ᐅ Building an End-Terrace House as a Self-Managed Project with a General Contractor
Created on: 27 May 2019 10:48
G
goalkeeper
Hello everyone,
some of you might have already followed one of my threads about us having to or being allowed to build our end-terrace house on our own responsibility – depending on how you look at it. This means that we are buying an end-terrace plot (215 sqm (2315 sq ft)) in a new development area in the Rhein-Neckar district and will be building on it ourselves – but in coordination with our two terrace neighbors.
The municipality, which sold the plots through a local resident model, ideally wanted applicants to apply as a complete housing group with several families and then build accordingly with a general contractor, construction manager, or architect. Of course, that didn’t really work out, so now there are only individual applicants and also homeowners.
After we were awarded the plot, the addresses of the other terrace neighbors were shared to discuss certain matters, such as roof style, whether or not to have a basement, etc. It was immediately clear that everyone preferred to do their own thing. However, we were still able to agree that the housing group will have a gable roof with a pitch of 35 to 40 degrees (within this 5-degree range).
As the end house, we will build without a basement, while the middle house and the other end house will have basements. This obviously presents a challenge as we would have to make a deep foundation or simply skip it, and the middle house would have to support us, as we will start construction first. The current agreement with the middle house is that we will build a deeper foundation at his expense, as supporting our house later on would be considerably more expensive for him.
We are currently close to signing with the construction manager, the notarization appointment for the plot is at the end of June, and we hope to start construction in the fall of this year. Meanwhile, several other freely planned housing groups are being built around us, which might get in the way with their cranes.
I will document the progress here from time to time – such a self-planned terraced house doesn’t come along very often.
some of you might have already followed one of my threads about us having to or being allowed to build our end-terrace house on our own responsibility – depending on how you look at it. This means that we are buying an end-terrace plot (215 sqm (2315 sq ft)) in a new development area in the Rhein-Neckar district and will be building on it ourselves – but in coordination with our two terrace neighbors.
The municipality, which sold the plots through a local resident model, ideally wanted applicants to apply as a complete housing group with several families and then build accordingly with a general contractor, construction manager, or architect. Of course, that didn’t really work out, so now there are only individual applicants and also homeowners.
After we were awarded the plot, the addresses of the other terrace neighbors were shared to discuss certain matters, such as roof style, whether or not to have a basement, etc. It was immediately clear that everyone preferred to do their own thing. However, we were still able to agree that the housing group will have a gable roof with a pitch of 35 to 40 degrees (within this 5-degree range).
As the end house, we will build without a basement, while the middle house and the other end house will have basements. This obviously presents a challenge as we would have to make a deep foundation or simply skip it, and the middle house would have to support us, as we will start construction first. The current agreement with the middle house is that we will build a deeper foundation at his expense, as supporting our house later on would be considerably more expensive for him.
We are currently close to signing with the construction manager, the notarization appointment for the plot is at the end of June, and we hope to start construction in the fall of this year. Meanwhile, several other freely planned housing groups are being built around us, which might get in the way with their cranes.
I will document the progress here from time to time – such a self-planned terraced house doesn’t come along very often.
ypg schrieb:
What would you use the basement for, Katja? Storage space – it’s completely missing. Maybe a small workshop for Dad.
ypg schrieb:
Because I would probably try to design the rooms so that three floors are enough. I wouldn’t try that, and I didn’t assume that either. Are you planning to make it a livable basement?
ypg schrieb:
This is all just a calculation example. Exactly. But the balance definitely shifts strongly towards the basement, since the walls have to be built there by necessity.
ypg schrieb:
And honestly: the attic is cozy. Much nicer than a basement. I completely agree – but as I said, the basement walls will definitely be built. With or without the roof. Now reconsider your options.
ypg schrieb:
It would probably be best to build an underground garage in there. ypg schrieb:
Not necessarily. A 7-meter (23-foot) exterior dimension can still be managed well without load-bearing walls. That is up to the structural engineer. With three stories, it will be tight. I expect he will add a wall or column in the middle to sleep well at night.
G
goalkeeper8 Aug 2019 12:28kaho674 schrieb:
What kind of heating system is going to be installed?)An air-to-water heat pump with a corresponding underfloor heating system.
Has anyone already dealt with basement walls made of precast concrete elements? Of course, the usual basement builders sell them at a high price.
However, a lady contacted me who had ordered the basement walls from a concrete plant that normally produces agricultural silos. Our general contractor would probably handle the formwork. Would this be cost-effective?
kaho674 schrieb:
I wouldn’t try that, and I didn’t expect you to. Are you planning to turn it into a livable basement? Yes, I would. Because...
kaho674 schrieb:
Exactly. The scale heavily tips towards the basement, since the walls have to be built there by necessity. ... the basement still ends up more expensive than just foundations. Of course, not proportionally. But if you don’t have the money, no amount of weighing the options helps.
kaho674 schrieb:
Think it over again. There’s a reason for this terraced house. If @goalkeeper had more money, it wouldn’t be this budget build, nor would he generally plan without a basement.
G
goalkeeper8 Aug 2019 12:32ypg schrieb:
Economy houseIt’s unfortunate that nowadays a total budget of half a million is considered an economy house. That sounds somewhat presumptuous and arrogant.
ypg schrieb:
Yes, I would. Because...
... the basement still ends up being more expensive than just the foundations. Of course, not proportionally. But if you don’t have the money, weighing the options doesn’t help.
That’s true, of course. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re short by 20,000 (or 20K), if it’s missing, it’s missing and that’s that. It’s just the heartbreak we’re dying from here...
A basement without an attic conversion could be an option given the slope. The only question is how the neighbors design their land. If they all end up sitting one floor higher on their terrace and you’re sitting in the valley, that’s pretty funny.
goalkeeper schrieb:
Has anyone dealt with precast concrete basement walls? Of course, the usual basement contractors sell them at a high price.
However, a woman contacted me who had ordered the basement walls from a concrete plant that normally produces agricultural silos. Our general contractor would handle the formwork. Does this make sense in terms of cost? I would spend the whole day calling companies and requesting quote after quote.
Formwork is definitely a common approach. But when I saw how quickly our mason built the walls—he was three times faster. On the other hand, the concrete truck for the slab is coming anyway... well, the only solution is to ask around.
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