It is unnecessary to have a vast territory to build a spacious, functional, and practical home. If you inherited a small plot or the budget does not allow you to purchase a large one, there is always the opportunity to equip your cozy nest even on a small property; it must be two-story, with a full-fledged, and not an attic, second floor. This construction option is ideal for building a private house within the city since small and narrow areas are usually allocated for private construction in cities.
Designing a future building
To build a comfortable and convenient house on a small or narrow plot of land while not taking up space with unnecessary or little-used rooms, partitions, and other building solutions, it is necessary to prepare a carefully thought-out project including well-organized internal and external zoning.
In the absence of experience in this matter, it is better to seek help from qualified specialists who will offer either a ready-made standard solution or design an individual project, considering your wishes.
Sometimes, all ideas and wishes for construction can be limited by the composition of the soil or the terrain. It is essential to pay attention to these difficulties and to use regulatory papers while designing to avoid future damage to the building’s foundation or walls.
The advantages of small plots
A small plot has several advantages:
- It does not require significant investments. The more compact the site, the fewer costs not only for its arrangement but also for its subsequent maintenance;
- In addition, due to the limited territory, the outbuildings, if planned, will be located nearby, everything will be at hand, which will create the comfort of servicing the environment;
- Within a small space, it is easier to create coziness and decoration;
- Caring for the adjacent territory does not require much time and effort. You don’t have to spend hours getting rid of weeds or mowing vast lawns. Tidying up and maintaining order will be a feasible task for people of all ages.
Rationality and style
Modern two-story cottages have an attractive façade, an energy-efficient building form, and a simple interior design. These are just a few of the benefits of small-scale home projects. However, not so long ago, they were considered less attractive than one-story houses or cottages with an attic second level. The situation has changed because recently, cubic architectural forms and places with flat roofs have become relevant.
The shape of the two-story building, whether it has a trendy flat roof or a classic pitched roof, fits better with the surroundings of urban structures, which often have austere and restrained architecture. In addition, the facades, designed in a modern style with the use of expansive glazing, concrete, and metal elements, fully correspond to the urban atmosphere.
The square shape of the building allows the most rational way to distribute the internal space, obtain a comfortable layout, and use every square meter of the house with maximum benefit. In addition, square buildings are the most energy-efficient since their facades do not have several “cold bridges” that occur during complex structures with ledges, arches, bay windows, etc. The thing is that “cold bridges” are formed in joints and bends, and the simpler the structure of the external walls, the better they retain heat. It will not be superfluous to note the financial efficiency of the construction of square houses. A characteristic feature of the new generation of cottages is a flat roof. However, it is not always possible to build private houses with a roof without slopes for one reason or another. Therefore, if the house has a classic pitched roof, it is better to design the slopes completely sloping, with an inclination angle of 30-40 degrees. In this case, the building will have a modern silhouette. The roof can be four or gable. The second option is more economical in construction and provides higher heat savings.
There is a living area on the ground floor with a living room, kitchen, and storage rooms. The second floor is a night area with bedrooms, bathroom, dressing room. Suppose people of different generations live in the house. In that case, the two-story option will allow the most optimal way to divide the residential area so that no one interferes with anyone. In the layout of a two-story house, zoning is carried out by levels. At the same time, one-story buildings are zoned using a complex communication scheme, including additional halls and corridors, which are no usable areas. This means that a dwelling on one level initially needs to be designed with a larger size, otherwise, due to corridors. As a result, the square of residential premises will be reduced.
House location Ideas
If you want to build a spacious home on a small plot, it is essential to use the available space rationally. If there are many tenants, and you need many rooms and accessible space, you will have to build a cottage with two or three floors. This option is optimal for small plots, although it will cost significantly more than constructing a one-story building.
Additional rooms in the cottage can be located not only in the attic but also underground. That is, to provide for a basement floor. Such a solution is ideal if you also need storage rooms, a cellar, a billiard room, a gym, a sauna. But what can I say, in the basement you can also place a garage, thereby saving space for it on the site. The house’s size must be proportional to the plot’s size. Otherwise, the norms of SNiP may be violated, which is fraught with checks and fines. The ideal ratio is 1 to 8 or 1 to 10. However, if you do not need additional buildings, seedlings, landscape design, you can build a house and a larger area – the main thing is not to violate the norms of distances from the borders of neighboring plots.
It is better not to place the house in the middle of the existing territory but move it slightly to the side of the distant borders. This will allow you to arrange all the necessary auxiliary buildings, set up a garden, organize a vegetable garden or a gazebo for relaxation.
What should you look for when choosing a house project for a narrow area?
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Window
The location of the windows is significant in terms of distance from the border of the land plot. Remember that every home project must be adapted to local conditions. During the project preparation phase, window openings are often adjusted to be placed on an elongated section.
When planning changes in the project, pay attention to the fact that by reducing the area of windows on one facade, it is necessary to compensate for the lack of glazing by using other facades. According to the technical conditions, windows in residential premises should be at least 1/8 of the floor area.
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Doors
If it is assumed that the house will be located just a few meters from the plot’s border, while it will face the entrance to the courtyard with a narrow part, then the entry can only be in the side thin facade. This is not the most common option for placing the entrance area, but just such a solution allows very economical use of the site under the entrance.
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Building type
If the site is narrow but long, you can build a comfortable one-story house on it. However, if there is a tiny area, you need to make a cottage with an attic or a classic two-story country house to get a comfortable home for a family.
Building a one-story house on a small plot won’t be easy to zone and insolate with high quality. In addition, it will not be possible to equip a spacious open-plan guest area. And in a two-story building, zoning is carried out simply by floors, and even with a minimum number of square meters, the layout will be rational and functional.
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Facade
A house on a narrow plot should have a simple form without architectural frills. But this does not mean that it must necessarily be uninteresting and straightforward in design. So, for example, due to the configuration of the roof, you can give the building an original and attractive look. The entrance to the house is worth emphasizing with a beautiful porch made in the architectural style that is taken as a basis. An open terrace is used for optical magnification of the living room. Graceful balconies and dormers will make the building look more complete and respectable.
It is better to decorate a cottage built on a narrow area with light-colored cladding. In addition to the effect of a visual increase in the volume of the building, the light finish provides other advantages – it always looks fresh and tidy. It is organically combined with the greenery of the garden.
If the house is deployed with a wide facade towards the street, its arrangement will be much easier. In this case, there will be no particular restrictions on the location of the windows, and the rooms will receive enough light, it will look more harmonious, and if necessary, you can attach a side garage to it.
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Garage
A building facing the street with a narrow facade is quite challenging to complement with an adjoining garage. In most cases, the front facade for a garage extension is not suitable since it is given under the entrance area. If you attach a garage to the side, the building will be expanded, and the required distance from the border of the land plot will not be observed. In addition, the garage will cover the wall that could have windows. Only the rear facade remains. However, to enter it, you will need to lay a road along with the entire house, which will take up the precious space of the local area.
There is also an option for an underground garage. This is the most optimal way out of the situation. But here, one must remember that underground structures cannot be built in areas with weak soil or high groundwater. And yet – the underground garage requires a sufficiently long and gentle drive, which also needs a place.
Conclusion
To build a spacious house on a small plot of land that is in harmony with the surrounding area and does not violate the norms, building it up and down is unnecessary. It is enough to plan the future premises well and rationally decorate, lighting, and place all the necessary furniture and accessories. Such a house will become spacious and comfortable, but it will be convenient to maintain, economical to maintain, and easy to plan thanks to its small area.
