Hello dear house building community!
We are planning to build a semi-detached house soon, which requires some creativity due to limited space but is definitely feasible.
The basic conditions are as follows, and I would really appreciate some opinions:
Question: Is it possible to divide the plot so that the boundary line is not straight? That is, the house would still be divided in the middle, but the dividing line would shift one meter (3 feet) to the east afterward, thus splitting the gardens into two equal parts?
I would really appreciate it if you could give me feedback (despite the complex explanation) on whether such a design is legally possible and generally sensible.
Many best regards,
yours, hans3
We are planning to build a semi-detached house soon, which requires some creativity due to limited space but is definitely feasible.
The basic conditions are as follows, and I would really appreciate some opinions:
- The plot is located in the city, surrounded by other residential houses (so no fields, forests, or similar)
- Plot size is 27 by 16.60 meters (89 by 54.5 feet)
- The 27 meters (89 feet) run north-south, the 16.60 meters (54.5 feet) east-west
- The house is set back from the street (backyard development); on the north side, there is a shared driveway for us and our neighbor
- The house dimensions are planned to be 12 by 12 meters (39 by 39 feet)
- There are setback requirements of three meters (10 feet) on each side. We have agreed with our neighbor on the west side (who is also building) that he will give us two meters (6.5 feet) of his setback area. This means he keeps five meters (16.5 feet) distance to the property line, allowing us to build two meters (6.5 feet) closer to the boundary on that side, so we only have to maintain 1.30 meters (4.3 feet) instead of 3.30 meters (10.8 feet). On the east side, the distance remains 3.30 meters (10.8 feet). This allows us to have a 12-meter-wide (39 feet) house on a 16-meter-wide (52.5 feet) plot.
- A garage will be integrated into the house on the west side, and another garage will be built next to the house on the east side
- Now it gets a bit complicated: Due to the different distances to the property boundaries, the house is not centered on the plot. However, since both halves of the house are the same size, there is no problem with the living space so far.
- It is different with the garden. Due to the different setback areas, the west half would be 7.30 meters (24 feet) wide (6 meters house + 1.30 meters setback), while the east half would be 9.30 meters (30.5 feet) wide (6 meters house plus 3.30 meters setback).
- This would result in two gardens of different sizes, which we would like to avoid.
Question: Is it possible to divide the plot so that the boundary line is not straight? That is, the house would still be divided in the middle, but the dividing line would shift one meter (3 feet) to the east afterward, thus splitting the gardens into two equal parts?
- I have also attached a rough plan to illustrate this better
I would really appreciate it if you could give me feedback (despite the complex explanation) on whether such a design is legally possible and generally sensible.
Many best regards,
yours, hans3
You are right, if the space becomes too tight, it obviously doesn’t make sense and isn’t worth the cost.
Another option might be to move the house 2 meters (6.5 feet) further south and partially integrate the garage (if one is to be built) into the house. That way, only 3 x 3 meters (10 x 10 feet) = 9 square meters (97 square feet) would be built over.
This would mean having less garden space, but it should still be sufficient.
It’s all quite complicated...
Another option might be to move the house 2 meters (6.5 feet) further south and partially integrate the garage (if one is to be built) into the house. That way, only 3 x 3 meters (10 x 10 feet) = 9 square meters (97 square feet) would be built over.
This would mean having less garden space, but it should still be sufficient.
It’s all quite complicated...
Don’t stress about everything right now; instead, hire an architect who has experience with townhouses. There are great ideas out there that we often don’t even consider because we aren’t familiar with the small tricks and concepts. For example, the upper floor can be offset from the ground floor (Bauhaus style), creating a partially covered parking space. If the garden space is limited, a roof terrace can be added, and so on. Or the basement can be designed as a lower ground floor (souterrain)...
If you try to have everything exactly the same from the start, you limit yourself and the design, and potential opportunities are lost right away. Even 40m² (430 sq ft) plus additional floors can become a stylish granny flat when well planned—but not with the standard designs you find online.
An unusual plot requires an unusual design.
This week, I watched two episodes of "The Perfect Dinner" on Vox, filmed in Munich and its surroundings. They set a dining table in an apartment of about 50m² (540 sq ft): of course, some rearranging was done beforehand, but it worked! The apartment was also tastefully furnished (good chefs have good taste...). It made me realize that many people living in rural areas—most self-builders have plots from 600m² to over 1,000m² (6,450 sq ft to over 10,700 sq ft)—can’t imagine how you can creatively express yourself and be happy in a smaller, more confined space. People from Munich are often used to making a virtue out of necessity...
If you try to have everything exactly the same from the start, you limit yourself and the design, and potential opportunities are lost right away. Even 40m² (430 sq ft) plus additional floors can become a stylish granny flat when well planned—but not with the standard designs you find online.
An unusual plot requires an unusual design.
This week, I watched two episodes of "The Perfect Dinner" on Vox, filmed in Munich and its surroundings. They set a dining table in an apartment of about 50m² (540 sq ft): of course, some rearranging was done beforehand, but it worked! The apartment was also tastefully furnished (good chefs have good taste...). It made me realize that many people living in rural areas—most self-builders have plots from 600m² to over 1,000m² (6,450 sq ft to over 10,700 sq ft)—can’t imagine how you can creatively express yourself and be happy in a smaller, more confined space. People from Munich are often used to making a virtue out of necessity...
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