ᐅ Is it architecturally feasible to build half of a semi-detached house attractively?

Hello,

(Just to clarify upfront: I don’t need financing, on the contrary, I have money that needs to be invested somewhere ;-) )

I have to admit, I have little experience with building, but I want to do the following:

Build a semi-detached house on a nice plot of land (about 800m2 (8600 sq ft)). Why? Because I’m looking for a housing solution for the next 10-15 years. In other words, I want to build something good now and later sell or rent it out (I won’t go into the reasons here). Let’s say I plan to live there myself for 10 years.

If I were to place a nice bungalow right in the middle of the plot, that would use up the entire area. But if I design a semi-detached house, build only one half initially, and keep the rest as a garden, then later I can either build the second half and rent both out, or sell the plot and semi-detached house separately. This seems to me to be the most economically sensible use of this valuable plot. As long as I live there, I don’t want a semi-detached neighbor.

So, my question is: is this a common approach, building only one half of a semi-detached house at first? Are there architecturally sound solutions that also look good as a standalone unit? Or does it inevitably look bad afterward because one wall has no windows?

Thanks for your opinions!

deSertfiSh schrieb:
Or does it inevitably look bad afterwards because there are no windows in one of the walls?

That's exactly how it is 🙂

Hello,

In our town, there has been a detached semi-detached house for about 30 years.

The sight of a wall without windows is definitely something you have to get used to.

If you really go ahead with this, I would consider including windows in the future partition wall anyway, which can be bricked up when building the second half of the house – just make sure that the affected rooms have other sufficiently sized windows.

Best regards,

Dirk

Hello,

deSertfiSh schrieb:

Building a semi-detached house on a nice plot (just over 800m2 (8600 sq ft)). Why?

I ask myself the same question! 800 square meters (8600 sq ft) is not exactly small; usually, 400 well-designed square meters (4300 sq ft) are enough for a detached house. Have you checked with the local building planning authority about the possible building options? If not, you should do so and only explore the building possibilities after that conversation.

If the idea that a semi-detached house is cheaper to build than a traditional single-family house has so far stopped you from further considerations, let me tell you that this assumption is mistaken. With a complete semi-detached building, you only save on the shared party wall (the wall between the two units); in your current plan, however, this wall is replaced by a required “standard” exterior wall.

deSertfiSh schrieb:

So, my question: is it common to build just one side of a semi-detached house at first?

I wouldn’t call it common, but it does happen from time to time that one half of a semi-detached house stands alone for an extended period.

deSertfiSh schrieb:

Are there architecturally sensible solutions that also look good as a standalone? Or does it inevitably look bad afterwards because one wall has no windows?

That depends on how wide the single semi-detached unit will be. 6.00 m (20 feet) feels lonelier than, for example, a width of 8.00 m (26 feet) or more 😉

Regards, Bauexperte

Thank you, building expert!

Since everything is still just in the planning stage, I will of course also consider the option of two detached houses! I just worry that the neighbors might be able to see directly into each other’s windows. Currently, on adjacent plots of similar size, two detached houses are being built, and they are quite close together. That’s why I think that in the end, a semi-detached house might be the better choice, even if one side remains without windows for a while (or maybe has a window for aesthetic reasons that can be bricked up later, like for a staircase area or something similar).

Best regards from Franconia