ᐅ Location of a city villa or detached single-family house on a 500 m² rectangular plot
Created on: 17 Jan 2020 18:03
T
Tolentino
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.
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:
Then parking space might be tricky, right?
Or upright like this?
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
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.
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:
Then parking space might be tricky, right?
Or upright like this?
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
Tolentino schrieb:
Right now, I'm suspicious that the screed might have surface carbonation, since I never had windows fogging up from the inside, let alone actual dripping, which is often reported here. On the other hand, I had a three-week drying period without heating. Maybe that gave the screed enough time to cure properly? Why don’t you simply ask a "call for an expert" = "@KlaRa" on a question like this?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
At the current stage, I considered it unnecessary since I wouldn’t lay any type of flooring without a calcium carbide (CM) moisture measurement anyway. But you have taken over that now.
I will also describe the process in more detail here so that @KlaRa can provide a well-founded opinion (if possible).
- This is a cement-based heated screed with an average thickness of 7cm (3 inches).
- The screed was mixed with the additive Berolith M94.
- The screed had a curing period of (checked again – actually) 5 weeks before starting the functional heating.
- Manufacturer’s protocol for using the additive is as follows:
7 days rest (actual: 5 weeks)
2 days at 35°C (95°F) supply temperature (complied)
6 days at 45°C (113°F) supply temperature (actual: 7 days, including weekend)
1 day at 35°C (95°F) supply temperature (complied)
1 day at 25°C (77°F) supply temperature (complied)
then two days resting or continuing minimal heating (currently, supply temperature 23°C (73°F)), the two days would be completed on Sunday.
One issue I noticed right from the start: Unfortunately, the screed installers left windows tilted open in almost every room on the upper floor. To my knowledge, all windows are supposed to remain closed at the beginning. It wasn’t possible to intervene at that time as the screed surface was not accessible.
After the rest period, I ventilated briefly in the morning and evening by opening windows fully but without causing drafts.
I have placed (very inexpensive) hygrometers throughout the house.
At the beginning, from when the screed was allowed to be walked on until around the end of the official resting period, the average relative humidity in the morning before ventilation was 60-70%, after ventilation 40-50% at about 10-16°C (50-61°F).
At the end of the actual rest period (i.e., after 5 weeks) but before starting functional heating and before ventilation, relative humidity was around 50-60%, after ventilation 50%.
At the start of the heating protocol with 35°C (95°F) supply temperature, humidity before ventilation rose sharply to 70-80% at 28°C (82°F) room temperature (without condensation on surfaces), but it dropped quickly to about 60%. After ventilation, it was usually 30-40% at about 20°C (68°F) room temperature.
From the middle of the phase with 45°C (113°F) supply temperature (33-34°C (91-93°F) room temperature), pre-ventilation humidity stabilized at about 45%, after ventilation 35% at 28-30°C (82-86°F) room temperature.
In recent days, I stopped ventilating because morning humidity has remained steady at 40-50% (21-22°C / 70-72°F room temperature) and the outdoor humidity is much higher (it has been raining continuously). Additionally, the dry-lining work has already begun.
So, dear [USER=28384]@KlaRa, based on the now more detailed description above, can we be at least 80% certain from a technical standpoint that something is wrong here because a certain amount of moisture definitely needs to escape, which should have at least caused slight condensation on the windows? Especially considering the tilted-open windows at the beginning of the curing period? Or is my assumption plausible that a sufficiently long curing period can lead to adequate hydration, so that not much moisture forms during functional heating?
I would appreciate an assessment, even though a calcium carbide moisture measurement by a specialist still needs to be carried out.
I will also describe the process in more detail here so that @KlaRa can provide a well-founded opinion (if possible).
- This is a cement-based heated screed with an average thickness of 7cm (3 inches).
- The screed was mixed with the additive Berolith M94.
- The screed had a curing period of (checked again – actually) 5 weeks before starting the functional heating.
- Manufacturer’s protocol for using the additive is as follows:
7 days rest (actual: 5 weeks)
2 days at 35°C (95°F) supply temperature (complied)
6 days at 45°C (113°F) supply temperature (actual: 7 days, including weekend)
1 day at 35°C (95°F) supply temperature (complied)
1 day at 25°C (77°F) supply temperature (complied)
then two days resting or continuing minimal heating (currently, supply temperature 23°C (73°F)), the two days would be completed on Sunday.
One issue I noticed right from the start: Unfortunately, the screed installers left windows tilted open in almost every room on the upper floor. To my knowledge, all windows are supposed to remain closed at the beginning. It wasn’t possible to intervene at that time as the screed surface was not accessible.
