ᐅ Split-Level Single-Family House Floor Plan – Architect’s Design
Created on: 19 Oct 2025 21:49
D
dbertig
Hello dear forum members,
We are very excited to renovate a settlement house from the 1960s. Many thanks for this forum and the great opportunity to share our plan and receive your feedback:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 519 m2 (5583 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 1
Floor area ratio: 2.5
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback from the property line
Edge development: see pictures
Number of parking spaces: 2 or 3
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof (original building) and flat roof (extension)
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights/limits: see pictures
Additional requirements: The house needs a complete renovation. It is a single-family home with split levels. We wanted direct access to the garden at ground level, so our architect recommended an extension for a cloakroom, hallway, kitchen, and dining room. This extension is planned as a wooden construction (vertical spruce cladding painted black). The living room (accessed from the dining room by 7 steps), toilet, and office are located on the first split level, then one half level up is currently planned as the master bedroom. This floor contains only this one room. One more half level up / on the top floor, there are two equally sized children’s rooms plus a toilet and bathroom planned.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: renovation of existing building and extension
Basement, floors: 1 basement and 2.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults and 2 children (3 and 6 years old)
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floors: 150 m2 (1615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats: 8–12
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 carport, former garage repurposed as storage for bicycles, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons for why this or that should or should not be included:
House Design
Designer: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Single-family house can be preserved (inherited from grandmother)
- Ground-level garden access very well solved
- Good floor plan concept and a unique idea – not a standard layout
- Open space combining kitchen/dining and living room with 7 steps – maybe the entrance could be raised to reduce this to 5 steps to the living room. Do we need fall protection, and if so, what kind?
- Spacious areas, especially in the living space
- Children’s rooms orientation and size
- Generally generous spaces in the basement, WC, and office
What do you not like? Why?
- Unsure whether the open kitchen/dining/living layout is community-friendly enough and if steps will be inconvenient in daily life
- Unsure about the size of the kitchen/dining area and the window/glass front in the dining/kitchen area
- Terrace planning: dining area on the west side planned by the architect, but rather narrow. Unsure about the 2 m (6.5 ft) terrace on the south side — what would really fit here? Will everything be covered?
- Still unsure how the extension will look visually (original house facade white, wooden-aluminum windows in black, extension in modern timber construction with vertical spruce cladding in black)
- Unsure about the hallway between cloakroom and kitchen – no door (according to architect there should be no door for visual reasons, as the view and movement direction should be toward the dining room, not the upper floor)
- Bathroom and toilet planning in upper floor – maybe combine toilet into bathroom and convert the room (which has no window) into a wardrobe – master bedroom on split level does not allow a very large wardrobe
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 600–800k
Personal maximum budget for house including fixtures: 800k
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the second design. In the first design, there was no glass front on the south side, only windows and a comfortable bench instead. Since the view and activity focus on the main garden, we wanted access there as well, so it was changed into a full glass front. Due to heat buildup, the architect recommended a roof overhang of 1.20 m (4 ft), which we extended to 2 m (6.5 ft).
Many thanks from my side for your input! Feel free to ask any questions at any time!
1st design:
Revised design:
We are very excited to renovate a settlement house from the 1960s. Many thanks for this forum and the great opportunity to share our plan and receive your feedback:
Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 519 m2 (5583 sq ft)
Slope: no
Site coverage ratio: 1
Floor area ratio: 2.5
Building envelope, building line, and boundary: 3 m (10 ft) setback from the property line
Edge development: see pictures
Number of parking spaces: 2 or 3
Number of floors: 2.5
Roof type: gable roof (original building) and flat roof (extension)
Architectural style: modern
Orientation: south
Maximum heights/limits: see pictures
Additional requirements: The house needs a complete renovation. It is a single-family home with split levels. We wanted direct access to the garden at ground level, so our architect recommended an extension for a cloakroom, hallway, kitchen, and dining room. This extension is planned as a wooden construction (vertical spruce cladding painted black). The living room (accessed from the dining room by 7 steps), toilet, and office are located on the first split level, then one half level up is currently planned as the master bedroom. This floor contains only this one room. One more half level up / on the top floor, there are two equally sized children’s rooms plus a toilet and bathroom planned.
Client Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: renovation of existing building and extension
Basement, floors: 1 basement and 2.5 floors
Number of people, ages: 2 adults and 2 children (3 and 6 years old)
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floors: 150 m2 (1615 sq ft)
Office: family use or home office? Home office
Overnight guests per year: 1-2
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen, kitchen island yes
Number of dining seats: 8–12
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: 1 carport, former garage repurposed as storage for bicycles, etc.
