ᐅ Building a 150-160 sqm Single-Family Home in Parents’ Garden – Feeling Overwhelmed!
Created on: 24 Jun 2021 16:15
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GnortiNRW
Hello everyone,
My partner and I are planning to build a single-family house of about 150-160 square meters (1,615-1,722 square feet) in my parents’ garden. The plot we want to use is around 500 square meters (5,382 square feet).
It is a vacant lot, designated as a residential area in the land use plan, but there is no binding development plan. It is directly adjacent to the street, so it is serviced, and the neighboring houses vary greatly in color, height, and orientation.
Now to our problems.
We would, of course, like to build as close to the street as possible to avoid wasting garden space. However, the houses on both sides are set quite far back. (Attachment plot 70)
We will need to submit a building permit inquiry to find out where our house can be positioned.
When I called the building authority, I couldn’t even get a clear answer about whether we are allowed to build at all.
Person A said yes, person B claimed it is an outer area where building is not permitted, and person C said they cannot give me any information by phone, and so on.
Problem 2: The soil on our site seems to be problematic in terms of infiltration (hardly possible).
Therefore, before planning the floor plan or anything else, we need to have a geotechnical report done.
But this can only work once we know where the house is supposed to be placed… which we only find out after the building permit inquiry.
And now I don’t even know if building is allowed at all if water cannot infiltrate on the property.
So we definitely have to start with the building permit inquiry, which will cost about 800 € (approx. $850) with an architect.
After that, we would commission the geotechnical report (quotes range from 2,100 € to 2,600 € / approx. $2,230-$2,760), which might then show that building is impossible due to lack of infiltration options on the soil.
Then we would have spent about 3,600 € (approx. $3,780) and maybe achieved nothing.
To sum up: I somehow can’t make any progress without the other things and feel a bit stuck in a loop—
Could you please share your assessment and advice on the best way to proceed?
My partner and I are planning to build a single-family house of about 150-160 square meters (1,615-1,722 square feet) in my parents’ garden. The plot we want to use is around 500 square meters (5,382 square feet).
It is a vacant lot, designated as a residential area in the land use plan, but there is no binding development plan. It is directly adjacent to the street, so it is serviced, and the neighboring houses vary greatly in color, height, and orientation.
Now to our problems.
We would, of course, like to build as close to the street as possible to avoid wasting garden space. However, the houses on both sides are set quite far back. (Attachment plot 70)
We will need to submit a building permit inquiry to find out where our house can be positioned.
When I called the building authority, I couldn’t even get a clear answer about whether we are allowed to build at all.
Person A said yes, person B claimed it is an outer area where building is not permitted, and person C said they cannot give me any information by phone, and so on.
Problem 2: The soil on our site seems to be problematic in terms of infiltration (hardly possible).
Therefore, before planning the floor plan or anything else, we need to have a geotechnical report done.
But this can only work once we know where the house is supposed to be placed… which we only find out after the building permit inquiry.
And now I don’t even know if building is allowed at all if water cannot infiltrate on the property.
So we definitely have to start with the building permit inquiry, which will cost about 800 € (approx. $850) with an architect.
After that, we would commission the geotechnical report (quotes range from 2,100 € to 2,600 € / approx. $2,230-$2,760), which might then show that building is impossible due to lack of infiltration options on the soil.
Then we would have spent about 3,600 € (approx. $3,780) and maybe achieved nothing.
To sum up: I somehow can’t make any progress without the other things and feel a bit stuck in a loop—
Could you please share your assessment and advice on the best way to proceed?
G
GnortiNRW26 Jun 2021 08:38hanghaus2000 schrieb:
Have you already checked the land use plan to see if the plot is in an outer development area? Maybe check the geoportal of the state building authority. Or specify exactly where the plot is located here.We have already received feedback from the building authority that this is development according to Section 34. Therefore, it is not an outer development area 🙂 The land use plan designates it as a residential development area.
M
Myrna_Loy26 Jun 2021 08:40That doesn’t necessarily help. We have the same situation in our town with one of the last garden plots that has its own land parcel number. In theory, this could be classified as greenbelt within the residential area. The exact boundaries are often not precisely measured in unplanned residential zones, or the boundary lines from old maps were transferred into geoportals without verification. The only solution is to consult the local building authority, and often this can be done without a formal building inquiry.
Edit, my reply overlapped 🙂
Edit, my reply overlapped 🙂
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GnortiNRW26 Jun 2021 08:56Myrna_Loy schrieb:
That doesn’t necessarily help. We have the same situation here in our town with one of the last garden plots that still has its own parcel number. Theoretically, this could be considered an outer area within the inner area boundary. Often, the actual boundaries in unplanned inner areas haven’t been precisely surveyed, or the boundary lines from old plans have been transferred into the geoportals without verification. In such cases, only the responsible building authority can provide clarity, and often this can be done without a formal building inquiry.
Edit, the reply overlapped 🙂 What exactly did you mean by “that doesn’t necessarily help”? 🙂
GnortiNRW schrieb:
Of course, we would like to build as close to the street as possible to avoid wasting garden space. You should first move away from that idea.
A) You also need space in front for parking, cleaning bikes, go-karts, a buffer zone to the street, etc.
B) No space is wasted because every area is needed.
C) The house should be designed based on the floor plan and natural light inside the house.
The garden itself is a manually landscaped green area, so the front yard can also be planned accordingly.
Unfortunately, I can’t load the two pictures, so I can’t tell where the south is.
Keep in mind that others are usually knowledgeable and have reasons for building the way they do.
For infiltration, you should consult the local water authority.
Then take graph paper and sketch out a rough floor plan. Think about where the garden would make the most sense (I would probably place a west-facing garden on this plot). After that, submit a preliminary building inquiry with the sketch, then get a soil survey report.
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GnortiNRW26 Jun 2021 09:01ypg schrieb:
First, separate yourself from this idea.
A) You also need space at the front for parking, cleaning bikes, go-karts, buffer area to the street, etc.
B) There is no waste of space because every area is needed, and
C) the house should be planned based on the floor plan and the natural light inside.
The garden itself is a manually landscaped green area, so the front garden can also be included in the planning.
Unfortunately, I can’t load the two pictures, so I can’t see where south is in the images.
Keep in mind that others are not ignorant or clueless. There is usually a reason for building in a certain way.
For infiltration issues, you should consult the local water authority.
Then take graph paper and sketch a rough floor plan. Consider where the garden would be most practical. (I would probably place a west-facing garden on that plot.) Next, submit a building permit application / planning permission with the sketch, then arrange a soil survey. The garden is located in the south 😉 The neighboring house borders to the west. Parking space is included. A carport is already available. We will receive it from my father.
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Myrna_Loy26 Jun 2021 09:13GnortiNRW schrieb:
What exactly did you mean by "that doesn't necessarily help?" 🙂Referring to checking the geoportal or the land use plan to accurately determine boundary lines.Similar topics