Floor plan single-family house on a slope

We already quite like the draft.

Me too. Very nice, and for me also quite close to my expectations.

The biggest change from the wishes was cutting off the gallery I loved, meaning the roof half opened downwards into the ground floor. Both the construction company and the architect strongly advised against it for financial (at least 25,000 euros extra cost) and energy-related reasons.

On this point, however, I regret that you did not follow my suggestion to present the counterarguments here for discussion.

Although it was brought up by several members here, the architect apparently (at least initially?) does not see a problem with coupling garage and house.

That is a misunderstanding. If it works out – and here it does – then it is not a problem. Otherwise, insisting on a continuous floor level would be a heavy burden for the design. Not here, because the slope difference between the garage door and the front door area is negligible.

This "airlock" on the ground floor between garage and house would be nice for us but not a must; we will specifically ask the architect about it.

In my opinion, the airlock is not worth assigning a high priority – but on the other hand, it is not something terrible either, so you do not necessarily have to avoid it at all costs.

It was mentioned in this thread that a passage to the basement of the garage can be critical for several reasons. I will also address this with the architect.

Give me a hint ...

Unfortunately, I am not quite up to date on where the slope runs from and to.

(Attention: North is almost exactly to the left of the plan!) The slope runs from west to east with about an 18% incline; from west to southeast it is about 22%. The slope is irregular and from the street to the house it is slight, then steep until the middle of the garage, then moderate again. The mentioned values are averages and by no means linear.

Shallow cabinets were planned at the top of the plan in the kitchen. You should consider whether that suits you.

Grounded upper cabinets – not a bad idea.

Many things immediately strike me as very positive, for example:

Me too.

Do not extend the wall between the stairs and the kitchen too far towards the kitchen, so that there might still be space here for a shelf to put things on/a counter

Good idea! Therefore plan the furnishing of the kitchen very carefully.
I was just about to mention the tip of including the area under the stairs (the main character from red-roses solved this well in his house, I think you can also google it ;) ),
then it occurs to me that these stairs lead downwards :oops:...

The main advantage of a walk-in closet is,

For example also that you can leave the ironing board standing or a messy person can keep the bedroom tidy :)

Here I would recess the children’s room a bit and give the bedroom 50 cm more.

c) No door between hallway and living room

Yes, I consider that a planning error in a household with children: There is no privacy! Or is it intended that the children enter the house from the basement entrance?

I would enlarge this “airlock” a little bit and recess the office so that there is also space in the hallway/airlock for a dresser and/or shoe cabinet and/or stool. The available options for placing furniture are currently quite limited here.

Thank you very much for your quick and helpful comments!
Of course, we are very happy that the draft is mostly well received. :)

I also find it super helpful that it is mentioned exactly what is perceived as positive.
That way we also learn something.

One additional door each on the ground floor and basement to separate the living room:
I had already considered that upstairs, but hadn’t thought about it downstairs yet. Good point; maybe made of glass, so that at least some light still comes in.

Is that a terrace or a balcony upstairs?

I’m a bit unsure about the correct terms right now – it’s a balcony on columns (covered, so it covers part of the ground-level outdoor area). Is that already a terrace then?

I like the interior, I just think the exterior isn’t considered enough. I wouldn’t let the balcony overshadow the children’s room window.

Could you elaborate a bit on the first sentence? Or do you mean darkening caused by the balcony above?

The house is supposed to accommodate a family of four, but in the 2.2 m wide kitchen, after placing the cabinets, at most one person can comfortably fit. But okay, you do have dining space for 8 people o_Oo_Oo_O Something doesn’t add up...

Kitchen width/cabinets: We will take a look at that. Although our current kitchen isn’t wider either, and is significantly shorter; two people can still manage in there. But if it can be planned, a bit more space certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Regarding the dining area: We didn’t specify any wishes on that; it was just drawn in by the architect. But hey, I hope we can have guests again sometime soon. ;)

The bedroom also seems quite tight at 2.95 m. Many beds already require 2.2–2.3 m in length, and with a TV on the wall it’s going to be quite cozy passing by there as well.

