ᐅ House positioning on a plot with the street located to the south
Created on: 22 Jul 2021 18:20
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ChristophGC
ChristophG22 Jul 2021 18:20Hello everyone,
We are planning to buy a plot of approximately 530m² (5,700 sq ft). The width is about 18m (59 ft), and the length around 29m (95 ft). The location of the plot in a newly developed residential area is generally good. However, the adjacent street to the south, as viewed from the plot (parcel 327):
To the north, there are "normal" single-family houses with one or one-and-a-half stories. To the south, in the next few years, 2- to 3-story apartment buildings with 8 units will be constructed.
We are aware that the orientation of the plot brings some challenges that might not be acceptable to everyone. Nevertheless, we decided on this plot deliberately because it meets our requirements for size, price, and shape.
Right now, we are at the early planning stage for a suitable floor plan. The plot has building setbacks of 3m (10 ft) to the south and 5m (16 ft) to the north.
We would like to build a house roughly 9 x 12m (30 x 40 ft), although we are not 100% fixed on the exact dimensions. We are imagining a one-and-a-half-story house with the living/dining/kitchen area facing west and a flat gable roof. Currently, we tend to prefer a gable entrance.
Additionally, a garage/carport and possibly an attached storage/bike room are planned. No basement.
The zoning plan allows for two-story construction but only a eave height of 4m (13 ft)...
Regarding placement on the plot, we are not quite sure yet.
So here is my question: Where would you position the house and garage? As far north as possible, with a south/west terrace? I feel this might waste a lot of space (due to the 5m building setback), but it would get plenty of sun. Or would you place it closer to the street on the south side, with a north/west terrace? This would probably make better use of the plot’s area but, from autumn onward, the garden would get less sun. If the neighbor to the west uses the maximum ridge height of 9.5m (31 ft) and places their house in a way that blocks light, it could get quite dark in winter.
The neighboring development is completely unclear at this point.
I grew up in a house with a north terrace and a similar plot size and shape, and I don’t really find that a disadvantage. However, as a child, you don’t usually spend a lot of time sitting on the terrace 🙂
My wife tends to prefer the southern option, which I can also understand.
We would love to hear some opinions. Where and how would you position and orient your house and garage/carport? And why?
Looking forward to every bit of feedback!
Best regards from Hannover
ChristophG
We are planning to buy a plot of approximately 530m² (5,700 sq ft). The width is about 18m (59 ft), and the length around 29m (95 ft). The location of the plot in a newly developed residential area is generally good. However, the adjacent street to the south, as viewed from the plot (parcel 327):
To the north, there are "normal" single-family houses with one or one-and-a-half stories. To the south, in the next few years, 2- to 3-story apartment buildings with 8 units will be constructed.
We are aware that the orientation of the plot brings some challenges that might not be acceptable to everyone. Nevertheless, we decided on this plot deliberately because it meets our requirements for size, price, and shape.
Right now, we are at the early planning stage for a suitable floor plan. The plot has building setbacks of 3m (10 ft) to the south and 5m (16 ft) to the north.
We would like to build a house roughly 9 x 12m (30 x 40 ft), although we are not 100% fixed on the exact dimensions. We are imagining a one-and-a-half-story house with the living/dining/kitchen area facing west and a flat gable roof. Currently, we tend to prefer a gable entrance.
Additionally, a garage/carport and possibly an attached storage/bike room are planned. No basement.
The zoning plan allows for two-story construction but only a eave height of 4m (13 ft)...
Regarding placement on the plot, we are not quite sure yet.
So here is my question: Where would you position the house and garage? As far north as possible, with a south/west terrace? I feel this might waste a lot of space (due to the 5m building setback), but it would get plenty of sun. Or would you place it closer to the street on the south side, with a north/west terrace? This would probably make better use of the plot’s area but, from autumn onward, the garden would get less sun. If the neighbor to the west uses the maximum ridge height of 9.5m (31 ft) and places their house in a way that blocks light, it could get quite dark in winter.
The neighboring development is completely unclear at this point.
