ᐅ House and Parking Layout – Small Plot – House with Granny Flat

Hello everyone,

first of all, thanks to the forum, it’s fun to follow along!

Here is the preliminary information about my project, where available:

Development Plan / Restrictions

Plot size – 342 sqm (3680 sq ft)
Slope – no
Site coverage ratio – 0.4
Floor area ratio – 0.6
Building envelope, building line, and boundary – see image
Edge setbacks – 3 m (10 ft) distance from the street
Number of parking spaces – 3 (due to basement apartment; regulations of § 19 paragraph 4 of the land use ordinance will apply)
Number of floors – 2
Roof style – free choice
Architectural style – to be determined
Orientation – see image
Maximum heights / limits – to be determined
Other requirements – keep driveway to garage free for 5.5 m (18 ft) from the property line

Requirements from the Clients

Architectural style, roof type, building type – flat roof and loggia currently of interest. Solid construction
Basement, floors – basement, ground floor, upper floor
Number of occupants, ages – 2 adults in their 30s, 2 small children, plus parents-in-law in the basement unit, both around 60 years old
Space needs on ground and upper floors – currently considering bedrooms on the ground floor and living/dining areas on the upper floor
Office: family use or home office? – optional separate home office room
Overnight guests per year – should be possible, solutions will be found
Open or closed architecture – to be determined
Traditional or modern construction – to be determined
Open kitchen, kitchen island – open kitchen; kitchen island not necessary
Number of dining seats – 6 regularly, 10-12 when guests, also with improvised seating
Fireplace – no
Music/sound wall – not a priority
Balcony, roof terrace – loggia interesting but not essential
Garage, carport – 1 garage, 2 carports/parking spaces
Utility garden, greenhouse – no

Other wishes / special features / daily routine, also reasons why certain things should or shouldn’t be – We were inspired by the Artis 301 model from Fingerhaus for the loggia and the idea of placing living and dining space on the upper floor.

The house planning will start in the next days and weeks. Since no rooms are planned yet, I would first like to focus on the surroundings, especially the integration of the garage and parking spaces.

As a basis for discussion, you will find some initial options illustrated here. The house dimensions are still flexible at this stage. One idea is to combine a carport with the covered entrance area, positioning it directly in front of the garage. This carport, however, would not count as an official parking space, so the other two (if approved by the municipality) could also be used for turning on the property.

How would you arrange and design the parking spaces and house layout in a practical way?

Thanks in advance for your feedback. If anything is unclear, please just let me know!

Good luck

First of all, thank you for the clear visual separation of the answers in the questionnaire. I am noticing several contradictions: no slope, but the living floor is on the upper level; "solid construction," yet the inspiration design (without the desired granny flat) comes from a timber frame panel builder.
The parking spaces will require an access width of about 8 meters (26 feet) in option 1, and very short cars with four-wheel steering in option 2.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Thanks for the quick response!
A valid point regarding no slope but living area on the upper floor. Apart from it being uncommon, is there anything specific speaking against it? Of course, carrying groceries upstairs is clear.
The house floor plan will be discussed and developed with the building company starting next week.
Regarding the parking spaces in option 1, I initially see the driveway width as less critical; your concern about option 2 is justified.
Would you arrange the parking spaces differently here or plan the house dimensions to be more elongated or wider?

The house cannot have much more floor area than already indicated. This roughly corresponds to the shown floor plan of the Artis 301, which clearly demonstrates that space for a separate apartment is very limited. A separate apartment for a couple around 60 years old would not be a tiny unit of 25 sqm (270 sq ft) but rather about 50-60 sqm (540-650 sq ft). So... where is that supposed to come from? To get a better sense of the dimensions, try searching for Ytong MGH 232.

The plot is already quite small, and if the living area is placed on the upper floor, you actually also need a staircase from the loggia to the garden. If you apparently like to have guests, it is very practical—especially with young children—to be able to open the living/dining area towards the terrace/garden and thus comfortably accommodate visitors with kids.

That is a lot of house on a small plot. In my opinion, the site is completely unsuitable for your project. But let’s take a closer look:

I also consider option 2 to be nonsense, as @11ant already pointed out. For option 1, the question is whether the driveway is too close to the curve. I would check that with the building authority, ideally before submitting the building permit / planning permission application, either as a brief preliminary inquiry or, even better, with a sketch in hand. The driveway being at least 8m (26 feet) wide wouldn’t bother me at first. What I do not see is a carport and garage in a row, because that quickly exceeds 9m (30 feet) of frontage development. This is generally the maximum allowed length for one boundary – unless your zoning plan or local building regulations say otherwise.

Aside from that, I see the parents living entirely on the ground floor, including utility and staircase areas, bedrooms and bathrooms on the first floor, and a common living area plus roof terrace as desired in the attic. If there is still budget left, a basement could be added. However, the budget has been kept secret again, so I assume that’s not feasible.

I would try to avoid having the front door inside the driveway leading to the garage. Even the smallest doorstep for the front door would be completely in the way. Also, the car often ends up parked right in front of the door, which is annoying.

In the end, you shouldn’t expect space for children to play in any kind of "garden," or even to sit on a lawn yourself, unless the parents invite you onto their (probably built-over) terrace. As we can clearly see, there is no room left for a terrace. By the way, this counts towards the floor area ratio and is usually not allowed in the setback zone (unless your zoning plan or state building code says otherwise).

Supplement: It still needs to be clarified whether the parking spaces are allowed to be located directly on the street.