ᐅ Single-family house on a gentle hillside near the edge of a forest
Created on: 5 Jun 2015 10:49
L
lreplrepHello everyone,
My wife and I are planning to build a house in 2016. We have already identified a plot of land and have started thinking about how it could be developed. It is located in a very quiet rural area at the end of a dead-end road, adjacent to a forest (to the north).
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 850 square meters (0.21 acres)
Slope: yes, about 10% incline from northeast to southwest
No development plan (I still need to gather more information when things get serious)
Requirements from the builders
Style, roof type, building type: simple building with a shallow gable roof (25-30°), two stories without sloped ceilings
Basement, floors: two floors (basement partially built into the ground on the west/north side)
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 (aged 25/30), hopefully 4 later
Open or closed architecture: living/dining/kitchen open plan, but staircase separated in the hallway
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative, possibly a Swedish-style house
Kitchen: small and practical rather than representative, no kitchen island (preferably a slight separation from the dining/living area by a small "bar")
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: masonry heater as a room divider (between dining and living area)
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace with a short direct exit from the kitchen
Garage, carport: garage for motorcycle, bicycles, workbench, etc.; cars rather parked outside
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine: separate area for children possible later (or possibly rental of the basement)
House design
Designed by: DIY (we understand the design is not yet finished or 100% complete)
What do you like most? Access to garden from basement and upper floor, lots of sunlight due to south-facing orientation, entrance at both upper and lower levels (which can be separated later), full bathrooms both upstairs and downstairs
What do you not like? Entrance upstairs over the garage, long hallway / entrance area upstairs, view from the north
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €320,000 (without land but including additional costs)
Preferred heating technology: ground/air heat pump + masonry heater
If you have to give up on some details / build-outs
- What can you do without: garage; study/children’s room/bedroom could be smaller (however, the study would then no longer be suitable as a bedroom for two)
- What cannot be compromised: study, two approximately equal-sized children’s rooms, minimum 14 square meters (150 square feet) each
Many thanks in advance for your opinions and comments!
Best regards
My wife and I are planning to build a house in 2016. We have already identified a plot of land and have started thinking about how it could be developed. It is located in a very quiet rural area at the end of a dead-end road, adjacent to a forest (to the north).
Development plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 850 square meters (0.21 acres)
Slope: yes, about 10% incline from northeast to southwest
No development plan (I still need to gather more information when things get serious)
Requirements from the builders
Style, roof type, building type: simple building with a shallow gable roof (25-30°), two stories without sloped ceilings
Basement, floors: two floors (basement partially built into the ground on the west/north side)
Number of occupants, age: currently 2 (aged 25/30), hopefully 4 later
Open or closed architecture: living/dining/kitchen open plan, but staircase separated in the hallway
Conservative or modern construction: rather conservative, possibly a Swedish-style house
Kitchen: small and practical rather than representative, no kitchen island (preferably a slight separation from the dining/living area by a small "bar")
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: masonry heater as a room divider (between dining and living area)
Balcony, roof terrace: terrace with a short direct exit from the kitchen
Garage, carport: garage for motorcycle, bicycles, workbench, etc.; cars rather parked outside
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine: separate area for children possible later (or possibly rental of the basement)
House design
Designed by: DIY (we understand the design is not yet finished or 100% complete)
What do you like most? Access to garden from basement and upper floor, lots of sunlight due to south-facing orientation, entrance at both upper and lower levels (which can be separated later), full bathrooms both upstairs and downstairs
What do you not like? Entrance upstairs over the garage, long hallway / entrance area upstairs, view from the north
Personal budget limit for the house, including fittings: €320,000 (without land but including additional costs)
Preferred heating technology: ground/air heat pump + masonry heater
If you have to give up on some details / build-outs
- What can you do without: garage; study/children’s room/bedroom could be smaller (however, the study would then no longer be suitable as a bedroom for two)
- What cannot be compromised: study, two approximately equal-sized children’s rooms, minimum 14 square meters (150 square feet) each
Many thanks in advance for your opinions and comments!
Best regards
lreplrep schrieb:
No one has an opinion on this? Or are you all just too shocked? A sloped lot should always be planned by an architect.
When an amateur tries, it usually results in a buried two-story house, as can be seen here.
However, a sloped lot is too complex for that approach.
