Hello dear members of the homebuilding forum,
We have finally found a plot of land! I’m very excited to become active here from now on and hope to gain a lot of collective and practical knowledge. We are still at the very beginning. We plan to build a semi-detached house with a larger side for us (about 11x8m (36x26 feet)) and a smaller side (about 7x8m (23x26 feet)). Now we need to decide which side of the plot we should take. Does anyone have any tips?
It is a corner plot, and I have attached a sketch. The small black square at the top is the neighbor’s garden shed, and the large corner on the right is the neighboring house. The street to the west has a sidewalk, and the plots along that street generally have lower fences or hedges. I’m not sure if there are any regulations (such as a maximum height of 1.5m (5 feet)) regarding this. Opposite this street is just a pasture (farm). The street to the south has no sidewalk, and the plots there are very overgrown with tall hedges – usually there is a carport, a wooden gate to the property, and tall hedges along the street.
The corner plot itself is not perfectly rectangular; to the southwest there is a small public parking area (3 parking spaces). We would, of course, like to have as much of a “single-family house character” as possible. We would have the largest garden and more “quiet” if we position our side of the house to the north. However, this means for access either a very long, narrow driveway past the smaller house side (starting at the sidewalk) or a southern driveway, which I don’t really like because I don’t want the mail carrier to be able to look onto the terrace. If we choose our house side to the west, our garden is restricted by the public parking and possibly more overlooked (even upstairs), but this would allow a normal parking space and a normal front yard, and we would have neighbors on only one side, which can also be an advantage. What would you do?
We have finally found a plot of land! I’m very excited to become active here from now on and hope to gain a lot of collective and practical knowledge. We are still at the very beginning. We plan to build a semi-detached house with a larger side for us (about 11x8m (36x26 feet)) and a smaller side (about 7x8m (23x26 feet)). Now we need to decide which side of the plot we should take. Does anyone have any tips?
It is a corner plot, and I have attached a sketch. The small black square at the top is the neighbor’s garden shed, and the large corner on the right is the neighboring house. The street to the west has a sidewalk, and the plots along that street generally have lower fences or hedges. I’m not sure if there are any regulations (such as a maximum height of 1.5m (5 feet)) regarding this. Opposite this street is just a pasture (farm). The street to the south has no sidewalk, and the plots there are very overgrown with tall hedges – usually there is a carport, a wooden gate to the property, and tall hedges along the street.
The corner plot itself is not perfectly rectangular; to the southwest there is a small public parking area (3 parking spaces). We would, of course, like to have as much of a “single-family house character” as possible. We would have the largest garden and more “quiet” if we position our side of the house to the north. However, this means for access either a very long, narrow driveway past the smaller house side (starting at the sidewalk) or a southern driveway, which I don’t really like because I don’t want the mail carrier to be able to look onto the terrace. If we choose our house side to the west, our garden is restricted by the public parking and possibly more overlooked (even upstairs), but this would allow a normal parking space and a normal front yard, and we would have neighbors on only one side, which can also be an advantage. What would you do?
After reading it three times, I have a basic understanding of the plot, but not the house and yard. Since there are no measurements, which are important for setback requirements and parking spaces, please provide those if possible. Is there a cadastral map available? An excerpt from Google Maps would also be helpful.
Who is building? Will it be a developer-built house? How advanced is the planning? Is there a zoning plan / building permit, or is the construction based on Paragraph 34 of the German Building Code (Baugesetzbuch)?
How many parking spaces are required? From which side will the house be accessed—west or south?
It might be better to orient the house differently, for example by rotating it so that the gardens face west. This might also allow all the parking spaces to be positioned closer to the street with only a walkway leading to the front door. This approach has proven practical on many smaller plots, especially where access is from the south.
If possible, it would make sense to create basic templates for the house, entrances, terrace, and parking spaces to experiment with different layouts.
Try to free yourself from the concern about having only a few parking spaces on what seems to be a quiet residential street—you usually don’t notice it. No one stands around staring into other floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street are generally avoided anyway. The postman will appreciate a mailbox at the front near the beginning of the property. There is always a good Plan B instead of adopting a standard cookie-cutter approach.
By the way, the postman will ideally become a familiar person whose first name you eventually know. Any remaining privacy concerns can be managed with a hedge or privacy screen.
Finally, it’s important to consider who the duplex is sufficient for. Do you have children? Do you commute daily to work, or are you seniors who prefer a short route? You should also know your personal preferences—do you prefer a darker interior or want to capture every sunray indoors? The position of the terrace is usually secondary compared to the windows.
Who is building? Will it be a developer-built house? How advanced is the planning? Is there a zoning plan / building permit, or is the construction based on Paragraph 34 of the German Building Code (Baugesetzbuch)?
How many parking spaces are required? From which side will the house be accessed—west or south?
