ᐅ Single-family home with an accessible granny flat on the ground floor
Created on: 30 Sep 2025 12:03
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WoodyXYZ
Hello everyone,
we are currently facing the challenge of planning a single-family house for a family of four, including a barrier-free basement apartment on the ground floor for my parents. The whole project is on a 550sqm (5920 sq ft) mostly flat plot, with the requirement not to build over the garden.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 550sqm (5920 sq ft)
Slope: no (approx. 0.5m (1.6 ft) height difference over 22m (72 ft) plot width)
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: n.a.
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 16m (52.5 ft) west-east + 3m (9.8 ft) boundary setbacks each side, 14m (46 ft) north-south, 5m (16 ft) setback to street in front of the house
Edge development: yes (north: public access road, west and south: bike path, east: neighboring development with a semi-detached house, currently vacant)
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of storeys: 2
Roof pitch: 0-35°
Architectural style: no hipped roof and no Bauhaus style
Orientation: south-facing (garden)
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height 5.5-7m (18-23 ft), building height 10m (33 ft)
Additional requirements: The development plan reads as eaves height must be at least 5.5m (18 ft). Our design includes a single-story “extension” that falls below this. According to the building authority, the eaves height applies only to pitched roofs, and even a bungalow would be allowed here.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: preferably converted attic with a gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors + attic
Number of occupants, ages: 4 for the main unit (2 adults aged 41, 2 children aged 9 and 7) and 2 for the basement apartment (80+)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: barrier-free basement apartment with bedroom, shower bathroom, living room, kitchen, optional small storage room (approx. 50sqm (538 sq ft)); main apartment: living-dining area, open kitchen, (small backup kitchen/pantry), guest toilet, utility/technical room
First floor: 2 children’s rooms approx. 15sqm (161 sq ft) each facing south, master bedroom with west-facing window plus a small dressing room, bathroom with T-layout accessible to all, children’s bathroom with shower
Attic: multipurpose room (fitness, office) + storage space due to no basement
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guest rooms per year
Open or closed layout: rather open (not including open galleries)
Conservative or modern construction: yes
Open kitchen, kitchen island: both yes
Number of dining seats: 6 in main apartment, 2(-4) in basement apartment
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no idea what that is
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace as a nice-to-have (see design)
Garage, carport: preferably on the east side next to the basement apartment
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you like? Why?
What do you dislike? Why?
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 500,000 (without attic)
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 600,000
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump (local heating network is mandatory)
If you need to give up something, which details/extensions?
- What can you do without: garage
- What can you absolutely not do without: basement apartment
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
Primarily based on our wishes, which were mostly implemented already. However, we are especially bothered by the arrangement/design of the utility room, staircase, and pantry layout—at least on paper—as it’s hard to imagine this part clearly.
What makes it, in your opinion, particularly good or bad?
Fairly compact, as the entire ground floor area is not built over on the first floor.
And of course the development plan including our plot.
we are currently facing the challenge of planning a single-family house for a family of four, including a barrier-free basement apartment on the ground floor for my parents. The whole project is on a 550sqm (5920 sq ft) mostly flat plot, with the requirement not to build over the garden.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 550sqm (5920 sq ft)
Slope: no (approx. 0.5m (1.6 ft) height difference over 22m (72 ft) plot width)
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: n.a.