Good point, which also mentioned again. We will discuss it.

I’m unfortunately not quite up to date on where the slope runs from and to. You write that you would omit the side windows in the children’s rooms (probably north and south, right?). Then those would be pure east-facing windows. Basically, I would have your bedroom rather in the north and the children’s rooms as bright as possible.

To the north (left on the plan) is the cellar of the garage, so nothing can go there. To the west (bottom of plan) is the slope/street (from north to south).
Yes, correct, the side windows would point to the north and south (the latter is shaded by the balcony on the ground floor). My idea was only about preserving privacy (left side of plan: neighboring house; right side of plan: our outdoor area in the garden); but you can just as well install blinds/shutters, and then the children can decide how they want it.

Help me out ...

See here:

3rd passageway to the garage. Nice but also expensive. Fire doors, possibly double walls, not to forget increased development costs. I had a nice surcharge because all of a sudden the garage became floor area.

Free-standing wall cabinets – not a bad idea.

What exactly are free-standing wall cabinets in this context?

I was just about to mention the tip about including the area under the stairs (the main character from “Rote Rosen” solved this well in his house, I think you can google it ;) ), then I realized that these stairs actually lead downwards.

I googled and first realized that “Rote Rosen” is a soap opera – do you mean that one?
So it will be difficult to find a single main character there. ;)
Could you give me a hint?
But yes, having storage under the stairs (then in the basement) is already included in the plan as an idea. It’s probably hard to read because it’s written very small.

For example, that you can leave the ironing board out or an untidy person can have an orderly bedroom.

Haha, that’s exactly how I see it too. :D

Yes, I consider that a planning error in a household with children: there is no privacy! Or is it intended that the children enter the house from the basement?

I think point c, which you quote, refers to the ground floor.
You mean the basement, right? There, point d already recommended a door for sound insulation.
We will definitely look at that issue!

I would enlarge this “airlock” a little bit and set back the office so that there is space in the hallway/airlock for a dresser and/or shoe cabinet and/or stool. The possible placements are currently quite limited.

We had also considered using the airlock as shoe storage.
Okay, the width could probably still be increased, thanks for the hint!

The biggest change to the wishes was cutting off the gallery I loved, that is, the roof half opened downwards into the ground floor. Both the construction company and the architect strongly advised against it for financial (at least 25,000 euros extra) and energy-related reasons.

Are there any experiences here regarding galleries (gable roof)?
Did you pay significantly less or what impact did it have on the thermal insulation?
Thank you!

I googled and first realized that "Rote Rosen" is a soap - do you mean that? So it will be difficult to find a single main actor there. ;) Can you give me a hint?

Hakim Michael Maziani lives near us. That's why I know his house. He had real multi-year trouble with his general contractor, and that's somewhere to be read on the web. I'll check later ;) or google his name and house construction myself :)

But you mean in the basement, right? Because point d already recommended a door there for soundproofing.

No, I actually mean the sofa/chill corner in relation to the stairs -> traffic path -> disturbance etc. That would be disturbing in everyday life just when "living." Not to mention in the evenings... Honestly, I find soundproofing a bit silly in a single-family house.

I am a bit at a loss regarding the correct terminology right now

Covered or not, the thing is located on the ground floor, at least one floor above the garden side terrain – that's what the inquiry was probably about.

See here:

could unfortunately be right: both with development cost allocations and wastewater cost assessments, municipalities might get the idea to include garages connected by a passage in the residential floor area. However, this varies depending on local statutes.

What exactly are ground-standing upper cabinets in this context?

In kitchens, there are often cabinets hanging at head height for dishes etc., which have less depth than the countertop – like here across the way. When you don’t want to hang them at that height, you still need them. It makes sense to place them opposite and start them right at floor level.

Hakim Michael Maziani lives near us. [...] He had serious multi-year trouble with his general contractor,

A singer also lives around the corner from me, whom you’d only know from local broadcasting. In a rented building, without trouble with the general contractor :)