ᐅ House Planning under Section 34 of the Building Code: Sloped Lot, Basement Yes or No, Open Kitchen & Budget of €700,000
Created on: 21 Dec 2025 20:25
N
Noxmortana
Development plan / restrictions:
No formal development plan, § 34 Federal Building Code; verbal information from the building authority: the main guideline is to follow the neighboring buildings, especially regarding built-up area / footprint, basically "Please don’t build significantly larger than the others!”
Plot size: 620m² (6676 sq ft)
Slope: slight north-facing slope, overall 3m (10 ft) drop across the entire plot, or 1.5–2m (5–6.5 ft) in the targeted building area (southern corner); although the lowest measured point is in the north, the terrain near the existing building slopes more parallel to the street (or has been shaped accordingly in the past)
Floor area ratio / plot ratio: N/A, but not (significantly) larger than surrounding buildings
Gross floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: N/A
Border development: usual Bavarian rule (house up to 3m (10 ft) from boundary, small bay windows (maximum 1.5m (5 ft) deep, less than 5m (16 ft) long and less than 1/3 of the house wall length) don’t count; a normally sized carport/garage may be on the boundary but max. 9m (30 ft) per side and max. 15m (50 ft) total for the whole plot)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: N/A; at least 2 plus attic in the neighborhood
Roof style: N/A, gable and hip roofs in the neighborhood
Architectural style: N/A
Orientation: N/A
Maximum heights / limits: N/A
Other requirements: none
Clients’ requirements:
Architectural style, roof type, building type: preference for “stone” construction (exclusion of timber frame construction), otherwise all flexible; slight preference for a gable roof (mainly regarding photovoltaics suitability)
Basement, floors: (half “living”) basement plus 2 floors; this was a major discussion point: we also considered building more broadly across just two floors (+/- attic), but due to the slight slope, the engineer suggested a basement, and the building authority also urged “not to build excessively large,” which influenced our decision => we look forward to your opinions on this!
Number and age of residents: currently 4, hopefully/probably a 3rd child soon; 40, 35, 2, 0, ?
Space requirements:
Short:
3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, 2 bathrooms (one with bathtub), large kitchen, pantry, dining room (open to kitchen), living room (preferably separate), spacious office, cloakroom, laundry room, technical room, storage and supplies areas, terrace access from dining area (or kitchen)
Detailed:
On the entrance level: cloakroom, generous shower bathroom, pantry (for short-term storage, possibly freezer, rarely used kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies, recycling bags for paper/plastic/glass, empties, etc.), large kitchen with open adjacent dining area for comfortably 6–8 diners (possibly up to 10+ on special occasions) and either a cozy living/TV room separated from the kitchen-dining area or a spacious office/guest room
On the other floor(s): 3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, family bathroom (preferably with a T-layout or another solution that allows privacy at the toilet while someone else uses the sink/shower, but no separate children’s bathroom);
Anywhere: laundry room with space for at least one large drying rack (alternative: ground-level accessible covered outdoor drying area), technical room (heat pump, photovoltaics + battery storage, central ventilation system, possibly air conditioning, possibly water softening system), lots of storage (seasonal clothes and equipment—for example, Christmas decorations, Easter nests, snow shovel, barbecue, garden furniture, sled, etc.—tools, suitcases, camping gear, currently unused children’s clothes/toys, lots of stuff!), long-term storage room (e.g., main part of preserves, bulk supplies, chest freezer, possibly second fridge), and additionally the “either-or” room not used on entrance level (so either living room or office); a simple hobby/sewing/crafting/workshop room where a child could learn drums or double bass or have sports or parties would also be nice
Office: home office for 1 person, daily use; also recreational computer use
Overnight guests per year: none so far due to lack of space => this will evolve during house use (potentially grandmother/uncle with family/friends with family)
Open or closed architecture: indifferent
Conservative or modern construction: indifferent
Kitchen: very large with pantry, open to dining area; cooking-dining area as the heart of the house where family life happens; an island was never really desired but was always considered useful in planning ideas for efficient use of space in a large kitchen (otherwise there would be a useless empty spot in the middle, or does anyone have other ideas?)
Number of dining seats: comfortable for 6–8; possibly 10–15 on occasions
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: old speaker system including subwoofer and projector/screen available, so the living/TV room can be larger if desired but doesn’t have to be
Balcony, roof terrace: not needed
Garage, carport: ideal wish would be 1 garage and 1 large carport (space for 1 car, the whole family’s two-wheel fleet, possibly also trash bins) with an adjoining shed area (garden tools, grill, etc.); budget is a limiting factor here, so if needed, the two cars will be parked for some years on loose gravel outside — we will see what is ultimately possible...
