When designing a new building, it's important to understand the constraints of the land you're working with. One key consideration is the setback requirements. Setbacks are the distances a building must be placed away from property lines, and these can significantly influence the buildable area.
This is where our Setback Calculator comes in handy. It helps you calculate the buildable area given the setback requirements.
The setback calculator uses the width and length of your lot along with the front, rear, and side setback requirements to estimate the buildable area. To use the calculator:
After entering the necessary data, the calculator will determine the buildable area of your lot. This area is the result of subtracting the setback requirements from the total width and length of the lot.
Setback requirements vary based on several factors, including:
Assuming you're working with a rectangular lot, let's say the dimensions are 100 feet in length and 60 feet in width. If your local regulations require a front and rear setback of 20 feet, and side setbacks of 10 feet each, how would you calculate the buildable area?
The buildable width of the lot would be the total width of the lot (60 feet) minus the side setbacks (2 * 10 feet), giving you 40 feet. The buildable length would be the total length of the lot (100 feet) minus the front and rear setbacks (20 feet + 20 feet), giving you 60 feet.
Multiplying the buildable width and length gives you the total buildable area: 40 feet * 60 feet equals 2,400 square feet.
So, for this lot with a width of 60 feet, a length of 100 feet, and setbacks of 20 feet (front and rear) and 10 feet (sides), you would have a buildable area of 2,400 square feet.
For more useful tools to assist you in property planning and development, check out our other calculators:
