Dear Housebuilding Forum Community,
I have been following the forum for some time now and we’ve already gathered a lot of ideas and inspiration here. As our house planning has become more concrete, I thought now is the perfect time to ask for your expert advice. We would really appreciate your (honest) feedback. Please be kind to us nonetheless
About the questionnaire:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 1100m² (11840 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: n/a
Floor space index: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 11 x 14m (36 x 46 ft)
Edge development: no, except garage/carport etc.
Number of parking spaces: unknown, but should be covered by the planned double carport
Number of floors: 1 full floor (Schleswig-Holstein)
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: no specifications
Maximum heights / limits: none
Other specifications: n/a
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Preferred city villa, but from our and the architect’s perspective, this is not feasible with our space requirements on the building plot within one full floor. Second choice is a gable roof (knee wall 125 cm (49 inches), 40° pitch) with a captain’s gable, as currently planned
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, attic
Number of people, ages: 2 adults 30+, 2 children (+1 planned)
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor:
Ground floor: living room, kitchen (with pantry), guest toilet, cloakroom, office
Upper floor: 3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom, children’s bathroom. Walk-in closet for parents would be nice but is not a must
Office: family use or home office?: home office
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern style: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen, kitchen island (not a must)
Number of dining seats: at least 5
Fireplace: no, possibly electric fireplace or similar
Music/speaker wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: not desired but required by development plan
Garage, carport: carport
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
House design
Who designed it: Architect from a construction company
What do you like most? Why? We are basically very happy with the design. All our needs are met
What do you dislike? Why? We find it unfortunate that the children’s rooms are relatively small compared to the parents’ area. We haven’t really come up with a better solution to enlarge them meaningfully
Estimated price by architect/planner: house price including earthworks: 650k (but without land, kitchen, landscaping etc.)
Preferred heating system: geothermal
If you had to give up on which features or extensions
- could you give up: walk-in closet upstairs (but reluctantly)
- could you not give up: basement, 3 children’s rooms
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner adapted to our wishes and needs
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Basically, the floor plan is very practical from our point of view and covers our requirements. Whether the few weaknesses we see (possibly pantry too narrow, cloakroom too small, children’s rooms too small) can be solved given the building plot and its conditions, we somewhat doubt. But maybe you have ideas?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the floor plan practical in your opinion? Do you see any weaknesses we may have missed, anything missing, and how could these be solved? Is there a way to enlarge the three children’s rooms without creating awkward rooms upstairs?
The furniture shown in the floor plan is from the construction company; we would arrange some pieces differently and move some doors. Our main concern is to have the floor plan and overall concept critically reviewed here by the forum
I have been following the forum for some time now and we’ve already gathered a lot of ideas and inspiration here. As our house planning has become more concrete, I thought now is the perfect time to ask for your expert advice. We would really appreciate your (honest) feedback. Please be kind to us nonetheless
About the questionnaire:
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 1100m² (11840 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: n/a
Floor space index: 0.3
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 11 x 14m (36 x 46 ft)
Edge development: no, except garage/carport etc.
Number of parking spaces: unknown, but should be covered by the planned double carport
Number of floors: 1 full floor (Schleswig-Holstein)
Roof style: no specifications
Architectural style: no specifications
Orientation: no specifications
Maximum heights / limits: none
Other specifications: n/a
Client requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: Preferred city villa, but from our and the architect’s perspective, this is not feasible with our space requirements on the building plot within one full floor. Second choice is a gable roof (knee wall 125 cm (49 inches), 40° pitch) with a captain’s gable, as currently planned
Basement, floors: basement, ground floor, attic
Number of people, ages: 2 adults 30+, 2 children (+1 planned)
Space requirements ground floor / upper floor:
Ground floor: living room, kitchen (with pantry), guest toilet, cloakroom, office
Upper floor: 3 children’s rooms, master bedroom, bathroom, children’s bathroom. Walk-in closet for parents would be nice but is not a must
Office: family use or home office?: home office
Overnight guests per year: approx. 15
Open or closed architecture: open
Traditional or modern style: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island: closed kitchen, kitchen island (not a must)
Number of dining seats: at least 5
Fireplace: no, possibly electric fireplace or similar
Music/speaker wall: yes
Balcony, roof terrace: not desired but required by development plan
Garage, carport: carport
Kitchen garden, greenhouse: no
Additional wishes / special features / daily routine, including reasons for or against certain features
House design
Who designed it: Architect from a construction company
What do you like most? Why? We are basically very happy with the design. All our needs are met
What do you dislike? Why? We find it unfortunate that the children’s rooms are relatively small compared to the parents’ area. We haven’t really come up with a better solution to enlarge them meaningfully
Estimated price by architect/planner: house price including earthworks: 650k (but without land, kitchen, landscaping etc.)
Preferred heating system: geothermal
If you had to give up on which features or extensions
- could you give up: walk-in closet upstairs (but reluctantly)
- could you not give up: basement, 3 children’s rooms
Why is the design the way it is now?
Standard design from the planner adapted to our wishes and needs
What do you think makes it particularly good or bad?
