ᐅ A three-family house planned without a basement—your feedback on my floor plan.

Hello everyone,

First of all, thank you for letting me join the forum 🙂.

We (parents and 3 children, aged 10, 8, and 3) have bought a plot of land.
Size: 1170 m² (12,573 sq ft)
Special feature: commercial area
Building project: a three-family house with approximately 300 m² (3,229 sq ft), about 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) for us on the ground floor, and around 73 m² (786 sq ft) for each unit on the upper floor.

There is a single-family house on the plot, which is planned to be demolished.

The preliminary building approval was already positive.

At first, it was planned (I hadn’t really thought about it) that the new building would be constructed on the footprint of the old one.

Then I consulted an architect.

He recommended moving the new building further back on the plot (further north).
Reason:
+ The rear part of the plot is wider, which is better for the building
+ Making better use of the south-facing side for the living and dining area would be more efficient 🙂, plus my wife has a cooking channel with frequent video recordings, so she needs a lot of natural light. (This is very important for us)

We then inquired at the building authority, but the idea was rejected.
Reason: since it is a commercial area, the new building must be constructed on the footprint of the old one. Otherwise, the building office must consider that neighbors might take legal action.
Right next door is a joinery workshop, but production takes place on the other side, so only the warehouse is adjacent. The joiner initially wanted to buy the plot as well; we then received the agreement.

The plot is basically on a corner, separated from the next neighbors by a small path.

My idea was perhaps to get a written confirmation from the neighbors, including the joiner 🙂, stating that they agree with moving the new building further back (see attachment "Site Plan 2"). There is basically no objection; no one would be disturbed (e.g., no loss of view, etc.), and it will be built anyway 🙂.

Otherwise, I would have to stick to the first site plan.

There is also a preliminary floor plan (see attachment).

Another idea: the attic (roof shapes are not specified) could later be used as living space, for example for our son; however, it may only be considered “extended living space” according to the building authority. We are building without a basement, so the attic could initially be used as additional storage.

Question:
- What do you think of our design? At first glance, we like it, but what would you do differently and why?
or
- How else could the house be well positioned?
- Since two rental apartments are planned, what else should be considered, for example regarding privacy?

I’m new to this topic, so please be understanding if I forgot something 🙂.

Thank you in advance and I’m looking forward to your feedback 🙂!!!