ᐅ Single-Family Home on a South-Facing Slope – Floor Plan Design and Tips?
Created on: 5 Feb 2019 11:39
P
philipok
Hello everyone,
Things are getting serious for us: we're moving into the detailed planning of our building project. I would really appreciate your feedback on our amateur floor plan design. We are building in the Ore Mountains, in Germany’s highest-altitude town, Oberwiesenthal. Here, prices are still similar to those in former East Germany (I have compared and there is a significant price difference). So, here we go...
Development Plan / Restrictions
Things are getting serious for us: we're moving into the detailed planning of our building project. I would really appreciate your feedback on our amateur floor plan design. We are building in the Ore Mountains, in Germany’s highest-altitude town, Oberwiesenthal. Here, prices are still similar to those in former East Germany (I have compared and there is a significant price difference). So, here we go...
Development Plan / Restrictions
- Plot size: 1,200 sqm (0.3 acres)
- Slope: facing south
- Site coverage ratio: unknown
- Floor area ratio: unknown
- Building zone, building line, and boundary:
- 3 m (10 ft) from the property boundary
- The properties to the south and west belong to my parents
- Edge development: unknown
- Number of parking spaces: 2 (carport on the east side of the house)
- Number of floors: basement, ground floor, first floor, attic
- Roof type: gable roof, pitch 35-38°
- Architectural style: Bavarian farmhouse
- Orientation: east-west, meaning roof slopes facing north-south
- Maximum heights / limits: must adapt to the surrounding buildings
- Other requirements: unknown
- Style, roof, building type:
- Country/wood house (basement and ground floor with white plaster exterior; upper floor and roof structure with wooden planks in Tyrolean castle look)
- Gable roof
- Basement and floors
- Basement partly used commercially (my wife’s naturopathy practice and my office, with separate access from outside/south)
- Ground and first floors as living areas
- Attic: half storage, half sleeping/chill area for our children with friends or guests
- Number and age of residents
- Kati (40) & Philipp (39)
- Helene (10), Benedikt (8), and Valerie (6)
- Space requirements on ground and first floors
- see floor plans (approx. 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft))
- Office: commercial use
- Guest nights per year: 20–30
- Open or closed architecture: closed (mountains, cold winters, constant wind)
- Conservative or modern construction method: conservative
- Open kitchen: yes; kitchen island: no
- Number of dining seats
- Standard: 5
- Expandable to 10
- Fireplace: masonry stove with viewing window (water-heated)
- Music/sound wall: no
- Balcony: ground floor facing south; roof terrace: no
- Garage: no; carport for 2 vehicles
- Utility garden: no; greenhouse: yes
- Other wishes/special features/daily routine
- We still have real winters in Oberwiesenthal
- The children usually ski daily
- They come home with wet clothes and ski boots, carrying their ski equipment
- Therefore, a second entrance in the basement on the west side is planned, including a simple cloakroom and storage room for skis or mountain bikes in summer and work clothes after gardening
- Important: currently, Oberwiesenthal has a lot of snow (approx. 150 cm (59 inches))
- Paths and driveways must be cleared in winter
- Snow must be cleverly “stored” (i.e., the snow storage must be carved so that after two months of snow clearing, the snow blower can still throw snow over the snow wall)
- Considerations regarding roof slopes and sliding snow
- In the basement there is a prep kitchen for the Prijut12, which I will operate starting May 2020 (a rustic wooden hut with a modest menu and great location for drinks)
- In the prep kitchen, before the main winter season, we want to a) prepare and freeze food, or b) cook fresh meals in larger quantities and sell them right opposite at Prijut12 (about 80 m (260 ft) away)
- The kitchen in Prijut12 is very small
- Planner:
- Do-it-yourself
- What do you especially like? Why?
- Large windows / sliding door facing south and west
- The sunlight comes in (solar energy enters the house)
- The view to the southwest is simply breathtaking (ski slope, night skiing, Klínovec mountain as the highest peak of the Ore Mountains)
- The view is unobstructed and without trees
- Open living and kitchen area
- Interaction with children and friends while cooking, for example
- Cozy “shell-pu-pu” corner including TV
- My father implemented this in his holiday home
- It is very cozy
- Large lounging area
- Curtains cover the TV (it disappears from daily view)
- Second small bathroom on the first floor
- When our two daughters enter puberty, they will have their own hygiene area
- Cost estimate according to architect/planner: €480,000
- Personal price limit for the house, including equipment: €500,000
- Preferred heating technology: I’m quite uncertain and undecided...
- Option 1:
- Solar thermal for hot water preparation
- Gas condensing boiler
- Water-heated masonry stove (I have 2 ha of land, so wood supply, and definitely want a fire stove inside)
- Option 2:
- Water-heated masonry stove
- Ground-source heat pump
- Supplied by a photovoltaic system
- If you had to give up something, what details/extensions would you omit?
- Reduce size of guest/workroom on ground floor
- Guest bathroom on ground floor without shower (purely guest toilet)
- What can you not do without?
- Living rooms
- 2 bathrooms
- Prep kitchen
- Practice room
- Office
- Why is the design like it is now?
- Because we want lots of light in the living area
- Because we can enjoy a great view in a fantastic location
- Because I personally want to use as much solar energy as possible
- Because in summer we want to open the large sliding door to step directly into the garden where the greenhouse will be and where I will tend to my bees (I want to start beekeeping)
- Because we have no technical know-how for the requirements
- Standard design from planner: none yet
- What is the most important fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
- Does this floor plan make sense regarding building technology/piping routes, and can the forum identify flaws for daily use?
