House placement on plot with road to the south

Hello everyone,

we are going to buy a plot of land of approximately 530m². The width is about 18m, the length about 29m. The location of the plot in a newly developed residential area is basically good. However, the adjoining street to the south, as seen from the plot (parcel 327):


To the north there are "normal" single-family houses with 1 or 1.5 stories. To the south, 2-3 story apartment buildings with 8 apartments will be built in the next few years. We are aware that the orientation of the plot brings some challenges that would not be acceptable to everyone. Nevertheless, we have consciously decided on it because it meets our wishes in terms of size, price, and layout.

At the moment, we are at the beginning of planning a suitable floor plan. The plot has a building setback line of 3m to the south and 5m to the north. We would like to build a house of about 9 x 12m (+-, we are not 100% fixed on this). We envision a house with 1.5 stories, with a west-facing living/dining/kitchen area and a flat roof gable. At the moment, we tend toward a gable entrance. In addition, a garage/carport and possibly an attached storage/bicycle room. No basement. The development plan permits 2-story construction but only a eaves height of 4m....


Regarding placement on the plot, we are not quite sure. Therefore my question: Where would you put the house including the garage? As far north as possible, with a south/west terrace? In my opinion, that would waste a lot of space (due to the 5m building setback). But on the other hand, it would have a lot of sunshine. Or rather by the street to the south and then a north/west terrace? That would probably be optimal to use the plot space optimally. However, then there would be little sun in the garden from autumn onwards. And if the neighbor to the west uses the full 9.5m ridge height and places his house unfavorably (for us), then it will be dark in winter. Neighbor development is completely unclear. I myself grew up in a house with a north terrace and a similar plot layout and size, and I don't perceive that as a disadvantage. However, as a child, you don't sit on the terrace that much :) My wife tends more toward the southern solution, which I can also understand.

We would like to hear a few opinions on this. Where and how would you place and orient your house and garage/carport? And why? Looking forward to any feedback!

Best regards from Hanover
Christoph

Is there significant traffic on the street to the south? If not, place the house maximally to the north and then soak up the sun in the south. You get 10 months more of it per year. For two hot months a year, you can retreat to a shady little seating area on the north side of the house.

The situation is almost identical for us, a plot of 17x31m and a street to the south. We also thought about it for a long time and decided on the south garden. If your western neighbor chooses a south garden, then because of their house the sun will basically be gone from your north garden in the afternoons for almost all months of the year. And living spaces on the south side are worth their weight in gold in winter.

Trickier is the appropriate arrangement of garage/carport, walkway, etc. in the case of [Südgarten]. However, there are acceptable solutions that work quite well even with a plot 1m narrower than yours.

Is there significant traffic on the road in the south? If not, house maximum to the north and then soak up the sun in the south. You get more of it for 10 months a year. For two hot months a year, you can hide in a shady little seating area in the north of the house.

Thank you for your feedback. No, the road will not be heavily trafficked. Only by the residents.

More tricky is the proper arrangement of garage/carport, walkway, etc. in case of a south garden. But there are acceptable solutions that even work quite well with a plot 1m narrower than yours.

Thanks. What do you have in mind? I would tend to put the garage on the street and then the house behind it. Only the paths need to be considered, but overall there would be less sealed surface. That is my thought process regarding the north terrace.

How close to the street are you allowed to place the garage? Often, a minimum distance of 5 meters from the street is required so that a car can fit in front of the garage without being on the street. I would place the garage close to or on the eastern boundary, but rather shift it further north so that the ground floor of the house might get sunlight earlier from the east. The house should be directly adjacent to the garage. In front of the house, depending on the distance from the house to the street, perhaps one parking space perpendicular or two parking spaces parallel to the house. Presumably, at least two parking spaces will be required. And then the terrace at the south/west corner of the house.

How close to the street are you allowed to place the garage? Often a minimum distance of 5 meters from the street is required so that a car has space in front of the garage without standing on the street. I would place the garage near or on the eastern boundary, but rather push it further north so that perhaps earlier sunlight can reach the ground floor of the house from the east. The house would be directly adjacent to the garage. Depending on the distance from the house to the street, possibly one parking space perpendicular or two parking spaces longitudinally in front of the house. Presumably, at least two parking spaces are required. And then the terrace at the south/west corner of the house.

If I read the development plan correctly, then there is a limit of 3 meters. To my knowledge, 2 parking spaces are not necessary but desired by us. I am calculating with a driveway of at least 4-5 meters. With a south terrace, I would also tend to push the garage further north.