Once the architect has translated their expertise into a plan, you are welcome to share it here for suggestions.
Best regards, Yvonne
Thank you for your post, Yvonne.
We haven’t purchased the land yet. I would like to be able to estimate in advance whether it is even possible to build on this plot affordably or within our budget, without already spending thousands of euros on an architect’s fees that might end up being wasted.
The embedded two-story design is simply constructed and, from my layperson’s perspective, compact and cost-effective. Split-level, projections, L-shapes, and whatever else one (or an architect) might imagine, I initially associate with complexity and high costs. We were also thinking of building with prefabricated elements (e.g., a prefab house on a solid basement). However, these might just be our prejudices (architect + sloped site = expensive).
We have also considered building without a basement on a raised slab foundation (the slope on the land is about 10%), but here in the neighborhood, everyone has a basement, so overall this might not be cheaper.
Where do you see the biggest weaknesses in the preliminary design?
Best regards,
lreplrep
We haven’t purchased the land yet. I would like to be able to estimate in advance whether it is even possible to build on this plot affordably or within our budget, without already spending thousands of euros on an architect’s fees that might end up being wasted.
The embedded two-story design is simply constructed and, from my layperson’s perspective, compact and cost-effective. Split-level, projections, L-shapes, and whatever else one (or an architect) might imagine, I initially associate with complexity and high costs. We were also thinking of building with prefabricated elements (e.g., a prefab house on a solid basement). However, these might just be our prejudices (architect + sloped site = expensive).
We have also considered building without a basement on a raised slab foundation (the slope on the land is about 10%), but here in the neighborhood, everyone has a basement, so overall this might not be cheaper.
Where do you see the biggest weaknesses in the preliminary design?
Best regards,
lreplrep
Honestly, it’s hard to know where to start...
Ask an architect once you’ve purchased the plot.
Just as an example: the living room is on the upper floor, while the south-facing terrace is in front of the children’s rooms and the master bedroom? The bathroom in the basement is much too small, the utility room door arrangement is poor, the kitchen is too small, there is generally too little storage space... as Yvonne said, with a sloped plot you can have great designs created; ask someone who knows what they’re doing.
Ask an architect once you’ve purchased the plot.
Just as an example: the living room is on the upper floor, while the south-facing terrace is in front of the children’s rooms and the master bedroom? The bathroom in the basement is much too small, the utility room door arrangement is poor, the kitchen is too small, there is generally too little storage space... as Yvonne said, with a sloped plot you can have great designs created; ask someone who knows what they’re doing.
Thank you for the feedback, I only saw it today unfortunately...
It’s really helpful to have some specific points highlighted.
The terrace upstairs gets enough sun for my taste, and to the west there is only meadow next door, no turning circle. The layout also has the advantage that later on, a nearly or fully separate apartment could be set up downstairs (kitchen connections wouldn’t be a problem thanks to the utility room next door, and the interior walls between the kids’ rooms and bedroom are lightweight partitions). We wanted to keep the future in mind...
You’re probably right here. The doors are really bad. And a bit more space is probably necessary. Although right now we manage very well with a 7m² (75 sq ft) kitchen and 6m² (65 sq ft) bathroom (in the draft both are about 8m² (86 sq ft)).
Maybe I’ll dare to share an optimized furnished draft sometime soon.
Regards,
lreplrep
It’s really helpful to have some specific points highlighted.
marv45 schrieb:
Just as an example: the living room is on the upper floor, while the south terrace is in front of the kids’ rooms and the master bedroom?
The terrace upstairs gets enough sun for my taste, and to the west there is only meadow next door, no turning circle. The layout also has the advantage that later on, a nearly or fully separate apartment could be set up downstairs (kitchen connections wouldn’t be a problem thanks to the utility room next door, and the interior walls between the kids’ rooms and bedroom are lightweight partitions). We wanted to keep the future in mind...
marv45 schrieb:
Basement bathroom way too small, utility room door arrangement poor, kitchen too small, overall too little storage....
You’re probably right here. The doors are really bad. And a bit more space is probably necessary. Although right now we manage very well with a 7m² (75 sq ft) kitchen and 6m² (65 sq ft) bathroom (in the draft both are about 8m² (86 sq ft)).
Maybe I’ll dare to share an optimized furnished draft sometime soon.
Regards,
lreplrep
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