ᐅ Single-family home with 160 m² – zoning plan and living space calculation
Created on: 26 Oct 2020 12:53
R
Reviloo
Hello everyone,
We are looking at a building plot where the development plan raises a few questions for me.
We would like to build approximately 150–160 m² (1,615–1,722 sq ft) in size.
The desired plot is almost exactly 500 m (1,640 ft). The “building volume” should be about 9 x 12 meters (30 x 39 feet).
The development plan specifies the following:
Number of full stories: I
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Eaves height: 4.5 m (15 ft)
Ridge height: 7.0 m (23 ft)
Roof type: GD
Roof pitch: 15–45°
State: NRW
What I don’t fully understand is:
The floor area ratio means that theoretically we are allowed 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) of living space.
Do I understand correctly that because of the restriction “Number of full stories = 1,” the living space on the upper floor can be a maximum of 75% of the ground floor? For simpler calculation, for example, 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) on the ground floor and 75 m² (807 sq ft) upstairs?
How important is the “clear height” here? How exactly are the 75% on the upper floor calculated in relation to the sloped ceilings?
I understand that for knee walls between 1.0 and 2.0 m (3 and 6.5 ft), only 50% of the area counts as living space (please correct me if I’m wrong). What exactly does the “clear height” of 2.30 m (7.5 ft) refer to regarding the living area calculation?
How precisely can we plan here?
One idea would be to make the rooms on the upper floor more “usable” by adding dormer windows in some way.
If I understand correctly, the development plan also allows some flexibility here.
Subordinate structures (such as projections, bay windows, cross gables) in the designated WA 2 and WA 3 zones may exceed the maximum eaves height on up to two-thirds of the building length (see also provisions C.13 Roof structures / roof cutouts).
What would you recommend or how would you approach building here?
From the floor plan point of view, we find the house “Auro” by “Kern-Haus” interesting. However, it says this would not count as one full story in NRW—I don’t understand why?
Three children’s rooms and a home office are important.
Maybe you can shed some light on this.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any clear information here in the forum yet.
Many thanks and best regards,
Reviloo
We are looking at a building plot where the development plan raises a few questions for me.
We would like to build approximately 150–160 m² (1,615–1,722 sq ft) in size.
The desired plot is almost exactly 500 m (1,640 ft). The “building volume” should be about 9 x 12 meters (30 x 39 feet).
The development plan specifies the following:
Number of full stories: I
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Eaves height: 4.5 m (15 ft)
Ridge height: 7.0 m (23 ft)
Roof type: GD
Roof pitch: 15–45°
State: NRW
What I don’t fully understand is:
The floor area ratio means that theoretically we are allowed 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) of living space.
Do I understand correctly that because of the restriction “Number of full stories = 1,” the living space on the upper floor can be a maximum of 75% of the ground floor? For simpler calculation, for example, 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) on the ground floor and 75 m² (807 sq ft) upstairs?
How important is the “clear height” here? How exactly are the 75% on the upper floor calculated in relation to the sloped ceilings?
I understand that for knee walls between 1.0 and 2.0 m (3 and 6.5 ft), only 50% of the area counts as living space (please correct me if I’m wrong). What exactly does the “clear height” of 2.30 m (7.5 ft) refer to regarding the living area calculation?
How precisely can we plan here?
One idea would be to make the rooms on the upper floor more “usable” by adding dormer windows in some way.
If I understand correctly, the development plan also allows some flexibility here.
Subordinate structures (such as projections, bay windows, cross gables) in the designated WA 2 and WA 3 zones may exceed the maximum eaves height on up to two-thirds of the building length (see also provisions C.13 Roof structures / roof cutouts).
What would you recommend or how would you approach building here?
From the floor plan point of view, we find the house “Auro” by “Kern-Haus” interesting. However, it says this would not count as one full story in NRW—I don’t understand why?
Three children’s rooms and a home office are important.
Maybe you can shed some light on this.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any clear information here in the forum yet.
