Orientation of single-family house + garage on west-east plot with street on the west

Hello everyone,

I have been reading here for a long time and am now registering myself :-)
We are just at the very beginning of the planning, but already have a plot with an old building. See site plan no. 180/245. (North is straight up)
The current building is about 14.50m x 8.50m. The plot is about 20m x 40m.
Renovation is too expensive and with demolition and new construction we can now decide ourselves where to position the house.
(There is no development plan, so the distance areas should more or less serve as a guideline like the surrounding buildings).

Goal: for the new building we would like to construct a building of roughly the same size, but adjust the positioning on the plot so that the garden is not completely divided (into west and east). Realistically, we will mainly be on one side and therefore want to maximize one area.

Challenge: road in the west, plot west-east => if we place the house (as most recommend) to the east to optimize the west garden, then either there is an endlessly long driveway (if the garage is placed to the east) or a long footpath from garage to house (if the garage remains by the road). The easiest would therefore be to move road and house to the west and optimize the east garden, but here we are "afraid" that it will get too cold in the evening.

Therefore my questions:
- Do you see a possibility to have the house by the road (west) and still somehow catch the evening sun in the garden and living area (possibly through a bay window, angled house, etc.)?
- If you place the house to the east, where would you position the garage?
- Would you keep the entrance - as in the old building - on the north or move it to the west side (so you don't have to walk past the house)?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

and optimizing the East garden, but here we are "afraid" that it will get too cold in the evening.

Do you believe that in the evening on the east side of your property the temperature is different than at the same time on the west side? It is not. Only during the day, when the sun shines, in the shade, where the sun has not yet been, can you notice more relaxed temperatures than where it is shining.

Realistically, we will mainly be on one side and thus want to maximize one area.

Realistically, you are outside in the garden when the weather is good and need enough space near the entrance/street to arrive, leave, park cars, and for the children to sometimes use the pavement with 2- or 4-wheeled vehicles. I would therefore not plan the driveway area too narrowly, because whether a garden is 13 or 15 meters deep at the back is not noticeably more advantageous then.

then there is either an endlessly long driveway (if the garage is placed to the east) or a long walking path from garage to house (if the garage is left at the street).

I do not see any “endlessly long driveway” nor a “long walking path” on a 40-meter-long plot at all. 7 meters driveway, then a carport of 6 meters (or 9 with AB), then 2 meters to the house, 10 meters house, leaving 15 meters to the back. You do not have to do it that way, but many do and are not unhappy.

Do you see a possibility to have the house facing the street (west) and still somehow catch the evening sun in the garden and living area (possibly through a bay window, angled house, or similar)?

You can catch the evening sun well in the house through west-facing windows. A bay window is not necessary. A house can do that even facing the street. However, a floor plan that develops differently can handle a bay window well. It all depends on the house planning.

Would you leave the entrance—like the old building—on the north side or move it to the west side (so you don’t have to walk past the house)?

I would plan all of that completely, including the floor plan and daily routines, where you might stay during the day or possibly only sit outside in the evening for a sundowner. The entrance situation can be like that but does not have to be. It also depends on how tall the neighboring buildings are and what the outward impression tells you about where the favorite spot might be. Sketch the property and cut out templates of the elements house, garage, parking space, driveway, and terraces (paper and cut-out elements). You can easily use the standard widths of 3 meters for garage length of 6 meters, terraces in 2-meter steps, driveway, too. Template cars. Draw arrows and circles for the sun in winter and summer. Photograph what you lay out. Do not hesitate to move 2 or 4 meters, because it does not rain 24/7. And: do not observe yourself in the garden 24/7 either. You still have things to do inside, and from O to O you don’t want to constantly look at packed-up garden elements.

Renovation is too expensive, and with demolition and new construction, we can now decide ourselves where the house will be located.

To what extent is the first part of the sentence a well-established fact or rather influenced by the second part? - I find the trend toward generously "just get rid of the old stock" alarming.

The easiest would therefore be to move the street and house to the west and optimize the east garden, but here we have "fear" that it will get too cold in the evening.

In the evening, the sun comes from the west, so it does not stay on the garden fence between 155 (154) and your property, but at most at your own house height. The west sun of these neighbors and yours is the same! and on your side only nominally falls into an "east garden."