Garden: extension of dining and play area, access via dining area (or kitchen). The next few years mainly terrace, children’s play area, herb beds and some fruit/vegetables; when time permits, more fruit/vegetable growing desired; currently there are some nice fruit trees and grapevines on the plot—anything that can remain or be successfully relocated during construction would make us very happy!
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that shouldn’t be:
We want a cozy home for our hopefully 5-member family someday. We don’t need luxury in pure aesthetics, brand names, materials, windows, stairs or doors, but expect well-made and durable products. Family time and visits should take place mainly in the kitchen and dining area, both planned (board games and craft projects at the dining table, cooking/baking together, all meals, coffee and chatting) and unplanned (parents working in the kitchen, children briefly sitting nearby and telling about their day or playing within sight, later just stopping for a quick coffee after school and chatting). Cooking and baking are not only for nutrition but also an important, occasionally elaborate hobby! Honestly, we have only known open kitchens so far; currently, with toddler and baby, open kitchen seems “necessary” to keep up with the family while cooking. Some disturbance from kitchen noises (in addition to normal dishes clattering and washing, sometimes nut grinding, dough kneading, cream whipping, juicing, etc.) or smells in the dining area is expected; we would prefer the quiet living area to be separated as a “calm zone,” but the current plan does not provide separation for a spacious feel. What are your views or experiences and tips/warnings/opinions on this?
Regarding the cloakroom, we are still unsure whether a separate room (nicer as it’s less “visible” and probably larger, with space for sports gear, school bags sometimes, etc.) or an open area (more straightforward: enter and take off shoes/jacket, no complicated walk to a closet, any spare jackets and other items would go to bedrooms) is better; we welcome a variety of suggestions!
We want to live in the house as a family but also want the option to grow old there (and occasionally host elderly relatives temporarily, e.g. if grandma breaks a leg and cannot stay home alone), so living on the entrance level should be feasible in the long term (how the rest of the house would be used is secondary!).
House design:
Designer: planner from the general contractor, small changes after our feedback on the first draft
What are we especially happy with? Why? House shape with bay window (we just like it...), size and layout fit our needs exactly, furnishing works well, location/orientation on plot (neighbors to the south have some unattractive garages at the boundary, whereas to the north/east it is wonderfully green)
What don’t we like? Why? Terrain planning (in our view unnecessary fill on the east, but insufficient terrain modification on west/northwest). Ground floor bathroom is somewhat cramped—seems possible to adjust this...
Price estimate by planner: not yet available—we fear the worst, even though our budget was clear from the start; also worried that all earthworks are not included in the price...
Personal price limit for the house, including demolition (estimated 35–50k), necessary earthworks, ancillary building costs, paving and garage/carport: 700k (750k as pain threshold, then basically no buffer left)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you had to give up certain details/features:
Can give up: hobby room; garage, possibly even carport
Cannot give up: 4 bedrooms plus office, large kitchen, plenty of storage space
Why is the design the way it is? => design by general contractor’s planner based on terrain and our space needs/lifestyle concept, with small adjustments following first feedback from us
Which wishes were implemented by the planner? Room requirements perfectly met! Large kitchen, plenty of storage
What makes it special in our view:
a) good: upper floor layout suits us very well (3 children’s rooms of similar size, parents’ room somewhat separate/closest to stairs <=> north orientation of kids’ rooms suits us too); ground floor has lots of space for kitchen/dining and living area; bay window and terrace roof look very nice (even though we initially said “appearance doesn’t matter, prefer simple = inexpensive building shape!”); cloakroom (for one of us a highlight); large office in basement and additional living room in basement; preliminary kitchen layout (the blue painted areas...); after simple furniture trials, except for the ground floor bathroom, we are very happy with the proposal, but unfortunately:
b) bad: we fear it is far beyond budget!
Also: ground floor bathroom a bit too tight => but cloakroom exists: broaden bathroom a bit and remove cloakroom niche next to entrance?!
Also: dining area OK but not especially airy and open.
No T-layout bathroom upstairs.
Children’s rooms have only one window each (apparently first budget cut; previously 2 children’s rooms had two corner windows and the middle one had a very large/wide window, which we liked a lot!).
Lots of built-up area => possibly shift carport toward street (so no additional 2 parking spaces in front of the carport on the plot; visitors must park on the street)?!
