ᐅ Location of a city villa or detached single-family house on a 500 m² rectangular plot

Created on: 17 Jan 2020 18:03

Dear all,

after sharing the floor plans of my possible hamster cage with you in the other thread , here comes the next thread (thanks again for all the constructive suggestions there).
Just so you know, the semi-detached house is not off the table yet, as this plot of land is highly sought after and it’s not clear whether it will work out. But this one would be my favorite.

Now to this plot. For now, I’m mainly concerned with where and roughly how the house should be positioned on this plot.

Development plan / restrictions
Plot size: 500 m² (5400 sq ft)
Slope: none
Site coverage ratio: 0.2
Floor area ratio: 0.4
Building envelope, building line and boundary: 5 m (16 ft) from the street, 3 m (10 ft) from neighbors
Edge development: allowed for garages and sheds, none existing on the plot
Number of parking spaces: 1-2
Number of floors: 1.5–2.5
Roof shape: no preference
Architectural style: no preference
Orientation: aligned parallel to the street
Maximum heights / limits: ridge height max. 9 m (30 ft)

Below are the site plans I created myself based on the details from the listing.

This is a rough overview of the plot with building boundaries and dimensions.

Site plan: green center outlined by red frame, street names on the left and compass top left.

My question is: where to put the house?
The broker suggests placing it towards the back, since you already have the 5 m (16 ft) setback at the front and would “gain” about 3 m (10 ft) of garden. My partner doesn’t like this because of the visibility from the street. I say: privacy screen! But I also think, a fence too high might create a prison-yard feel.

But even if you follow this suggestion, I wonder if a more square floor plan (-> town villa style) would be better?

Like this, for example:

Floor plan: street on the left, orange buffer zones, green area, central grey building (100 m²).

Then parking space might be tricky, right?

Or upright like this?

Floor plan of a plot with orange buffer zones, green yard and grey building block.

I really want as much of a west-facing view and garden as possible. I tend to be an evening person and that side is less built up, due to the road. So I think more light comes through.
But the narrow floor plan caused lots of problems with the semi-detached house already. Well, here you could build longer instead.

What do you think?

Best regards

Tolentino

Tolentino13 Mar 2020 12:31

#109

If you look up “turning circle” on Wikipedia, it is explained there.
Based on that, I added a curved wall using the turning circle to the site plan. This should be correct and shows that it works.

Floor plan of a house with carport, driveway curve, and boundary marker to the neighbor.

It’s not really very convenient, though.
Maybe I’ll just make the carport, which will be added later anyway, larger—it is allowed to be built right up to the boundary. Until then, it’s not a big problem for me.

For your information about why there is no parking space in front: I am really not allowed to put an auxiliary building or parking space there. That’s why I would have had to mark the 5m (16 feet) strip in front in dark red.

Best regards

Tolentino

kaho67413 Mar 2020 13:01

#110

Tolentino schrieb:

if not, the teenagers can decide whether they want to put up a drywall partition...

What exactly do we want to achieve here? Sorry for disregarding your plan for a moment, but in my opinion, it’s more of a disaster anyway. Such a division would inevitably result in two storage closets.

How important is this office? Could it perhaps serve as a third bedroom if needed? I see the walk-in closet as a significant buffer given your different sleeping schedules. But if necessary, that can be sacrificed too.

Tolentino schrieb:

I recreated the parking situation on the site plan using a scaled model.

That’s helpful. The parking space really needs to extend all the way to the neighbor’s fence – that’s a fact, I would say. I also cut a corner out of the house with the bay windows, which makes it easier. But that kind of adjustment comes at a cost.

Tolentino13 Mar 2020 14:18

#111

kaho674 schrieb:

What is the purpose? Sorry if I ignore your plan for now, but in my opinion, it’s more of a disaster anyway. Such a division would inevitably result in two storage rooms.

I think teenagers can decide for themselves whether they prefer to live in a storage room or share a bedroom with someone else. Psychology has shown that a self-chosen situation—even if objectively worse—is perceived as more bearable than one that is forced.

kaho674 schrieb:

How important is this office? Could it possibly be used as a third child's bedroom if needed?

Unfortunately, the office is important; I work from home about 40–50% of the time. So unless there are fundamental changes in my work, it can’t be converted. And it would just become another storage room anyway.

kaho674 schrieb:

I see the walk-in closet as a significant buffer given the different sleeping rhythms you have. But if necessary, it has to go as well.

Currently, it doesn’t even exist; I only included it in the profile in case someone had a brilliant solution for everything. I can better manage without a walk-in closet day to day by simply laying out my clothes for the next morning the evening before. My wife, who comes to bed late and undresses quietly, isn’t a problem—I sleep like a rock.

kaho674 schrieb:

That’s helpful. The parking space must extend to the neighbor’s fence—that’s a fact, I’d say. With the bay windows, I managed to incorporate an extra corner from the house, which also makes it easier. But that costs.

