Floor plan with basement on sloped land

Hello dear forum community,

I would like to ask you to evaluate the floor plan. We have not yet included the views because we should first tell the builder whether his planning is going in the right direction. We like the floor plan so far. We have the desired large living/dining area. The kitchen might be a little narrow and it will also be difficult to place kitchen elements like tall cabinets. Therefore, the entrance to the pantry should be moved. The current planning for the house is quite solid: no dormer and a floor plan of 9m x 11m. The knee wall is 1.40m high and there is a gable roof with a 45-degree pitch. Possibly a space-saving staircase will be provided on the upper floor instead of a pull-down attic stair.

The ridge runs from SW to NE. The floor plan is oriented NE. We plan a terrace facing SW and a balcony at the back measuring 5m x 3m on stilts with a wide view over the fields. In the basement are planned a utility room, two other living rooms, and a WC. Due to the slope of the site, the basement will have two large windows facing NE. The layout of the basement rooms is not yet final. It is intended as a living basement including underfloor heating.

We would like to horizontally mirror the floor plan. We think the orientation of the living room towards the south or southwest would be better than the current orientation towards SW or NW.

The garage is still in planning. Currently, a double garage is shown; possibly, it will only be a single garage.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size 650 m²
Slope yes, direction SW to NE
Floor area ratio 0.3
Building window, building line, and boundary
Edge development no
Number of parking spaces 1 - 2
Number of floors 2
Roof type gable roof
Style normal
Orientation of the ridge SW to NE

Requirements of the builders
Style, roof shape, building type
Basement - yes = living basement
Number of people, 2 - 4
Room requirements on the ground floor: living/dining area, upper floor: sleeping, basement: guest room + other rooms

Open kitchen - separated by sliding door
Number of dining seats 6-8
Fireplace - yes

Balcony, roof terrace - terrace NE
Garage, carport - later
Other wishes/special features/daily routine - front terrace SW

House design
From whom is the planning:
- Planner of a construction company

What do you like especially? large living/dining area and also nicely wide
What do you not like? kitchen might be too narrow? Difficult to furnish

We look forward to your suggestions and criticism.

I always find it so difficult to implement the text SW to NO. How about integrating the corresponding direction arrow in the floor plan? ;) If I interpret it correctly, I would also horizontally mirror the upper floor so that the children's rooms end up in the SW.

Otherwise, one should consider the furnishing of the kitchen; I find the pantry there only somewhat restrictive and not very practical considering the basement.

Why should a shower be integrated into the small bathroom on the ground floor? If two rooms (guests?) are planned in the basement, I would rather add a shower to a WC there and choose a purely guest WC on the ground floor. Any freed-up space could then be assigned more to a kind of wardrobe/vacuum cleaner room.

In the upper floor bathroom, given the current layout, a shower door must definitely be factored in, which should preferably open into the shower; otherwise, you will have puddles of shower water right when you enter the bathroom. I consider the start of the shower at the 2m line borderline. Think about where the shower head should be located.

For the ground floor, one should fundamentally consider where eating/grilling etc. should take place on the terrace/balcony. If rather on the SW-facing terrace areas, then I would place the kitchen there and put the living area where the kitchen is currently planned. Also, in the living area, make sure that options for the planned sofa arise that do not end up blocking floor-to-ceiling windows.

qkbt09 - I forgot to mention the WC on the ground floor. You obviously wouldn’t have a shower there, and there will be a shower in the basement. The back balcony would be the main area, which is why the kitchen is also at the back. The question is whether the balcony is already large enough at 5 x 3. We also have a garden behind it. We placed the children's room to the northeast because the view is simply nicer, but of course, we could consider whether southwest might be better.

What is the balcony supposed to be used for or who is it for?

The balcony is meant for sitting, grilling, etc. because it has the nicer view into the valley. Without it, we would always have to go down to the basement first and then to the back garden. There will also be a staircase going down from the balcony to the garden. It would be nice if we could talk a little about the floor plan so that we can incorporate changes at the next appointment. Thank you in advance

My other comments on the floor plan I have already made.

So if the balcony is to become your main seating area, the question arises, should there also be grilling? So consider space for a grill. It is best to realistically furnish the area with seating furniture, flower pots, garden exit, etc. 3x5 m is already a nice size but can quickly become full with a grill, etc.