Office has only one window <=> a second south-facing window should be possible, especially if the carport shifts toward the street...
And last but big: garden/terrain—the various levels (west garden lower than terrace, east garden much higher than original terrain) and the slope cuttings along almost the entire boundary don’t please us <=> our idea would be to zone the garden into 2 levels: in the west/street side at about street level and fairly level with the terrace, and in the east of the house at the level of the lower plot boundary; the height difference would be taken up at the south behind the carport/storage and at the north near the terrace <=> is this realistically doable or are we totally mistaken? What ideas do you have?
We are particularly interested in:
Does anyone strongly oppose the concept of having a basement on this plot? Why?
Where do you see potential savings? Where do you think m² could be cut?
General opinions on the floor plan?
Practical everyday pitfalls?
Experiences / tips / thoughts on an “open kitchen” living arrangement?
Regarding the corridor upstairs: should the small alcoves be added to Children 1/3 rooms or does it make the corridor feel more spacious if these pieces remain with the corridor? Is the corridor bright enough?
Is the staircase to the lower garden level at the south/by the carport really needed? We considered removing it and instead moving the house further south; what do you think?
Is the carport wide enough for 2 cars at all?
Any other thoughts?
Thank you very much for your help!
No formal development plan, § 34 Federal Building Code; verbal information from the building authority: the main guideline is to follow the neighboring buildings, especially regarding built-up area / footprint, basically "Please don’t build significantly larger than the others!”
Plot size: 620m² (6676 sq ft)
Slope: slight north-facing slope, overall 3m (10 ft) drop across the entire plot, or 1.5–2m (5–6.5 ft) in the targeted building area (southern corner); although the lowest measured point is in the north, the terrain near the existing building slopes more parallel to the street (or has been shaped accordingly in the past)
Floor area ratio / plot ratio: N/A, but not (significantly) larger than surrounding buildings
Gross floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: N/A
Border development: usual Bavarian rule (house up to 3m (10 ft) from boundary, small bay windows (maximum 1.5m (5 ft) deep, less than 5m (16 ft) long and less than 1/3 of the house wall length) don’t count; a normally sized carport/garage may be on the boundary but max. 9m (30 ft) per side and max. 15m (50 ft) total for the whole plot)
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of stories: N/A; at least 2 plus attic in the neighborhood
Roof style: N/A, gable and hip roofs in the neighborhood
Architectural style: N/A
Orientation: N/A
Maximum heights / limits: N/A
Other requirements: none
Clients’ requirements:
Architectural style, roof type, building type: preference for “stone” construction (exclusion of timber frame construction), otherwise all flexible; slight preference for a gable roof (mainly regarding photovoltaics suitability)
Basement, floors: (half “living”) basement plus 2 floors; this was a major discussion point: we also considered building more broadly across just two floors (+/- attic), but due to the slight slope, the engineer suggested a basement, and the building authority also urged “not to build excessively large,” which influenced our decision => we look forward to your opinions on this!
Number and age of residents: currently 4, hopefully/probably a 3rd child soon; 40, 35, 2, 0, ?
Space requirements:
Short:
3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, 2 bathrooms (one with bathtub), large kitchen, pantry, dining room (open to kitchen), living room (preferably separate), spacious office, cloakroom, laundry room, technical room, storage and supplies areas, terrace access from dining area (or kitchen)
Detailed:
On the entrance level: cloakroom, generous shower bathroom, pantry (for short-term storage, possibly freezer, rarely used kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies, recycling bags for paper/plastic/glass, empties, etc.), large kitchen with open adjacent dining area for comfortably 6–8 diners (possibly up to 10+ on special occasions) and either a cozy living/TV room separated from the kitchen-dining area or a spacious office/guest room
On the other floor(s): 3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, family bathroom (preferably with a T-layout or another solution that allows privacy at the toilet while someone else uses the sink/shower, but no separate children’s bathroom);
Anywhere: laundry room with space for at least one large drying rack (alternative: ground-level accessible covered outdoor drying area), technical room (heat pump, photovoltaics + battery storage, central ventilation system, possibly air conditioning, possibly water softening system), lots of storage (seasonal clothes and equipment—for example, Christmas decorations, Easter nests, snow shovel, barbecue, garden furniture, sled, etc.—tools, suitcases, camping gear, currently unused children’s clothes/toys, lots of stuff!), long-term storage room (e.g., main part of preserves, bulk supplies, chest freezer, possibly second fridge), and additionally the “either-or” room not used on entrance level (so either living room or office); a simple hobby/sewing/crafting/workshop room where a child could learn drums or double bass or have sports or parties would also be nice
Office: home office for 1 person, daily use; also recreational computer use
Overnight guests per year: none so far due to lack of space => this will evolve during house use (potentially grandmother/uncle with family/friends with family)
Open or closed architecture: indifferent
Conservative or modern construction: indifferent
Kitchen: very large with pantry, open to dining area; cooking-dining area as the heart of the house where family life happens; an island was never really desired but was always considered useful in planning ideas for efficient use of space in a large kitchen (otherwise there would be a useless empty spot in the middle, or does anyone have other ideas?)
