Single-family house with double garage on a slope - plan optimization

I always think it's a bad planning when the living room is designed on the south side by the terrace. There is simply no connection between sitting outside and the living room. And when watching TV, it is also only disturbing if the sun causes glare. Therefore, the kitchen has to be placed exactly where the living room is currently planned. Drinks and barbecue supplies are rarely found in the TV cabinet

Exactly!!! Finally someone who recognizes that :)

To avoid any misunderstanding, I meant that the living area (the living level) belongs to the garden, not the living room. The kitchen is best located by the terrace. really described it quite nicely with a picture. I will quote that in the future.

Exactly!!! Finally someone who recognizes that :)

We actually write that almost always in essence :D However:

I will quote that from now on.

I definitely wouldn't do that. You can describe it better yourself, and have often done so. I didn't understand the sentences from at all at first, although in the end I knew what he wanted to say. The meaning only becomes clear at the end.

There is absolutely no connection between sitting outside and the living room

For whom? For some, yes! Not here, you are right about that.

And watching TV is only disturbing if the sun is glaring.

If there is a window there, yes. If there isn’t one, the sun doesn't disturb either. Here yes, it disturbs.

That’s why the kitchen has to

You don’t have to do anything. Personally, I find it okay to combine several wishes and then use the dining area as a “run-around” instead of kitchen or chill corner. This is not about east and west wings, but about a few steps ;) If the kitchen were where the living room is, the design including pantry and guest room would be awkward. Also, the view is intentional. However, I find the fireplace where it is, together with the TV wall, confining, and thus the path “around the dining table” is not circular. But what do I say: at Easter, nothing is round :rolleyes: :D I hope that one storey will be dropped and the rest will become somewhat larger so that everything relaxes

Hello,
first of all, I would like to thank you all for your answers and helpful tips!

There has been repeated advice to design the basement as living space. We have only recently started to consider this idea, but are increasingly liking it.
We still find it a bit difficult to imagine living "in the basement," but we have already found some pictures where this has been implemented very nicely.
Is there a trend here on how to do this? Would the sleeping floor be best located on the ground floor or in the basement? I think the floor plan will need to be completely reconsidered.

We do not necessarily see the space in the basement as essential; to be honest, we already had a house style in mind long before the land was purchased. After a very long search, it became this sloped plot, which makes a basement including the garage unavoidable and thus significantly increases the costs. Maybe we just need to approach this with a different strategy. The look of a multi-family house is actually something that has bothered me since the beginning of the planning. On the other hand, we see the advantage in a possible extension of the development area in the unobstructable southwest view with a three-story building.

Does anyone here perhaps have some references for similar properties with basement solutions for us?

Regards
Stefan

What do you mean by spiral staircase? Spiral means round...

Here I expressed myself incorrectly; I mean a half-turned U-staircase as is often built today. We definitely do not want this staircase type because we find it very impractical. Alternatively, a landing staircase or a straight staircase with a turn at the start or end could be considered if it could be better/more space-savingly integrated here.

More living space always costs more money. You cannot cover that with a subsidy. 100 sqm extra costs €200,000, especially with expansions like sanitary, technology, and kitchen!
It is what it is!
I would plan the basement nicely as a living level with direct access (without expensive backfilling) and the sleeping level upstairs. Then possibly 5-10 sqm more on each floor.
You get rid of all problems and also the hassle that living next to a tenant in your garden entails.

I think €200,000 for this one floor as additional costs is a bit much, isn’t it? I think the shell would cost about €60-80k; the basement will be finished and used as such in the first step. The second living unit is then an option for the future. I believe that the renewed planning with a basement (perhaps better with an architect experienced in this?), the loss of the grant, and the 5-10 sqm more would further reduce the savings, or what is your assessment here?

I honestly think it’s pretty good overall! You only save space if the straight staircase can be removed – that needs at least 12-13 meters, I think. Are the €600k only for the house or without incidental building costs etc.?

Would you possibly have a tip on what else might be suitable here? Maybe a landing staircase? The €600k are budgeted without incidental building costs and garden, etc.

Why is the garage in the west and not in the east?
What is the terrain slope?

