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:
W
Wugler19786 Feb 2022 22:49SandyBlack schrieb:
@Wugler1978 Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂 What ceiling height do you have in the basement?The clear structural height is 2.38 m (7 ft 10 in). The standard would have been 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in), but that was too low for us. For this reason, we raised the room height by 12 cm (5 inches).
SandyBlack schrieb:
Unfortunately, there are no contour lines shown in my excerpt from the land registry. In the online documents, elevation layers can often be toggled on and off.
SandyBlack schrieb:
I know it’s unfortunately very hard to read... but maybe this helps? It could have been helpful if @Escroda had not been driven away here...
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
G
Gartenfreund7 Feb 2022 02:41I would definitely prioritize building a full basement.
You have already mentioned some advantages, such as placing the washing machine there, which could be very useful in case it ever starts leaking.
A workshop room, among other things, to store tools for small and larger repairs, but of course also to set up a workbench where you can install a vise.
Space to store, for example, Christmas decorations.
Additionally, we have a basement room of about 10 m² (108 sq ft) that serves as a pantry. It contains shelves for groceries, both purchased items (margarine, legumes, etc.) and homemade preserves. It also provides space for a chest freezer and for storing potatoes. In other words, if something is available at a good price and will be needed anyway, we tend to buy in larger quantities. Another advantage is that the basement maintains a temperature of around 12°C (54°F) throughout the year.
This is certainly not bad for both the freezer and the food storage.
Since you want to have a vegetable garden, you will also need storage space for your harvest, unless it is so small that it can be kept in kitchen cabinets.
To manage the additional costs of the basement, you might want to consider now—if you haven’t already—what you could do yourself. For me, that often includes tasks like wallpapering and anything related to the garden.
I can do without things like smart home systems. Of course, I don’t have one, so I don’t miss it.
For TV reception, I would always choose satellite. That’s a one-time cost, not a monthly fee like cable. By the way, you can also install a satellite dish yourself.
You have already mentioned some advantages, such as placing the washing machine there, which could be very useful in case it ever starts leaking.
A workshop room, among other things, to store tools for small and larger repairs, but of course also to set up a workbench where you can install a vise.
Space to store, for example, Christmas decorations.
Additionally, we have a basement room of about 10 m² (108 sq ft) that serves as a pantry. It contains shelves for groceries, both purchased items (margarine, legumes, etc.) and homemade preserves. It also provides space for a chest freezer and for storing potatoes. In other words, if something is available at a good price and will be needed anyway, we tend to buy in larger quantities. Another advantage is that the basement maintains a temperature of around 12°C (54°F) throughout the year.
This is certainly not bad for both the freezer and the food storage.
Since you want to have a vegetable garden, you will also need storage space for your harvest, unless it is so small that it can be kept in kitchen cabinets.
To manage the additional costs of the basement, you might want to consider now—if you haven’t already—what you could do yourself. For me, that often includes tasks like wallpapering and anything related to the garden.
I can do without things like smart home systems. Of course, I don’t have one, so I don’t miss it.
For TV reception, I would always choose satellite. That’s a one-time cost, not a monthly fee like cable. By the way, you can also install a satellite dish yourself.
First and foremost, the question should probably be whether the basement is affordable and if you are willing to pay for it. If both answers are "yes," make a list of pros and cons and decide accordingly. Not everything that happens during the house construction is economical. If you look at it closely, nothing in homebuilding is truly economical.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to miss having a basement. It’s more convenient to go down a few steps than to fold down the annoying ladder to the attic. Also, food and items that should not experience too many temperature fluctuations can be stored in the basement. However, the basement was already present when I bought the house.
For building a new basement now, I would probably be too cost-conscious.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to miss having a basement. It’s more convenient to go down a few steps than to fold down the annoying ladder to the attic. Also, food and items that should not experience too many temperature fluctuations can be stored in the basement. However, the basement was already present when I bought the house.
For building a new basement now, I would probably be too cost-conscious.
S
SandyBlack7 Feb 2022 07:35@11ant Thank you for the tip. I think I have found what I was looking for.
I have created one image each with contour lines (all contour lines activated except living areas), elevation layers, and elevation profile.
If I interpret these correctly, the plot is flat. Or am I looking at it wrong? 🙂
@Gartenfreund We did not plan a vegetable garden. Maybe a raised bed with some herbs. But that’s about it. Our garden area won’t be very extensive. A smart home will warn and protect you against a leaking washing machine 😉. But of course, everyone has their own preferences. We have also talked to several people who built without a basement, and the general consensus was always, “We would do it the same way again.” A frequently mentioned advantage — especially from people who previously had a basement — was that you don’t accumulate as many unnecessary things because you tend to use the available storage space more carefully.
We will definitely get quotes from basement builders as soon as the soil survey report is available. We were also advised not to get the basement through the prefabricated house company.
I have created one image each with contour lines (all contour lines activated except living areas), elevation layers, and elevation profile.
If I interpret these correctly, the plot is flat. Or am I looking at it wrong? 🙂
@Gartenfreund We did not plan a vegetable garden. Maybe a raised bed with some herbs. But that’s about it. Our garden area won’t be very extensive. A smart home will warn and protect you against a leaking washing machine 😉. But of course, everyone has their own preferences. We have also talked to several people who built without a basement, and the general consensus was always, “We would do it the same way again.” A frequently mentioned advantage — especially from people who previously had a basement — was that you don’t accumulate as many unnecessary things because you tend to use the available storage space more carefully.
We will definitely get quotes from basement builders as soon as the soil survey report is available. We were also advised not to get the basement through the prefabricated house company.
SandyBlack schrieb:
A smart home system can warn you about and protect against a leaking washing machineNow it’s getting mysterious. 🙂Regarding the basement: just ask the architect what you can get within the budget. (The forum already knows…)
Simply calculate backwards from 600,000 euros to see how many square meters you can get…
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