After the rest period, I ventilated briefly in the morning and evening by opening windows fully but without causing drafts.
I have placed (very inexpensive) hygrometers throughout the house.
At the beginning, from when the screed was allowed to be walked on until around the end of the official resting period, the average relative humidity in the morning before ventilation was 60-70%, after ventilation 40-50% at about 10-16°C (50-61°F).
At the end of the actual rest period (i.e., after 5 weeks) but before starting functional heating and before ventilation, relative humidity was around 50-60%, after ventilation 50%.
At the start of the heating protocol with 35°C (95°F) supply temperature, humidity before ventilation rose sharply to 70-80% at 28°C (82°F) room temperature (without condensation on surfaces), but it dropped quickly to about 60%. After ventilation, it was usually 30-40% at about 20°C (68°F) room temperature.
From the middle of the phase with 45°C (113°F) supply temperature (33-34°C (91-93°F) room temperature), pre-ventilation humidity stabilized at about 45%, after ventilation 35% at 28-30°C (82-86°F) room temperature.
In recent days, I stopped ventilating because morning humidity has remained steady at 40-50% (21-22°C / 70-72°F room temperature) and the outdoor humidity is much higher (it has been raining continuously). Additionally, the dry-lining work has already begun.
So, dear [USER=28384]@KlaRa, based on the now more detailed description above, can we be at least 80% certain from a technical standpoint that something is wrong here because a certain amount of moisture definitely needs to escape, which should have at least caused slight condensation on the windows? Especially considering the tilted-open windows at the beginning of the curing period? Or is my assumption plausible that a sufficiently long curing period can lead to adequate hydration, so that not much moisture forms during functional heating?
I would appreciate an assessment, even though a calcium carbide moisture measurement by a specialist still needs to be carried out.
Hello "Tolentino",
Your description of the process regarding the screed installation and subsequent activities is excellent and very informative!
Here is some additional input:
You did everything correctly!
With a screed thickness of 70mm (3 inches), it was indeed advisable to add a plasticizer (Berolith M 94) to the screed mortar to ensure proper compaction at this installation thickness.
It is also true that the drying time of screeds ALWAYS increases with thickness.
The surrounding drying conditions, meaning the indoor climate, continue to play a decisive role in how quickly a screed dries, depending on its thickness.
The fact that the windows were already tilted open during the screed installation should not confuse us in this described situation. Ideally, this should not happen to ensure that the screed surface receives sufficient moisture supply during curing (which is a chemical reaction, by the way).
If the open windows had been harmful, this would have shown in a surface that was not sufficiently firm.
But this does not seem to be the case here.
----------------------
From the entire post, I can only infer that functional heating was carried out. However, there is no mention of readiness heating for covering (drying before floor covering installation).
In any case, please remember that the high moisture inevitably introduced into the building by installing a wet screed is also absorbed by wall plaster and similar materials!
This means that simply referring to a hygrometer reading, assuming sufficient measurement accuracy, is not really conclusive here.
Actually, based on the whole post, I cannot see any indication of an existing problem at all.
If it is suspected that the screed is not yet sufficiently dry to apply a floor covering (of any kind), this must be verified by an appropriate measurement or even just a physical inspection (which is a huge difference!).
The screed installer has no influence on the drying behavior or the required timeline after the screed is installed and is therefore excluded from the line of responsibility, if we may use that term here at all.
Do the following to gain sufficient certainty:
Without additional heating, place a PE sheet approximately 1.5m x 1.5m (5 feet x 5 feet) on the screed surface of a room.
Since you reportedly have several hygrometers, “sacrifice” one of them and place it under the PE sheet directly on the screed, sealing the edges of the sheet airtight with a strong adhesive tape.
Place a second hygrometer beside it, outside the PE sheet, for comparative control purposes. Then tilt open the windows, allowing slight cross-ventilation.
After a maximum of 24 hours, compare the readings of both hygrometers.
If the value under the sheet is above 75% relative humidity, you should start or carry out a second phase of readiness heating for covering lasting 2 days.
If the value is below this, the whole fuss was unnecessary! 🙂
------------------------------
Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend: KlaRa
Your description of the process regarding the screed installation and subsequent activities is excellent and very informative!
Here is some additional input:
You did everything correctly!
With a screed thickness of 70mm (3 inches), it was indeed advisable to add a plasticizer (Berolith M 94) to the screed mortar to ensure proper compaction at this installation thickness.
It is also true that the drying time of screeds ALWAYS increases with thickness.