Number of dining seats: comfortable for 6–8; possibly 10–15 on occasions
Fireplace: no
Music / stereo wall: old speaker system including subwoofer and projector/screen available, so the living/TV room can be larger if desired but doesn’t have to be
Balcony, roof terrace: not needed
Garage, carport: ideal wish would be 1 garage and 1 large carport (space for 1 car, the whole family’s two-wheel fleet, possibly also trash bins) with an adjoining shed area (garden tools, grill, etc.); budget is a limiting factor here, so if needed, the two cars will be parked for some years on loose gravel outside — we will see what is ultimately possible...
Garden: extension of dining and play area, access via dining area (or kitchen). The next few years mainly terrace, children’s play area, herb beds and some fruit/vegetables; when time permits, more fruit/vegetable growing desired; currently there are some nice fruit trees and grapevines on the plot—anything that can remain or be successfully relocated during construction would make us very happy!
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why this or that shouldn’t be:
We want a cozy home for our hopefully 5-member family someday. We don’t need luxury in pure aesthetics, brand names, materials, windows, stairs or doors, but expect well-made and durable products. Family time and visits should take place mainly in the kitchen and dining area, both planned (board games and craft projects at the dining table, cooking/baking together, all meals, coffee and chatting) and unplanned (parents working in the kitchen, children briefly sitting nearby and telling about their day or playing within sight, later just stopping for a quick coffee after school and chatting). Cooking and baking are not only for nutrition but also an important, occasionally elaborate hobby! Honestly, we have only known open kitchens so far; currently, with toddler and baby, open kitchen seems “necessary” to keep up with the family while cooking. Some disturbance from kitchen noises (in addition to normal dishes clattering and washing, sometimes nut grinding, dough kneading, cream whipping, juicing, etc.) or smells in the dining area is expected; we would prefer the quiet living area to be separated as a “calm zone,” but the current plan does not provide separation for a spacious feel. What are your views or experiences and tips/warnings/opinions on this?
Regarding the cloakroom, we are still unsure whether a separate room (nicer as it’s less “visible” and probably larger, with space for sports gear, school bags sometimes, etc.) or an open area (more straightforward: enter and take off shoes/jacket, no complicated walk to a closet, any spare jackets and other items would go to bedrooms) is better; we welcome a variety of suggestions!
We want to live in the house as a family but also want the option to grow old there (and occasionally host elderly relatives temporarily, e.g. if grandma breaks a leg and cannot stay home alone), so living on the entrance level should be feasible in the long term (how the rest of the house would be used is secondary!).
House design:
Designer: planner from the general contractor, small changes after our feedback on the first draft
What are we especially happy with? Why? House shape with bay window (we just like it...), size and layout fit our needs exactly, furnishing works well, location/orientation on plot (neighbors to the south have some unattractive garages at the boundary, whereas to the north/east it is wonderfully green)
What don’t we like? Why? Terrain planning (in our view unnecessary fill on the east, but insufficient terrain modification on west/northwest). Ground floor bathroom is somewhat cramped—seems possible to adjust this...
Price estimate by planner: not yet available—we fear the worst, even though our budget was clear from the start; also worried that all earthworks are not included in the price...
Personal price limit for the house, including demolition (estimated 35–50k), necessary earthworks, ancillary building costs, paving and garage/carport: 700k (750k as pain threshold, then basically no buffer left)
Preferred heating technology: heat pump
If you had to give up certain details/features:
Can give up: hobby room; garage, possibly even carport
Cannot give up: 4 bedrooms plus office, large kitchen, plenty of storage space
Why is the design the way it is? => design by general contractor’s planner based on terrain and our space needs/lifestyle concept, with small adjustments following first feedback from us
Which wishes were implemented by the planner? Room requirements perfectly met! Large kitchen, plenty of storage
What makes it special in our view:
a) good: upper floor layout suits us very well (3 children’s rooms of similar size, parents’ room somewhat separate/closest to stairs <=> north orientation of kids’ rooms suits us too); ground floor has lots of space for kitchen/dining and living area; bay window and terrace roof look very nice (even though we initially said “appearance doesn’t matter, prefer simple = inexpensive building shape!”); cloakroom (for one of us a highlight); large office in basement and additional living room in basement; preliminary kitchen layout (the blue painted areas...); after simple furniture trials, except for the ground floor bathroom, we are very happy with the proposal, but unfortunately:
b) bad: we fear it is far beyond budget!