Yes, I think putting the parking right at the front and the parking space extending to the fence at the back is the only option. Otherwise, the house would have to extend further to the southwest and the parking space placed parallel to the house at the top of the plan—but that would make the garden even smaller.

Good luck

Tolentino

ypg13 Mar 2020 15:43

#112

Tolentino schrieb:

But that’s not what I want. I want the optimal floor plan for 5 people within a 300K budget.

kaho674 schrieb:

Are there any standard turning circle measurements for average cars anywhere?

Even a Smart needs 9.1 meters (30 feet), so about half, 4.5 meters (15 feet).

kaho674 schrieb:

I don’t really like the angled layout either, darling, sorry.

That’s fine. You have your house. I don’t like your bay window houses either.

kaho674 schrieb:

I’d probably set the house even further back. Parking out would be a pretty long reverse drive, wouldn’t it?

Then there would be no garden left.

Tolentino schrieb:

Sorry, but I already showed this in the sketch above. It needs to be more square because otherwise it doesn’t fit inside the building boundaries (building permit / planning permission).

No.
I prepared something: the Scanhaus Marlow Marlow with 3 children’s bedrooms on the upper floor, office and utility room... I’m not saying it’s the perfect house, but it illustrates that you need to extend more in length rather than width if you want to fit in more rooms, even if they are small.

Tolentino schrieb:

It’s understandable because the diagonal, which is always longer than the longest side, hits the shorter side of the building envelope.

That’s clear.

Tolentino schrieb:

I feel that with your idea I’d have much more area facing the neighbors’ property line, where I certainly wouldn’t sit in a deck chair if neighbors or their families walk by at any time.

So what? A plot must offer more than just space for a deck chair. That’s really the least of it. Ideally, a plot should also function as a yard or courtyard.

Tolentino schrieb:

Yes, a long reverse drive would always be necessary either when parking in or out.
Standard turning radius is 10–12 meters (33–39 feet).

Exactly.

Tolentino schrieb:

Following this, I added a curved wall with the turning circle into the site plan. It should be correct and shows that it works.

Good luck with daily maneuvering!

Tolentino schrieb:

There’s also space behind the carport for all the kids’ stuff.

The carport is off the table: the posts will make maneuvering even more difficult.
With the angled position, your windows won’t be right up against the hedge...
You’ll gain space and multiple functional areas on the plot.
I’ll stop now; I don’t want to convince anyone of something that’s obvious.
You’ll manage it.

Sketch floor plan of a house on graph paper with 3D block model

kaho67413 Mar 2020 16:00

#113

ypg schrieb:

I don’t like your bay window houses either

Disgrace!

Tolentino13 Mar 2020 16:19

#114

ypg schrieb:

No.
I’ve prepared something: the Scanhaus Marlow Marlow with 3 children’s rooms on the upper floor, office, and utility room... I’m not saying it’s the perfect house, but it illustrates that you need to extend the house lengthwise rather than widthwise if you want to fit in more rooms, even if they are small.

Thanks for your effort. But I guess we are both right. I didn’t say anything different than what your example demonstrates: for a rectangular layout, a house with the same dimensions won’t fit.
For me, that means the longer side needs to be shortened while the other side is lengthened to maintain the floor area—making it more square.
I never claimed that a square house is better.
That’s exactly why I chose an unequal rectangle from the start.

But if I reduce the floor area further, won’t it make things worse inside the house...?
I just checked the Scanhaus Marlow Marlow website. Where is the floor plan variant with 3 children’s rooms and an office in those dimensions? I know we can’t link externally here, but maybe you can guide me? I can’t find it under SH 142.

ypg schrieb:

Have fun maneuvering every day!

I think my model shows you don’t have to maneuver. You drive straight in, turn fully, and drive straight out again. Even with a Touran.

Reversing 16m (52.5 feet) in a straight line is more likely the challenge.

ypg schrieb:

Carport is off the table: the posts make maneuvering even harder for you.

A carport can be built as a border construction and be recessed behind the house edge. I don’t think it’s as bad as you imagine.

ypg schrieb:

With the angled positioning, your windows won’t be right next to the hedge...
You gain space and several functional areas on the plot.
I’ll stop now; I don’t want to persuade anyone of something that’s obvious.
You’ll figure it out.

It’s not that obvious to me. Others don’t see it as ideal either.
Honestly, I would actually be fine with the angled orientation. My desk in the office, for example, is also angled.
So it’s not that I want to avoid breaking conventions (although the building permit / planning permission for an angled house might be another topic).
What I can’t accept is the limitation on floor area. The maximum possible area is definitely smaller than with a straight alignment. Besides, I already consider the area north(northeast) of the house lost because I’d have to give up space in the south...
And for me, that’s very clear.

Anyway, thank you very much for your input. I didn’t discard it without consideration.
And I appreciate any expertise you’re willing to contribute regarding the internal layout.

Thanks and best regards,

Tolentino

ᐅ Location of a city villa or detached single-family house on a 500 m² rectangular plot

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