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 16m (52.5 ft) west-east + 3m (9.8 ft) boundary setbacks each side, 14m (46 ft) north-south, 5m (16 ft) setback to street in front of the house
Edge development: yes (north: public access road, west and south: bike path, east: neighboring development with a semi-detached house, currently vacant)
Number of parking spaces: 4
Number of storeys: 2
Roof pitch: 0-35°
Architectural style: no hipped roof and no Bauhaus style
Orientation: south-facing (garden)
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height 5.5-7m (18-23 ft), building height 10m (33 ft)
Additional requirements: The development plan reads as eaves height must be at least 5.5m (18 ft). Our design includes a single-story “extension” that falls below this. According to the building authority, the eaves height applies only to pitched roofs, and even a bungalow would be allowed here.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type: preferably converted attic with a gable roof
Basement, floors: no basement, 2 full floors + attic
Number of occupants, ages: 4 for the main unit (2 adults aged 41, 2 children aged 9 and 7) and 2 for the basement apartment (80+)
Room requirements on ground floor and upper floor:
Ground floor: barrier-free basement apartment with bedroom, shower bathroom, living room, kitchen, optional small storage room (approx. 50sqm (538 sq ft)); main apartment: living-dining area, open kitchen, (small backup kitchen/pantry), guest toilet, utility/technical room
First floor: 2 children’s rooms approx. 15sqm (161 sq ft) each facing south, master bedroom with west-facing window plus a small dressing room, bathroom with T-layout accessible to all, children’s bathroom with shower
Attic: multipurpose room (fitness, office) + storage space due to no basement
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Guest rooms per year
Open or closed layout: rather open (not including open galleries)
Conservative or modern construction: yes
Open kitchen, kitchen island: both yes
Number of dining seats: 6 in main apartment, 2(-4) in basement apartment
Fireplace: no
Music/sound wall: no idea what that is
Balcony, roof terrace: roof terrace as a nice-to-have (see design)
Garage, carport: preferably on the east side next to the basement apartment
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
- Backup kitchen is a long-cherished wish of my wife and should not be missing.
- Utility room must provide at least 3 x 1.9m (10 x 6.2 ft) space for the heat pump and the hot water system connected to the local heating network. The room should also be used for washing and drying laundry.
- Children’s rooms facing south with about 15sqm (161 sq ft) each are mandatory.
- Building mass should not extend too deeply, to preserve garden space on the south side.
House Design
Planner: architect
What do you like? Why?
- Living-dining area plus kitchen fits our requirements. We saw it in a show home and immediately agreed we wanted it like that.
- The basement apartment is barrier-free, and the room layout basically fits well.
- No complaints about the first floor:
- Both children’s rooms are the same size (approx. 15sqm (161 sq ft)) and face south.
- Master bedroom is in the (north-)west with a west-facing window.
- Two bathrooms as requested.
- Converted attic as extra space for home office, fitness, and hobbies.
- The building is not too deep at 10m (33 ft), leaving enough garden space.
What do you dislike? Why?
- The pantry (backup kitchen) seems a bit large.
- The area around the staircase, door to the utility room, and guest toilet feels cramped and awkward.
- We actually like the straight staircase, but it is completely hidden, so only the stairwell is visible.
- The attic staircase is placed on the west gable side; we would prefer it centrally placed or at least on the north eaves side.
- No access from the basement apartment to the utility room (e.g., to do laundry).
- Garden shed currently planned in the southwest; if anything, it should go to the northwest for garden tools and bikes.
Estimated cost according to architect/planner: 500,000 (without attic)
Personal budget limit for house including equipment: 600,000
Preferred heating technology: ground source heat pump (local heating network is mandatory)
If you need to give up something, which details/extensions?
- What can you do without: garage
- What can you absolutely not do without: basement apartment
Why is the design as it is now? For example:
Which requests were implemented by the architect?
Primarily based on our wishes, which were mostly implemented already. However, we are especially bothered by the arrangement/design of the utility room, staircase, and pantry layout—at least on paper—as it’s hard to imagine this part clearly.
What makes it, in your opinion, particularly good or bad?
Fairly compact, as the entire ground floor area is not built over on the first floor.
And of course the development plan including our plot.
@haydee I understand that, and we have been involved in similar situations ourselves.
I think there are so many unique and individual circumstances that you can never cover with general ideas, which you sometimes see being suggested. We are currently dealing with that with my mother-in-law.
And of course, eventually you get tired of it.
From time to time, we visit small care facilities and play some music for the residents there, and we have indeed met people who didn’t necessarily need or want to be there yet.
Of course, it’s also possible that the original poster builds this for someone, and then three weeks later circumstances change. But it’s also possible that there could be 10 more good years together.
Basically, I find it nice when someone takes the initiative today instead of immediately bringing up a list of objections.
In my close circle, I know two families where the elderly cleared out their house for the younger generation or moved into a small apartment. When I asked if they would also take care of the elderly, they just shrugged and explained in a similar way that they really don’t have the capacity for that. Surely not the usual case, but still sad. As I said, I’m not talking about full-time care.
