ᐅ Single-family Home on a North-facing Slope – Request for Opinions and Advice on Orientation
Created on: 23 Nov 2009 15:13
A
Azalee
Hello, forum,
In spring/summer, I already received some nice and helpful answers here regarding questions about house planning. At that time, I still thought we were sure about our plot of land. Somehow, doubts crept in again; we looked at many other plots, let the whole thing rest for a while, and finally decided to make a completely rational selection again about what we want, to what extent "our" plot meets that, and which compromises we have to make.
The result is that the plot we had chosen is the best option in our area for us, but I don’t want to make such a decision based purely on rational grounds—I also want to be fully emotionally committed to it. This means that when buying the plot, we should already know what kind of personal “dream house” we want to build on it. Well, that’s what we are working on right now.
Compared to the planning from a few months ago, some things have changed; many, of course, have stayed the same.
Here are some floor plans of the ground floor. It will be a single-family house, one and a half stories, fully basemented with level access to the northern rooms in the basement. One problem—and I’ll start with that—is that the home office on the ground floor should, if possible, have a west-facing window without the living room losing its panoramic view to the north (the hillside side). And that’s not easy... *sigh*
A brief orientation: below is north (I know, unusual, but that's looking “up” the hill); the plot is on a north-facing slope with roughly 3-4m (10-13 feet) elevation difference over 30m (100 feet) (the surroundings are less steep) and measures about 25x30m (82x100 feet). The street runs at the top to the south; the view to the west is relatively open, otherwise the surroundings are or will be developed.
We hope to build the house slightly below street level (about 1m (3 feet)) so that it doesn’t stand out like it’s on a “showcase.” Then a hedge will take care of the rest.
Regarding option 1: basically our oldest, though revised, plan: kitchen facing the street, next to it on the south side the dining area, and further south and west the living area. This shifts the home office to the northeast.
Option 2: very different; the entrance is on the north and would need to be reached via a surrounding “balcony.” No idea what our architect would say about that, but before we discuss feasibility with him and commission him and the builder, we would like to have a clear idea.
The home office is nicely positioned in the northwest, but unfortunately the great view from the living room down the slope is gone, partially compensated by the view from the conservatory.
Option 3: here, two corners are added so that the living room still has a north-facing window despite the west-facing home office. It’s no longer a true panorama, but maybe a compromise. The front door remains on the east side facing the street.
Thank you very much for your help!
Christiane
In spring/summer, I already received some nice and helpful answers here regarding questions about house planning. At that time, I still thought we were sure about our plot of land. Somehow, doubts crept in again; we looked at many other plots, let the whole thing rest for a while, and finally decided to make a completely rational selection again about what we want, to what extent "our" plot meets that, and which compromises we have to make.
The result is that the plot we had chosen is the best option in our area for us, but I don’t want to make such a decision based purely on rational grounds—I also want to be fully emotionally committed to it. This means that when buying the plot, we should already know what kind of personal “dream house” we want to build on it. Well, that’s what we are working on right now.
Compared to the planning from a few months ago, some things have changed; many, of course, have stayed the same.
Here are some floor plans of the ground floor. It will be a single-family house, one and a half stories, fully basemented with level access to the northern rooms in the basement. One problem—and I’ll start with that—is that the home office on the ground floor should, if possible, have a west-facing window without the living room losing its panoramic view to the north (the hillside side). And that’s not easy... *sigh*
A brief orientation: below is north (I know, unusual, but that's looking “up” the hill); the plot is on a north-facing slope with roughly 3-4m (10-13 feet) elevation difference over 30m (100 feet) (the surroundings are less steep) and measures about 25x30m (82x100 feet). The street runs at the top to the south; the view to the west is relatively open, otherwise the surroundings are or will be developed.
We hope to build the house slightly below street level (about 1m (3 feet)) so that it doesn’t stand out like it’s on a “showcase.” Then a hedge will take care of the rest.
Regarding option 1: basically our oldest, though revised, plan: kitchen facing the street, next to it on the south side the dining area, and further south and west the living area. This shifts the home office to the northeast.
Option 2: very different; the entrance is on the north and would need to be reached via a surrounding “balcony.” No idea what our architect would say about that, but before we discuss feasibility with him and commission him and the builder, we would like to have a clear idea.
The home office is nicely positioned in the northwest, but unfortunately the great view from the living room down the slope is gone, partially compensated by the view from the conservatory.
Option 3: here, two corners are added so that the living room still has a north-facing window despite the west-facing home office. It’s no longer a true panorama, but maybe a compromise. The front door remains on the east side facing the street.
Thank you very much for your help!
