Hello everyone,
A plot (see above) is within reach, and I have been considering the house for some time now.
I am uncertain about a few points and hope to get your opinions.
It concerns the outlined plot.
Problem: The plot is only 17m (56 feet) wide AND on the south side of the plot an access road (3.5m (11.5 feet)) will be built for the rear properties.
This means there will be no usable space on the south side of the plot.
On the right (north), a setback of 2.50m (8 feet) from the property boundary must be maintained.
So, the building area is only 11m (36 feet) wide.
My idea is to place the kitchen on the southwest side to have a window but also to avoid a direct view into the living room from the access road.
This would require building the house sideways to the street.
Advantage: wide west-facing front, kitchen with a south-facing window.
Disadvantage: the views from the windows on the first floor would be heavily limited due to neighboring buildings. It could feel very cramped... Views to the east and west would be much more open.
I am now considering a hipped roof to allow windows to the east and west as well, not only facing the neighboring houses to the north and south.
According to initial discussions with the builder, it would still be possible to keep the house single-story (planning permission/building permit) if the hipped roof starts at 1.90m (6.2 feet).
The floor plan would then look like this:
Facing north:
First floor:
Plot size: 750 sqm (8,073 sq ft)
Style, roof shape, building type: single-family house, gable roof, 35 degrees
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2 (38, 13)
Room requirements ground floor, upper floor: office on ground floor, 3 bedrooms upstairs
Office use: family use and home office
Guests per year: rare
Open kitchen, kitchen island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: yes
Music/stereo wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: carport
Utility garden, greenhouse
House design
Who did the planning:
- Planner from a construction company
Hamburch schrieb:
No, no setback is required for the access path.
So there are about 11m (36 feet), possibly 11.50m (38 feet), of width available. Oh.
I had thought that 17m (56 feet) of width would remain after the path was deducted. If another 3m (10 feet), or even 3.50m (11.5 feet), is taken off now, things are obviously getting really tight.
The question is whether you actually build directly adjacent to the (southern) path. Having about 2.50m (8 feet) on each side of the house might be less useful than having 5m (16 feet) all on one side—even if that side faces north?
kaho674 schrieb:
2.50 meters (8.2 feet) on each side of the house He only needs to maintain the 2.5m (8.2 ft) setback on the north side. On the south side, building directly on the property line is allowed. Hopefully, the necessary easement has already been taken into account during the purchase. So, the house can extend about 11m (36 ft) in the north-south direction, or possibly 11.5m (38 ft) if it’s just about providing access for fire services. In my opinion, this should be clarified before discussing floor-to-ceiling windows and privacy measures.
Escroda schrieb:
It only has to maintain the 2.5 m (8 feet) setback to the north boundary. That was clear already. The question is, what is better?: A narrow strip on each side or no space on one side but a somewhat wider area on the opposite side?
Escroda schrieb:
He only has to maintain the 2.5m (8 feet) setback from the northern boundary. On the southern side, he can build right up to the boundary. Hopefully, the necessary encumbrance will already be taken into account during the purchase. What do you mean by that?
I can’t build right up to the boundary on the southern side, can I...?
Which encumbrance would make that possible?
kaho674 schrieb:
Oh.
I had assumed that the 17m (56 feet) width would remain after the path was reduced. If you now subtract another 3m (or even 3.5m (11.5 feet)), it definitely becomes very tight.
The question is whether the building will actually be right next to the (south) path. Having about 2.5m (8 feet) on each side of the house might be less useful than having 5m (16 feet) entirely on one side—even if that side faces north?Yes, at the moment I’m also strongly considering orienting the house lengthwise.
The south side would then be more or less right by the access path, while there would be about 4 meters (13 feet) of space on the north side.
The west terrace and garden would still be available.
Hamburch schrieb:
What do you mean by that? This is how I understood it; please correct me if I’m wrong.
Current plot: 17m wide (56 feet)
Future plot: 13.5m wide (44 feet) possibly 14m (46 feet), 750m² (8,073 sq ft) in area
Planned house: 9.60m by 11.55m (31.5 by 38 feet)
If the access road is to be subdivided into a separate parcel, then your building setback area lies on it and this must be secured by a legal encumbrance (building easement). But pictures say more than a thousand words: