Hello everyone,
We are planning to build a new house and now have some questions regarding the zoning plan.
Maybe you can provide some concrete answers or estimates about the situation.
I will probably visit the local authority again on Friday to clarify some details more specifically.
A brief background and framework:
We own parcel number 2414 and the adjacent plot at the back, which is outlined in purple and marked with a circle for better identification.
The total plot area is approximately 750 sqm (8079 sq ft).
We currently live in the front house on parcel number 2414 and use the rear plot as a large garden.
The street to the north is not yet constructed but was planned for 2020.
Since the current house is an older building from the 1970s with two apartments, we would prefer to build new at the rear. Currently, with two children, we live in only 95 sqm (1023 sq ft). As my wife is self-employed and has a home office, the kids only have one shared bedroom, so it is quite cramped.
The street has been planned for many years; now the city has finally acquired the last parcel to enable its construction. According to the municipality, it is expected to be built next year.
So, we took a closer look at the zoning plan. Unfortunately, I am not very pleased with it.
I will try to organize the individual points and questions a bit.
Let’s see how far we get with this thread.
Attached is the relevant excerpt from the plan.
1. It is a mixed-use zone.
2. The maximum number of full stories is set to 1 (mandatory). This means I can only build one full story, and the attic floor may have a ceiling height of 2.2 m (7.2 ft) or more only on up to two-thirds of the area.
3. Roof pitch is specified as 22° - 28° according to the zoning regulations.
4. The important regulation states: “The height of knee walls, measured from the top of the ceiling to the intersection of the outer edge of the masonry with the top of the rafter, must not exceed 0.5 m (20 inches).”
So there is no much leeway here either. This means that the usable attic space will be significantly smaller than the ground floor.
5. Floor area ratio (FAR) = 0.25; I see this as uncritical for our project.
6. Plot ratio = 0.3; also uncritical for us.
7. According to the regulation: “Dormer extensions on main buildings are only permitted with flush-mounted windows.” For me, this means dormers are not allowed, only roof windows.
We had considered building a house with a ground floor plus upper floor. Also with some knee wall upstairs, but 0.5 m (20 inches) is quite tight. This causes a significant loss of usable area in the upper floor, so I would need to make the ground floor larger.
We are planning a house of about 130 sqm (1399 sq ft) for a family of four, including a home office.
Currently, we have three rough ideas:
1. Ground floor + upper floor with reduced area. So ground floor slightly larger and upper floor with knee wall. Ground floor maybe about 75 sqm (807 sq ft), upper floor about 60 sqm (646 sq ft). Roof pitch as steep as possible at 28°.
2. Alternatively, basement + ground floor with about 75 sqm (807 sq ft) each and possibly a “cold” attic and gable roof with 22°. In this case, the basement would need living rooms (children’s rooms/home office). Therefore, a basement with good insulation and large basement windows would be required.
3. Or a bungalow with about 125 sqm (1345 sq ft). Advantage: the total living space is slightly smaller as no stairs are needed and one bathroom is sufficient. No intermediate floor. Space under the roof can be used as storage. Disadvantage: large foundation slab and roof, so more plot area is lost.
How would you assess the three options in terms of cost?
We want to build as cost-effectively as possible, without unnecessary extras.
Additional relevant info: the house is planned to meet KFW40 energy standards. Either a controlled mechanical ventilation system or decentralized ventilation system will be installed.
We will definitely do some DIY work: plastering, flooring, electrical installations.
Do you have any other suggestions? Pros and cons?
We also once considered a multi-family house with 3 or 5 units, but after reviewing the zoning plan, this seems definitely off the table.
I expect there will be more threads later as our planning progresses in detail. This is just the initial starting point.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards,
Specki
We are planning to build a new house and now have some questions regarding the zoning plan.
Maybe you can provide some concrete answers or estimates about the situation.
I will probably visit the local authority again on Friday to clarify some details more specifically.
A brief background and framework:
We own parcel number 2414 and the adjacent plot at the back, which is outlined in purple and marked with a circle for better identification.
The total plot area is approximately 750 sqm (8079 sq ft).
We currently live in the front house on parcel number 2414 and use the rear plot as a large garden.
The street to the north is not yet constructed but was planned for 2020.
Since the current house is an older building from the 1970s with two apartments, we would prefer to build new at the rear. Currently, with two children, we live in only 95 sqm (1023 sq ft). As my wife is self-employed and has a home office, the kids only have one shared bedroom, so it is quite cramped.
The street has been planned for many years; now the city has finally acquired the last parcel to enable its construction. According to the municipality, it is expected to be built next year.
So, we took a closer look at the zoning plan. Unfortunately, I am not very pleased with it.
I will try to organize the individual points and questions a bit.
Let’s see how far we get with this thread.
Attached is the relevant excerpt from the plan.
1. It is a mixed-use zone.
2. The maximum number of full stories is set to 1 (mandatory). This means I can only build one full story, and the attic floor may have a ceiling height of 2.2 m (7.2 ft) or more only on up to two-thirds of the area.
