ᐅ Building a Semi-Detached House with Different Developers?

Hello everyone,

We have found a nice plot of land suitable for a semi-detached house (basically, it is one of two parcels on which a semi-detached house can be built). We could buy the plot without being tied to a specific developer or architect. However, we are wondering how this can be organized in practice:

- Is it even possible for each half to be built by a different developer?
- Presumably, do both halves need to be constructed at the same time?
- What happens if the other half is sold much later? Would we then have to wait?
- Does it complicate financing if the start of construction is uncertain? Would penalty interest be charged if we had to wait for the other semi-detached half?

The whole situation seems rather disadvantageous to us. Or are we misunderstanding something?

I would be very grateful for any advice or experiences.

Best regards,

Sebastian

- Is it even possible for each half to be built by a different developer? Yes
- Do both halves have to be built simultaneously? No
- What happens if the other half is sold much later? Do we have to wait that long? No
- Doesn’t it complicate financing if the start of construction is unclear? Would penalty interest be charged if we had to wait for the other semi-detached half? No, so the answer is no

The only important thing is: Whoever builds first wins
We had to follow the specifications of the already built semi-detached half. Because of this, the basement was extremely difficult.
The only thing you need to do is insulate the party wall if the neighbor is missing and then remove the insulation later.

Two semi-detached houses were recently built here, or rather, one is still under construction. The other semi-detached house has already been standing there for almost a year. If I remember correctly (getting old, I guess), one of the semi-detached houses was built using timber frame construction (prefabricated house), while the second semi-detached house is currently being constructed using solid construction.

Hello Sebastian,

for better understanding:

Developer => You purchase land and house as a package, and this developer builds your house.
BU => Construction contractor
GU/GÜ => General contractor/general builder who builds on someone else’s land, meaning on the plot you bought from a third party.
Provider => "my" term for regional or nationwide active GUs/GÜs/BUs/sometimes also architects

Sebastian2412 schrieb:

- Is it even possible for each half to be built by a different developer?

Yes, this is common practice – where do you see a problem?

Sebastian2412 schrieb:

- Presumably, both halves need to be built simultaneously?

It is always cheaper for the provider, especially if one semi-detached house includes a basement and the other does not. But there is no obligation to do so.

Sebastian2412 schrieb:

- What happens if the other half is sold much later? Would we then have to wait that long?

No, you can build as soon as your building permit/planning permission without conditions is issued. It is even advantageous if you are the first builder, as it applies: "first come, first served." For clarification: most development plans allow roof pitches up to a certain angle. If you choose a different roof pitch than your neighbor, you would need to agree on this somehow. But if you build first, the neighbor has to adjust.

The only point you should really consider carefully: in building areas, individual semi-detached units sometimes stand alone. It is not always certain that the partner for the second unit will be found quickly. In this case, for your own interest, you should insulate the party wall at the expense of your actual plot size and cover it with exterior render. Otherwise, the insulation will deteriorate over time.

Sebastian2412 schrieb:

- Doesn’t financing become more complicated if the start of construction is unclear? Would penalty interest be charged if we had to wait for the other semi-detached house?

See above.

Sebastian2412 schrieb:

Or are we completely misunderstanding this?

In short, "yes."

Regards, Bauexperte

Hello Perlenmann,

Perlenmann schrieb:

The only thing you need to do is insulate the party wall if the neighbor is missing, and then remove it afterwards.

As a homeowner, I would have no desire to do that at all – I would rather have a slightly smaller floor area and be done with it. The neighbor has to comply with the air gap requirement anyway, and it doesn’t matter to them whether it is created between insulation panels or between plaster on one side and insulation on the other.

Regards, Bauexperte

Thank you for the explanations!

It is good to hear that we were mistaken.

Best regards,

Sebastian