Also: ground floor bathroom a bit too tight => but cloakroom exists: broaden bathroom a bit and remove cloakroom niche next to entrance?!
Also: dining area OK but not especially airy and open.
No T-layout bathroom upstairs.
Children’s rooms have only one window each (apparently first budget cut; previously 2 children’s rooms had two corner windows and the middle one had a very large/wide window, which we liked a lot!).
Lots of built-up area => possibly shift carport toward street (so no additional 2 parking spaces in front of the carport on the plot; visitors must park on the street)?!
Office has only one window <=> a second south-facing window should be possible, especially if the carport shifts toward the street...
And last but big: garden/terrain—the various levels (west garden lower than terrace, east garden much higher than original terrain) and the slope cuttings along almost the entire boundary don’t please us <=> our idea would be to zone the garden into 2 levels: in the west/street side at about street level and fairly level with the terrace, and in the east of the house at the level of the lower plot boundary; the height difference would be taken up at the south behind the carport/storage and at the north near the terrace <=> is this realistically doable or are we totally mistaken? What ideas do you have?
We are particularly interested in:
Does anyone strongly oppose the concept of having a basement on this plot? Why?
Where do you see potential savings? Where do you think m² could be cut?
General opinions on the floor plan?
Practical everyday pitfalls?
Experiences / tips / thoughts on an “open kitchen” living arrangement?
Regarding the corridor upstairs: should the small alcoves be added to Children 1/3 rooms or does it make the corridor feel more spacious if these pieces remain with the corridor? Is the corridor bright enough?
Is the staircase to the lower garden level at the south/by the carport really needed? We considered removing it and instead moving the house further south; what do you think?
Is the carport wide enough for 2 cars at all?
Any other thoughts?
Thank you very much for your help!
N
Noxmortana22 Dec 2025 00:04ypg schrieb:
Then all those stairs in the garden: 2.3 steps are okay, but it’s better to avoid a basement that creates an obstacle to the ground floor. Sorry, I’m a bit stuck here:
First, the question: how exactly does the basement create a barrier for the ground floor?
And second: how can the property be designed to have no more than 2-3 steps/make it easier? Or do you literally mean "steps" and therefore prefer a gently sloping terrain (similar to the original land contour) instead of two levels connected by stairs?
.. with the basement separating the ground floor from the garden.
The plot suggests a basement level, then a first floor. 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) all in should be enough, 100 sqm (1,075 sq ft) per floor.
Please also take the time to read the other discussions!
What I forgot to mention, but which of course depends on the slope: keep the southern side partly open for living space. Currently, the house faces south. Especially in the current months, sunlight inside the house is enjoyable and important for well-being.
For a flat plot, I would recommend a driveway opposite the dead-end street and open the garden towards the southeast/south. But there is the existing structure and the slope to consider. Therefore, one should at least ensure that on the south side there is not just a small bathroom window and otherwise a blank, windowless wall, but instead large windows planned so sunlight can enter there. The children's rooms should also be placed on the bright southern side.
However, I think the building supervisor (GÜ) does not listen to such obvious wishes. This really should be taken for granted.
The plot suggests a basement level, then a first floor. 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) all in should be enough, 100 sqm (1,075 sq ft) per floor.
Please also take the time to read the other discussions!
What I forgot to mention, but which of course depends on the slope: keep the southern side partly open for living space. Currently, the house faces south. Especially in the current months, sunlight inside the house is enjoyable and important for well-being.
For a flat plot, I would recommend a driveway opposite the dead-end street and open the garden towards the southeast/south. But there is the existing structure and the slope to consider. Therefore, one should at least ensure that on the south side there is not just a small bathroom window and otherwise a blank, windowless wall, but instead large windows planned so sunlight can enter there. The children's rooms should also be placed on the bright southern side.
However, I think the building supervisor (GÜ) does not listen to such obvious wishes. This really should be taken for granted.
Similar topics