ᐅ Floor Plan of a 4-Room Rental Apartment – Suitable for Leasing?
Created on: 20 Jan 2020 13:11
I
Ibdk14
Hello everyone,
I own a plot of land of about 880 square meters (9,470 square feet), which is planned to be developed with a multi-family house.
The municipality’s current requirements: maximum width 15 meters (49 feet), depth up to 13 meters (43 feet).
The plot is steeply sloped. The ground floor entrance would be almost level, while access to the basement apartments and attic apartments might need to be via external stairs on the gable side.
I have now drafted a plan for a 4-room apartment, but I am not really happy with it. The right side would be built as a mirror image.
The attic might only have 3 rooms, with large dormer windows allowed. In the basement, two 2-room apartments could be created with ground-level terraces. The rest of the basement is underground, so it’s not suitable for living rooms, etc.
So, here is my actual question: Is such an apartment rentable? Would you move in with one or two children, or as a couple alone? There would be a balcony on the south side in front of the bedrooms and living room.
Do you have any ideas on how to better arrange the rooms on the narrow lot? You can’t really get much more out of roughly 7 meters (23 feet) in width. Would it be better to plan only 3 rooms?
This is still just a brainstorming exercise; I would appreciate any input, if this is even possible with the limited information given.
I own a plot of land of about 880 square meters (9,470 square feet), which is planned to be developed with a multi-family house.
The municipality’s current requirements: maximum width 15 meters (49 feet), depth up to 13 meters (43 feet).
The plot is steeply sloped. The ground floor entrance would be almost level, while access to the basement apartments and attic apartments might need to be via external stairs on the gable side.
I have now drafted a plan for a 4-room apartment, but I am not really happy with it. The right side would be built as a mirror image.
The attic might only have 3 rooms, with large dormer windows allowed. In the basement, two 2-room apartments could be created with ground-level terraces. The rest of the basement is underground, so it’s not suitable for living rooms, etc.
So, here is my actual question: Is such an apartment rentable? Would you move in with one or two children, or as a couple alone? There would be a balcony on the south side in front of the bedrooms and living room.
Do you have any ideas on how to better arrange the rooms on the narrow lot? You can’t really get much more out of roughly 7 meters (23 feet) in width. Would it be better to plan only 3 rooms?
This is still just a brainstorming exercise; I would appreciate any input, if this is even possible with the limited information given.
As a mother of two, I would only move in here if I had no other option. The size of the children's rooms isn't even the main issue, but as a family, I want to have my washing machine upstairs. There's a lack of a storage room, which is essential when you have kids. I don’t want to have to go down to the basement every time I need the next pack of diapers.
Instead, make it a spacious three-room apartment. That would be perfect for a young family and still have room for the baby on the way.
@Pinky0301: beautiful kitty! Norwegian Forest Cat?
Instead, make it a spacious three-room apartment. That would be perfect for a young family and still have room for the baby on the way.
@Pinky0301: beautiful kitty! Norwegian Forest Cat?
So, I’m trying to clarify my question a bit:
Floor area ratio: 0.4. Site coverage ratio: 0.25. That would result in a total of 217 sqm (2340 sq ft) according to the calculation method before 1970.
The plot is located in a village with 700 residents in the hinterland of ÜB, Lake Constance, about 12 km (7.5 miles) away. Quiet location, beautiful view over the valley. South-facing slope.
Neighboring plots are built with single-family houses, most of the plots are over 800 sqm (8600 sq ft).
After a preliminary discussion with the local village head and the building official, we were informed that rental apartments are very much desired, but not at the maximum allowed size. The house should fit in better with the existing development. Neighbor disputes should be avoided. Therefore, there is a limit of 15 meters (49 feet) in width, while the depth may be extended to 13 meters (43 feet).
Parking spaces are required as follows: 1 space per unit under 60 sqm (645 sq ft), 1.5 spaces for units above 60 sqm (645 sq ft). This was an oral statement and is not explicitly found in the parking regulations, so it still needs to be clarified.
Infrastructure: The village has a church, a guesthouse, a new community center where events for all ages take place regularly — an active community life overall. There is a kindergarten in the village. Primary school is in the neighboring village, 3 km (1.9 miles) away. This nearby village also offers numerous shopping options, doctors, and a pharmacy. Secondary schools are located in ÜB. The bus service is not perfect but sufficient.
Assuming construction costs of 2200 €/sqm (204 $/sq ft), we would need to achieve a rent of at least €8.80 (US$8.20) per sqm (sq ft) to make the whole project financially viable. The current rent index shows cold rents between €8.30 and €10 per sqm (€7.70 and €9.30 per sq ft).
