Hello everyone,
I would like to get some feedback and, ideally, suggestions for improvement on our building project from the community.
Regarding the site conditions:
We have a plot of approximately 14 x 35 meters (46 x 115 feet). Due to an easement, building right at the front of the property is not feasible, so the building needs to be set back about 10 meters (33 feet) from the street.
The width of our building is limited by the distance to the neighboring building.
The existing structure is only 1.14 meters (3.7 feet) from the property line. After consulting with the building authority, at least 5 meters (16 feet) distance from this building is required to build without fire protection measures.
This results in an effective building width of 7 meters (23 feet).
Now about the house itself:
We want to build a two-story house. Ideally, two full stories, but we could also accept a high knee wall (starting at 2 meters / 6.6 feet).
A gable roof is mandatory according to the development plan (38 - 55° roof pitch; however, nearby houses were also built with a 30° pitch).
We would like to have at least 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) of living space.
Besides the usual rooms, we want the following:
Ground floor with a shower bathroom; a study room of at least 6 m² (65 sq ft) — which could also be moved to the upper floor if necessary; upper floor with two children's bedrooms.
We aim to keep construction costs below €400,000. We plan to contribute through painting and floor installation (except tiles).
Therefore, my goal was to limit the floor plan length to 12 meters (39 feet), but I ended up with 12.5 meters (41 feet).
Every square meter costs money!
I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
If any information is missing, please let me know. I tried to include everything here, but as a beginner, excuse me if I have overlooked something.
I would like to get some feedback and, ideally, suggestions for improvement on our building project from the community.
Regarding the site conditions:
We have a plot of approximately 14 x 35 meters (46 x 115 feet). Due to an easement, building right at the front of the property is not feasible, so the building needs to be set back about 10 meters (33 feet) from the street.
The width of our building is limited by the distance to the neighboring building.
The existing structure is only 1.14 meters (3.7 feet) from the property line. After consulting with the building authority, at least 5 meters (16 feet) distance from this building is required to build without fire protection measures.
This results in an effective building width of 7 meters (23 feet).
Now about the house itself:
We want to build a two-story house. Ideally, two full stories, but we could also accept a high knee wall (starting at 2 meters / 6.6 feet).
A gable roof is mandatory according to the development plan (38 - 55° roof pitch; however, nearby houses were also built with a 30° pitch).
We would like to have at least 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) of living space.
Besides the usual rooms, we want the following:
Ground floor with a shower bathroom; a study room of at least 6 m² (65 sq ft) — which could also be moved to the upper floor if necessary; upper floor with two children's bedrooms.
We aim to keep construction costs below €400,000. We plan to contribute through painting and floor installation (except tiles).
Therefore, my goal was to limit the floor plan length to 12 meters (39 feet), but I ended up with 12.5 meters (41 feet).
Every square meter costs money!
I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
If any information is missing, please let me know. I tried to include everything here, but as a beginner, excuse me if I have overlooked something.
ypg schrieb:
Where exactly is the staggered building layout visible? There is a continuous line on the west side, isn’t there? Hello,
That was probably phrased unclearly.
Not laterally staggered, but set back. As I mentioned in my assumption – whether correct or not – set back 10m (33 feet) from the street.
ypg schrieb:
What do you mean by corridor? By corridor, I mean the area between the existing building on the east side and the possible new construction.
I will attach a sketch afterwards to clarify this further.
Furthermore, I don’t find the 10 meters (33 feet) to be a big issue. Closer to the street would be nicer, but it is not essential.
As you also mentioned, we had considered the idea of building a carport in this area.
11ant schrieb:
I think your assumption that you can build behind the setback area – roughly ten meters (33 feet) from the street-side boundary and approximately aligned with the main house of your mother – with only a three-meter (10 feet) distance from the boundary, is mistaken. I understand your assumption and concerns about the distances. If I am correct, @ypg is working from a slightly different assumption.
That’s why I’m asking how @ypg arrived at a house width of 7.60m (25 feet). That would imply a different interpretation of the distances used for the calculation.
And regarding varying house widths in length, I understand that is possible – this is usually calculated separately by providers (especially in prefab house construction).
Here is the sketch based on the statement from the building authority.
Feel free to mark your assumptions on it.
Thanks in any case for your detailed comments and information. Really helpful!
It becomes clear here that a building project is definitely not like building with Lego on a base plate.
f_meyer schrieb:
That’s why I asked how @ypg arrived at a house width of 7.60m (25 feet). 13.78m (45 feet) minus twice the setback distance (Paragraph 6 of the NRW building code).
Without knowing how close the main house of the mother is to the property line, or that it is less than 3 meters (10 feet) away.
However, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the maximum possible width. Often the floor plan and overall design benefit more if you reduce the width slightly from the maximum and instead adapt the house shape to the site and outdoor area.
You should draw the building envelope with dimensions and plan the house within those boundaries.
I’m puzzled by the planned construction cost of €400,000. Does that include additional building-related costs?
ypg schrieb:
Without knowing how far or that the main house of the mother is closer to the property line than 3 meters. Actually, my parents’ house is only 1.14 m (about 3 ft 9 in) from the boundary (see sketch above).
ypg schrieb:
The planned construction costs of €400,000 are confusing me. Are incidental building costs included? No, the building costs of around €100,000 are additional. So the total budget is approximately €500,000.
You both rightly keep pointing out the required distances. That’s exactly why I went to the building authority, because I wanted to know EXACTLY how I am allowed to build.
Who can tell me with 100% certainty how construction is permitted and on what basis I can proceed with the next steps of our building project?
My assumption: the building authority.
The suggestion to submit a building inquiry seems like a good way to have a definitive answer in writing.
f_meyer schrieb:
Because who can tell me with 100 percent certainty how to build and according to what I can take the next steps in our construction project? An architect can advise you. They should also be familiar with your local building plans and the building authority.
A planner friend working at a construction company gave me the tip about a mutual building burden. This would result in both plots being treated as a single property in terms of building regulations—essentially as a union. Consequently, the original setback easement (for the extension) would no longer apply. This sounds plausible to me, and I have tried to research it.
Regarding the building regulations, it seems to me that the requirements are the same as for a property union followed by a condominium ownership area (WEG).
Regarding the building regulations, it seems to me that the requirements are the same as for a property union followed by a condominium ownership area (WEG).