Floor plan of a single-family house with a granny flat

I’m still missing a cross-section! You don’t just normally plan split-level houses with one more floor without windows, but have options to stagger the levels.

Personally, it would never occur to me in my dreams to reach my own garden only via a staircase; land and property are too expensive for that. The staircase poses too many dangers for the children – using the garden would be comparable to an outing to the playground or park, always carrying a picnic basket to feed the children and oneself.

I have read something about 8 meters and simultaneously a 2-meter slope on the side; you should be able to get multiple garden levels from that, right?

Even in this design, it would make more sense to have the exit to the granny flat by the entrance (east?) so that the residents upstairs don’t always have to pass along the outdoor seating area of the tenants. The terrace below is currently not usable undisturbed at all. The granny flat itself lacks some storage space. I would plan the kitchen near the entrance and the bathroom closer to the bedroom.

Since the granny flat will be quite modest in size, you could arrange it in halves on the upper floor, with the other half as the parents’ area. Then the children’s rooms would be on the ground floor and living and household on the basement level. Surely there are more possibilities than “either/or.”

What exactly do you want a cross-section of? The house? The plot?

We simply don’t have the option to stagger floors. The plans were preceded by three months of discussions with the building authority and three architects tried (and failed).

There are several garden levels, and one will be filled up to create a flat surface. The issue with storage for the tenants is indeed a problem. The idea was once to create storage space under the stairs. Otherwise, the room under the garage (which will only be half-height, by the way) could be used as storage. Or what do you suggest? The bathroom is on the side where the kitchen and thus connections are. I personally don’t like your idea of splitting the granny flat and parents’ floor; it feels too close to me. Also, children are planned but not yet present, and for very small children I would like to have them near the parents’ bedroom. The granny flat doesn’t have to be rented out for the next 20 years.

A basic question:

How far along are you with your plans? Have you only tinkered around yourselves so far, or have you already had contact with architects or other professional planners?

In the first case, I would strongly recommend the latter when it comes to hillside construction

We had three architects who tried. These are the plans we are now satisfied with so far and that have been approved by the building authority. The shell of the house is standing. There is no more space here. I was just very curious about any further comments and ideas you might have.

I hope this cut helps....

Something positive for a change
What I like about the hallway is that it’s not too big, yet still spacious. You can fit a fairly large wall cupboard on the right-hand wall, which will store many many bags and shoes [emoji151]
I can also well imagine the large kitchen, but only with an extra TV
I also like the upstairs living corridor (we have that too )
Without measurements, I also like the access to the dressing room/bedroom, but unfortunately that doesn’t really fit.

The bathroom is not my thing, too much empty space, I don’t find the corners in the other rooms bad. What I find really terribly old-fashioned (also in the Swedish house) is this bay window on the north side. The path to the washing machine would be way too long and winding for me.
As an owner, I wouldn’t want this staircase to the garden, and as a tenant, I wouldn’t want this staircase to be used.

18 meters in width is actually not much, but I also wouldn’t put a square villa on a long narrow plot of land. I also can’t imagine that a freelance architect would draw up this idea.

The design looks like it fulfills the wish for a square / a villa from a planner at a production house who must not alienate customers with more advantageous designs. The granny flat is supposed to enable the second KfW loan That’s legitimate!

The upper floor has potential to be spaced out. However, I’m going to burst your bubble about the two living levels: where do you get the mop from? Where is the laundry done? Where are the drink crates stored? You have a huge barrier to the garden, so another staircase, but I don’t want to repeat myself.

Regarding the granny flat: there’s no space for a washing machine, drying laundry, vacuum cleaner, and cleaning supplies. You could make the bathroom smaller and carve out a storage closet there, but that doesn’t make the open living area more furnishable: I stand by it, kitchen where the bathroom is, bathroom next to the bedroom and smaller... Privacy screen from the bedroom to the external staircase.

Did I already say that a long narrow house would probably fit much better there? There would also be more room on the side for the staircase, exit, and so on.

All just hints – build as you like [emoji847]
Regards, Yvonne

I actually meant with the question about how he would plan it.

The plot is only 18 meters wide. If I plan a double garage (6 meters wide) next to the house, the house becomes too narrow. It was important to us to have the kitchen, dining, and living room next to each other. We consciously decided to live on two floors to avoid living on the stairs, which inevitably happens when you live on three floors.

Moving the basement forward would cause problems with the slope. This would result in an additional half floor (the retaining work would be expensive).

The problem with the stairs is the three-meter distance to the property boundary. That has already cost us quite a few sleepless nights.

"Moving walls on the upper floor, possibly putting the guest room in the basement room under the garage." I like THAT idea. However, that should be my room and I don’t want to be so far away from the action.

You also live on three floors like this. Kids are basically outside 365 days a year. Every drink, etc., has to go downstairs. If you want to quickly do something like cook, you don’t have the kids in sight.

I actually meant with the question about how he would plan it.

The plot is only 18 meters wide. If I plan a double garage (6 meters wide) next to the house, the house becomes too narrow. It was important to us to have the kitchen, dining, and living room next to each other. We consciously decided to live on two floors to avoid living on the stairs, which inevitably happens when you live on three floors.

Moving the basement forward would cause problems with the slope. This would result in an additional half floor (the retaining work would be expensive).

The problem with the stairs is the three-meter distance to the property boundary. That has already cost us quite a few sleepless nights.

"Moving walls on the upper floor, possibly putting the guest room in the basement room under the garage." I like THAT idea. However, that should be my room and I don’t want to be so far away from the action.

So you also live on three levels.
Garden with kids suddenly very busy. Laundry also in the basement, and the laundry pile grows with children.
I find it a shame to make compromises on the upper floor to use nice living spaces perhaps as a granny flat, as the mother-in-law’s apartment, etc., or to leave them empty.

1 level sleeping parents and children’s rooms, later maybe office and guest room, laundry
1 level cooking, living, dining, short access to the garden
1 level guest, office, small bath, open living hall, later realm of the teenagers.

A shame about the stairs. I could imagine that this causes problems with renting, dividing, garden. Do you already have exterior views?

However haydee sees it: you now have 4 stairs to climb. If you take our suggestions and make the UG a living area, you would have 2-3..., but that has not been fully thought through or planned yet.

Regards, Yvonne