Without measurements, it is almost impossible to make a proper assessment. The quality of the information you provided is very poor. Sorry.
I can only see that the guest bathroom has a very awkward layout.
I count 250 sqm (2690 sq ft) including the basement but excluding the attic. For office spaces and the kitchen, I assume that you will unfortunately have to apply prices for standard residential areas.
You might not realize it yet, but this will cause the architect’s cost estimate to be exceeded—and by quite a lot.
And even if you only want the floor plan to be evaluated, it only makes sense to assess floor plans if they are financially feasible.
If you have an additional €100,000 over the architect’s estimate, many are happy to continue working here.
I can only see that the guest bathroom has a very awkward layout.
I count 250 sqm (2690 sq ft) including the basement but excluding the attic. For office spaces and the kitchen, I assume that you will unfortunately have to apply prices for standard residential areas.
You might not realize it yet, but this will cause the architect’s cost estimate to be exceeded—and by quite a lot.
And even if you only want the floor plan to be evaluated, it only makes sense to assess floor plans if they are financially feasible.
If you have an additional €100,000 over the architect’s estimate, many are happy to continue working here.
You have a challenging sloped plot and want to build three levels. This is not a project for a layperson, trust me.
An architect will create the floor plan, which you have to pay for anyway in Germany. So there’s no need to struggle with it yourself. Just write down in text form what you need, bring a site plan of your property (including elevation levels), and find a professional you trust.
Then come back with the result, and we’ll be happy to help you optimize the details. But the overall plan must come from the architect. Anything else is not worth discussing given the size of the construction project.
An architect will create the floor plan, which you have to pay for anyway in Germany. So there’s no need to struggle with it yourself. Just write down in text form what you need, bring a site plan of your property (including elevation levels), and find a professional you trust.
Then come back with the result, and we’ll be happy to help you optimize the details. But the overall plan must come from the architect. Anything else is not worth discussing given the size of the construction project.
Go to the architect.
A utility room through the pantry, pantry as a passage room … to the bathroom – anyone looking can see that something is wrong there.
If you’re asking these questions for a project costing around or more than 500,000€ (about 530,000 USD), you really should involve an architect during the planning stage. In the case of a sloping site in my opinion, it’s indispensable. It’s not supposed to be a standard 4-room house.
You’re only thinking about the here and now … what if Mom and Dad become “the elderly” and the kids turn into teenagers leaving the nest, coming home with friends at 10 PM and want to eat pizza (without the parents)?
See above.
And without measurements it’s like eating chips without using your hands.
A utility room through the pantry, pantry as a passage room … to the bathroom – anyone looking can see that something is wrong there.
philipok schrieb:
Do you start the floor plan design on the ground floor?
philipok schrieb:
What does the forum say about this?
If you’re asking these questions for a project costing around or more than 500,000€ (about 530,000 USD), you really should involve an architect during the planning stage. In the case of a sloping site in my opinion, it’s indispensable. It’s not supposed to be a standard 4-room house.
philipok schrieb:
The advantage would be that Mom & Dad cook downstairs and the kids play upstairs
philipok schrieb:
You can call from downstairs to upstairs that dinner is ready
You’re only thinking about the here and now … what if Mom and Dad become “the elderly” and the kids turn into teenagers leaving the nest, coming home with friends at 10 PM and want to eat pizza (without the parents)?
philipok schrieb:
Can the forum please give me feedback on the floor plan so I can optimize it before working on the upper floor and basement?
See above.
And without measurements it’s like eating chips without using your hands.
In addition to the points already mentioned, I also find the "open space" difficult to furnish.
The kitchen is challenging to arrange because of the staircase that protrudes into the area. Or do you really want to keep the rather outdated L-shape layout as currently drawn?
You have 45 square meters (about 484 square feet) of open space, which is not a small area. However, there is no spacious, well-organized kitchen, no available wall space for a shelf or sideboard or similar, no seating area for five people on the sofa, and the TV position is questionable. The dining table is the only furniture well placed in the room, with a view of the stove.
For me, that’s four disadvantages versus one advantage. So, there is definitely room for improvement.
The kitchen is challenging to arrange because of the staircase that protrudes into the area. Or do you really want to keep the rather outdated L-shape layout as currently drawn?
You have 45 square meters (about 484 square feet) of open space, which is not a small area. However, there is no spacious, well-organized kitchen, no available wall space for a shelf or sideboard or similar, no seating area for five people on the sofa, and the TV position is questionable. The dining table is the only furniture well placed in the room, with a view of the stove.
For me, that’s four disadvantages versus one advantage. So, there is definitely room for improvement.
Clearly an architect
Guest bathroom doesn’t work
This cozy corner belongs in the chill lounge and does not replace a living room for a family of five. The children will grow up
The staircase separates the kitchen in an awkward way.
A pantry as a walk-through room is not practical.
You are planning a huge house. Yet it lacks functional rooms.
Before you go to the architect, you need to either significantly increase your budget or build smaller.
Guest bathroom doesn’t work
This cozy corner belongs in the chill lounge and does not replace a living room for a family of five. The children will grow up
The staircase separates the kitchen in an awkward way.
A pantry as a walk-through room is not practical.
You are planning a huge house. Yet it lacks functional rooms.
Before you go to the architect, you need to either significantly increase your budget or build smaller.
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