House designs for narrow plots

With the density of modern construction and rising land prices, purchasing long and narrow plots is becoming the norm. After purchasing such a territory, the problem of building a house arises, because its width is only 15-25 m.

Not every such house will look like a long barracks. There is a large selection of original design solutions. Inexpensive house designs for narrow lots can be attractive and practical. Many of them are adapted to specific regions of the country.

Features of narrow houses

Many narrow house designs are not only attractive, but also quite spacious. Such houses provide a full range of rooms necessary to accommodate a medium and large family. When creating standard type layouts, the following principles are used:

Increasing the height of the house - a building located on a narrow site is usually built two-story, with an insulated attic.
The interior spaces are expanded by equipping the ground floor. For a comfortable stay, several windows are installed on it.
The house is placed in such a way that the end walls are oriented to the east and west for optimal natural light.
The use of a chalet roof allows you to place a terrace next to the house.

When building a cottage on a narrow plot, the landscape design must meet certain requirements. If you create a competent development project, you can profitably use the territory while maintaining privacy even if neighbors are close.

Cottages located on a narrow territory are distinguished by several features:

elongated plan;
the gables facing the street;
one or two blank walls;
windows located on the brighter side, or panoramic structures;
the presence of bay windows, attic windows and second-light windows;
the ground floor, which houses a storage room, training room or boiler room;
overhang of the second floor over the terrace;
installation of a compact single-flight staircase.

Such features of projects for narrow areas can not only visually increase the space inside the house, but also make future housing more comfortable.

Construction

You can buy designs for narrow houses from construction companies, or you can make them yourself. If you do not have experience in design, it is better to stick to a ready-made template, since typical designs can be easily adapted to the chosen site.

On a suitable site, one-story or two-story houses with an attic are usually built, and houses that are located on small plots are important to be well and properly insulated. This is due to the fact that the energy efficiency of such houses is several times less when compared with ordinary square houses.

It is better to place the kitchen and living room at the end side, and make the bedrooms on the second floor. So that you do not have to block the light flow, the ladder should under no circumstances be placed at the end. In the finished projects, everything is taken into account, namely the location of utilities and the entry of heavy equipment. The houses themselves are placed on the shaded sides of the site, which makes it possible to move freely on the sunny side.

Project selection

You can find many projects for narrow areas: one-story and two-story, with a terrace and a garage, having different shapes and layouts. Construction is carried out taking into account the geometry of the building, the terrain and the location of nearby objects.

When creating a project for a narrow area, the wishes of the owners are taken into account. The following options are possible:

Typical buildings that are repeated in unchanged architectural solutions, in a mirror image or with minor changes.
Creating an order taking into account the individual wishes of the site owners. To do this, you will need to invite architects who will take into account all the features of the site.
Typically, houses on narrow sites are built with a pediment facing the street.
Such buildings are built closer to the shaded border. It is also necessary to take into account the placement of communications.
When designing a house on a narrow plot, one should not forget about the location of technical buildings.

Important! Narrow areas are areas that are no more than 25 m wide.

House for a rectangular plot

Houses located on narrow rectangular sites are usually made two-story, with an attic. If the second floor is larger than the first, you can save a lot of space. When walls overlook a neighbor's house or fence, they are usually made without windows. This is due to privacy and low lighting levels. Lighted spaces should be used more efficiently.

Large windows in rectangular houses look great and let in a lot of light. Windows are enlarged by installing slopes and projections.

Tips to consider when building a narrow house:

If there are several floors, the staircase should be chosen with one flight. It is placed against a long wall.
The layout of houses built on narrow plots requires a minimum number of partitions. The best solution is to install sliding structures.

The calculation of the required width of a narrow section is carried out based on certain indicators. The width of an ordinary house is from 9 to 10 m. 3 m is left to the fences on each side. The width of the garage is from 3.5-4 m. As a result, the width of the plot is 20 m. To this number add the passage to the far side of the plot - another 3 m. The total is 23 m.

Attention! In a narrow area, the base area is often reduced and the building is raised in height. Usually they have 2 floors and a residential attic. Due to this, the house narrows to 5-7 m. A good solution is to place the garage under the roof of the house.

