ᐅ Challenging Floor Plan, Plot, and Historic Building – Section 34

Dear Forum,

First of all, we would like to introduce ourselves. We are a family of four and have now found a nice sloped plot in NRW. We are aware that it is considered a "challenging plot" in terms of buildability, but we have fallen in love with the location and the view. It is a total of 390 m² (4200 sq ft) of building land, with green space extending behind the plot. Currently, it is occupied by two buildings, the front one of which is a listed monument requiring renovation. The rear building is in such poor condition that it must be demolished. Of course, the monument must not be significantly disturbed within its ensemble, so a modern flat roof is unfortunately not possible. However, I am hopeful that we can connect the monument with our planned new building by a joint or gap.

First, the current situation: the front house is the monument, which I intend to renovate and use as a home office/guest room.


The front house currently has two floors, but ceiling heights no longer meet our needs due to our height, so we plan, as far as possible, to remove some walls and the ceiling between floors to expose the beams.

Now to our planned new build. We are working with an architect we really trust, who has designed and renovated some truly excellent houses within our circle of friends.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: buildable - 390 m² (4200 sq ft), with green space behind
Slope: yes, ascending towards the rear, with an incline between 8 and 12 %, so the house will sit at the lower part of the slope. Unfortunately, the view into the valley can only be enjoyed from the upper floor due to buildings on the opposite side of the street.
§34 construction: “mixed neighborhood”, single and two-story buildings with flat and pitched roofs, some 2.5-story pitched roofs
Edge development: apparently quite common in the neighborhood. My architect is more optimistic than I am that edge development will be allowed.
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of stories: two full floors + pitched roof
Roof type: pitched roof
Style: must integrate with the half-timbered monument for an overall harmony (please no historicism, I prefer modern architecture, perhaps with wooden cladding)
Orientation: The architect insists on building the eaves side facing the street because of window areas. I am unsure if this is possible due to boundary constraints, so I suggest a gable orientation as an alternative. I am particularly interested in your ideas here! We are still in the very first planning phase.
Maximum height / limits: 2.5 stories

Client requirements
Number of occupants: 2 adults + 2 children
Ground floor space needs: master bedroom, 2 children's bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, separate cloakroom, either at the rear (slope) or in the basement: laundry room, storage, building services
Upper floor: large open-plan kitchen and living area with garden access, fireplace, guest toilet
Office: combined with guest room
Occasional overnight guests per year
Open or closed architecture: open plan
Traditional or modern design: modern
Open kitchen with island
Minimum dining seats: 8
Fireplace: yes
Music/speaker wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Carport

House design
Not yet available, we are still assessing the basic buildability
Designer: architect versus own ideas
Personal budget for house including fittings: initially open, we want to see what is possible
Preferred heating system: heat pump

If you had to give up something, which details or features
- can you do without: -
- cannot do without: large window front facing the garden with direct garden/terrace access

Here is the architect’s first concept. She assumes basic buildability including edge development and therefore wants to place the new build with the eaves side directly adjacent to the neighbor. I would prefer a longer joint/gap, but that would make the edge building length disproportionate. I find that unfortunate as I would like the new building positioned further back in the plot to create a larger front courtyard. This is the first idea currently being checked for feasibility by the building and monument authorities:

The extension toward the garden is optional and designed with a flat roof.

My idea would be to extend the building joint further, placing the entrance and cloakroom there, with the new building accessed above. This new building would be rotated to face with its gable. Because it would extend far into the slope, the ground floor would effectively become a basement, and the upper floor would have direct garden access at ground level. I would also need to encroach on the neighboring boundary, but I imagine this might be simpler as I am only planning a single story there. Would the house then have enough windows? You don’t want to orient large window fronts too much towards neighbors, but at least toward the garden I would like to have a large gable window area.

Thank you very much for your suggestions! What do you think is feasible? What are the pros and cons?
I am also still looking for a contour map. All the maps I find online are somewhat coarse. Is there an online resource for NRW? What options should I select in the NRW geoportal to get a good detailed representation?

Interesting project.
Just some notes:

buttyhome schrieb:

Currently, the front house is two stories,

No, it is a single-story building.

buttyhome schrieb:

Section 34 development, "mixed and chaotic" neighborhood

Paragraph 34 includes more regulations than one might think.

buttyhome schrieb:

Maximum heights/limits: 2.5 stories

Half or 0.5 stories do not exist.

Regarding building on the property boundary:

buttyhome schrieb:

You would not want to orient the window fronts towards the neighbors that much.

I can imagine that building on the boundary is actually permitted there (it’s called continuous or attached development), but I would be surprised if windows are allowed right on the boundary. There may be old houses in the area that fall under existing rights. You definitely won’t be able to plan south-facing windows with a boundary building.

buttyhome schrieb:

Orientation: The architect insists on building the eaves side facing the street because of the window areas.

