Hello everyone,
As you may have read in another thread, we recently purchased a plot of land (backland development) measuring 650m² (approximately 7,000 sq ft). This also includes a 1500m² (approximately 16,150 sq ft) forested area.
The plot is quite narrow and long, which means we only have a very narrow but long building envelope (7.6m x 12.6m) (25 ft x 41 ft). This was already confirmed in a preliminary building approval.
Now we are focusing on the floor plan! But first, here is the basic information:
Development Plan/Restrictions:
Lot size: approx. 650m² (7,000 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: §34, preliminary building approval, no further details
Plot ratio: §34, preliminary building approval, no further details
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see subdivision plan
Edge development: see subdivision plan (a public forest path runs along the east side of the plot)
Number of parking spaces: possibly 2, north of the house?
Number of storeys: 2-storey
Roof type: no specific restrictions; gable, hip and shed roofs are present in the neighborhood
Architectural style: §34; neighbor house to the west is 2-storey with a shed roof
Orientation: south with a slight eastward tilt
Maximum heights/limits: §34, townhouse + 2-storey shed roof house in the neighborhood
Additional requirements: 30m (100 ft) buffer zone to the forest
Owners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: 2-storey single-family house with a hip roof
Basement, storeys: no basement, 2 storeys
Number of occupants, age: 2 people, 30 years old (planning for 2 children in the near future)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: approximately 145m² (1,560 sq ft) total
Office: family use or home office? home office
Visiting guests per year: about 10
Open or closed floor plan: rather traditional closed layout with an open kitchen-living area
Conservative or modern build style: no preference
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music or stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: not planned
Garage, carport: carport for at least 1 car plus 2 motorcycles with adjacent storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine: home office on the ground floor, lots of natural light due to tall oak trees on the east side
House Design
Designer:
- Do-it-yourself by us
What we like: large walk-in closet, ground floor shower and study
What we don’t like: window arrangement, especially on the south side of the house (ground and upper floor) is still unclear for us
What we now need are tips and improvement suggestions for our initial floor plan drafts!
About the floor plan:
There are windows with a sill height of 1.555m (5 ft 1 in). These are somewhat high-level windows that are positioned relatively high on the wall. They can be seen here:
About the subdivision plan:
- green indicates forest or trees
- the north arrow is at the upper right
- the thick black arrow shows the driveway from the public path
- the purple lines are intended to represent the carport
I have also uploaded a picture of the house from the construction company that serves as our base (although with a hip roof instead of a gable roof).
Here is our floor plan within the building envelope:
If any other information is needed, just ask!
As you may have read in another thread, we recently purchased a plot of land (backland development) measuring 650m² (approximately 7,000 sq ft). This also includes a 1500m² (approximately 16,150 sq ft) forested area.
The plot is quite narrow and long, which means we only have a very narrow but long building envelope (7.6m x 12.6m) (25 ft x 41 ft). This was already confirmed in a preliminary building approval.
Now we are focusing on the floor plan! But first, here is the basic information:
Development Plan/Restrictions:
Lot size: approx. 650m² (7,000 sq ft)
Slope: no
Floor area ratio: §34, preliminary building approval, no further details
Plot ratio: §34, preliminary building approval, no further details
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see subdivision plan
Edge development: see subdivision plan (a public forest path runs along the east side of the plot)
Number of parking spaces: possibly 2, north of the house?
Number of storeys: 2-storey
Roof type: no specific restrictions; gable, hip and shed roofs are present in the neighborhood
Architectural style: §34; neighbor house to the west is 2-storey with a shed roof
Orientation: south with a slight eastward tilt
Maximum heights/limits: §34, townhouse + 2-storey shed roof house in the neighborhood
Additional requirements: 30m (100 ft) buffer zone to the forest
Owners’ Requirements
Architectural style, roof type, building type: 2-storey single-family house with a hip roof
Basement, storeys: no basement, 2 storeys
Number of occupants, age: 2 people, 30 years old (planning for 2 children in the near future)
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: approximately 145m² (1,560 sq ft) total
Office: family use or home office? home office
Visiting guests per year: about 10
Open or closed floor plan: rather traditional closed layout with an open kitchen-living area
Conservative or modern build style: no preference
Open kitchen, kitchen island: open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music or stereo wall: not planned
Balcony, roof terrace: not planned
Garage, carport: carport for at least 1 car plus 2 motorcycles with adjacent storage room
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/particulars/daily routine: home office on the ground floor, lots of natural light due to tall oak trees on the east side
House Design
Designer:
- Do-it-yourself by us
What we like: large walk-in closet, ground floor shower and study
What we don’t like: window arrangement, especially on the south side of the house (ground and upper floor) is still unclear for us
What we now need are tips and improvement suggestions for our initial floor plan drafts!
