Hello everyone!
We have made significant progress, having purchased a plot of land, stepped back from Heinz von Heiden and Stadt & Land, and had a house designed by an architect. A smaller general contractor will handle the construction. We are very grateful to this forum because the input here ultimately led to our change in strategy.
We have completed many steps in a very short time that would normally take weeks: financing, purchasing the land, house planning, and positioning the house on the plot. It is exactly this last point where we are currently stuck and now have some time to take a step back and ask for your opinions and advice.
We have a 1.26cm (0.5 inches) wide strip of land to the left of the main plot, which tapers at the beginning and end of our property. According to the land registry, this area is designated for our own use as a utility space, but according to the local authorities, construction such as a garage is not permitted here. We are missing ideas for a sensible use of this space.
What we are planning: The construction of a conventional detached family house with a 35° pitched roof, built over two floors, on a 482m² (5,189 sqft) plot plus 30m² (323 sqft) of utility space. The living area is 145m² (1,560 sqft) plus 78m² (840 sqft) of usable space. No basement is planned. The terrace is oriented south and west. A garage is planned, but currently may be canceled for cost reasons, or an alternative (which one?) might be considered incorporating the utility space.
Regarding the layout:
We have two children and the family may grow. We definitely need a home office. We plan to create this together later in the attic. Until then, the dressing room will serve as the office. On the ground floor, we prefer an open floor plan with as much natural light as possible. Upstairs, the windows are oriented south and west. The attic will be prepared from the start with stairs, underfloor heating, windows, and possibly roof windows.
We look forward to your feedback.
We have made significant progress, having purchased a plot of land, stepped back from Heinz von Heiden and Stadt & Land, and had a house designed by an architect. A smaller general contractor will handle the construction. We are very grateful to this forum because the input here ultimately led to our change in strategy.
We have completed many steps in a very short time that would normally take weeks: financing, purchasing the land, house planning, and positioning the house on the plot. It is exactly this last point where we are currently stuck and now have some time to take a step back and ask for your opinions and advice.
We have a 1.26cm (0.5 inches) wide strip of land to the left of the main plot, which tapers at the beginning and end of our property. According to the land registry, this area is designated for our own use as a utility space, but according to the local authorities, construction such as a garage is not permitted here. We are missing ideas for a sensible use of this space.
What we are planning: The construction of a conventional detached family house with a 35° pitched roof, built over two floors, on a 482m² (5,189 sqft) plot plus 30m² (323 sqft) of utility space. The living area is 145m² (1,560 sqft) plus 78m² (840 sqft) of usable space. No basement is planned. The terrace is oriented south and west. A garage is planned, but currently may be canceled for cost reasons, or an alternative (which one?) might be considered incorporating the utility space.
Regarding the layout:
We have two children and the family may grow. We definitely need a home office. We plan to create this together later in the attic. Until then, the dressing room will serve as the office. On the ground floor, we prefer an open floor plan with as much natural light as possible. Upstairs, the windows are oriented south and west. The attic will be prepared from the start with stairs, underfloor heating, windows, and possibly roof windows.
We look forward to your feedback.
Winterson schrieb:
We positioned the entrance there because we prefer access from the street. This is due to the fact that the spur road’s access passes over a speed bump (not visible here). We don’t want to drive over that every time.
What do you mean by "traffic area"? For us, that space is more suitable for greeting/farewell, etc.I don’t understand this: when I look at the site plan, the garage and parking space are at the top of the plan and thus (since site plans are usually correctly oriented with north at the top) to the north.
If I rotate your plan so that the garage and parking space are in that position, then the entrance door would be on the left side of the plan and therefore to the west.
Are you allowed to position the garage and parking space elsewhere, or did I miss that?
It would be helpful if all plans were oriented with north at the top.
Am I correct that your plan would need to be rotated 180° in order to align with the site plan?
Winterson schrieb:
Thanks, hanse! I had to measure again. We only expressed the wish not to have grilles in front of the windows. Measuring showed that the bottom edge of the fixed window part starts 40cm (16 inches) above the planned screed level. In total, we then have about 80cm (31.5 inches) "fixed," which is fine for us.The 80cm (31.5 inches) is clear. But at 40cm (16 inches) height, there will surely be a windowsill. If a child climbs on it, the fall protection is no longer guaranteed. As far as I know, a half-height parapet is a gray area, but I have read about building authorities that consider such low parapets as climbable and require the 80cm (31.5 inches) from that point.
Besides the legal aspect, I consider this generally too risky.
Climbee schrieb:
Am I correct in understanding that your plan would need to be rotated 180° to align with the site plan? I think so, yes... that was also my question. It's generally an issue that people just upload their floor plans here without considering how much easier things would be if everything were oriented the same way and marked with a north arrow 😉 😉.
W
Winterson2 Jan 2019 15:16kaho674 schrieb:
Next to the garage, there are trash bins. Behind them is a rose trellis with climbing roses on the wall, followed by an original stone pile with sand for lizards and low-maintenance rock garden plants. So that’s how it should look! 🙂
hanse987 schrieb:
If a child climbs up there, then the fall protection is no longer guaranteed. What you say is true. In fact, we are currently discussing this point again. Thanks for the helpful input.
kbt09 schrieb:
It’s generally a problem that people here just post things without thinking. Dear all, maybe this is because the available material is being used and it’s not always possible to prepare everything so that the thread readers are spared from reading.
Besides the drawings, I mentioned earlier that the entrance faces north, and the terrace faces south. The entrance is oriented toward the main street, opposite the circled house. The terrace runs in an L-shape along the south side up to the kitchen on the west side. The garage is located on the east side.
This has also been seen, read, recognized, and/or constructively used by other users.
Of course, I want something from you, but in my opinion, starting a general discussion with blanket statements here is rather unproductive and unlikely to be inspiring for others.
Climbee schrieb:
If I understand correctly, the terrace is now on the right side of the plan, so facing east. No, west...
Winterson schrieb:
What don’t you like? The strip of “usable space” to the left of the garage is annoying; apart from the trash bins, we have no idea how to use it meaningfully. You’re really expecting too much. Be glad you have a meter (yard) of space for free. It’s good as a storage area or for a hedge... something nice or to hide something ugly.
Winterson schrieb:
The stair solution is rather unattractive; it was chosen because of the utility room and the two children’s rooms on the upper floor. I don’t understand.
Winterson schrieb:
We only expressed the wish to not have bars on the windows. Now you have a huge cross on every window. That’s hardly attractive. Double casement windows plus a horizontal transom window don’t match.
Climbee schrieb:
I don’t get it: if I look at the site plan, the garage and parking space are at the top of the plan, and since site plans are usually oriented with north at the top, that means north. No, this is not a site plan but a sales plan showing examples of how the houses could be placed. It’s like decoration: meant to help with sales.
kbt09 schrieb:
I think so too... that was my question as well. It’s generally a problem that people just post their floor plans here without considering how much easier it would be if everything was aligned the same way and had a north arrow 😉 😉. I actually find this easy enough—at least because of the usable space 😉
But yes, the north arrow is missing, haha.
Winterson schrieb:
Are there no other options? To answer that, you would need to know the zoning plan. After all, your garage is also located outside the building envelope. The area would have to be designated as private green space for the garage to be prohibited there. Alternatively, the location where you have currently planned the garage might also be non-compliant.
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