sq ft)) (Option A), or a slab foundation with a slightly larger floor plan (about 170 m² (1800 sq ft)) (Option B).
I will list the pros and cons as we see them for each option.
Option A:
+ Utility room in the basement frees up space on the ground floor; no noise issues
+ More usable space overall
+ Hobby room can also be used flexibly for gatherings
+ Storage space!
+ Possibility of a double parking space
- Expensive (a full basement is probably unrealistic with our budget; is a partial basement more sensible?)
- Less space on the ground and upper floors
Option B:
+ More living space on the ground and upper floors
+ High potential for cost savings!
+ Possible to use the attic for storage?
- Is there still enough space for a double parking space?
- Possible issues with the plot ratio? If we understand correctly, the footprint of the house may be limited to 143 m² (1540 sq ft) plus 70 m² (750 sq ft) for driveway, garage, etc. My feeling is that the developed area might easily be underestimated and reach the limit quickly.
We would be interested in your opinion on how you would build on this plot. I have made a very rough sketch of how we imagine the orientation of the house and placement of parking spaces, etc. I have also attached the site plan and development plan. The questionnaire is mostly filled out, but a “final” floor plan is still missing, as mentioned. This will also largely depend on the question of whether to have a basement or not.
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything...
Best regards
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 477 m² (5130 sq ft)
Slope Minimal
Plot ratio (ground coverage ratio) 0.3
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line, boundary 14 x 14 meters (see image)
Edge development see image
Number of parking spaces unknown
Building height up to 2 full stories
Roof type Hip roof or gable roof 30-40 degrees
Architectural style unknown
Orientation unknown
Maximum height / limits unknown
Other requirements unknown
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, Roof type Gable or hip roof (open to either)
Basement, number of floors Basement yes/no is the big question. 1.5 – 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages 2 adults (32 and 33), 1 child (1), 1 more child planned
Room requirements on ground and upper floors Utility room, guest toilet with shower, guest room, study (a study nook might also be sufficient), 2 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom
Office: family use or home office? Both
Overnight guests per year Parents-in-law should be able to stay regularly (about once a month)
Open or closed layout Open kitchen / living / dining area
Conservative or modern design Exterior should be clean and simple – relatively straightforward
Open kitchen, kitchen island Yes, at least a peninsula
Number of dining places in the kitchen No dining space needed in the kitchen; the dining room should have space for a large table
Fireplace If budget allows; not mandatory
Music / sound wall 11.2.4 sound system + TV to be integrated into the study (or guest room)
Balcony, roof terrace Not necessary
Garage, carport Double carport or double garage would be nice if space allows; otherwise 2 parking spaces in tandem
Utility garden, greenhouse Not planned
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why some options are preferred or rejected Smart home with KNX (or Loxone); controlled ventilation system, photovoltaic system (+ possibly battery storage), air-to-water heat pump
House Design
Who did the planning:
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Estimated cost according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house, including equipment:
Preferred heating technology: Air-to-water heat pump + photovoltaic system (+ possibly small battery storage)
If you have to give up something, which details or features
- can you do without:
- cannot do without:
maybe this thread is a bit early since we don’t have a planned floor plan yet. But we would still appreciate your advice. First of all, because this is probably the most important information: We are planning with a budget of 600,000 euros for the house plus additional building-related costs. We have received approval to purchase the plot shown here. We will sign the purchase contract at the end of next week. Now to our problem:
We are very uncertain about which is the better decision for our plot: a (partial) basement with a smaller floor plan (about 130 – 140 m² (1400 – 1500 sq ft)) (Option A), or a slab foundation with a slightly larger floor plan (about 170 m² (1800 sq ft)) (Option B).
I will list the pros and cons as we see them for each option.
Option A:
+ Utility room in the basement frees up space on the ground floor; no noise issues
+ More usable space overall
+ Hobby room can also be used flexibly for gatherings
+ Storage space!
+ Possibility of a double parking space
- Expensive (a full basement is probably unrealistic with our budget; is a partial basement more sensible?)
- Less space on the ground and upper floors
Option B:
+ More living space on the ground and upper floors
+ High potential for cost savings!
+ Possible to use the attic for storage?
- Is there still enough space for a double parking space?
- Possible issues with the plot ratio? If we understand correctly, the footprint of the house may be limited to 143 m² (1540 sq ft) plus 70 m² (750 sq ft) for driveway, garage, etc. My feeling is that the developed area might easily be underestimated and reach the limit quickly.
We would be interested in your opinion on how you would build on this plot. I have made a very rough sketch of how we imagine the orientation of the house and placement of parking spaces, etc. I have also attached the site plan and development plan. The questionnaire is mostly filled out, but a “final” floor plan is still missing, as mentioned. This will also largely depend on the question of whether to have a basement or not.
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything...
