Hello, everyone starts here with their first post, and today it’s my turn.
My partner and I are really struggling with the positioning of our future house, the garage/carport, and the driveway.
First, the basic data:
Plot size: 677m² (7284 sq ft)
Slope: none, flat plot
Floor area ratio: 0.2 = 135.4m² (1458 sq ft) + an additional 30m² (323 sq ft) with exceptional permission
Building window, building line, and boundaries: Main building 3m (10 ft) setback from boundary, garage or carport: exterior walls built along property boundaries may not exceed a total length of 15m (49 ft) and may not exceed 9m (30 ft) along one property line
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: Ground floor plus attic
Roof type: gable, hip, or half-hip roof
Style: urban villa
As you can see from the site plan and photos, this is a rear plot with access from the north.
Unfortunately, the view to the south is blocked by very dense planting of about 20-25m (65-82 ft) tall spruce trees. We tend to orient the garden west / southwest because we expect a lot of shade coming from the south.
We would now like to position the house as far as possible along the northeast boundary of the property (considering the setback requirements).
We are unsure about the garage/carport. We actually like the idea from the two attached drafts to be able to reach the house without getting wet, but we’re a bit uncertain whether we want to always reverse back over our 25m (82 ft) driveway and around the curve on our property.
Friends and family have also suggested placing the garage directly at the property entrance, leaving space for one more car in front. Of course, this would somewhat spoil our idea of a west-facing garden but would save on driveway length. Alternatively, they proposed extending the driveway across the entire plot and placing the garage in the southwest corner of the property.
I would really appreciate your opinions and ideas.
Thank you very much!
My partner and I are really struggling with the positioning of our future house, the garage/carport, and the driveway.
First, the basic data:
Plot size: 677m² (7284 sq ft)
Slope: none, flat plot
Floor area ratio: 0.2 = 135.4m² (1458 sq ft) + an additional 30m² (323 sq ft) with exceptional permission
Building window, building line, and boundaries: Main building 3m (10 ft) setback from boundary, garage or carport: exterior walls built along property boundaries may not exceed a total length of 15m (49 ft) and may not exceed 9m (30 ft) along one property line
Number of parking spaces: 2
Number of floors: Ground floor plus attic
Roof type: gable, hip, or half-hip roof
Style: urban villa
As you can see from the site plan and photos, this is a rear plot with access from the north.
Unfortunately, the view to the south is blocked by very dense planting of about 20-25m (65-82 ft) tall spruce trees. We tend to orient the garden west / southwest because we expect a lot of shade coming from the south.
We would now like to position the house as far as possible along the northeast boundary of the property (considering the setback requirements).
We are unsure about the garage/carport. We actually like the idea from the two attached drafts to be able to reach the house without getting wet, but we’re a bit uncertain whether we want to always reverse back over our 25m (82 ft) driveway and around the curve on our property.
Friends and family have also suggested placing the garage directly at the property entrance, leaving space for one more car in front. Of course, this would somewhat spoil our idea of a west-facing garden but would save on driveway length. Alternatively, they proposed extending the driveway across the entire plot and placing the garage in the southwest corner of the property.
I would really appreciate your opinions and ideas.
Thank you very much!
H
hanghaus20232 Nov 2023 13:09Do you only have a right of use for the driveway?
H
hanghaus20232 Nov 2023 13:16ypg schrieb:
A carport on the southwest corner is pure nonsense. You are probably right. However, the OP has planned the carport on the northeast side.
I have marked a small turning area.
N
Nico79Bln2 Nov 2023 14:17Hello everyone, first of all, thank you very much for the lively participation.
@WilderSueden Honestly, the floor area ratio is still a mystery to me.
So far, I had assumed that I am allowed to develop/seal 677m² x 0.2 = 135.4m² + 30m² (exemption permit confirmed by the building authority) = 165.4m² in total. I also had in mind somewhere that the type of material used plays a role in how the area is calculated. For example, a concrete surface counts differently than grass pavers. But I could be completely wrong here.
Here is the exact wording regarding the measure of structural use:
@ypg The development plan is a bit cryptic regarding the number of full stories. Here is the exact text:
The home builders we have spoken to so far said that this can be achieved by a minimal roof pitch on the upper floor since there is no knee wall height specified. In the immediate neighborhood, there are also several new houses that look like classic town villas from the outside. Of course, it is not possible to tell from outside whether there is a roof pitch on the upper floor. Here are two pictures from the same street as our plot, within the scope of the same development plan:
The idea of cutting out parts was priceless. We've been playing with the pieces for two days now and will publish our preferred solutions here.
But what do you mean by the postal vehicle issue? The access to our plot runs over the neighbor’s property. We only have a right of way and utility easement. On the street side, there are two entrance gates, one for the neighbor and one for us. Our doorbell and mailbox are also supposed to be installed there in the future. What problems arise here?
@Jurassic135 That was also our concern, which is why we have considered an option to turn around directly on the plot. With a small car, that wouldn’t be a problem, but for the family car, a turning area probably needs to be planned.
@11ant The demolished building in the background belonged to the previous owner and was from the 1930s. It was built before the neighbor constructed their house so close to the boundary. The previous owner even gave the neighbor the saplings for the now 20m (66 feet) tall spruces 😡
@hanghaus2023 We have a right of way and utility easement secured in the land register, if you...