There are several reasons for that. We considered the garage position for a long time and then decided on the northwest because on the one hand, the only access road to the development area is here, and we did not want windows facing the street. On the other hand, the local access road is at a 90° angle to the access road. What also comes into play is that the neighbor below also wants to build his garage on this side (so his east), which would block our view anyway. Since we joined forces, the mutual boundary construction now saves each of us 3 meters of space on our land as otherwise no boundary development would have been possible. The neighbor above has a plot that goes around the corner; he will place his house with garage on the eastern border, i.e., maximally far from us. But the main reason was that we like the view to the south/southeast best. There is a small forest that you look at, and at the same time, we are protected from prying eyes here.
The terrain slopes down toward the southwest (the steepest slope is in the first 1.5 meters because the street was built about 1.5 m higher than the original terrain) and rises about 1 m toward the east along the entire length of the plot.

I always consider it a planning error if the living room is placed on the south side at the terrace. There is basically no connection between sitting outside and the living room. And when watching TV, it’s just annoying if the sun is glaring. That’s why the kitchen must go exactly where the living room is planned now. Drinks and barbecue items rarely belong in the TV cabinet.

A very good point! We actually had it differently in all previous drafts; we had the office where the kitchen is now, and the living room was where the office is now. The problem was always that we could not properly accommodate the pantry. Our planner said that with the current design, we could implement a maximum simple installation, but that should not be top priority. How would you solve that better in this case? Maybe switch the living room with the kitchen?

However, I find the fireplace where it is with the TV wall quite restricting, and thus the path "around the dining table" is not round.

The fireplace actually bothers me here too, and I also find its position on the roof looks strange. This week we were at a fireplace builder and will get a proposal on how it could look on this wall. Actually, a panoramic room divider next to the TV wall was always desired, but for optical reasons, we were advised against it here.

Landing staircase or the U, you do like that but not ;) the U staircase simply saves the most space.

200k for a basement is definitely exaggerated.

I think the floor plan needs to be fundamentally reconsidered.

Yep! That's how I would do it.

The problem was always that we couldn't properly accommodate the pantry. Our planner said that with the current design we could implement a maximally simple installation, but that shouldn't be the top priority. How would you solve this better in this case? Maybe swap the living room with the kitchen?

I see it exactly like the planner. At least with the pantry and co on the upper side of the plan there weren't really many problems. But you have more options since you're building without a basement and with some square meters spread over two levels.

We're still having a hard time imagining living "in the basement,"

Nobody does :)

Would it be best to place the sleeping floor on the ground floor or the basement?

Sleeping level on the ground floor, so the living level opens to the garden.

Maybe a half-landing staircase? The 600k are estimated without incidental construction costs and garden etc.

A half-landing is only conditionally suitable in a narrow design. A single turn (wended) is quite easy to plan and in terms of comfort almost as good as a straight staircase. It also saves hallway space.

Does anyone here maybe have some references of similar properties with basement solutions for us?

The entire forum "Floor Plan Discussions" is full of them. Feels like every second discussion is a hillside discussion, and every second of those is with living in the basement. You have to patiently browse through unless responds and names comparable projects.

As an advantage, we see the unobstructed southwest view in a possible expansion of the building area with a three-story building.

The main reason, however, was that we like the view to the south / southeast best.

There is a small woodland here that you look out onto, and at the same time we're protected from prying eyes.

So, view and nice views are worth a lot. And if you have the ultimate view of a photo wallpaper, then you should build accordingly. But first and foremost, living comfort and space for life should come first. If children just prefer to play with building blocks rather than marvel at the view from their room, then that’s how it is. And the older they get, the less daylight will brighten the room – you often read here how teenagers spend their days in a darkened room. And we adults also occasionally enjoy the view, but in the house we have daily tasks like cooking, living, cleaning, and working to accomplish. And when you sit together, the view usually goes rather to drinks, chips, TV, your own apple tree, and nice kitchen (not to mention the face of the person opposite and watching the kids) than towards "over the new building area." Therefore, I would rather optimize the function INSIDE the house than orient myself according to the view. But basically, the house orientation fits. Edit: Place the chimney flue in or closer to the ridge, plan the living room accordingly. And you can still have a good view out of a window pane that is 5 meters away from the sofa. Avoid angled toilet placement, avoid awkward corners.