Christiane
Hi,
hm, maybe you misunderstood me or I wasn’t detailed enough about the background. So, here’s a more detailed explanation, because it was actually more than just “discussed briefly” :
An initial draft (from us) was revised by an architect who works with a potential timber house builder, professionally refined, and developed as a preliminary design (of course based on the zoning plan/building permit and local authority requirements). The walls and other elements were calculated, and after about four weeks we received a cost estimate. After that, we put the project on hold for the reasons mentioned above and continued looking for plots. Somehow, we always keep coming back to the first one *g*
Now, we would like to make a few changes. For example, it’s become clear to me how important the home office in the northwest would be. However, we can’t submit new ideas every few weeks to have multiple preliminary plans created repeatedly. Clearly, now would probably be the time to say “We’ll go ahead, buy the plot and commission the architect, then it will work out.” But I hesitate to do that. Since the plot doesn’t fully meet all our criteria (though it still outperforms every other site for sale by far), at least the concept of the house has to be right. And this is not about energy certification or insulation methods or heating systems or other things (these are more or less fixed), but simply about the layout of the ground floor, which – in short – should deliver the following:
- Dining/living area facing south or southwest
- Kitchen with east-facing window
- Home office in the northwest
- Living room with north (panoramic) window
- (South-)west terrace
- WC
- Stairs to the upper floor and stairs to the basement
- Lots of natural light, large window areas
If the plot were ideally oriented with the road to the north, I would have no problem confidently going to the architect because there are so many great ideas to realize. But here it’s different. And if during our considerations it turns out that the restrictions imposed on the house by the plot are too severe, we’ll have to write off the (nice ) north-facing slope.
Phew, this is difficult Anyway, I actually don’t want to know or have planned as much as it might have initially sounded.
Thanks for the help!
hm, maybe you misunderstood me or I wasn’t detailed enough about the background. So, here’s a more detailed explanation, because it was actually more than just “discussed briefly” :
An initial draft (from us) was revised by an architect who works with a potential timber house builder, professionally refined, and developed as a preliminary design (of course based on the zoning plan/building permit and local authority requirements). The walls and other elements were calculated, and after about four weeks we received a cost estimate. After that, we put the project on hold for the reasons mentioned above and continued looking for plots. Somehow, we always keep coming back to the first one *g*
Now, we would like to make a few changes. For example, it’s become clear to me how important the home office in the northwest would be. However, we can’t submit new ideas every few weeks to have multiple preliminary plans created repeatedly. Clearly, now would probably be the time to say “We’ll go ahead, buy the plot and commission the architect, then it will work out.” But I hesitate to do that. Since the plot doesn’t fully meet all our criteria (though it still outperforms every other site for sale by far), at least the concept of the house has to be right. And this is not about energy certification or insulation methods or heating systems or other things (these are more or less fixed), but simply about the layout of the ground floor, which – in short – should deliver the following:
- Dining/living area facing south or southwest
- Kitchen with east-facing window
- Home office in the northwest
- Living room with north (panoramic) window
- (South-)west terrace
- WC
- Stairs to the upper floor and stairs to the basement
- Lots of natural light, large window areas
If the plot were ideally oriented with the road to the north, I would have no problem confidently going to the architect because there are so many great ideas to realize. But here it’s different. And if during our considerations it turns out that the restrictions imposed on the house by the plot are too severe, we’ll have to write off the (nice ) north-facing slope.
Phew, this is difficult Anyway, I actually don’t want to know or have planned as much as it might have initially sounded.
Thanks for the help!
Hello Christiane,
that depends on what you mean by a wooden house.
If you mean the classic log construction, then the walls naturally have to be planned so that they can actually be built.
A timber frame construction is already closer to a solid build, but here structural engineering plays a role, meaning potentially more space is needed, as well as limitations such as ceiling span lengths (sizing, costs).
These are clearly different construction methods, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Of course, it makes sense to plan in a way that takes advantage of the strengths of the chosen method. Very important factors here are the future indoor climate and the lighting.
I hope your architect has informed you properly and is not just a "seller" for the timber construction company.
Best regards
that depends on what you mean by a wooden house.
If you mean the classic log construction, then the walls naturally have to be planned so that they can actually be built.
A timber frame construction is already closer to a solid build, but here structural engineering plays a role, meaning potentially more space is needed, as well as limitations such as ceiling span lengths (sizing, costs).
These are clearly different construction methods, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Of course, it makes sense to plan in a way that takes advantage of the strengths of the chosen method. Very important factors here are the future indoor climate and the lighting.
I hope your architect has informed you properly and is not just a "seller" for the timber construction company.
