ᐅ New construction of a solid masonry house on an existing basement
Created on: 1 Oct 2021 17:00
B
Berlinho
Hello dear forum,
I have a plot in the southwest of Berlin with a prefabricated house by Streif Haus, built in 1970, including a fully basement. My goal is to remove the house, keep the basement, and build two full stories on top. All building specifications, plans, and layouts are still available.
After my first inquiries with construction companies, I was immediately told that they generally do not undertake such projects and that only "desperate companies, probably urgently needing contracts" would take on such a project. The owner of one company himself said he does not know anyone in the Berlin area who builds on existing basements because it is an "unpredictable risk regarding warranties and guarantees," and I should let go of the idea. He would, however, be happy to build a new basement for me.
I do not want to rule out that this person may be right, but I also think he might be sharing this information not entirely without self-interest.
I had already planned to visit a structural engineer and, of course, have a new structural calculation done, since the units (e.g., newtons instead of kilograms) and load limits have changed. But if they are so fed up that such a request gets categorically rejected, that does not seem to improve anything either...
Even if it might not help much, I have attached the basement floor plan, the basement construction description, and some pictures.
PS: The basement blocks are HBL 50.
Thanks for your help
Berlinho
I have a plot in the southwest of Berlin with a prefabricated house by Streif Haus, built in 1970, including a fully basement. My goal is to remove the house, keep the basement, and build two full stories on top. All building specifications, plans, and layouts are still available.
After my first inquiries with construction companies, I was immediately told that they generally do not undertake such projects and that only "desperate companies, probably urgently needing contracts" would take on such a project. The owner of one company himself said he does not know anyone in the Berlin area who builds on existing basements because it is an "unpredictable risk regarding warranties and guarantees," and I should let go of the idea. He would, however, be happy to build a new basement for me.
I do not want to rule out that this person may be right, but I also think he might be sharing this information not entirely without self-interest.
- Is there anyone here in the forum who has completed a similar project?
- Does anyone know a "desperate" company, or at least an committed one, that would realistically carry out such a construction?
- How would you approach such a project?
I had already planned to visit a structural engineer and, of course, have a new structural calculation done, since the units (e.g., newtons instead of kilograms) and load limits have changed. But if they are so fed up that such a request gets categorically rejected, that does not seem to improve anything either...
Even if it might not help much, I have attached the basement floor plan, the basement construction description, and some pictures.
PS: The basement blocks are HBL 50.
Thanks for your help
Berlinho
G
GeradeSchräg2 Oct 2021 10:54Streif definitely builds on an existing basement. They demolished their house in Mannheim, but it looks like the basement will remain, and a new house will be built on top.
In general, this is a common method that is also used in some cases here.
But can you explain why the Streif house needs to be removed? As far as I know, Streif is not in the low-cost segment and, as mentioned, their houses should last around 100 years. Maybe you could contact Streif; they might still have documents available if you don’t have any.
In general, this is a common method that is also used in some cases here.
But can you explain why the Streif house needs to be removed? As far as I know, Streif is not in the low-cost segment and, as mentioned, their houses should last around 100 years. Maybe you could contact Streif; they might still have documents available if you don’t have any.
We are currently facing a very similar project. The first step now is for a structural engineer to inspect the house. After that, it will be decided whether we can build using solid construction or if we have to use timber frame construction. The latter method is offered by some homebuilders, but just as many do not. We have already contacted several. It’s quite interesting how the responses vary between "no problem if the structural calculations work out" and "you can forget about it, it won’t happen."
Araknis schrieb:
We are currently facing a very similar project.Did I clean my glasses poorly? – I didn't see it in your thread history just now.Araknis schrieb:
The first step is a structural engineer inspecting the house. After that, we will decide whether we can build with solid construction or if we need to use timber frame construction.The idea that timber frame construction (true timber stud construction is hardly offered by any of the major companies) is significantly lighter or must be lighter is a common misconception that I do not share (at least when thinking clearly). Some thoughts, I suspect, can really only develop in informal settings. We already had a thread on this topic, which I mentioned here in post #6: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/alter-keller-gekauft-traegt-er-nur-holzstaender-oder-auch-massiv.36418/ Regarding the basement of the OP here, I also see no reason to doubt its suitability for a modern house of any construction type.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Did I clean my glasses poorly? — I didn’t see it in your thread history just now. The glasses work perfectly. There is no thread yet because there is nothing more to report besides this statement.