Let’s see what the original poster comes up with.
I think there are so many unique and individual circumstances that you can never cover with general ideas, which you sometimes see being suggested. We are currently dealing with that with my mother-in-law.
haydee schrieb:
and have been rotating for 12 years
And of course, eventually you get tired of it.
From time to time, we visit small care facilities and play some music for the residents there, and we have indeed met people who didn’t necessarily need or want to be there yet.
Of course, it’s also possible that the original poster builds this for someone, and then three weeks later circumstances change. But it’s also possible that there could be 10 more good years together.
Basically, I find it nice when someone takes the initiative today instead of immediately bringing up a list of objections.
In my close circle, I know two families where the elderly cleared out their house for the younger generation or moved into a small apartment. When I asked if they would also take care of the elderly, they just shrugged and explained in a similar way that they really don’t have the capacity for that. Surely not the usual case, but still sad. As I said, I’m not talking about full-time care.
Let’s see what the original poster comes up with.
Before responding to the first comment from @Arauki11, a quick note: I do not intend to discuss here the practicality of building a new granny flat for people over 80 or the budget. Yes, both could be questioned, but my primary focus HERE is on the floor plan design.
So, I will address the first comment from @Arauki11 point by point (without the comment function), hoping I don’t forget anything. Let’s start with the granny flat and garage:
So, I will address the first comment from @Arauki11 point by point (without the comment function), hoping I don’t forget anything. Let’s start with the granny flat and garage:
- The garage is currently still optional, but we are already making many compromises because of the granny flat, so I would really prefer not to give up a single garage. Otherwise, it probably would have been a double garage.
- In the first draft, the entrance to the granny flat was at the front of the house, but we really didn’t like that layout. However, we are open to drawn ideas.
- The doors that collide like that obviously cannot stay; to be honest, I hadn’t noticed that.
- A corner entry shower is really not ideal; we will also ask for plans considering a walk-in shower.
- Well, the “door madness” isn’t my idea, but my parents’ request. Each room separate and with a window. Perhaps we can use lightweight partition walls to allow more flexible modifications “later.” I would prefer to keep it completely open, maybe the entrance area (windfang) would remain.
- A shower on the ground floor is out of the question.
- An en-suite bathroom might only be considered if the children can still access it without having to walk through our bedroom.
- Good point regarding the size of the walk-in closet; we need to look into that more closely.
- We both really like the T-shaped bathroom and definitely want to keep it.
- Regarding the roof terrace, I can only say: Yes, we will remove it. I only mentioned it as an idea, but it’s rather something for the future if the kids are interested. At least a small exit should remain so that in summer, laundry can maybe be dried there.
ypg schrieb:2x over 80
How many people and of what age will be living in the granny flat?
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
The garden shed in the southwest will, if at all, be moved to the northwest for garden tools and bicycles. In the driveway?
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
An en suite bathroom possibly only if the children can access it without having to go through our bedroom. @Arauki11 probably means by en suite the small master shower bathroom, while the larger family bathroom is accessible to everyone and mainly used by the kids.
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
But here I am primarily concerned with the layout design. The house design and floor plan ultimately depend on the budget. So please understand that people are reluctant to comment on fanciful plans that will never be built.
Therefore, I will only briefly address some comments or sections. First of all: the house type is a nice one. It looks more or less as the architect visualized it, and gives a fairly pleasant impression, although the entrances do not exactly invite you in, as they are quite modest and discreet.
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
Open or closed architecture: rather open (this does not include open galleries)
Conservative or modern construction style: yes
Open kitchen, kitchen island: both yes WoodyXYZ schrieb:
We saw this in a show home and immediately agreed that ours should look like that. Living/dining/cooking—every second house has this L-shape. The layout is conventional and thus functional.
There is an open-plan living area, although I am not sure this alone defines a modern character. What’s missing for me is a visual axis from the entrance towards the garden and anything other than a U-shaped kitchen. The kitchen seems a bit narrow or small. I would take some space from the pantry/backup kitchen because having a kitchen that doesn’t work just to keep a backup kitchen is nonsense.
I personally find the T-shaped solution boring, and the roof terrace questionable—what would it be for if you still have to tend the garden?
