Looking for advice on the placement of house and property

Good morning,

since our construction project has been stalled for many months due to unforeseen reasons (which I will report on once hopefully everything is over!), I haven't been here in the forum for a while.

Now we are suddenly faced with the question of whether we should slightly shift our planned house on the property. I am attaching the current plan. We are seeking advice on the following points:

1) Should we move the house slightly away from the street, and if so, by how much?
Background: We originally planned the house quite close to the street in order to maximize the garden area on the west side. However, first, the nice green embankment at our property boundary will likely be lost in favor of a new path. Second, in the meantime, the likelihood has increased that the state of Berlin might revive long-abandoned plans for a four-lane road, which could start about 5.5 meters behind our property boundary, sometime again in the next few years. Given these circumstances, would you design the front yard a bit more generously at the expense of the garden, so that the east side of the house gets more peace and light? Or leave it as is? Our architect recommends the latter.

2) Should we shift the house a little bit to the left (north)?
From this, we expect a small gain in space on the south side, which could improve the usability of the garden strip there. We think 0.5–0.75 meters might work, but we are unsure if the north strip would then be too narrow? The parking space position is not set in stone, but basically, the north strip should be usable as an access way, parking spot, shed space and/or bicycle parking.

I look forward to your advice and thank you warmly in advance.

Kind regards,

Kaz

to 1) Yes - I would prefer more front garden, possibly at the cost of 2dB less noise pollution to 2) Will it make a difference? I wouldn’t redesign it just for 50 cm more green space - the house looks nicely centered that way

As for right/left, I would keep the house as centered as possible. That looks good.

The ideal distance from the street depends on the intended use. I assume there is no direct access from the house to the front yard, but only via the terrace to the garden. Should the front yard serve merely a representative function (= look nice from the street), or will kitchen herbs and vegetables be grown there, for which you might want to allow a bit more space? Or will there be a children's play area?

If the noisy street is to be located at the (rear?) property boundary, that is, in the northwest, it would be good if the residential building is placed as far away from this boundary as possible to ensure peace. And you should plant the property boundary with trees and bushes, which also act as sound insulation. You should do this right away, because until the street is eventually there, the greenery still needs to grow.

I think the approximately 4m you have currently planned for the front yard is a good compromise. Wide enough to make the area nice and/or useful; you could also place a bench against the house wall there if you want to enjoy the morning sun.

hm... the thing with the street doesn't sound good.

I would... yes, set the house a bit further back so that you can design more spaces in the garden, including a seating area in the east.

I wouldn't place the house any closer to the western property boundary: you have 4.50 meters, of which one meter could already be taken up by a boundary hedge, leaving 3.50 - it shouldn't be less than that if a car is parked there and you still want to move around.

One more tip: I would plan the trash bins closer to the house, since the paths are used more often than the monthly trip from the waste area to the street.

Regards Yvonne

Thanks first of all for the answers! The front garden is not meant to have any representative function but ideally should provide a few pretty useful plants and maybe space for doing yoga and parking bikes. We currently have no neighbors watching from the street; there is only an unpaved path and a stream. Towards the street, there should rather be a hedge or fence that cannot be seen through. Possibly, if the stupid road ever comes, something like a soundproof wall on the inside that can be greened with useful and/or ornamental plants...

Those who recommend a setback towards the west - how much would you suggest? The distance at the moment is 4 meters.

Thanks & regards, Kaz

PS - You are right about the garbage bins, Yvonne; they are still fictional at the moment :)

Those who recommend an offset backwards to the west - how much would you suggest? The distance at the moment is 4 meters.

50cm or 1 meter won't give you an advantage in the SE, but a disadvantage in the NW...