The surrounding drying conditions, meaning the indoor climate, continue to play a decisive role in how quickly a screed dries, depending on its thickness.
The fact that the windows were already tilted open during the screed installation should not confuse us in this described situation. Ideally, this should not happen to ensure that the screed surface receives sufficient moisture supply during curing (which is a chemical reaction, by the way).
If the open windows had been harmful, this would have shown in a surface that was not sufficiently firm.
But this does not seem to be the case here.
----------------------
From the entire post, I can only infer that functional heating was carried out. However, there is no mention of readiness heating for covering (drying before floor covering installation).
In any case, please remember that the high moisture inevitably introduced into the building by installing a wet screed is also absorbed by wall plaster and similar materials!
This means that simply referring to a hygrometer reading, assuming sufficient measurement accuracy, is not really conclusive here.
Actually, based on the whole post, I cannot see any indication of an existing problem at all.
If it is suspected that the screed is not yet sufficiently dry to apply a floor covering (of any kind), this must be verified by an appropriate measurement or even just a physical inspection (which is a huge difference!).
The screed installer has no influence on the drying behavior or the required timeline after the screed is installed and is therefore excluded from the line of responsibility, if we may use that term here at all.
Do the following to gain sufficient certainty:
Without additional heating, place a PE sheet approximately 1.5m x 1.5m (5 feet x 5 feet) on the screed surface of a room.
Since you reportedly have several hygrometers, “sacrifice” one of them and place it under the PE sheet directly on the screed, sealing the edges of the sheet airtight with a strong adhesive tape.
Place a second hygrometer beside it, outside the PE sheet, for comparative control purposes. Then tilt open the windows, allowing slight cross-ventilation.
After a maximum of 24 hours, compare the readings of both hygrometers.
If the value under the sheet is above 75% relative humidity, you should start or carry out a second phase of readiness heating for covering lasting 2 days.
If the value is below this, the whole fuss was unnecessary! 🙂
------------------------------
Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend: KlaRa
So, here’s a small update from my side.
The heat pump still hasn’t arrived, and there’s no expected delivery date. The heating engineer had a meeting with a Vaillant representative and managed to get me on a priority list that is processed based on order dates. With an order date in June, I’m cautiously optimistic, but who knows...
In the meantime, I’ve been heating the construction site with a radiant heater and two infrared panels (basically frost protection mode) because the heating engineer had to use his direct heating system for another site facing the same issue.
With this temporary setup, I’m managing an indoor temperature of about 13°C (55°F) while it’s around 0-5°C (32-41°F) outside. I’m not sure if that indicates good insulation, but the consumption is around 80-100 Wh per day. 🙁
Meanwhile, I had a short walkthrough with the general contractor to get an idea of what their subcontractors still need to complete and whether we could arrange a handover soon.
Basically, things are manageable. The electrical panel and connections need to be finished along with the final painting (which I will do myself) and the defective base plaster. I also negotiated for the contractor to fix the undersized ducts for the controlled residential ventilation system in the precast ceiling. My HVAC installer had to enlarge the openings there.
The problem was: 130mm (5 inches) was specified in the planning documents and also delivered. However, Vaillant only offers ducts with a 130mm (5 inches) internal diameter, but their external diameter is 134mm (5¼ inches). 🙄
Sure, my HVAC installer could have checked earlier whether they would just install 125mm (4.9 inches) pipes, but at that point, everything was already ordered.
Now I have these ugly patches around the ventilation ducts that I'd like to have smoothed out. I could do it myself or have it done, but if the general contractor accepts that it was handled poorly and fixes it, that would be preferable.
Additionally, there was a small spot on the interior plaster by the front door where the plaster was removed too quickly, causing bubbles to form.
The general contractor tried to say that this should be handled by the painter, because it would be an extra cost to bring someone else in...
But since the plasterer still has to come back anyway, I didn’t accept that argument.
During this walkthrough, the general contractor also mentioned that the electrician probably won’t have time to return this year and more or less blamed me for the delays. That’s partly true, but partly not my fault. Since he mentioned October as a possible timeframe, which would have worked for the electrician, I was able to dismiss that criticism. I had also informed the site manager, who unfortunately was out sick in the meantime.
A funny detail: The general contractor asked me what I plan to do with the construction stairs once the proper staircase is installed. I said I wasn’t sure yet, maybe list them in online classifieds. He then surprisingly expressed interest—though more for giving them away for free. I responded dryly that those get sold for around 300 EUR.