Best regards
Addendum to my last comment from page 1
Hello Christiane,
Here is a small example regarding your home office.
You mentioned that you spend a lot of time there.
Where would you want to place your desk in any of the three design proposals?
Or to put it differently, do the windows work well in that context?
(Consider the lighting at the workstation—will there be a computer screen, for example?)
How does the ratio of window area to room area look...
I assume you want to work focused and with as little distraction as possible.
In this regard, the adjoining rooms play an important role again.
For example, when are they mostly occupied, and what noise levels occur...
As you can see, many factors depend on the room’s function,
which later define the quality of a "living space."
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if you are a language teacher,
you might even advise me to delete everything here in the text box again, suggesting it could be done much better and without mistakes.
Best regards
Hello Christiane,
Here is a small example regarding your home office.
You mentioned that you spend a lot of time there.
Where would you want to place your desk in any of the three design proposals?
Or to put it differently, do the windows work well in that context?
(Consider the lighting at the workstation—will there be a computer screen, for example?)
How does the ratio of window area to room area look...
I assume you want to work focused and with as little distraction as possible.
In this regard, the adjoining rooms play an important role again.
For example, when are they mostly occupied, and what noise levels occur...
As you can see, many factors depend on the room’s function,
which later define the quality of a "living space."
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if you are a language teacher,
you might even advise me to delete everything here in the text box again, suggesting it could be done much better and without mistakes.
Best regards
Hi, thanks for the tips.
By wooden house, I meant a timber frame house. We basically decided on that very early on (KfW40 standard, natural insulation materials, wooden ceiling, etc.).
No, I’m not a German teacher, and no, please don’t delete everything
About the home office: My husband and I have already given this a lot of thought. He is usually out until early evening. When we have children later, I expect to come home around midday quite often and then more or less simultaneously be a mother, homemaker, and working professional. I know from my own upbringing (my mother is also a teacher) that it was only an advantage for a mother to be reachable while preparing lessons or grading papers. Of course, you wouldn’t be completely isolated if the office were upstairs, but the whole family atmosphere is just different. So having the home office on the ground floor is certain.
My desk (L-shaped) is currently positioned with one side in front of a window and the other against a wall, which I don’t necessarily need. The monitor is angled in the corner; so I’m not looking into bright light when I look at it. We currently have two windows in the home office, although one is very small, but the lighting situation is much better than having just one window; I really appreciate that Since there is no window facing south or west, I often feel the urge to work in the living room, which is rarely possible. So I notice that the afternoon and evening sun is constantly missing, and I want to consider that in the new house.
That wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t also want to keep the nice hillside view to the north in the living room. It would simply be a shame if it could only be enjoyed from the home office.
Well, I’ll keep thinking about it But as you suggested, I’m sketching again on a blank sheet. One idea already emerging is to have part of the home office protrude from the north wall (a bay window?). That would also have the effect of enlarging the basement, but would proportionally reduce the upper floor area (it can’t be a second full story). I might draw that out as well
Thanks and best regards,
Christiane
By wooden house, I meant a timber frame house. We basically decided on that very early on (KfW40 standard, natural insulation materials, wooden ceiling, etc.).
No, I’m not a German teacher, and no, please don’t delete everything
About the home office: My husband and I have already given this a lot of thought. He is usually out until early evening. When we have children later, I expect to come home around midday quite often and then more or less simultaneously be a mother, homemaker, and working professional. I know from my own upbringing (my mother is also a teacher) that it was only an advantage for a mother to be reachable while preparing lessons or grading papers. Of course, you wouldn’t be completely isolated if the office were upstairs, but the whole family atmosphere is just different. So having the home office on the ground floor is certain.
My desk (L-shaped) is currently positioned with one side in front of a window and the other against a wall, which I don’t necessarily need. The monitor is angled in the corner; so I’m not looking into bright light when I look at it. We currently have two windows in the home office, although one is very small, but the lighting situation is much better than having just one window; I really appreciate that Since there is no window facing south or west, I often feel the urge to work in the living room, which is rarely possible. So I notice that the afternoon and evening sun is constantly missing, and I want to consider that in the new house.
That wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t also want to keep the nice hillside view to the north in the living room. It would simply be a shame if it could only be enjoyed from the home office.
Well, I’ll keep thinking about it But as you suggested, I’m sketching again on a blank sheet. One idea already emerging is to have part of the home office protrude from the north wall (a bay window?). That would also have the effect of enlarging the basement, but would proportionally reduce the upper floor area (it can’t be a second full story). I might draw that out as well
Thanks and best regards,
Christiane
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