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes/special features/daily routine, also reasons for why this or that should or should not be included:
House Design
Designer: architect
What do you particularly like? Why?
- Single-family house can be preserved (inherited from grandmother)
- Ground-level garden access very well solved
- Good floor plan concept and a unique idea – not a standard layout
- Open space combining kitchen/dining and living room with 7 steps – maybe the entrance could be raised to reduce this to 5 steps to the living room. Do we need fall protection, and if so, what kind?
- Spacious areas, especially in the living space
- Children’s rooms orientation and size
- Generally generous spaces in the basement, WC, and office
What do you not like? Why?
- Unsure whether the open kitchen/dining/living layout is community-friendly enough and if steps will be inconvenient in daily life
- Unsure about the size of the kitchen/dining area and the window/glass front in the dining/kitchen area
- Terrace planning: dining area on the west side planned by the architect, but rather narrow. Unsure about the 2 m (6.5 ft) terrace on the south side — what would really fit here? Will everything be covered?
- Still unsure how the extension will look visually (original house facade white, wooden-aluminum windows in black, extension in modern timber construction with vertical spruce cladding in black)
- Unsure about the hallway between cloakroom and kitchen – no door (according to architect there should be no door for visual reasons, as the view and movement direction should be toward the dining room, not the upper floor)
- Bathroom and toilet planning in upper floor – maybe combine toilet into bathroom and convert the room (which has no window) into a wardrobe – master bedroom on split level does not allow a very large wardrobe
Price estimate according to architect/planner: 600–800k
Personal maximum budget for house including fixtures: 800k
Preferred heating system: ground source heat pump
Why is the design the way it is now?
This is the second design. In the first design, there was no glass front on the south side, only windows and a comfortable bench instead. Since the view and activity focus on the main garden, we wanted access there as well, so it was changed into a full glass front. Due to heat buildup, the architect recommended a roof overhang of 1.20 m (4 ft), which we extended to 2 m (6.5 ft).
Many thanks from my side for your input! Feel free to ask any questions at any time!
1st design:
Revised design:
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
If you go upstairs, then do it properly. That way, the living and dining areas are on the same level. Or at most 3 steps down (preferably only one) across the full width of the opening. The ceiling should then also match that of the living room.
That also doesn’t look bad, but we really liked the kitchen and dining area on the ground floor. Maybe you could lower half of the living area as you drew it. Then we’d lose a cellar, but would have more space for the kitchen and dining room, and a smaller living room in the “gallery” area?H
hanghaus202322 Oct 2025 10:25As an alternative, there is the budget version.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Alternatively, there is the budget version.
I prefer the first version. Maybe you could also move half of the living area—as you have designed it—downstairs. That way, we would lose one basement, but we would gain more space for the kitchen and dining area, and have a smaller living room in the "gallery" above?dbertig schrieb:
What do you think of the glass front in the kitchen and dining room, as well as the terrace (size)? We’re still not completely sure about it... I prefer design 2. A terrace depth of 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) would be better.
Thank you @hanghaus2023 for the great floor plans, we really like them! However, we will keep the layout as it is and live with the steps, but we plan to make the extension slightly higher than 2.40m (7 ft 10 in). That was excellent input from you! I think the steps also add something special.
@ypg The terrace would actually be better if it were wider. I think we will make the terrace floor 3.50m (11 ft 6 in) wide. However, we will keep the roof as it is, since otherwise we would need a setback. Hopefully, it will still look okay aesthetically.
Does anything else stand out to you in the floor plan that you don’t like?
Maybe someone has a tip regarding the coat area. I’m not really fond of an open coat area, as I can already imagine that the “mess” or shoe odor might carry into the kitchen. The architect said he wouldn’t put a door here because the path from the front door should lead toward the kitchen. With a door between the coat area and kitchen, a visitor might feel that “the way” goes upstairs via the stairs... What do you think?
@ypg The terrace would actually be better if it were wider. I think we will make the terrace floor 3.50m (11 ft 6 in) wide. However, we will keep the roof as it is, since otherwise we would need a setback. Hopefully, it will still look okay aesthetically.
Does anything else stand out to you in the floor plan that you don’t like?
Maybe someone has a tip regarding the coat area. I’m not really fond of an open coat area, as I can already imagine that the “mess” or shoe odor might carry into the kitchen. The architect said he wouldn’t put a door here because the path from the front door should lead toward the kitchen. With a door between the coat area and kitchen, a visitor might feel that “the way” goes upstairs via the stairs... What do you think?
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