Best regards
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size 477 m² (5130 sq ft)
Slope Minimal
Plot ratio (ground coverage ratio) 0.3
Floor area ratio 0.8
Building envelope, building line, boundary 14 x 14 meters (see image)
Edge development see image
Number of parking spaces unknown
Building height up to 2 full stories
Roof type Hip roof or gable roof 30-40 degrees
Architectural style unknown
Orientation unknown
Maximum height / limits unknown
Other requirements unknown
Homeowners’ Requirements
Architectural style, Roof type Gable or hip roof (open to either)
Basement, number of floors Basement yes/no is the big question. 1.5 – 2 full stories
Number of occupants, ages 2 adults (32 and 33), 1 child (1), 1 more child planned
Room requirements on ground and upper floors Utility room, guest toilet with shower, guest room, study (a study nook might also be sufficient), 2 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom
Office: family use or home office? Both
Overnight guests per year Parents-in-law should be able to stay regularly (about once a month)
Open or closed layout Open kitchen / living / dining area
Conservative or modern design Exterior should be clean and simple – relatively straightforward
Open kitchen, kitchen island Yes, at least a peninsula
Number of dining places in the kitchen No dining space needed in the kitchen; the dining room should have space for a large table
Fireplace If budget allows; not mandatory
Music / sound wall 11.2.4 sound system + TV to be integrated into the study (or guest room)
Balcony, roof terrace Not necessary
Garage, carport Double carport or double garage would be nice if space allows; otherwise 2 parking spaces in tandem
Utility garden, greenhouse Not planned
Other wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons why some options are preferred or rejected Smart home with KNX (or Loxone); controlled ventilation system, photovoltaic system (+ possibly battery storage), air-to-water heat pump
House Design
Who did the planning:
- Planner from a construction company
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you especially like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Estimated cost according to architect/planner:
Personal budget limit for the house, including equipment:
Preferred heating technology: Air-to-water heat pump + photovoltaic system (+ possibly small battery storage)
If you have to give up something, which details or features
- can you do without:
- cannot do without:
S
SandyBlack6 Feb 2022 13:20Yes, I understand that (or so I thought 😉). But why is the idea of planning for 170 sqm dropped then?
Maybe I didn’t express myself clearly enough in my initial post. When I mention the square meter values in the floor plans, I always mean the living area — distributed over the two full floors.
Using the example from post #3, I have a house with external dimensions of 12 x 9.5 meters, which results in a built-up area of 114 sqm (square meters).
I calculated: 477 * 0.3 = 143.1 sqm additional, of which 50% for ancillary areas would be about 71 sqm.
In this example, I would still have 143.1 sqm - 114 sqm + 71 sqm = 100 sqm “left over” for ancillary areas.
Is it unrealistic to manage with that?
If it matters: Our development plan is from 1989 — so the building regulations from 1986 should apply here.
@kbt09 Sorry, I can no longer update the initial post. So here again are the plans with the north directions marked. I hope this is clear. I rotated the development plan so that the orientation matches in all plans.
Maybe I didn’t express myself clearly enough in my initial post. When I mention the square meter values in the floor plans, I always mean the living area — distributed over the two full floors.
Using the example from post #3, I have a house with external dimensions of 12 x 9.5 meters, which results in a built-up area of 114 sqm (square meters).
I calculated: 477 * 0.3 = 143.1 sqm additional, of which 50% for ancillary areas would be about 71 sqm.
In this example, I would still have 143.1 sqm - 114 sqm + 71 sqm = 100 sqm “left over” for ancillary areas.
Is it unrealistic to manage with that?
If it matters: Our development plan is from 1989 — so the building regulations from 1986 should apply here.
@kbt09 Sorry, I can no longer update the initial post. So here again are the plans with the north directions marked. I hope this is clear. I rotated the development plan so that the orientation matches in all plans.
M
Myrna_Loy6 Feb 2022 13:29Okay, I had understood that as the floor area.
W
WilderSueden6 Feb 2022 14:42SandyBlack schrieb:
Hang Minimal Do you have a specific number for that? Like a 0.3m (12 inches) elevation difference within the building plot?
Estimating slope by eye is unreliable, but the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a basement largely depend on how steep the terrain is. The other important factors are the energy standard and the size of the plot.
Currently, I would assess it as follows:
Slope: probably a disadvantage
Energy standard: unknown
Plot size, floor area ratio: favorable
Regarding storage space, you can often compensate with a large attic.
S
SandyBlack6 Feb 2022 15:00You mean the plot size and floor area ratio indicate that a basement is advisable?
So far, we don’t have any specific figures regarding the slope. Who determines that? Is it the surveyor’s responsibility?
Regarding the energy standard, we have so far leaned towards KfW 40 EE, since most of the requirements are already met by our planned home technology. However, if, for example, a basement would only be affordable with KfW 55, we would have no problem with that.
The soil report will be prepared the week after next.
So far, we don’t have any specific figures regarding the slope. Who determines that? Is it the surveyor’s responsibility?
Regarding the energy standard, we have so far leaned towards KfW 40 EE, since most of the requirements are already met by our planned home technology. However, if, for example, a basement would only be affordable with KfW 55, we would have no problem with that.
The soil report will be prepared the week after next.
W
WilderSueden6 Feb 2022 15:17SandyBlack schrieb:
Do you mean the plot size and floor area ratio suggest having a basement?Yes, the less area you are allowed to build on, the more valuable it becomes to move technical rooms and storage spaces underground. You can find specific information about the slope in the land registry, where contour lines should be marked. Otherwise, you can buy a simple hose level at a hardware store for a small amount and measure it yourself. I have had bad experiences with this: our "very slight slope" is actually 2 meters (6.6 feet) across the plot, with 70-80 centimeters (28-31 inches) within the building area. But I have to say, now that the foundation slab is in place, it doesn't seem that much.
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