Now, to our considerations.
Building a duplex with 2 small basement apartments that have direct ground-level access. This would create nicer, larger apartments suitable for families but financially it doesn’t work for us.
Therefore, we are aiming for 6 apartments, which will naturally be smaller and more suited for older couples. That’s also why I created my first floor plan draft. With one couple per unit, it’s probably not a big issue if two rooms open from the living area; with children, it would be different. The room sizes are modest but not unusual for rental units. We lived for a long time in a similar situation with 3 children.
Access via an external staircase has been implemented in a rental building from my in-laws’ family and works well; no tenant has complained so far. I actually see it as an advantage for each unit to have its own entrance.
Storage space is not strictly required — at least, I have not read about such a regulation anywhere. Possibly, storage boxes could be placed under the parking spaces as a cellar alternative if the basement is not accessible to everyone.
So, now it’s your turn again. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. As I said, it’s not about this exact floor plan — it was just a thought experiment to visualize a possibility.
Looking forward to more input.
If I missed anything important.
Floor area ratio: 0.4. Site coverage ratio: 0.25. That would result in a total of 217 sqm (2340 sq ft) according to the calculation method before 1970.
The plot is located in a village with 700 residents in the hinterland of ÜB, Lake Constance, about 12 km (7.5 miles) away. Quiet location, beautiful view over the valley. South-facing slope.
Neighboring plots are built with single-family houses, most of the plots are over 800 sqm (8600 sq ft).
After a preliminary discussion with the local village head and the building official, we were informed that rental apartments are very much desired, but not at the maximum allowed size. The house should fit in better with the existing development. Neighbor disputes should be avoided. Therefore, there is a limit of 15 meters (49 feet) in width, while the depth may be extended to 13 meters (43 feet).
Parking spaces are required as follows: 1 space per unit under 60 sqm (645 sq ft), 1.5 spaces for units above 60 sqm (645 sq ft). This was an oral statement and is not explicitly found in the parking regulations, so it still needs to be clarified.
Infrastructure: The village has a church, a guesthouse, a new community center where events for all ages take place regularly — an active community life overall. There is a kindergarten in the village. Primary school is in the neighboring village, 3 km (1.9 miles) away. This nearby village also offers numerous shopping options, doctors, and a pharmacy. Secondary schools are located in ÜB. The bus service is not perfect but sufficient.
Assuming construction costs of 2200 €/sqm (204 $/sq ft), we would need to achieve a rent of at least €8.80 (US$8.20) per sqm (sq ft) to make the whole project financially viable. The current rent index shows cold rents between €8.30 and €10 per sqm (€7.70 and €9.30 per sq ft).
Now, to our considerations.
Building a duplex with 2 small basement apartments that have direct ground-level access. This would create nicer, larger apartments suitable for families but financially it doesn’t work for us.
Therefore, we are aiming for 6 apartments, which will naturally be smaller and more suited for older couples. That’s also why I created my first floor plan draft. With one couple per unit, it’s probably not a big issue if two rooms open from the living area; with children, it would be different. The room sizes are modest but not unusual for rental units. We lived for a long time in a similar situation with 3 children.
Access via an external staircase has been implemented in a rental building from my in-laws’ family and works well; no tenant has complained so far. I actually see it as an advantage for each unit to have its own entrance.
Storage space is not strictly required — at least, I have not read about such a regulation anywhere. Possibly, storage boxes could be placed under the parking spaces as a cellar alternative if the basement is not accessible to everyone.
So, now it’s your turn again. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. As I said, it’s not about this exact floor plan — it was just a thought experiment to visualize a possibility.
Looking forward to more input.
If I missed anything important.
Especially if your focus is not just on this floor plan, the other floors and the property should also be considered. Otherwise, how could one properly evaluate it?
By the way, I like having private outside entrances; I’m not really a fan of small talk in stairwells or common hallways. However, there needs to be sufficient storage space inside the apartment, as someone already mentioned, so you don’t have to go outside to access the basement (laundry) room.
By the way, I like having private outside entrances; I’m not really a fan of small talk in stairwells or common hallways. However, there needs to be sufficient storage space inside the apartment, as someone already mentioned, so you don’t have to go outside to access the basement (laundry) room.
Tamstar schrieb:
Especially if your focus is not (only) on this floor plan, the other floors and the property should be considered as well. How else could you properly evaluate it?I completely agree.Similar topics