Hey hey,
I’m new here and have a question for you.
We recently built a house in a nice new development in beautiful Bavaria. Unfortunately, the building plot is located on a busy main road through the town, which we admittedly underestimated beforehand.
The situation is that we have been struggling with the road noise for months (actually since the very beginning). It’s a constant up and down every day. The fact is, the traffic is sometimes so loud that it wakes us up in the morning or is even audible while watching TV. Especially trucks or motorcycles. It’s really starting to get on our nerves and is very draining mentally. Plus, we just weren’t used to this from our previous apartment. So we can’t really settle in properly. It’s wearing us down slowly but surely, and we simply don’t feel comfortable here. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a psychological burden over time.
The reason we chose this plot in the first place was simply due to the lack of alternatives. And we thought we wouldn’t hear the road noise. In hindsight, that was a mistake. You have to be very lucky to find something affordable in a perfect location here.
But now we are actually lucky… we were offered an affordable building plot in a completely quiet area of a new development with a great view and good infrastructure. The plot is closer to our jobs, has the same size, a reasonable price, and above all offers one thing: the prospect of absolute peace (apart from future neighbors, of course). The plot was offered to us by the local council, where we had applied years ago without success. Ironically, now that we have just built but don’t really feel at home here, we received an offer from the council.
So we are seriously considering going through the house-building adventure again and giving it another shot. This would mean financing the plot through the bank, selling our current house, and building on the new plot within the next 3 years. Apart from the renewed construction stress… we do feel somewhat uneasy, especially because of the financial risk. Although with the new house, we expect to come out significantly cheaper (we estimate €50,000–60,000 less), because the plot is easier to build on and the construction would also be less complex (for example, a gable roof instead of a hipped roof, slightly smaller exterior dimensions, etc.).
So we are facing a choice: try to accept the situation here or build new again and correct the mistake! What would you do in our place? As I said, the noise issue is wearing us down in the long run, and we don’t believe it can be permanently resolved. Has anyone had similar experiences? What pitfalls should we watch out for if we decide to go this route? How would you proceed?
I’m new here and have a question for you.
We recently built a house in a nice new development in beautiful Bavaria. Unfortunately, the building plot is located on a busy main road through the town, which we admittedly underestimated beforehand.
The situation is that we have been struggling with the road noise for months (actually since the very beginning). It’s a constant up and down every day. The fact is, the traffic is sometimes so loud that it wakes us up in the morning or is even audible while watching TV. Especially trucks or motorcycles. It’s really starting to get on our nerves and is very draining mentally. Plus, we just weren’t used to this from our previous apartment. So we can’t really settle in properly. It’s wearing us down slowly but surely, and we simply don’t feel comfortable here. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a psychological burden over time.
The reason we chose this plot in the first place was simply due to the lack of alternatives. And we thought we wouldn’t hear the road noise. In hindsight, that was a mistake. You have to be very lucky to find something affordable in a perfect location here.
But now we are actually lucky… we were offered an affordable building plot in a completely quiet area of a new development with a great view and good infrastructure. The plot is closer to our jobs, has the same size, a reasonable price, and above all offers one thing: the prospect of absolute peace (apart from future neighbors, of course). The plot was offered to us by the local council, where we had applied years ago without success. Ironically, now that we have just built but don’t really feel at home here, we received an offer from the council.
So we are seriously considering going through the house-building adventure again and giving it another shot. This would mean financing the plot through the bank, selling our current house, and building on the new plot within the next 3 years. Apart from the renewed construction stress… we do feel somewhat uneasy, especially because of the financial risk. Although with the new house, we expect to come out significantly cheaper (we estimate €50,000–60,000 less), because the plot is easier to build on and the construction would also be less complex (for example, a gable roof instead of a hipped roof, slightly smaller exterior dimensions, etc.).
So we are facing a choice: try to accept the situation here or build new again and correct the mistake! What would you do in our place? As I said, the noise issue is wearing us down in the long run, and we don’t believe it can be permanently resolved. Has anyone had similar experiences? What pitfalls should we watch out for if we decide to go this route? How would you proceed?
H
HilfeHilfe5 Jun 2017 08:32If you already develop a mental strain at 44, then you need to get out. However, how large is the new development area? If construction lasts around 8 years with corresponding noise, it can definitely be disturbing... then there’s also the noise from children...
Yes, the house is located within the noise level zone. According to the report, however, it wasn’t as severe. Normal construction measures are said to be able to address it. The fact is, though, that noise does enter the house. We believe it’s due to the roller shutter boxes. Of course, there are still options to improve that, including visual and noise barriers around the house. But just hoping for that and spending tens of thousands of euros only to realize you’re still not happy... that’s where we stand now... invest or move away. No one can really say how much greenery and fencing around the house will help. Honestly, it doesn’t work miracles. As mentioned, and always with the thought in mind that we already have a commitment for a new building plot.
What if it was a “divorce house”? I think that would be the most plausible explanation. Even if we were to take a small loss, we believe we would be ready to make the move. For us, it’s not about the money... quality of life suffers here, so we don’t care much about a few euros. Of course, the goal is to come out of this in a good position financially, but if a few euros are lost in the process, then so be it. Health comes before money.
What if it was a “divorce house”? I think that would be the most plausible explanation. Even if we were to take a small loss, we believe we would be ready to make the move. For us, it’s not about the money... quality of life suffers here, so we don’t care much about a few euros. Of course, the goal is to come out of this in a good position financially, but if a few euros are lost in the process, then so be it. Health comes before money.
But let’s steer the discussion towards how one would reasonably proceed in such a case. That is, buying a new building plot and selling the house. First, we would need a loan for the new plot, with a repayment-free period of one year. During this year, we would need to sell the house (possibly finish the landscaping beforehand), then use the proceeds from the sale to pay off the old loan and take out a new one for the house construction. Or am I missing something?
H
HilfeHilfe5 Jun 2017 10:30raffa schrieb:
But let’s steer the discussion toward how to proceed sensibly in such a case. That means buying a new building plot, selling the house. First, we would need a loan for the new building plot, with a repayment-free period of 1 year. During this year, we would have to sell the house (possibly complete the exterior landscaping beforehand), then after selling, repay the old loan and take out a new one for the house construction. Or am I missing something? There are solutions for that. Sell immediately and temporarily move into a rental apartment. Or sell immediately and arrange handover in one year. The tricky part is financing, whether your bank agrees to a property transfer. Otherwise, you have to repay the loan upon sale. This is always associated with a prepayment penalty. How much is the loan?
I believe we will find a solution with the bank. We have a very good relationship with the head of the loan department there. Perhaps the bank will waive part of the early repayment penalty if the new property is also financed through them?! I prefer not to disclose the loan amount here.