Hello everyone,
we have a problem with planning our house and hope you can help us.
We found our dream plot (680 sqm (7300 sq ft), 25m x 25m (82 ft x 82 ft)) and also had our dream house in mind: an L-shaped bungalow, 145 sqm (1560 sq ft), 5 rooms. Everything was set in our minds.
Since there is no zoning plan for the plot, we asked the local building authority about the possible development and told them our idea (175 sqm (1887 sq ft) gross floor area...). The really kind gentleman on the phone said it would be very difficult to get approval because we have to adapt to the surrounding buildings and none of them have such a large footprint. Building in the second row apparently makes it even "worse" (although the house is not visible from the street and there is forest on the other side, well…). This can only be clarified with a preliminary building permit, which we now want to apply for. He suggested reducing the footprint to 155 sqm (1668 sq ft) to have a better chance.
So for us, it meant downsizing the house, expanding the roof, or building two stories. My husband insists on the bungalow, as he wants to live on one level when he’s older, finds it nice and practical. He doesn’t like sloping ceilings and we both don’t like urban villas. So two stories are out.
Our house builder offered us a 125 sqm (1345 sq ft) bungalow (4 rooms), including roof expansion, which would cost about €30,000 extra with everything included (windows, stairs, different ceiling, etc.). But the thing is, we don’t need a fully developed 125 sqm attic, we just want a 5th room (office) under the roof. But that’s €30,000 extra, so what to do with the rest of the space?
My husband says that as long as we don’t have children, we have two rooms, one of which can be used as an office. But in 4-5 years, a second child should arrive (planning for the first is underway...), so what then? Since I’m a teacher, I always have to work from home and need space for my materials. I also have a crafting and sewing desk that wouldn’t fit in a 125 sqm house.
Now we are going back and forth, and we have no more creative ideas where to “fit” the 5th room. Ideally, we’d want the 145 sqm bungalow, but the preliminary permit wouldn’t have the best chances of being approved. That would mean a 3-month waiting period and 400 euros lost (the 3 months waiting bother us more than the 400 euros), and if the 145 sqm is rejected, we’d have to apply for another preliminary permit for the 125 sqm bungalow (again 3 months and 400 euros). And expanding the attic for one room would be a lot of money that we actually didn’t want to spend. My husband is strongly against two stories… really just an awkward situation. We know we have to make compromises, but nothing seems like a good compromise. My husband would prefer to drop the 5th room since he simply doesn’t need it… but I can’t see myself without a workspace 🙁
Maybe you have some ideas/opinions/experiences on this topic?
Many thanks and sorry for the long post 🙄
Best regards, CoCoBB
we have a problem with planning our house and hope you can help us.
We found our dream plot (680 sqm (7300 sq ft), 25m x 25m (82 ft x 82 ft)) and also had our dream house in mind: an L-shaped bungalow, 145 sqm (1560 sq ft), 5 rooms. Everything was set in our minds.
Since there is no zoning plan for the plot, we asked the local building authority about the possible development and told them our idea (175 sqm (1887 sq ft) gross floor area...). The really kind gentleman on the phone said it would be very difficult to get approval because we have to adapt to the surrounding buildings and none of them have such a large footprint. Building in the second row apparently makes it even "worse" (although the house is not visible from the street and there is forest on the other side, well…). This can only be clarified with a preliminary building permit, which we now want to apply for. He suggested reducing the footprint to 155 sqm (1668 sq ft) to have a better chance.
So for us, it meant downsizing the house, expanding the roof, or building two stories. My husband insists on the bungalow, as he wants to live on one level when he’s older, finds it nice and practical. He doesn’t like sloping ceilings and we both don’t like urban villas. So two stories are out.
Our house builder offered us a 125 sqm (1345 sq ft) bungalow (4 rooms), including roof expansion, which would cost about €30,000 extra with everything included (windows, stairs, different ceiling, etc.). But the thing is, we don’t need a fully developed 125 sqm attic, we just want a 5th room (office) under the roof. But that’s €30,000 extra, so what to do with the rest of the space?
My husband says that as long as we don’t have children, we have two rooms, one of which can be used as an office. But in 4-5 years, a second child should arrive (planning for the first is underway...), so what then? Since I’m a teacher, I always have to work from home and need space for my materials. I also have a crafting and sewing desk that wouldn’t fit in a 125 sqm house.
Now we are going back and forth, and we have no more creative ideas where to “fit” the 5th room. Ideally, we’d want the 145 sqm bungalow, but the preliminary permit wouldn’t have the best chances of being approved. That would mean a 3-month waiting period and 400 euros lost (the 3 months waiting bother us more than the 400 euros), and if the 145 sqm is rejected, we’d have to apply for another preliminary permit for the 125 sqm bungalow (again 3 months and 400 euros). And expanding the attic for one room would be a lot of money that we actually didn’t want to spend. My husband is strongly against two stories… really just an awkward situation. We know we have to make compromises, but nothing seems like a good compromise. My husband would prefer to drop the 5th room since he simply doesn’t need it… but I can’t see myself without a workspace 🙁
Maybe you have some ideas/opinions/experiences on this topic?
Many thanks and sorry for the long post 🙄
Best regards, CoCoBB
W
Wanderdüne28 Apr 2014 22:33CoCoBB schrieb:
... Euro ...I am a confirmed fan of bungalows, but they are inherently the most expensive way to create living space and also have higher energy demands.
I can only partly understand the reservations against one-and-a-half or two-story houses. However, the cost of a stairlift is easily balanced out compared to a bungalow.
Submitting a preliminary building inquiry yourself is a bad start; a professional can argue more effectively in the long run.
WD
D
Doc.Schnaggls29 Apr 2014 11:40Hello CocoBB,
Are you planning to build with a basement or on a slab foundation?
We faced a similar issue and solved it by placing our office/guest room in the basement, but with a large window and a big light well in front of the window.
Maybe that could be an option for you?
Regards,
Dirk
Are you planning to build with a basement or on a slab foundation?
We faced a similar issue and solved it by placing our office/guest room in the basement, but with a large window and a big light well in front of the window.
Maybe that could be an option for you?
Regards,
Dirk
A two-story house does not necessarily have to be a "town villa." You can just as well build a gable roof or a shed roof on top. With a shed roof, having an exposed roof framework inside can be particularly attractive (provided you don’t absolutely need the attic space).
A sloped ceiling doesn’t have to be a drawback either. If you raise the knee wall high enough, it’s practically like a full floor. Friends of ours have a knee wall of 2.10 m (7 feet).
A sloped ceiling doesn’t have to be a drawback either. If you raise the knee wall high enough, it’s practically like a full floor. Friends of ours have a knee wall of 2.10 m (7 feet).
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