It might be better to orient the house differently, for example by rotating it so that the gardens face west. This might also allow all the parking spaces to be positioned closer to the street with only a walkway leading to the front door. This approach has proven practical on many smaller plots, especially where access is from the south.
If possible, it would make sense to create basic templates for the house, entrances, terrace, and parking spaces to experiment with different layouts.
jolovyn schrieb:
But this means for the driveway: either a very long, narrow driveway alongside the smaller half of the duplex (starting at the sidewalk), or a southern driveway, which I don’t really like if the postman can look onto the terrace. If we choose our half of the duplex on the west side, our garden is restricted by the public parking lot and there might be more visibility into our windows (including upstairs) -
jolovyn schrieb:
What would you do?
Try to free yourself from the concern about having only a few parking spaces on what seems to be a quiet residential street—you usually don’t notice it. No one stands around staring into other floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street are generally avoided anyway. The postman will appreciate a mailbox at the front near the beginning of the property. There is always a good Plan B instead of adopting a standard cookie-cutter approach.
By the way, the postman will ideally become a familiar person whose first name you eventually know. Any remaining privacy concerns can be managed with a hedge or privacy screen.
Finally, it’s important to consider who the duplex is sufficient for. Do you have children? Do you commute daily to work, or are you seniors who prefer a short route? You should also know your personal preferences—do you prefer a darker interior or want to capture every sunray indoors? The position of the terrace is usually secondary compared to the windows.
H
hanghaus20233 Feb 2026 11:05I ideally need the address and the cadastral plan. These are always provided when purchasing the plot of land. Is there a slope?
Thank you very much for the quick responses; I am so grateful that someone is willing to think along!
I am attaching the documents I have. The notary appointment is scheduled for next week. Currently, the plot is a parking lot, and I prefer not to share the exact address in a forum. The local authority has approved the conversion of the parking lot into building land. The application included a sketch that also showed two access points. The development plan is: Lower Saxony, one full floor, 0.4 plot ratio, 0.6 floor space index, only single-family or semi-detached houses allowed. According to my research, we need 3 parking spaces for a semi-detached house, but I have not yet received official information on this. We are planning a large half of a semi-detached house for our family (2 adults, 2 children) and a classic narrow semi-detached half for rental. I am somewhat concerned that we will cast a shadow over the neighbors’ southwest-facing terrace.
In the lower left, there is a tall English oak tree that must not be cut down.
I am attaching the documents I have. The notary appointment is scheduled for next week. Currently, the plot is a parking lot, and I prefer not to share the exact address in a forum. The local authority has approved the conversion of the parking lot into building land. The application included a sketch that also showed two access points. The development plan is: Lower Saxony, one full floor, 0.4 plot ratio, 0.6 floor space index, only single-family or semi-detached houses allowed. According to my research, we need 3 parking spaces for a semi-detached house, but I have not yet received official information on this. We are planning a large half of a semi-detached house for our family (2 adults, 2 children) and a classic narrow semi-detached half for rental. I am somewhat concerned that we will cast a shadow over the neighbors’ southwest-facing terrace.
In the lower left, there is a tall English oak tree that must not be cut down.
Thank you very much for the quick responses; I’m so grateful that someone is willing to think along!
I’m attaching the documents I have. The notary appointment is still scheduled for next week. Currently, the plot is a parking lot, and I prefer not to share the exact address in a public forum (maybe via private message?). The municipality has approved the conversion of the parking lot into building land. The application included a sketch showing two access points. The development plan is: Lower Saxony, one full storey, 0.4 plot ratio, 0.6 floor space index, only single-family or semi-detached houses allowed. According to my research, we need 3 parking spaces for a semi-detached house, but I haven’t received official information on this yet. We are planning a large half of a semi-detached house for our family (2 adults, 2 children) and a narrower classic semi-detached unit for rental. I am a bit concerned about the fact that we will be shading the neighbor’s southwest-facing terrace…
In the lower left corner, there is a tall pedunculate oak tree that must not be cut down.
I’m attaching the documents I have. The notary appointment is still scheduled for next week. Currently, the plot is a parking lot, and I prefer not to share the exact address in a public forum (maybe via private message?). The municipality has approved the conversion of the parking lot into building land. The application included a sketch showing two access points. The development plan is: Lower Saxony, one full storey, 0.4 plot ratio, 0.6 floor space index, only single-family or semi-detached houses allowed. According to my research, we need 3 parking spaces for a semi-detached house, but I haven’t received official information on this yet. We are planning a large half of a semi-detached house for our family (2 adults, 2 children) and a narrower classic semi-detached unit for rental. I am a bit concerned about the fact that we will be shading the neighbor’s southwest-facing terrace…
In the lower left corner, there is a tall pedunculate oak tree that must not be cut down.
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