If the site is located with a West-East orientation, the house is installed with its wide side facing north. The adjacent area is shaded by the building. There is a terrace on the south side. If the site is oriented in a North-South position, the house is located as far as possible to the northern boundary of the site. It is better to install a bathhouse behind it. The road to the house is made to fit the width of the car track.

American house

This building is quite large. It includes two floors and has dimensions of 6x12 m. Similar projects are popular in America. They have full functionality, due to which the comfort of living in them is quite high.

On the ground floor there is a living room, offices, a small bathroom and a kitchen combined with a dining room. The second floor includes two bedrooms and two children's rooms. There is a bathroom next to the bedroom. On the second floor there is a combined unit with a shower.

Kinds

There are several variations of standard structures that are suitable for developing non-standard areas. Such houses are already designed taking into account the characteristics of a narrow strip of land and allow ergonomic use of the site area.

American type

Quite a popular option for private sector development in the USA. The house has a rectangular shape, typical dimensions are 6x12 meters. Moreover, the building is two-story, so all household premises and utilities can be placed inside for a comfortable stay.

The layout usually looks like this:

the first floor contains a living room large enough for such a cottage, a combined kitchen-dining room, an office and a bathroom;
on the second floor there are two spacious bedrooms - a master and a guest, as well as two children's bedrooms. In addition, there is a bathroom and another small room with a toilet and shower.

This house is designed for a family with 2-3 children, while also leaving space for receiving guests. The two-story building allows for privacy with private rooms, but also creates a common space where residents can gather and spend time together.

With attic

This is a more economical option than a two-story one. The construction of such a building requires less material, but the presence of an attic allows for additional living space. The house, as a rule, has parameters of 16.5x5 meters, while the ceiling on the first floor is quite high, which creates a feeling of spaciousness. A large porch is attached to the end of the building.

A typical layout involves the following arrangement of rooms:

on the ground floor there is a comfortable living room combined with a small kitchen, a dressing room and a toilet;
on the second floor there is a recreation area, which includes two bedrooms, each with a separate bathroom.

This option is suitable for a young couple or a family with a child. One of the bedrooms can be turned into a children's room. The presence of separate bathrooms will allow all residents to feel comfortable.

With garage

Many people have a car, so you also need to provide a place for it on the site. The garage can be installed directly under the roof of the house, while leaving enough living space inside. Such a structure will be slightly longer - 19x6.5 meters, which allows it to accommodate everything you need.

The layout of such houses includes:

a garage on the ground floor, and access to it can be either through the entrance gate or through a separate door from inside the building;
in addition, below there is a kitchen, combined in the same space with the living room, and a toilet;
on the second floor there are three spacious living rooms in which you can equip bedrooms and children's rooms, as well as two bathrooms.

Inside there is everything you need for life, and the layout with a garage under the roof allows you not to clutter the site with additional structures and save a little during construction.

Narrow house with attic

The length of such a house is 16.5 m and the width is 5 m. The first floor is quite high, which creates a feeling of spaciousness when you are inside the house. The porch is attached to the end of the building. Thanks to the high roof, the attic is quite spacious.

The first floor includes a living room separated from the rest of the rooms, a large dressing room and a bathroom, which is located under the stairs. The second floor accommodates two bathrooms and bedrooms.

What rooms must be

Regardless of whether the house is narrow or wide, some rooms must be present in the space. If desired, each home owner can add his own ideas, adding additional rooms to the space. Any of the houses should have:

Plan of a one-story narrow cottage with a living room studio

Living room.
Bedroom.
Kitchen.
Bathroom.
Children's room.

This is the minimum list of rooms that must be present in the building plan.

Very long house

In this project, the house has a minimum width of only 5 m. Its length is 21.6 m. The project is an interesting solution for construction on a small plot of land. It includes ease of construction and attractive architectural forms. Since the project is highly functional, it should be considered in detail.

The structure is similar to the previous one. The difference between them is the location of one of the bedrooms. This room is located on the first floor. The remaining living quarters are moved to the second one. There is also a bathroom here.

Such designs of two-story houses for narrow plots are the most convenient and attractive.

Buying a plot

There are many geographic locations where only narrow lots are sold. Usually they are the most desirable places to live - on the shore of a lake or sea, at the foot of a picturesque mountain, in small old towns. Despite their inconvenient dimensions, these areas are quite popular.