3. Roof pitch is specified as 22° - 28° according to the zoning regulations.
4. The important regulation states: “The height of knee walls, measured from the top of the ceiling to the intersection of the outer edge of the masonry with the top of the rafter, must not exceed 0.5 m (20 inches).”
So there is no much leeway here either. This means that the usable attic space will be significantly smaller than the ground floor.
5. Floor area ratio (FAR) = 0.25; I see this as uncritical for our project.
6. Plot ratio = 0.3; also uncritical for us.
7. According to the regulation: “Dormer extensions on main buildings are only permitted with flush-mounted windows.” For me, this means dormers are not allowed, only roof windows.
We had considered building a house with a ground floor plus upper floor. Also with some knee wall upstairs, but 0.5 m (20 inches) is quite tight. This causes a significant loss of usable area in the upper floor, so I would need to make the ground floor larger.
We are planning a house of about 130 sqm (1399 sq ft) for a family of four, including a home office.
Currently, we have three rough ideas:
1. Ground floor + upper floor with reduced area. So ground floor slightly larger and upper floor with knee wall. Ground floor maybe about 75 sqm (807 sq ft), upper floor about 60 sqm (646 sq ft). Roof pitch as steep as possible at 28°.
2. Alternatively, basement + ground floor with about 75 sqm (807 sq ft) each and possibly a “cold” attic and gable roof with 22°. In this case, the basement would need living rooms (children’s rooms/home office). Therefore, a basement with good insulation and large basement windows would be required.
3. Or a bungalow with about 125 sqm (1345 sq ft). Advantage: the total living space is slightly smaller as no stairs are needed and one bathroom is sufficient. No intermediate floor. Space under the roof can be used as storage. Disadvantage: large foundation slab and roof, so more plot area is lost.
How would you assess the three options in terms of cost?
We want to build as cost-effectively as possible, without unnecessary extras.
Additional relevant info: the house is planned to meet KFW40 energy standards. Either a controlled mechanical ventilation system or decentralized ventilation system will be installed.
We will definitely do some DIY work: plastering, flooring, electrical installations.
Do you have any other suggestions? Pros and cons?
We also once considered a multi-family house with 3 or 5 units, but after reviewing the zoning plan, this seems definitely off the table.
I expect there will be more threads later as our planning progresses in detail. This is just the initial starting point.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards,
Specki
It won’t be a “true” bungalow, but I’m trying to maximize the height as much as possible since I want to minimize the building footprint. So, a roof pitch between 22° and 28° and the maximum knee wall height. This way, at least the utility room, storage room, and probably the study will be located on the “upper floor.”
It also won’t be a cold roof.
It also won’t be a cold roof.
Vicky Pedia schrieb:
Hello Specki, when we talk about a "real" bungalow (and not what others understand by the term), it has what is called an unheated roof space. The floor temperature is always about the same as the outside. Usually, you can just stand upright in the middle. So where would a subdistribution board go? Where would the heating be installed? Who cares whether it is real or not???
Cool... actually, the only thing that matters is whether the building permit / planning permission gets approved.
Vicky Pedia schrieb:
It is quite entertaining to see which "experts" are giving advice here. Ah..., says a business administrator in golden letters
What you are saying here is really a bit cheeky...
I am curious to see what comes next... Some neighboring forums have even been closed, so there must be a reason...
ypg schrieb:
Who cares whether it’s real or fake??? Unimaginative pedants who pointlessly obsess over definitions just to show off their half-knowledge, which nobody really cares about.
What confuses me more is the development plan.
Specki schrieb:
The street bordering to the north has not been built yet. It is planned for 2020. How do you currently access the plot then? Are you sure you mean the northern street?
A new building at the "back" would mostly lie outside the building zone, wouldn’t it? What are the chances of getting a building permit / planning permission there? How would the driveway and utility connections for that house be planned?
kaho674 schrieb:
I’m actually more confused about the zoning plan.
How do you currently access the plot? Are you sure you mean the northern road?
A new building "at the back" would mostly be outside the designated building area, right? What are the chances of getting a building permit for that? How would the access and utility connections for this house be planned? Yes, I mean the northern road.
From plot number 2414. That also belongs to me and is connected to the plot to be developed; there is no separation between the two properties.
But I would only start construction once the northern road is finished.
No, the building is exactly within the building area (blue rectangle, red house within the purple-marked area).
Well, there is a zoning plan, and the house potentially to be built has been shown there since 2001. Why should there be problems with the building permit? Access and utility connections will likely come from the road being constructed. The northern road has a turning circle directly behind our property.
I don’t understand your questions, since everything is quite clearly shown.
Regards,
Specki
Specki schrieb:
I don’t understand your questions right now, since everything is quite clearly shown.
Misunderstanding: the red house is not there yet?! That’s where the new building will go. Now I get it. Sorry for the late realization.
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