Basically, the floor plan is very practical from our point of view and covers our requirements. Whether the few weaknesses we see (possibly pantry too narrow, cloakroom too small, children’s rooms too small) can be solved given the building plot and its conditions, we somewhat doubt. But maybe you have ideas?
What is the most important / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Is the floor plan practical in your opinion? Do you see any weaknesses we may have missed, anything missing, and how could these be solved? Is there a way to enlarge the three children’s rooms without creating awkward rooms upstairs?
The furniture shown in the floor plan is from the construction company; we would arrange some pieces differently and move some doors. Our main concern is to have the floor plan and overall concept critically reviewed here by the forum
kaho674 schrieb:
a registered encumbrance That doesn’t exist, right? Or did I just miss it while quickly scrolling through the posts?
kaho674 schrieb:
Maybe @Escroda can help with his inexhaustible knowledge. Thank you, but without seeing the zoning plan / development plan, no knowledge can help.
kaho674 schrieb:
Does the neighbor have an indefinite right to insist on rebuilding their house up to 1m (3 feet) from the boundary, thereby forcing the original poster to keep an extra 2m (6 feet) distance? Not based on planning law (zoning/development plan) alone, and there is nothing under building regulations (registered encumbrances) either.
Hamburger2020 schrieb:
I don’t think there is any leeway here, though. Why not? After all, shifting the entire building area by 3m (10 feet) has already been suggested.
Escroda schrieb:
Those don’t exist, or did I just miss them while quickly scrolling through the posts? So, if there’s no load and the neighbor’s house is demolished, wouldn’t it be logical for the original poster to be allowed to widen their building window (building permit area / planning permission zone)? Is there any reason against this? Or in other words: Can they demand it?
Learning question: If I demolish my house, which has grandfathering rights to be built on the boundary line, do I immediately lose the right to rebuild on the boundary?
kaho674 schrieb:
Is there anything against it? Yes, the zoning plan. However, with a solid justification from the architect, an exemption should be possible to obtain approval.
kaho674 schrieb:
Or in other words: Can he demand it? No. He would be violating current planning law. Whether the rejection of an exemption request is lawful can only be decided by a court. The key factor is the justification provided by the designer. They need to find the right wording tailored specifically to the local situation.
kaho674 schrieb:
Do I immediately lose the right to build again on the boundary? This depends on the region. In Hesse, “the reconstruction of a similar building in the same location” is permitted, while in North Rhine-Westphalia “a building with similar volume” can be approved.
H
Hamburger202015 Dec 2019 13:16Hello,
Thank you very much for the additional information! I have attached the development plans. I noticed that the first version of the development plan (1979) allowed for a larger building envelope. However, the current version (from 1984) has restricted the building envelope.
Does this increase our chances or decrease them?
I have marked our plot with a heart.
Thank you very much for the additional information! I have attached the development plans. I noticed that the first version of the development plan (1979) allowed for a larger building envelope. However, the current version (from 1984) has restricted the building envelope.
Does this increase our chances or decrease them?
I have marked our plot with a heart.
Escroda schrieb:
Yes, the zoning plan. But with a good justification from the architect, an exemption should be possible to approve.Hamburger2020 schrieb:
Does this increase our chances now, or does it reduce them?I don’t think we can assess that better than you on site. Just a gut feeling: I would bet that you have very good chances to widen your building plot. So definitely ask. A small plan with justification—ideally in a direct conversation. If you don’t get a categorical “no,” just submit the building permit application. The worst that can happen is that you need to resubmit parts of the application, lose some time, and spend a bit of money. We also submitted a preliminary building inquiry and paid 3,500 euros extra for it. It was worth it for us. Whether it is for you too, only you can decide.Hamburger2020 schrieb:
I marked our property with a heart.Cute.By the way, here is a quick batch:
Yes, you have to accept some changes. But I just say: nice kids’ rooms, right?
H
Hamburger202015 Dec 2019 14:09kaho674 schrieb:
I don’t think we can judge this better than you on site. Just based on intuition, I’d guess you have a very good chance of expanding your building plot. So definitely ask about it. Have a simple plan with your reasoning ready—ideally discuss it in person. If there’s no outright “no,” just submit the building application. The worst that can happen is you need to resubmit parts of the application, lose some time, and spend a few hundred euros. We also submitted a preliminary building inquiry and paid an extra 3500 euros for it. It was worth it for us. Whether it’s worth it for you is something only you can decide.
Sweet.
Here’s a stepped floor plan on the side:
[ATTACH alt="staffel-EG.jpg"]40896[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="staffel-OG.jpg"]40895[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="staffel-ansicht1.jpg"]40894[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH alt="staffel-ansicht2.jpg"]40893[/ATTACH]
Yes, you have to accept some compromises. But I’ll just say: nice kids’ rooms, right? Wow, that looks pretty good. The upper floor is ideal, and the parents’ area on the ground floor wouldn’t bother us. The only downside is the office upstairs, which isn’t perfect; you’d probably need thicker walls and a good door to make sure I have some peace and quiet in there. But I could live with that.
By any chance, does your program also provide the interior wall measurements? Otherwise, it’s hard to judge how big the rooms on the ground floor are.
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