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:
Even if the money for the finishing work were available, you don’t have enough space on the plot for the slope/light well. I don’t understand that now. On the garden side, you don’t need to excavate for a light well. Our ground floor is 1.50 m (5 feet) below the finished floor level, and we need to dig 2.40 m (8 feet) deep for the foundation.
kaho674 schrieb:
I don’t understand that. You don’t need to excavate for a light well on the garden side. Our ground floor is 1.50m (5 feet) below the finished floor level, and we have to dig 2.40m (8 feet) deep for the foundation. Do you mean the basement level would be exposed? To the extent that at least one room in the basement has a maximum window sill height of 80/90 cm (31/35 inches)? So that the terrace would have to be built up?
(Ps: it’s possible I only skimmed one or two pages here)
ypg schrieb:
Do you mean that the basement level would protrude? To the extent that at least one room in the basement has a maximum parapet height of 80/90 cm (31/35 inches)? So that the terrace would need to be filled in?
Yep, that’s why the fuss about the basement. The access road is 1.50 m (5 feet) above the original ground level.
My proposal for the almost cloned ground floor layout may seem simple, but it is well thought out. Structurally, I don't see any issues — what is good enough to support the ceiling on the ground floor will also do so in the basement. For a basement in the "must-have" category, I clearly consider a storage room, even one that is visibly "cheap," to be the right use. The plot does not allow for a gentle slope, so I see any measure for a residential basement (with emergency exit and windows for natural light) as a Pyrrhic victory in terms of the, in my opinion, unfounded hope of saving space elsewhere by relocating rooms there — at least regarding the economic effect. I did not even mention this option because it was clear to me in a split second that it should be dismissed. And: in my view, it is certainly a basement for a basement builder — not for someone who, in their professional life, creates anything other than “basements” out of concrete.
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kaho674 schrieb:
Yep, that’s why there’s this fuss about the basement. The access road is 1.50 m (5 feet) above the original ground level. That doesn’t mean the basement can’t still be dug in by 80 cm (31 inches). However, I would avoid a basement that protrudes by 1 meter (3 feet). There isn’t even space for a stair landing, and a terrace with a slope also requires room.
It’s better to go for a light well that’s large enough to create a seating area. My neighbors in their single-family house had that: the light well provided a living space in the basement, as well as a cozy seating area at the house (yes, right at the window on built-in benches).
This could work well for the children in the west corner.
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