11ant schrieb:
That timber frame construction (true timber post-and-beam construction is not offered by any of the major manufacturers at least) being significantly lighter or needing to be lighter is a popular belief that I (at least soberly) do not share. Really? I’ve heard that a few times now, but only from prefab house suppliers from a professional point of view. However, they probably cannot be considered neutral.
Araknis schrieb:
There isn’t a thread yet because besides this statement, there’s nothing else to report. Showing your existing basement as a factual basis alone would be enough to clear up any uncertainties.
Araknis schrieb:
I’ve heard that a few times now, but only from prefab home providers. However, they probably aren’t neutral. Hmm, whether they even represent a "professional perspective" is questionable – they don’t necessarily have expertise from the other side of the comparison. And in this case, they rely on popular opinion (probably thinking “rightly so, it stays in the family” – after all, it’s the same social circle that so readily dismisses their products as “cardboard houses”).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
@All Thank you all for the active participation in the discussion.
First, an answer to the question of why the existing house has to be removed, albeit an unsatisfactory one: There are several reasons, mostly emotional, which might not be understandable to everyone. For example, we are not willing to invest a six-figure amount in renovations. The house “feels” like it’s made of cardboard. Everything creaks, you hear every step, and the walls are thin. Additionally, we want to leave something behind for our family, which we have started, and thus enable a life with ONE less worry. I am aware of the naivety in this statement, but we will leave no stone unturned. In our opinion, financial independence begins with home ownership, which we want to achieve, and we are not convinced that the current building fabric will still be “livable” or meet our higher goals in 30 or 40 years.
To keep it brief and avoid further off-topic discussion: The decision has been made, no matter how irrational it may sound to some.
@11ant Thank you for the link. I will take a look at it immediately. And yes — I should see this as a self-disqualification of the provider. Good approach! 😀
@GeradeSchräg Thanks for the tip. I hadn’t even thought about Streif Haus itself, even though we actually want to build a solid (masonry or timber-frame) house — again, such a subjective feeling. But this really seems like a viable option :-)
@All Are there maybe any ideas about companies in or around Berlin that you know do this kind of work, or where experience has shown that the provider also takes on “unconventional” projects, even though “unconventional” is probably open to interpretation!?
Best regards and many thanks for your commitment <3
First, an answer to the question of why the existing house has to be removed, albeit an unsatisfactory one: There are several reasons, mostly emotional, which might not be understandable to everyone. For example, we are not willing to invest a six-figure amount in renovations. The house “feels” like it’s made of cardboard. Everything creaks, you hear every step, and the walls are thin. Additionally, we want to leave something behind for our family, which we have started, and thus enable a life with ONE less worry. I am aware of the naivety in this statement, but we will leave no stone unturned. In our opinion, financial independence begins with home ownership, which we want to achieve, and we are not convinced that the current building fabric will still be “livable” or meet our higher goals in 30 or 40 years.
To keep it brief and avoid further off-topic discussion: The decision has been made, no matter how irrational it may sound to some.
@11ant Thank you for the link. I will take a look at it immediately. And yes — I should see this as a self-disqualification of the provider. Good approach! 😀
@GeradeSchräg Thanks for the tip. I hadn’t even thought about Streif Haus itself, even though we actually want to build a solid (masonry or timber-frame) house — again, such a subjective feeling. But this really seems like a viable option :-)
@All Are there maybe any ideas about companies in or around Berlin that you know do this kind of work, or where experience has shown that the provider also takes on “unconventional” projects, even though “unconventional” is probably open to interpretation!?
Best regards and many thanks for your commitment <3
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