However, it is inconvenient to build a house on them. This comes with some limitations. Fire and sanitary standards regulate the construction of a house at a distance of more than 6 m from neighbors. The minimum distance from the house to the boundaries of the site is 3 m. If these regulatory requirements are met, only 6-9 m of land remains suitable for construction.

Finding a convenient and attractive architectural solution is not always an easy task. All rooms should be located in one line, which leads to narrowing of the rooms and facing the windows towards the neighbors. And along the house there is an inconvenient corridor. However, these problems can be solved with the right choice of site.

When choosing a suitable site for a house, special attention is paid to its geotechnical characteristics. The layout of narrow and long houses often involves the creation of a basement. This allows you to install a boiler room under the house.

It is worth considering that house designs for narrow plots with a basement are almost 20% more expensive than similar ones, but without a basement. It is worth asking your neighbors about the peculiarities of basement maintenance. Perhaps during the spring flood it is flooded. In this case, additional protective measures will be required.

A water-soil analysis is required, which will help determine which basement to build - maximally protected from water or dry.

Landscape design options

To create high-quality landscape design you need to know the rules. But this is not enough. More inspiration is needed. It will help you choose your own yard layout option, which does not necessarily have to be subject to the listed principles. Before going to a designer, it is advisable to be inspired by examples of existing successful artificial landscapes.

Small narrow area

In the photo below you can see a design option for a narrow courtyard with a minimum area. The available couple of acres of land are used mainly for landscaping. A path leads to the house, encircling flower beds in wooden tubs. Right at the entrance to the house there is a small area for a summer recreation area. This landscape layout of a narrow plot is suitable for a young family without children.

Narrow courtyard with wooden flower bedsSource tamume.yola.access.ly

Yard with a terrace at the end

The picture below shows the backyard design for a narrow backyard. There is no front area here, as it is located on the other side of the house. This layout option is chosen by people seeking privacy. It is also suitable for those cases when the house is located near a noisy and polluted highway. The main part of the yard is occupied by a lawn. A small space is allocated for a compact greenhouse.

It is worth noting that such removal of the terrace from the house is used quite rarely. It is not very convenient, since family meals and receptions are usually held on the terrace, and it is better if it is not far from the main building. However, such an arrangement of elements will be fully justified if a summer kitchen is built on the terrace.

Terrace at the end of the yardSource safechaos.net

Yard with low fence

In quiet holiday villages, you can fence off areas with conditional low fences. With this solution, the site does not look disproportionate. Especially if the cottage stands almost close to its rear border and visually makes the territory more square.

Narrow plot with low fencingSource ecohouse163.ru

House with pool

Even in a small narrow area, if desired, you can install a swimming pool, while abandoning the remaining functional areas. If you plan to arrange the site in this way, it is better to build the house closer to the red line so that a courtyard is formed for arranging a beach area hidden from prying eyes.

Backyard with poolSource houzz.in

Yard with parking

It is very difficult to place a car in a small narrow area; it is easier to organize parking behind the gate. On the territory of a large yard you can build a full-fledged garage. And for medium-sized plots (4-8 acres), the best option is a parking space under a canopy. It can only be located at the entrance itself. But if you think carefully about the design of the parking lot and fit it into the landscape of the site, it will not harm the decoration, but on the contrary, it will perfectly complement it, as in the photo below.

Parking at the entrance to the yardSource pinterest.com

Site design

Projects of houses located on an elongated territory are complex solutions. They worked out all the details of the location of premises, the provision of communications and the construction of outbuildings.

Such projects include a septic tank, lighting, wells, and a garage. To aesthetically design the territory, they resort to the following solutions:

Divide the site into several zones. Trellis, arches, bushes and trees are used for this purpose. The zones are not completely isolated. This eliminates the transformation of an already narrow area into several small “corners”.
It would be better if you make winding paths on the site, at the turns of which a new view of the site will open.
Trees and bushes are planted in groups in triangles. They should be placed on the site in such a way that they form paths.
The shape of the site will also be improved due to the elements of landscape lighting. Sculptures and decorative elements are installed in the garden.

Such features of arranging a narrow area help increase its attractiveness.