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.
I really hope you feel comfortable there! Personally, I would find it far too small and cramped with so many lots. We initially looked for something starting at 600 sq m (6,458 sq ft), but then decided we preferred lots between 650 and 700 sq m (7,000 - 7,535 sq ft). Now we have 719 sq m (7,735 sq ft). However, the situation here is not as tight as in other areas.
M
Mottenhausen19 Nov 2019 15:07goalkeeper schrieb:
Here’s a different perspective for todayDon’t let the anticipation for your own home fade – it will turn out well regardless.
However, overall the picture does convey a certain sense of tightness. If everyone gets along well, I can imagine it being quite charming. At a campground, people tend to interact more with each other than just live side by side. Those seeking privacy go to the beach in the evening. I can’t think of a better starting point for spontaneous, social evenings. But daily life isn’t a vacation, so living like this is something you have to want.
Living in a multi-family building means closer and more frequent social interactions, whether voluntarily or not...
Also, sound insulation regulations are generally more relaxed in multi-family buildings compared to terraced housing developments.
Furthermore, the question is rarely whether you are allowed 250 m² (2700 sq ft) or 700 m² (7500 sq ft) of land, but rather: 100 m² (1100 sq ft) for a condominium or 130 m² (1400 sq ft) for a terraced house? This is mainly due to the shortage of available plots and the resulting price increases. For this reason, the idea of having 750 m² (8000 sq ft) sounds exaggerated and is not practical. Sorry!
Also, sound insulation regulations are generally more relaxed in multi-family buildings compared to terraced housing developments.
Furthermore, the question is rarely whether you are allowed 250 m² (2700 sq ft) or 700 m² (7500 sq ft) of land, but rather: 100 m² (1100 sq ft) for a condominium or 130 m² (1400 sq ft) for a terraced house? This is mainly due to the shortage of available plots and the resulting price increases. For this reason, the idea of having 750 m² (8000 sq ft) sounds exaggerated and is not practical. Sorry!
Yosan schrieb:
Personally, I find it way too small and cramped with so many plots. What I actually find unsettling (and eerie) is the idea that we won’t soon have “continuous rows” of completed, fully finished blocks. Because then—assuming reasonably coordinated design styles—you could somewhat blur the fragmentation. Instead, I see this area remaining scattered with construction gaps for quite a while—spiced up by a cacophony of height differences, since every builder must decide independently how to shape their terrain model. The neighborhood will end up being colloquially named after the responsible mayor.
Scout schrieb:
From that perspective, calling 750 m2 (8,070 sq ft) grandiose sounds unproductive. Sorry! And what goal is achieved by criticizing the building of detached single-family homes on plots that actually allow such freedom, just because more and more builders seek forced solidarity with other average citizens, settling for miniature mortgage-sized spots for narrow apartment buildings? Does redirecting envy of the wealthy toward the middle class really benefit anyone?
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Well, it’s a completely pointless discussion.
There are areas where land is so expensive that hardly anyone can afford a detached house with over 600 m² (about 6,458 sq ft). Period. This is also reflected in the lot sizes and the zoning plan.
Whether someone from the middle of nowhere finds this cramped or not is simply irrelevant.
The only alternative is to leave the area.
If you don’t want to do that, you buy the extremely expensive small plot and build a townhouse on it.
By the way, the result is often more valuable and more expensive than a single-family home out in the sticks.
There are also very good reasons why some areas are expensive and others are not.
There are areas where land is so expensive that hardly anyone can afford a detached house with over 600 m² (about 6,458 sq ft). Period. This is also reflected in the lot sizes and the zoning plan.
Whether someone from the middle of nowhere finds this cramped or not is simply irrelevant.
The only alternative is to leave the area.
If you don’t want to do that, you buy the extremely expensive small plot and build a townhouse on it.
By the way, the result is often more valuable and more expensive than a single-family home out in the sticks.
There are also very good reasons why some areas are expensive and others are not.
I am not criticizing or bashing any detached single-family homeowners here. However, I do enjoy pointing out the snobbery against terraced houses on plots smaller than 700 m2 (7,535 sq ft). They also serve their purpose, and even if everyone had the money to build freely on 700 m2 (7,535 sq ft), there simply wouldn’t be enough space.
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