Many thanks and best regards,
Reviloo
11ant schrieb:
I still haven’t been able to understand why the Auro is considered a two-story house with only a 75cm (30 inch) knee wall according to the provider, except in the Saarland region.That is indeed hard to understand, at least not based on the information on the provider’s website. The floor plans actually show a house with a 50cm (20 inch) knee wall, assuming a 40° roof pitch. With this roof pitch, the Auro in North Rhine-Westphalia only counts as two stories with about a 1m (40 inch) knee wall.ypg schrieb:
The floor area ratio applies only to full stories.No. For development plans before 1990, living rooms, staircases, and hallways on other floors regularly count toward this; for later development plans, this can be explicitly regulated, as shown in the current thread by @Hausbau20mr (https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/moegliche-bebauung-Wohnfläche.36876/).Reviloo schrieb:
The floor area ratio means that, in theory, we are allowed 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) of living space.No. It refers to floor area, not living space.Reviloo schrieb:
Do I understand correctly that the restriction "number of full stories = 1" means that the living area on the upper floor may be at most 75% of the ground floor area?No. It refers to the footprint area, not living space.Reviloo schrieb:
How exactly is the 75% of the upper floor calculated in relation to the sloped ceilings?For the Auro on the website (estimated knee wall 50cm (20 inches)), the following calculation applies (dimensions estimated as not shown):
Ground floor footprint: 7.80m * 12.00m + 2 * 4.00m * 0.80m = 100m² (1,080 sq ft)
Upper floor footprint > 2.30m (7.5 ft): 100m² - 4 * 4.00m * 2.00m = 68m² (730 sq ft) < 75m² (810 sq ft) = 3/4 * 100m² => not a full story
First of all, thank you very much for the quick and helpful feedback.
I will add the questionnaire right below or edit the first post.
Correct, according to the development plan, pitched roofs are allowed (gable, hip, and half-hip roofs with a roof pitch (RP) of 15°–45° are permitted). Other roof types and pitches are allowed only for single-story extensions, garages, or carports.
The Auro is not a must; it is just a floor plan that could possibly be developed further. More on this in the next post.
I will add the questionnaire right below or edit the first post.
11ant schrieb:
GD probably refers here to the category of all pitched roofs in summary.
Correct, according to the development plan, pitched roofs are allowed (gable, hip, and half-hip roofs with a roof pitch (RP) of 15°–45° are permitted). Other roof types and pitches are allowed only for single-story extensions, garages, or carports.
11ant schrieb:
So if it absolutely had to be the Auro, there would probably be ways to make it work. In any case, I don’t see it far off from a building shape possible here, so it might serve the OP as a reference for what could work on their plot.
The Auro is not a must; it is just a floor plan that could possibly be developed further. More on this in the next post.
Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: approx. 25 x 25 = 500 m² (approx. 25 x 25 = 5380 ft²)
Slope: -
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 14 x 20 meters (approx. 46 x 66 feet), 3 meters (10 feet) setback to front and sides
Edge development: 3 meters (10 feet) side clearance, except for garages/carports
Number of parking spaces: 2 cars – usually only one car is used and the other is parked in the garage. Therefore, the other car could be parked in front of the garage
Number of floors: 1 full floor (approximately 1.5 floors)
Roof type: gable, hip, or half-hip roof with 15–45° pitch
Style: modern
Orientation: north (street to the north, garden to the south)
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height: 4.50 meters (15 feet); ridge height: 7.00 meters (23 feet)
Additional requirements
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: modern single-family house with garage – roof according to specifications
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 30 / 26 years old, 2 children desired; twins are possible due to “prior condition,” so a third child’s room is requested that can also be used as a playroom or ironing room
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: see design
Office: family use or home office? Yes, home office is very important
Overnight guests per year: not relevant; guest bed/couch should be available in the office for emergencies
Open or closed architecture: open / modern design
Conservative or modern building style: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: cooking island or half island (“U-shaped” desired)
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: not absolutely necessary, but option for later installation would be nice
Music / stereo wall: 5.1 home theater system
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary; to keep one full floor however, maybe an option to “save space”?
Garage, carport: garage with storage room
House Design
Who designed it:
The basis is the Auro model from Kern-Haus, which we have adapted slightly.
Important: we are open to any suggestions and don’t want to force our wishes onto the Auro design at all costs.
Please feel free to show options allowed on the plot. For example, a side entrance or similar would be a conceivable option.
Please also consider allowed extensions / bay windows / dormers. Two-thirds of the building length is permitted here.
Is the two-thirds allowance per side or overall?
What do you like especially? Why?
The large office downstairs, which opens nicely to the garden (south). In old age, this could be converted into a bedroom allowing living on one level.
What don’t you like? Why?
Possibly the technical and laundry room – somehow it doesn’t really fit well, what do you think?
The bathroom with the sloped ceilings doesn’t look ideal at first glance— or is it deceiving? How could this be improved?
The hallway on the ground floor is quite large – presumably this space is wasted. Could this be optimized?
Preferred heating technology: open
If you have to give up something, which details / extras
-you cannot live without:
1. A shower on the ground floor is important because of the dog and the option to live on one level later.
Could the space under the stairs be used for placing the shower to gain more room for the utility/technical room?
2. A walk-in closet for the parents would be desirable. Ideally, with direct access from the dressing area to the bedroom (not like in the current plan).
I am aware that windows and similar are still missing in the draft…
If anything else is missing, just contact me.
Best regards and thanks again for your great help!