So, the acceptance with outstanding work has been done, so I can finally start on my own tasks. The electrical work is scheduled for completion by the end of January, and the base plaster by the end of April (weather permitting). The final invoice has been reduced by obviously too-low outstanding amounts. I’m curious if anything will actually be done now. I’ve just had enough and want to move forward, heater or not.
The fact remains: no move-in this year. I might have to order the base plaster myself and later try to recover the costs, which should be interesting.
I suspect my chances are better with the electrical work since I haven’t paid the extra charges for the load increases yet. If the electrician wants those fees, he will have to complete the remaining work; otherwise, I can always say he hasn’t finished.
Another problem: I can’t find any tilers who are available right now. It’s really crazy.
The heat pump still hasn’t arrived, and there’s no expected delivery date. The heating engineer had a meeting with a Vaillant representative and managed to get me on a priority list that is processed based on order dates. With an order date in June, I’m cautiously optimistic, but who knows...
In the meantime, I’ve been heating the construction site with a radiant heater and two infrared panels (basically frost protection mode) because the heating engineer had to use his direct heating system for another site facing the same issue.
With this temporary setup, I’m managing an indoor temperature of about 13°C (55°F) while it’s around 0-5°C (32-41°F) outside. I’m not sure if that indicates good insulation, but the consumption is around 80-100 Wh per day. 🙁
Meanwhile, I had a short walkthrough with the general contractor to get an idea of what their subcontractors still need to complete and whether we could arrange a handover soon.
Basically, things are manageable. The electrical panel and connections need to be finished along with the final painting (which I will do myself) and the defective base plaster. I also negotiated for the contractor to fix the undersized ducts for the controlled residential ventilation system in the precast ceiling. My HVAC installer had to enlarge the openings there.
The problem was: 130mm (5 inches) was specified in the planning documents and also delivered. However, Vaillant only offers ducts with a 130mm (5 inches) internal diameter, but their external diameter is 134mm (5¼ inches). 🙄
Sure, my HVAC installer could have checked earlier whether they would just install 125mm (4.9 inches) pipes, but at that point, everything was already ordered.
Now I have these ugly patches around the ventilation ducts that I'd like to have smoothed out. I could do it myself or have it done, but if the general contractor accepts that it was handled poorly and fixes it, that would be preferable.
Additionally, there was a small spot on the interior plaster by the front door where the plaster was removed too quickly, causing bubbles to form.
The general contractor tried to say that this should be handled by the painter, because it would be an extra cost to bring someone else in...
But since the plasterer still has to come back anyway, I didn’t accept that argument.
During this walkthrough, the general contractor also mentioned that the electrician probably won’t have time to return this year and more or less blamed me for the delays. That’s partly true, but partly not my fault. Since he mentioned October as a possible timeframe, which would have worked for the electrician, I was able to dismiss that criticism. I had also informed the site manager, who unfortunately was out sick in the meantime.
A funny detail: The general contractor asked me what I plan to do with the construction stairs once the proper staircase is installed. I said I wasn’t sure yet, maybe list them in online classifieds. He then surprisingly expressed interest—though more for giving them away for free. I responded dryly that those get sold for around 300 EUR.
So, the acceptance with outstanding work has been done, so I can finally start on my own tasks. The electrical work is scheduled for completion by the end of January, and the base plaster by the end of April (weather permitting). The final invoice has been reduced by obviously too-low outstanding amounts. I’m curious if anything will actually be done now. I’ve just had enough and want to move forward, heater or not.
The fact remains: no move-in this year. I might have to order the base plaster myself and later try to recover the costs, which should be interesting.
I suspect my chances are better with the electrical work since I haven’t paid the extra charges for the load increases yet. If the electrician wants those fees, he will have to complete the remaining work; otherwise, I can always say he hasn’t finished.
Another problem: I can’t find any tilers who are available right now. It’s really crazy.
KingJulien7 Dec 2021 23:50Tolentino schrieb:
That should be done by the painter instead, because it's not worth calling someone in just for that...I’ve heard this stupid remark from different trades so many times. And I often had to respond, slightly annoyed, that I am the painter... 🙄Painters really have a tough time, they always get the short end of the stick.
My painter seems to have heard this quite often as well. He was very forceful in referring back to the previous trades and then roped me in to clarify this with the general contractor. Eye-rolling from everyone involved, without exception.
But eventually, it will turn out fine!
The heating issue is definitely a real problem. Has Vaillant provided any information directly about how long the waiting list is and where you stand? Is there any indication of when it might be your turn?
But eventually, it will turn out fine!
The heating issue is definitely a real problem. Has Vaillant provided any information directly about how long the waiting list is and where you stand? Is there any indication of when it might be your turn?
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