ᐅ House Placement on the Plot, Looking for Ideas

Hello everyone,

I am planning to build a house in the next few years. Nothing concrete yet, and the start date is still uncertain, but probably in 2017. So there should still be enough time. At the moment, I am looking into possible building sites.

Among other options, I can use my parents’ large garden as a building plot. From the big property, I could have about 640 m² (6,900 sq ft). Although it is not yet serviced, the land itself would be very affordable. Therefore, this option is currently quite promising. What is problematic, however, is that the plot is relatively narrow and the neighboring houses are quite close. To the left is my parents’ house, and to the right of the plot are the neighbors’ garage and house. The map is oriented to the north. This is the general situation.

It is important to me that the garage is not placed between my parents’ house and mine, and that I am not too close to the neighbors but also not too close to my parents’ house. Six meters (20 feet) between two houses is quite little, isn’t it? What do you think?

Do you have any suggestions on how to best fit a house of about 11 x 10 m (36 x 33 ft) and a large garage, max. 7 x 8 m (23 x 26 ft), onto this plot? Drawings are welcome.

Thank you in advance!

What does the zoning plan say about the restrictions (such as building lines and floor area ratio)? I see a normally shaped plot without major issues... A garage of that size would first need approval, for example, for an attached boundary development.

The area is designated as a general residential zone (WA), with a floor area ratio and floor space index of 0.4 and 0.8 respectively. As far as I know, there are no other restrictions.

Building directly on the property boundary would not be an issue, as the neighbors are willing to give their consent without any problems.

@jaeger
There are a few basic things you need to decide:
- A large garden on the south side, or two equally sized gardens on the south and north sides?
- Where should the driveway be located?
- Detached garage or attached to the house?
- Where would you like the terrace? Some prefer a clear southern exposure, while others might want a second terrace on the north side.

etc.

Narrow? What exactly do you mean by narrow?

Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:
Hello,

has the plot already been officially subdivided?

If I were you, I would arrange a meeting with the local building authority to explain your plans.

That way, you can quickly get a sense of what the building department will approve and what they won’t.

Regards,

Dirk

No, not yet. I want to first be sure if it suits me and then decide. Can I already visit the building authority before the subdivision?

klblb schrieb:
@jaeger
You need to decide on a few fundamental things:
- large garden facing south or two equally sized gardens on the south and north?
- where should the driveway be?
- detached garage or attached to the house
- where do you want the terrace? Some prefer a clear southern orientation, others, for example, a second terrace in the north.
etc.

I tend to prefer a small garden facing south. The driveway would ideally be right along the eastern boundary next to the neighbor. I don’t mind about the garage, either option works. However, it shouldn’t block the view to the south. A terrace to the south or southwest is possible; one terrace is enough.
I have already considered two layouts myself, but I’m not really happy with either. That’s why I was hoping for some suggestions.

DNL schrieb:
Narrow? What do you mean by narrow?

By that I mean that the houses on the neighboring plots are relatively close together, and I don’t really want to look into the neighbor’s garage when looking out the window of my house, which would be only 4m (13 feet) away. I’m probably a bit spoiled because where I’m from, houses usually have 15–20 meters (50–65 feet) distance between them.