Plot size: approx. 25 x 25 = 500 m² (approx. 25 x 25 = 5380 ft²)
Slope: -
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor space index: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 14 x 20 meters (approx. 46 x 66 feet), 3 meters (10 feet) setback to front and sides
Edge development: 3 meters (10 feet) side clearance, except for garages/carports
Number of parking spaces: 2 cars – usually only one car is used and the other is parked in the garage. Therefore, the other car could be parked in front of the garage
Number of floors: 1 full floor (approximately 1.5 floors)
Roof type: gable, hip, or half-hip roof with 15–45° pitch
Style: modern
Orientation: north (street to the north, garden to the south)
Maximum heights / limits: eaves height: 4.50 meters (15 feet); ridge height: 7.00 meters (23 feet)
Additional requirements
Client Requirements
Style, roof shape, building type: modern single-family house with garage – roof according to specifications
Basement, floors: no basement, 1.5 floors
Number of occupants, ages: 2 adults, 30 / 26 years old, 2 children desired; twins are possible due to “prior condition,” so a third child’s room is requested that can also be used as a playroom or ironing room
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: see design
Office: family use or home office? Yes, home office is very important
Overnight guests per year: not relevant; guest bed/couch should be available in the office for emergencies
Open or closed architecture: open / modern design
Conservative or modern building style: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: cooking island or half island (“U-shaped” desired)
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: not absolutely necessary, but option for later installation would be nice
Music / stereo wall: 5.1 home theater system
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary; to keep one full floor however, maybe an option to “save space”?
Garage, carport: garage with storage room
House Design
Who designed it:
The basis is the Auro model from Kern-Haus, which we have adapted slightly.
Important: we are open to any suggestions and don’t want to force our wishes onto the Auro design at all costs.
Please feel free to show options allowed on the plot. For example, a side entrance or similar would be a conceivable option.
Please also consider allowed extensions / bay windows / dormers. Two-thirds of the building length is permitted here.
Is the two-thirds allowance per side or overall?
What do you like especially? Why?
The large office downstairs, which opens nicely to the garden (south). In old age, this could be converted into a bedroom allowing living on one level.
What don’t you like? Why?
Possibly the technical and laundry room – somehow it doesn’t really fit well, what do you think?
The bathroom with the sloped ceilings doesn’t look ideal at first glance— or is it deceiving? How could this be improved?
The hallway on the ground floor is quite large – presumably this space is wasted. Could this be optimized?
Preferred heating technology: open
If you have to give up something, which details / extras
-you cannot live without:
1. A shower on the ground floor is important because of the dog and the option to live on one level later.
Could the space under the stairs be used for placing the shower to gain more room for the utility/technical room?
2. A walk-in closet for the parents would be desirable. Ideally, with direct access from the dressing area to the bedroom (not like in the current plan).
I am aware that windows and similar are still missing in the draft…
If anything else is missing, just contact me.
Best regards and thanks again for your great help!
Escroda schrieb:
For the Auro on the website (knee wall estimated at 50cm (20 inches)), the following calculation results (dimensions estimated, as not specified):
Ground floor area: 7.80m (26 feet) * 12.00m (39 feet) + 2 * 4.00m (13 feet) * 0.80m (31 inches) = 100m² (1,076 sq ft)
Upper floor area > 2.30m (7 ft 7 in): 100m² (1,076 sq ft) - 4 * 4.00m (13 feet) * 2.00m (6 ft 7 in) = 68m² (732 sq ft) < 75m² (807 sq ft) = 3/4 * 100m² (1,076 sq ft) => not a full storey Is this just a simplified calculation, or are the exterior and interior walls not considered in the 2.30m (7 ft 7 in) height area calculation for the upper floor?
Reviloo schrieb:
A shower on the ground floor is desired because of the dog and the possibility of living on one level later.
Maybe the space under the stairs could be used to install the shower there. Dog yes, age no: at 30/26 you will very likely be among those who build new homes close to retirement – the trend among those around fifty-five now will have caught up with you by then. I’ll check later where I can find the discussions about shower standing height under the stairs.
KEVST schrieb:
Do exterior and interior walls not count in the 2.3m (7.5 ft) floor area calculation on the top floor? To my knowledge no: "including their enclosing walls."
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Yes to the dog, no to age: at 30/26, you will almost certainly be among those building new homes close to retirement - the trend among those currently in their late fifties will have reached you by then. I’ll check later where I can find the discussion(s) about shower standing height under the stairs.Okay, yes – building again or moving into a condominium or similar at an older age is definitely not out of the question.
Still, we find the shower practical – for the dog, possibly the office later on as a “teen” room, or currently for guests (although honestly, not very often). Primarily for the dog.
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