- If you place the house to the east, where would you position the garage?
- Would you leave the entrance—as with the old building—on the north side or move it to the west side (so you don't have to walk past the house)?

Question 2: probably yes; an entrance on the eaves side means less traffic area inside the house; Question 1: I ALWAYS plan first for the people—the car child gets the room that remains.

Is there going to be anything from you here? Feedback? Replies?

So far, I have not gotten beyond the 2 "likes" – sorry!

Thank you very much for your responses; they have already triggered some new considerations.

Here are my current thoughts:

Do you believe that in the evening the temperature on the east side of your property is different than at the same time on the west side?
It is not.
Only during the day, when the sun is shining, can you notice more relaxed temperatures in the shade, where the sun has not yet been, than where it is blazing.

I always hear that it gets cold faster in the evening on the east terrace – but I have no personal experience.

I do not see an "eternally long driveway" or a "long walk" at all on a 40-meter property length.
7 meters driveway, then a carport of 6 meters (or 9 with AB), then 2 meters to the house, 10 meters house, leaving 15 meters to the back. You don’t have to do it this way, but many do and are not unhappy.

Yes, that basically makes sense. Here we would just have to see how that works with 2 parking spaces without having to push the house south to avoid reducing the south garden. (Otherwise, according to the current resident, the house casts shadow especially in winter on the south side at some point).

Sketch the property and create templates of the elements house, garage, parking space, driveway, and terraces. (Cut out paper and elements.) You can take the standard value of 3 meters width for the garage, 6 meters in length, terraces in 2-meter increments, driveway as well. Template cars. Draw the sun with arrows and circles for winter and summer. Photograph what you lay out. Don’t hesitate to choose 2 or 4 meters because it does not rain 24/7.
And: don’t look at the garden 24/7. There is still something to do inside and from O to O you do not want to constantly look at packed up garden elements.

Good idea. We already started that and came across another question: in which direction would you have more privacy in the garden? To the east there is a rather large house with a nice south garden and balcony => if they always look into your east garden, that might not be so great. And if you choose the west garden with a long driveway: how do you keep it from being visible from the street? I also added a Google Maps excerpt; you can see the surroundings there. The current house is in the middle. It’s of course still an option, but I have the feeling that you mainly use one side and then maximize it.

How much is the first part of the sentence a verified fact or rather influenced by the second part? – I find the trend to generously "get rid of the old stock" alarming.

Thanks for the challenge. We have now explicitly inquired again with a building expert to avoid that construction companies just want to sell new builds.
So far, these were roughly the statements:
- Renovation around 700k. (Three companies estimated this independently, but with the input "renovate to nearly new-build standard, i.e., e.g., including underfloor heating). New build depending on the offer between 800k and 1.1M (all-in, including demolition, ancillary building costs, etc.). So if you get something for 900k, renovation does not seem to make sense.
Regarding renovation, it was noted:
- Basement with damp spots (built in 1964, no current standard regarding insulation) needs to be dried if you want to use it as a guest room or similar
- ETICS facade needs to be renewed
- All windows must be replaced
- Ceiling heights too low for underfloor heating
In addition, we have our own minimal wishes like new bathrooms, new kitchen, and new floor plans (floor plans are the easiest since there are many options on how to achieve that.)

But as I said, we asked again what really must be done. And if you leave the basement damp and give up underfloor heating, you can probably save a lot... but whether it’s worth it compared to new construction... that still needs to be considered!

In the evening, the sun comes from the west, so it does not remain stuck at the garden fence between 155 (154) and your property but at most at your own house height. The west sun of these neighbors and yours is the same! and on your side only nominally falls into an "east garden."

Correct, but presumably the terrace will still be in the shade from the afternoon.
Is there a simple way to find out how far the west sun still “comes over the house” in summer versus winter?


Thanks again for your thoughts. Our heads are still smoking – especially east versus west (at the street or away from it) is really not easy.

=>when they always look into the East Garden,

But why on earth should they be looking into your garden? Are you particularly VIP, ugly, or beautiful? If I were in their position, I would have far more problems, like you copying something from them when using the pool, maybe being jealous, or just currying favor to be able to use the pool sometimes. If you are afraid of neighbors, then you need to choose a different property or protect yourself from views with privacy screening.