If you build too far back on the lot (blue drawing, meaning gable end facing the street), then the house will be too far down the slope.
This means very few windows on the ground floor. The ground floor will be more like a basement than a lower floor.

Keep us updated and show us the first plans.
By the way, I wouldn’t call it a difficult plot, but rather a plot for enthusiasts.

ypg schrieb:

Interesting project.

Thanks for the feedback! I hope others here feel the same. I’m a big fan of online forums because collective knowledge can provide so many great ideas. I’m happy to give back as well!

ypg schrieb:

No, it’s a single-story building.
...
Half or 0.5 stories don’t exist.

As you can see, I’m just starting out with this topic and I make these basic mistakes. I think in less than three months I’ll be able to follow the discussion better. So, the attic is finished in this historic building. I want to open it up and expose the beams. Calling it two-story is really wrong, but I thought something like that could be called a "half floor." How do I differentiate between single-story and single-story with a finished attic?

ypg schrieb:

Regarding boundary development:

I can imagine that boundary development might actually be allowed there (it’s simply called "closed development"), but I would be surprised if windows are allowed directly on the boundary wall. There might be old buildings in the area, but they would fall under existing rights. You likely won’t be able to plan south-facing windows on a boundary wall.

You’re right. My architect’s plan is to build the house with the eaves on the boundary, so no windows will be installed in that boundary wall. I do want to respect the three-meter (10 feet) boundary development rule for the main building. Then windows should be allowed, even if the neighbors don’t respect the three meters. There is no easement registered on the plot. My idea places the construction joint without windows facing the neighbor’s plot. I want to create a courtyard-like character at the front where the windows will be placed. The hallway in the joint could get daylight inside via light strips.

ypg schrieb:

If you go too far back on the plot (blue drawing, with the gable facing the street), the house will be too deep into the slope.
That means very few windows on the ground floor. The ground floor will be more like a basement than a living floor.

Yes, I understand that. This is why I drew a fairly large footprint there. The rear part could then become usable basement space, but hopefully, the living areas for two adults and two children can still be accommodated. Otherwise, one of the bedrooms would have to move upstairs and the open kitchen and living area be smaller, or I would have to finish more of the attic.

ypg schrieb:

Keep us updated and share your initial plans.
By the way, I wouldn’t call this a difficult plot, more of a plot for enthusiasts.

Thanks for the kind words! I swing between feeling like crying and being absolutely excited every day. That’s how it is when the heart beats louder than the mind ;-) I’m sure you know the feeling...

ypg schrieb:

If you dig too deep into the plot (blue drawing, meaning the gable facing the street), the house will be built too far into the slope.
This means very few windows on the ground floor. The ground floor will function more like a basement than a lower ground floor.

P.S.: I also really like split-level houses. That would actually suit my elongated floor plan better, so the staircase would need to be positioned in the center.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?

buttyhome schrieb:

Two-storey is really nonsense, but I thought something like that could be called a "half storey." How do I then distinguish between single-storey and single-storey with an attic conversion?

The number of floors according to building regulations refers to full storeys. Everything else is not mentioned. Although this attic extension is living space, it is not legally counted as a full storey.

buttyhome schrieb:

Then you should be allowed to plan windows, right?

As long as the minimum distance is maintained, yes.

buttyhome schrieb:

even if the neighbors do not keep the three-meter distance

That should be questioned, because overbuilding might actually negate that possibility. Distances are regulated mainly for fire safety, and if these are bypassed, it undermines the purpose. It is more likely that existing rights apply here.

buttyhome schrieb:

There is no easement registered on the property

You don’t need one to comply with setback rules.

And as already mentioned: if border building is permitted in your area, then no easement is necessary.

What speaks against a border building on the north side?

It’s just difficult to make recommendations for a plot without knowing the slope. We can only see the forest behind the house. Do you have the possibility to take photos? Or are there already some from the garden?

ypg schrieb:

The number of storeys according to building regulations refers only to full storeys. Everything else is not mentioned at all. Although this loft conversion provides living space, it is not considered a storey under building regulations.

Okay, thanks! I was looking for a simple, everyday rule. But it’s better to be correct than to talk past each other.

ypg schrieb:

What’s against a boundary development on the north side?
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That was my first idea. But somehow I want to keep the option of accessing the garden with equipment. I really want to connect the listed building with the house on the south side, so the north side remains the only “drive-through.” I might build a carport there, which is probably possible within the boundary area.

ypg schrieb:

It’s difficult to recommend anything on a plot without knowing the slope. Behind the house, all we see is forest. Do you have the chance to take photos? Or are there any from the garden already?

I don’t have photos handy right now, but I was able to find useful contour lines. Each line represents two meters (6.6 feet). Over the length of my suggestion, one storey essentially “disappears” into the slope.