ᐅ Location of a city villa or detached single-family house on a 500 m² rectangular plot
Created on: 17 Jan 2020 18:03
T
Tolentino
Dear all,
after sharing the floor plans of my possible hamster cage with you in the other thread , here comes the next thread (thanks again for all the constructive suggestions there).
Just so you know, the semi-detached house is not off the table yet, as this plot of land is highly sought after and it’s not clear whether it will work out. But this one would be my favorite.
Now to this plot. For now, I’m mainly concerned with where and roughly how the house should be positioned on this plot.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 500 m² (5400 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 5 m (16 ft) from the street, 3 m (10 ft) from neighbors
Edge development: allowed for garages and sheds, none existing on the plot
Number of parking spaces: 1-2
Number of floors: 1.5–2.5
Roof shape: no preference
Architectural style: no preference
Orientation: aligned parallel to the street
Maximum heights / limits: ridge height max. 9 m (30 ft)
Below are the site plans I created myself based on the details from the listing.
This is a rough overview of the plot with building boundaries and dimensions.
My question is: where to put the house?
The broker suggests placing it towards the back, since you already have the 5 m (16 ft) setback at the front and would “gain” about 3 m (10 ft) of garden. My partner doesn’t like this because of the visibility from the street. I say: privacy screen! But I also think, a fence too high might create a prison-yard feel.
But even if you follow this suggestion, I wonder if a more square floor plan (-> town villa style) would be better?
Like this, for example:
Then parking space might be tricky, right?
Or upright like this?
I really want as much of a west-facing view and garden as possible. I tend to be an evening person and that side is less built up, due to the road. So I think more light comes through.
But the narrow floor plan caused lots of problems with the semi-detached house already. Well, here you could build longer instead.
What do you think?
Best regards
Tolentino
after sharing the floor plans of my possible hamster cage with you in the other thread , here comes the next thread (thanks again for all the constructive suggestions there).
Just so you know, the semi-detached house is not off the table yet, as this plot of land is highly sought after and it’s not clear whether it will work out. But this one would be my favorite.
Now to this plot. For now, I’m mainly concerned with where and roughly how the house should be positioned on this plot.
Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 500 m² (5400 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 5 m (16 ft) from the street, 3 m (10 ft) from neighbors
Edge development: allowed for garages and sheds, none existing on the plot
Number of parking spaces: 1-2
Number of floors: 1.5–2.5
Roof shape: no preference
Architectural style: no preference
Orientation: aligned parallel to the street
Maximum heights / limits: ridge height max. 9 m (30 ft)
Below are the site plans I created myself based on the details from the listing.
This is a rough overview of the plot with building boundaries and dimensions.
My question is: where to put the house?
The broker suggests placing it towards the back, since you already have the 5 m (16 ft) setback at the front and would “gain” about 3 m (10 ft) of garden. My partner doesn’t like this because of the visibility from the street. I say: privacy screen! But I also think, a fence too high might create a prison-yard feel.
But even if you follow this suggestion, I wonder if a more square floor plan (-> town villa style) would be better?
Like this, for example:
Then parking space might be tricky, right?
Or upright like this?
I really want as much of a west-facing view and garden as possible. I tend to be an evening person and that side is less built up, due to the road. So I think more light comes through.
But the narrow floor plan caused lots of problems with the semi-detached house already. Well, here you could build longer instead.
What do you think?
Best regards
Tolentino
What just came to my mind while I’m waiting for the credit note offer from the main contractor.
I actually have a contract with him that also includes heating and plumbing. That he only has a subcontractor for this is not my problem.
Of course, it’s not really in my interest to leave the main contractor hanging now. But if the credit note isn’t reasonable, I do have some leverage, right?
I actually have a contract with him that also includes heating and plumbing. That he only has a subcontractor for this is not my problem.
Of course, it’s not really in my interest to leave the main contractor hanging now. But if the credit note isn’t reasonable, I do have some leverage, right?
Well, if the subcontractor no longer wants to carry out the work, he can offer it to me, but he cannot execute it. Besides, the general contractor offered me the most efficient heat pump possible as well but said I should arrange it with the subcontractor. Now the subcontractor is completely unwilling.
No matter.
I have now ordered the room-specific heating load calculation, heating layout plan, pipe network design for domestic water and heating, and ventilation system design with volume flow rates from the MEP engineering office.
I’m curious to see how it goes.
No matter.
I have now ordered the room-specific heating load calculation, heating layout plan, pipe network design for domestic water and heating, and ventilation system design with volume flow rates from the MEP engineering office.
I’m curious to see how it goes.
Small update:
The offer for soil replacement has arrived and was better than expected. Another groundworks contractor even mentioned (thanks again to @Nida35a) that they couldn’t really do it cheaper or faster. Since a compaction report from an independent lab would have been required if subcontracted, we have now commissioned the main contractor with both the soil replacement and compaction.
One question regarding the excavation: I don’t want to remove the excavated soil for now. Would it be useful to separate it somehow? The top layer is topsoil, and underneath that is more humus-rich sand. Is there any use for humus-rich sand? There is always a risk of settlement, but I guess as a layer beneath the topsoil—where grass will grow (so no paving, patios, or other structures)—it doesn’t really matter, right?
After the demolition, it turned out that the plot is generally lower than the street and neighboring plots (the previous owner had concreted over more than half of the property). So, this kind of excavated soil could be used well for leveling, couldn’t it?
The offer for soil replacement has arrived and was better than expected. Another groundworks contractor even mentioned (thanks again to @Nida35a) that they couldn’t really do it cheaper or faster. Since a compaction report from an independent lab would have been required if subcontracted, we have now commissioned the main contractor with both the soil replacement and compaction.
One question regarding the excavation: I don’t want to remove the excavated soil for now. Would it be useful to separate it somehow? The top layer is topsoil, and underneath that is more humus-rich sand. Is there any use for humus-rich sand? There is always a risk of settlement, but I guess as a layer beneath the topsoil—where grass will grow (so no paving, patios, or other structures)—it doesn’t really matter, right?
After the demolition, it turned out that the plot is generally lower than the street and neighboring plots (the previous owner had concreted over more than half of the property). So, this kind of excavated soil could be used well for leveling, couldn’t it?
The forum isn’t working well for me. With all the threads lately, it’s easy to get triggered when you receive a call from your general contractor saying, “Can you come to the construction site? There are some problems!” Immediately, your mind starts racing: bomb found? Peat island? Then you reschedule calls, worry your partner, drive to the property, and meet two excavation workers.
“Hello, I’m Mr. Tolentino, the client for the front plot. I heard there are some issues?”
“No, we just need to dig a bit more. Otherwise, it will settle unevenly.”
“Oh, how much more do you estimate?”
“Around 20 cubic meters (about 700 cubic feet). We’ll make a photo documentation.”
“Okay. So I wouldn’t have needed to come over for that, right?”
“Nope.”
“All right then, see you!”
*Shaking my head*
Well, just like that, you end up spending 1700 euros (about 1800 US dollars) more (additional excavation work aside, plus supplying and compacting fill material).
“Hello, I’m Mr. Tolentino, the client for the front plot. I heard there are some issues?”
“No, we just need to dig a bit more. Otherwise, it will settle unevenly.”
“Oh, how much more do you estimate?”
“Around 20 cubic meters (about 700 cubic feet). We’ll make a photo documentation.”
“Okay. So I wouldn’t have needed to come over for that, right?”
“Nope.”
“All right then, see you!”
*Shaking my head*
Well, just like that, you end up spending 1700 euros (about 1800 US dollars) more (additional excavation work aside, plus supplying and compacting fill material).
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