About the floor plan:
There are windows with a sill height of 1.555m (5 ft 1 in). These are somewhat high-level windows that are positioned relatively high on the wall. They can be seen here:
About the subdivision plan:
- green indicates forest or trees
- the north arrow is at the upper right
- the thick black arrow shows the driveway from the public path
- the purple lines are intended to represent the carport
I have also uploaded a picture of the house from the construction company that serves as our base (although with a hip roof instead of a gable roof).
Here is our floor plan within the building envelope:
If any other information is needed, just ask!
Regarding the design: Access to the bedroom is through the walk-in closet, which also allows for a wider bathroom. In any case, make sure the windows on the exterior wall are properly aligned.
You can easily furnish the hallway with a chest of drawers and a chair.
The kitchen layout is impractical. In a few years, you will either add an extra door to the room or constantly be annoyed by the island. Where are the refrigerator and oven planned in this layout?
In the toilet room, remember that the shower will need a door.
You can easily furnish the hallway with a chest of drawers and a chair.
The kitchen layout is impractical. In a few years, you will either add an extra door to the room or constantly be annoyed by the island. Where are the refrigerator and oven planned in this layout?
In the toilet room, remember that the shower will need a door.
@ypg I do see a bit of a timing issue since after one year, interest on the construction loan starts accruing. The build time from the foundation slab is about 6-7 months. But you’re right, we’re probably thinking more conservatively or conventionally...
However, a lot has already been finalized, and we’d rather not involve an architect now (which would also mean additional costs). My wife and I have also discussed an open-plan living concept and have even experimented a bit with the floor plan. But we keep coming back to a more traditional layout.
@ypg regarding your second post:
The kitchen is probably just a draft from the builder. Our idea is quite different. We roughly sketched it in the floor plan in the original post to show how we imagine it.
As for access to the bedroom through the walk-in closet, that would be a good alternative. We’ll have someone draft that out. Thanks!
Regarding the bathroom on the ground floor, the layout is also from the builder. What’s the best way to integrate a shower door there? It seems like almost the only option is a standard sliding shower screen, right? A glass door would look much nicer! Or maybe a glass folding door?!
However, a lot has already been finalized, and we’d rather not involve an architect now (which would also mean additional costs). My wife and I have also discussed an open-plan living concept and have even experimented a bit with the floor plan. But we keep coming back to a more traditional layout.
@ypg regarding your second post:
The kitchen is probably just a draft from the builder. Our idea is quite different. We roughly sketched it in the floor plan in the original post to show how we imagine it.
As for access to the bedroom through the walk-in closet, that would be a good alternative. We’ll have someone draft that out. Thanks!
Regarding the bathroom on the ground floor, the layout is also from the builder. What’s the best way to integrate a shower door there? It seems like almost the only option is a standard sliding shower screen, right? A glass door would look much nicer! Or maybe a glass folding door?!
seth0487 schrieb:
The building authority itself isn’t causing much trouble here, but the responsible forestry office is. The caseworker at the building authority told me that there were already discussions with the forestry office during the preliminary decision. His recommendation is not to deviate from the preliminary decision (except for the +2m in front of the house that he approved). Whether this qualifies as forest or not from the perspective of a "layperson" (not that you are one) doesn’t initially affect the zoning plan of the area, right? To me, this is definitely not a forest yet, but if the forestry office insists that we must maintain this 30m setback, I prefer not to do otherwise. It is your forest. Ask the forester if you are required to manage it as a final crop in order to obtain a building permit/planning permission—that is probably not what they intend. According to §24 of the Forest Act (LWaldG), deviations from the 30m setback can be made in agreement with the forestry authority if forest management (your own responsibility!), preservation (not an issue), and risks such as fire and windthrow are taken into account.
Regarding windthrow, the question is how tall the trees actually are. A 30m (98 feet) height would surprise me greatly.
The zoning plan is also relatively coarse; your building application is the fine tuning, whereby the actual use (TN) is recorded in the cadastral register either by the forestry office or by a publicly authorized surveyor/cadastre office. Have this checked to see exactly where the 30m (98 feet) line runs and where the forest actually stands.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
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