I grew up in a house with a north terrace and a similar plot size and shape, and I don’t really find that a disadvantage. However, as a child, you don’t usually spend a lot of time sitting on the terrace 🙂
My wife tends to prefer the southern option, which I can also understand.
We would love to hear some opinions. Where and how would you position and orient your house and garage/carport? And why?
Looking forward to every bit of feedback!
Best regards from Hannover
ChristophG
O
Oetzberger22 Jul 2021 19:17Is there significant traffic on the street to the south? If not, place the house as far north as possible and enjoy the sun in the south. You will get sunlight for about 10 months a year. For the two hot months annually, you can retreat to a shady seating area on the north side of the house.
Our situation is almost identical, with a plot measuring 17 x 31 m (56 x 102 feet) and a street to the south. We also debated for a long time and finally chose the south-facing garden. If your western neighbor also chooses a south-facing garden, then because of their house, your north garden will lose the afternoon sun for almost all months of the year. South-facing living spaces are extremely valuable in winter.
Our situation is almost identical, with a plot measuring 17 x 31 m (56 x 102 feet) and a street to the south. We also debated for a long time and finally chose the south-facing garden. If your western neighbor also chooses a south-facing garden, then because of their house, your north garden will lose the afternoon sun for almost all months of the year. South-facing living spaces are extremely valuable in winter.
O
Oetzberger22 Jul 2021 19:19A more challenging aspect is the proper arrangement of the garage/carport, walkway, etc., in the case of a south-facing garden. However, there are acceptable solutions that work quite well even with a plot that is 1m (3 feet) narrower than yours.
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ChristophG22 Jul 2021 19:27Oetzberger schrieb:
Is there significant traffic on the street to the south? If not, place the house as far north as possible and then enjoy the sun on the south side. You’ll get more sun for about 10 months of the year. For two hot months, you can retreat to a shady small seating area on the north side of the house. Thank you for your feedback.
No, the street will not have heavy traffic. Only residents will use it.
Oetzberger schrieb:
The tricky part is the proper arrangement of the garage/carport, walkway, etc. in the case of a south-facing garden. But there are acceptable solutions that work quite well even with a 1m (3 feet) narrower lot than yours. Thanks. What do you have in mind? I would tend to place the garage towards the street and then the house behind it. The pathways would need some attention, but overall this would reduce the area of impervious surfaces. This is my reasoning regarding the north terrace.
How close to the street can you place the garage? Often, a minimum distance of 5 meters (16 feet) from the street is required, so that a car can park in front of the garage without sticking out onto the street.
I would position the garage near or directly on the eastern boundary but shift it further north so that more sunlight can reach the ground floor of the house from the east earlier in the day.
The house should be located directly adjacent to the garage. Depending on the distance between the house and the street, you might have space for one parking space perpendicular to the house or two parking spaces parallel to the house in front.
Most likely, a minimum of two parking spaces will be required.
The terrace should then be placed at the south/west corner of the house.
I would position the garage near or directly on the eastern boundary but shift it further north so that more sunlight can reach the ground floor of the house from the east earlier in the day.
The house should be located directly adjacent to the garage. Depending on the distance between the house and the street, you might have space for one parking space perpendicular to the house or two parking spaces parallel to the house in front.
Most likely, a minimum of two parking spaces will be required.
The terrace should then be placed at the south/west corner of the house.
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ChristophG22 Jul 2021 20:59Ralle90 schrieb:
How close to the street are you allowed to place the garage? Often, a minimum distance of 5 meters (16 feet) from the street is required, so that a car can park in front of the garage without blocking the street.
I would position the garage on the east side close to or directly on the boundary line, but rather push it further north so that the ground floor of the house might get sunlight earlier from the east.
The house would be directly attached to the garage. Depending on the distance from the house to the street, you could place one parking space perpendicular or two parking spaces parallel to the house in front of the house.
Usually, at least two parking spaces are required.
And then the terrace would be located at the south/west corner of the house. If I am reading the development plan correctly, there is a 3-meter (10 feet) setback limit. As far as I know, two parking spaces are not mandatory but are desired by us. I am planning for a driveway at least 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) wide. With a south-facing terrace, I would probably also shift the garage further north.
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