ᐅ Land Plot Lottery – How to Make the Ideal Preliminary Selection

Hello everyone,

In our municipality (Bavaria), plots of land will soon be allocated again based on social criteria. We already participated in a lottery process once, where we ranked 7th out of 6 available plots, so we expect better chances this time.

The allocation procedure was originally planned for the turn of the year 2021/2022 and is supposed to start "as soon as possible."
The development plan is not yet legally binding, so I am providing some data from a comparable residential area in the same municipality from this year.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Plot size: see our estimate in the photo
Slope: yes, contour lines are marked
Floor area ratio: 0.35
Number of parking spaces: 2 parking spaces per residential unit
Number of stories: Basement + Ground floor + Attic or 1/2 stories + Attic
Roof type: symmetrical gable and hipped roofs with a central ridge as well as shed roofs with slopes between 20° and 35°
Maximum heights/limits: Wall height max. 6.5 m (eaves side, from top edge of ground floor ceiling)

Additional information:
To the east is the local primary school right next to the site; about 350 m (380 yards) away is a biogas plant (without district heating connection); the main village road is to the south. About 800 m (875 yards) further south is the next state road.

Since the application windows are always relatively short, we want to be well prepared for the application phase and select the best three plots. I am especially interested in your opinions. We already received great feedback on a similar topic from @Melinaaa.

Initially, we favored plot number 4 because it is the highest, largest, and has little frontage on the public road. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a creative way to place a house here in a practical manner. On our site visits, we haven’t come across any houses that are nicely and logically accessed from the south. The only option we can currently imagine is to place the parking spaces behind the house—in the north.

Plot number 1 is also nicely elevated and, due to the adjoining public green space, could visually give the impression of having more land than you actually own (and pay for). Again, the disadvantage is that the driveway is from below.

Plot number 8 also benefits from the adjacent green space, but it has a large street frontage and is situated lower.

We had not considered plot number 9 before, fearing it might be shaded by the fire station, but the current plans show the fire station building integrates quite low into the slope.

Plots number 5 and 6 receive significant shade from the existing buildings to the south.

Which plots would you choose?
What haven’t we thought about? Retaining walls, drainage?

familie_s schrieb:

At the beginning, we favored plot number 4 because it is the highest, the largest, and has little frontage on the public road. Unfortunately, we have so far lacked creativity on how to sensibly place a house here. On our site visits, we have not yet come across a house that is nicely and logically accessed from the south. The only option we can currently imagine is to place the parking spaces behind the house—in the north.

Basically, I would go with the layout as shown. Parking spaces in front by the street, with the entrance on the west-facing gable side. There are plenty of floor plans like that in the catalog.
Overall, when it comes to the plots, I would focus less on where the access is and more on how you want to handle the slope. A 4m (13 feet) rise over 20–25m (65–82 feet) will make garden planning a bit more challenging.
In principle, I would also prefer the upper row. Since you look over the street and the houses below, the plots will likely feel bigger than they actually are. Plus, the plots are slightly larger.

You’re asking as if the question is: Which car should I choose?

I say: Porsche. You reply: But I need a family car.

What I’m trying to say is that you should communicate what is important to you. You can build a house on any plot that will truly make you happy.

For example:
1. A garden with full sun. Do you like to sunbathe?
5 + 6. Have you ever used sunlight simulation? In the afternoon (when you come home from work), the sun comes from the west, fully shining on the terrace.
4. Position the house as far as possible to the northeast, with the entrance from the south and a southwesterly terrace.

At first glance, I find option 2 quite appealing. The contour lines are still fairly parallel, and the plot is one of the largest. It’s easy to build on and plan for—no issues with access roads, turning circles, etc.

On closer inspection, option 9 isn’t bad either, especially if you want to save money and are planning to build only a small house. However, I would rotate the house 90° and position it along the contour lines. You would need to check if the building permit / planning permission allows this. How strict the fire department would be is also a question. But it could also be a very quiet neighbor.

Benutzer200 schrieb:

You’re asking as if the question is: Which car should I choose?

I say: Porsche. You: But I need a family car.

What I mean is, you should share what’s important to you. You can build a house on any plot of land that will make you truly happy.

For example:
1. Garden fully in the sun. Do you like to sunbathe?
5+6. Have you ever used solar simulation software? By the way, in the afternoon (when you come home from work), the sun is in the west, shining directly on the terrace.
4. Position the house as far as possible to the northeast, with access from the south and a southwest-facing terrace.

That’s certainly true!

1: No, we don’t like sunbathing. I can only handle the sun when wearing a burka and sombrero. But we do enjoy growing vegetables ourselves, which like sunlight.

Yes, I’ve already worked with solar simulation, and since we have known since 2020 that this would be a building site, we have observed the shade on the meadow at every imaginable time of year and day. I suspect the “shade feeling” is intensified because, especially at point 6, you’re facing the concrete wall of the agricultural hall.

We definitely want to build with a basement. The 11ant basement rule applies here, and we have the opportunity to save money. So, would I then enter the house through the basement from the south? I’ve seen that often and find it quite unpleasant.

What’s also important to us: a flat spot in the garden for a trampoline or paddling pool.

As for the view, I’m not yet sure how essential it really is. We cycle and go for walks a lot and enjoy the nice surroundings there. The main thing is that we move away from the large window front facing the village center, which we have right now.

K a t j a schrieb:

Initially, I find option 2 quite appealing. The contour lines are still more or less parallel, and the plot is one of the largest. Easy to build on and plan for—no issues with access roads, turning areas, etc.

Exactly! Thanks.

K a t j a schrieb:

On second thought, I don’t think option 9 is bad either if you want to save money and only plan to build a small house anyway. However, I would rotate the house by 90° and position it along the contour lines. You’d have to check whether the local building permit or planning permission allows that. How strict the fire department is would also be a question, but they could also be very quiet neighbors.

We plan to build about 170sqm (1800 sqft).
The fire department rarely has to respond, and their drills are limited and mostly take place on other farms.