Single-family house with gable roof 160-165 sqm

Hello everyone,

we have already read several threads and posts in recent weeks and would now like to present our draft here in the forum for discussion - with the hope of receiving important feedback on what might not fit so well in one or the other part.

We look forward to your comments.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size 729 sqm
Slope yes max. 4 m rising from the street to the garden plot boundary
Site coverage ratio 0.3
Floor area ratio 0.6
Building window, building line and boundary present
Edge development no specification
Number of parking spaces 2
Number of floors 2
Roof type gable, hip, half-hipped roof, shed roof
Style no specification
Orientation no specification
Maximum heights/limits eaves height 5.5m; ridge height 10 m
Roof pitch: 35-45°

Client requirements
Style, roof type, building type: classic gable roof house with third gable and garage
Basement, floors: 2 floors without basement
Number of people, age: M30, F27, C1
Space requirement on the ground floor, upper floor: about 80 sqm each
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: <10
Open or closed architecture: closed architecture
Conservative or modern construction: mixed
Open kitchen, cooking island: kitchen separable by double sliding door, cooking island desired
Number of dining seats: 8
Fireplace: possibly retrofitted
Garage included in planning
Office can also serve as a third child's room
Master bedroom in the third gable

House design
Who designed it:
Architect of the general contractor
What do you particularly like?
-Requirements regarding the plot basically implemented
What do you not like?
-Kitchen with cooking island currently not feasible (house shape would have to be more rectangular)
-Housekeeping/technical room not ideally located for connection to public infrastructure
-Children's room "too big" (would automatically be smaller with a more rectangular shape)
-Entrance area solution (dirt zone)
Preferred heating technology: probably ring trench collector

If you had to do without, which details/extras
-Can do without: living room can be smaller, staircase can be different

Why did the draft turn out the way it is now? e.g.
Draft was implemented based on our ideas and drawings.

What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan summarized in 130 characters?


Site plan is not yet available in the current version, only serves here for illustration.

Requirements regarding the property basically implemented

Is that so? You have a height difference of about 1.5 meters from the front door to the terrace? ... How do you envision that?

What don't you like?
-Kitchen with island currently not feasible (house shape would need to be more rectangular for that)
-Housekeeping/utility room technology is not ideally located for connection to public infrastructure
-Children's room "too large" (would automatically be smaller with a more rectangular shape)
-Entrance area solution (dirty zone)

I find that a bit much and indeed these are not minor issues to say one could build on that.
In the kitchen, I currently only see a single line planned. Anything more would be disturbing or a compromise. The living area: try drawing in the furniture to see how it would appear.

How high will the knee wall be? There are quite a number of windows drawn here. Show me the cross-section - you have that, right?

I find the upper floor quite well divided. However, the 2m line would be important because the dressing room mainly consists of a roof slope depending on the knee wall, and therefore there is little space. You should also draw in the furniture to find bottlenecks. I find the ground floor "suboptimal." Kitchen too small for 4-5 people. Wardrobe hardly exists. But on the other hand, a huge living room. Rensch-Haus has a house in the show home park in Erlangen in that size and with a very similar upper floor. Maybe you can get ideas for the ground floor from that floor plan.

Is that so? You have a height difference of about 1.5 meters from the front door to the terrace? ... How do you imagine that?

Unfortunately, with the plot we have no other option than to retain the slope behind the terrace.

I think that's a bit much and actually these are not small issues to say that you could build on that. In the kitchen, I currently see only a single-line plan. Anything more would be disturbing or a compromise. The living area: try sketching in the furniture to see how it will look.

Yes, there are still some issues regarding the ground floor plan. Yes, definitely we do not yet have the basics in the kitchen to implement what we have envisioned:

I currently consider the area in the dining and living room to be adequate.

How high will the knee wall be? There are quite a few windows drawn here. Show us the section - you must have that.

Where is north?

On the site plan, up = north.

Unfortunately, with the property, we have no choice but to retain the slope behind the terrace.

Wow, that is quite a massive earthmoving! How much budget have you planned for the house and the additional construction costs?

we don't have the fundamentals in the kitchen yet to implement what we had envisioned:

No, that just doesn't fit at all. But I have

I consider the area in the dining and living room to be adequate for the time being.

What do you mean by adequate? You have a large surplus of space there, which is missing elsewhere, namely in the kitchen and wardrobe space. You are planning for 4 people, possibly even 5, and have a small emergency wardrobe niche... The living room corner on the right side is only 3.50 meters wide. Where is the TV supposed to go? I would make a wardrobe room at the top left side of the plan and move the kitchen towards the current open-plan area. The pantry can share the space with the wardrobe up there. The current pantry is also not exactly effectively furnished – a shelf behind the door and a freezer... in a properly planned kitchen, this could be furnished more effectively with 90 cm of kitchen length.

The living area: sketch in the furniture to see how it looks then.

Yes, I really can't imagine it right now, especially the bay window... how it will be furnished. Please also include the dimensions. Only one bathroom in the house for 4 people, so at least a shower should be included on the ground floor, children are getting older...... If this house design is desired or necessary, then there are countless floor plan examples online for families like yours. The ground floor area is not well designed. Entrance to the kitchen after the front door, hardly any wardrobe, yet a lot of space is wasted. Especially the living room doesn't appeal to me so far. Furniture :D, and... do you use the TV sofa?