@hanghaus2023 Your drawing hits the nail on the head. A turning area would indeed be a good idea, but you would probably have to check that with the floor area ratio again. Does anyone have experience with how annoying it is to always have to go through the garage to go around the house? Or should you leave about half a meter (around 20 inches) between the property line and the garage to be able to walk past? Of course, that question doesn’t arise with a carport.
And again, many thanks for the great feedback.
WilderSueden schrieb:
This will be the key issue. I assume that with the exemption permit, exceeding the floor area ratio of 2 is excluded?
If yes, your only option is to place the parking spaces as far forward as possible since the terrace and any possible garden sheds also need to be taken into account.
@WilderSueden Honestly, the floor area ratio is still a mystery to me.
So far, I had assumed that I am allowed to develop/seal 677m² x 0.2 = 135.4m² + 30m² (exemption permit confirmed by the building authority) = 165.4m² in total. I also had in mind somewhere that the type of material used plays a role in how the area is calculated. For example, a concrete surface counts differently than grass pavers. But I could be completely wrong here.
Here is the exact wording regarding the measure of structural use:
@ypg The development plan is a bit cryptic regarding the number of full stories. Here is the exact text:
The home builders we have spoken to so far said that this can be achieved by a minimal roof pitch on the upper floor since there is no knee wall height specified. In the immediate neighborhood, there are also several new houses that look like classic town villas from the outside. Of course, it is not possible to tell from outside whether there is a roof pitch on the upper floor. Here are two pictures from the same street as our plot, within the scope of the same development plan:
The idea of cutting out parts was priceless. We've been playing with the pieces for two days now and will publish our preferred solutions here.
But what do you mean by the postal vehicle issue? The access to our plot runs over the neighbor’s property. We only have a right of way and utility easement. On the street side, there are two entrance gates, one for the neighbor and one for us. Our doorbell and mailbox are also supposed to be installed there in the future. What problems arise here?
Jurassic135 schrieb:
We also have a rear plot. Basically, the arrangement is similar to yours. I wouldn’t want to drive around the corner – especially not in reverse. I think you will only get annoyed. We have the carport at the front of the plot and some space in front where visitors can park, for example. That way, we only have to back out in a straight line, which is already inconvenient enough for inexperienced drivers, as you then have to enter the street.
@Jurassic135 That was also our concern, which is why we have considered an option to turn around directly on the plot. With a small car, that wouldn’t be a problem, but for the family car, a turning area probably needs to be planned.
11ant schrieb:
What is the demolished building in the first picture – an outbuilding of the street plot or already a residential building of your rear plot predecessor?
I’ll tag @Tolentino for you.
@11ant The demolished building in the background belonged to the previous owner and was from the 1930s. It was built before the neighbor constructed their house so close to the boundary. The previous owner even gave the neighbor the saplings for the now 20m (66 feet) tall spruces 😡
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Do you only have a right of use for the driveway?
@hanghaus2023 We have a right of way and utility easement secured in the land register, if you...
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
You are probably right. But the OP has planned the carport in the northeast.
I have drawn a small turning area.
@hanghaus2023 Your drawing hits the nail on the head. A turning area would indeed be a good idea, but you would probably have to check that with the floor area ratio again. Does anyone have experience with how annoying it is to always have to go through the garage to go around the house? Or should you leave about half a meter (around 20 inches) between the property line and the garage to be able to walk past? Of course, that question doesn’t arise with a carport.
And again, many thanks for the great feedback.
W
WilderSueden2 Nov 2023 14:36The issue with the floor area ratio is not entirely clear to me either. My interpretation would be that the 165 m² (1,776 sq ft) applies to the entire area. The material affects rainwater runoff but not the floor area ratio.
I assume the development plan is somewhat older and possibly different versions of the regulations are involved here? I guess Dimeto is aware of this, but he is not active here, only in the green forum whose name must not be mentioned 😉
I assume the development plan is somewhat older and possibly different versions of the regulations are involved here? I guess Dimeto is aware of this, but he is not active here, only in the green forum whose name must not be mentioned 😉
Nico79Bln schrieb:The question is how often you need to go around the house and for what purpose. Leaving some space between the garage and the boundary can make sense because you might need to paint the garage, for example, which you might not be able to do from the neighbor’s property. However, half a meter (20 inches) is definitely too narrow for a regular walkway.
Does anyone have experience with how annoying it is to always have to go through the garage to get around the house? Or should you leave half a meter (20 inches) between the property boundary and the garage to be able to walk past? With a carport, this question doesn’t arise..
Nico79Bln schrieb:
So far, I assumed that 677m² (7285 sq ft) x 0.2 = 135.4m² (1458 sq ft) + 30m² (323 sq ft) (special exemption confirmed by the building authority) = 165.4m² (1780 sq ft) We also have a rear property in Berlin-Lichtenberg and initially thought the allowable floor area ratio was 0.2.
In a conversation with the responsible building official about the limits and tolerances of the floor area ratio, it turned out that anything under 0.21 is approved. Our floor area ratio is 0.2099, plus 4m² (43 sq ft) actually built. 😉
No one allows garage driveways or parking spaces to end 2m (6.5 ft) in front of the garage just because the floor area ratio is maxed out.
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