The dressing room feels unwelcoming.
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
The area around the stairway, door to the utility room, and guest bathroom feels somehow cramped and unharmonious. No, that will work. Yes, the WC is located in the dirty zone and is very narrow. But a stroller won’t fit anymore, and if necessary, you put your raincoat on or take it off in the kitchen—so what?
If you reduce the backup kitchen a bit sideways, that area would be more spacious.
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
We actually like the straight staircase, but it is completely hidden so you only really see the stairwell. An open staircase also needs to be clearly defined with the architect because an open staircase is planned differently, and it impacts the overall feel of the house.
WoodyXYZ schrieb:
Which wishes were implemented by the architect?
Primarily based on our wishes. These have largely been realized, but we find the arrangement and execution of the utility room, stairs, and pantry very frustrating, at least on paper. It also seems that you want more. Everything is met, and then one notices minor things somewhere seen and wants that as well, and then this and that. People are greedy: when they get what they want, they ask for more.
You have to stay grounded in reality: budget, desires, limits.
Since the house shell is quite usable, here are some tips:
Make sure to draw your own furniture to scale. That’s what the design is for! If you don’t take time for this, you will face unpleasant surprises later.
The attic conversion will not be usable as shown due to ceiling heights. A desk cannot have a PC standing there, etc.
The storage under the stairs will not be accessible; I would remove the wall and install sliding door elements instead. That way, it becomes an extra deep closet, which is highly usable.
I find the granny flat complicated. It gets quite tight for two people. You get in each other’s way.
Again: definitely check daily workflows. And what furniture is needed? They might want a closet near the table rather than a 98-inch (2.5 m) TV, for example.
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nordanney30 Sep 2025 22:31WoodyXYZ schrieb:
I would like to address the budget topic.Why should we, who are helping here in our free time (!!!), discuss a hypothetical floor plan that you cannot build anyway because you don’t have the money?This is clearly exaggerated, but when budget and wishes are far apart—which often happens here in the forum—I prefer to spend my free time on more meaningful things.
Therefore, you should not simply dismiss this objection, as it is also in our interest. If the budget doesn’t matter or you can pay $200,000 more, just say so and the matter is settled. Or if the budget is fixed, then provide something like a building permit / planning permission as an explanation. But simply excluding and ignoring the budget issue would be just “stupid” and unfair.
ypg schrieb:
In the driveway?One initial idea was to place it next to the backup kitchen (so to the west). But this hasn’t been our main focus so far, even though I realize it’s important as well.ypg schrieb:
I will only briefly address some comments or sections. First: the type of house is nice. It looks as the architect visualized it, overall quite pleasant, even though the entrances don’t exactly feel welcoming, as they are rather modestly tucked away.That sounds pretty good so far. What could improve the impression of the entrances?ypg schrieb:
Living/dining/kitchen – every other house has this L-shape. The layout is conventional and thus functional. There is an open living area, but whether that defines the modern character, I’m not sure. For me, it lacks a visual axis from the entrance towards the garden and something other than a U-shaped kitchen. The kitchen feels a bit cramped. I would take some space from the pantry/backup. Having a kitchen that doesn’t work just to have a backup kitchen is nonsense.Exactly, I also mentioned in my original post that the backup kitchen seems too big to me.ypg schrieb:
I personally find the T-layout boring, and the roof terrace is questionable – what’s the use if you have to maintain the garden? The walk-in closet feels uninviting.Similar feedback as from @Arauki11, which I have already commented on.ypg schrieb:
No, it will work. Yes, the toilet is in the dirty zone, yes, it’s very narrow. But a stroller won’t fit anymore, and if needed, you can put your raincoat on and off in the kitchen – no big deal. If you take a bit of space from the backup kitchen on the side, it would feel more generous.This has given us the most headaches so far. We’ll see, but maybe someone else has a completely different idea here. And yes, the backup kitchen must be smaller.ypg schrieb:
The granny flat is complicated. It’s quite tight for two people. You get in each other’s way. Again: be sure to check daily workflow. And what furniture do they need? Instead of the 98’’ (inch) TV, they’d probably prefer a wardrobe near the table?Yes, that is really complicated. But there isn’t much more space available.Similar topics