Hello!
We are currently very interested in a terraced house being built by a developer. Unfortunately, our main contact person is on vacation at the moment, and I don’t want to bother the backup contact too much (even though I already have a few times, oops). So for some more general questions, I thought I’d ask the forum 🙂
We currently have, among other things, a construction specification, but no contract draft yet. We are trying to review ourselves where there might potentially be additional costs beyond the fixed price (“custom requests”), but in one or two areas we are still struggling to estimate this.
Generally: There is a lot of discussion here in the forum about incidental building costs and so on. But with a developer, they are the client, not us. Am I correct to assume that, because of this, we don’t really need to consider any “owner-supplied” costs? The documents do include a few general details about infrastructure (for example, electricity, water, telecommunications are included). When I think of things like construction site power, there’s nothing mentioned in the documents I have so far, but basically I assume that is the developer’s responsibility since they are the client?
There are quite often terms in the construction specification like “according to structural engineering” or similar (excerpt: “The exterior walls above ground level will be built from calcium silicate bricks, or reinforced concrete if structurally required. All other load-bearing walls according to structural engineering.”) or “according to the architect’s specifications” (“In some areas, brick slips will be used, with color and design as specified by the architect.”). We understand that with a terraced house via a developer there isn’t much choice here, and that is perfectly fine with us. But if I imagine we are in the construction phase and I send an inspector with the construction specification, such wording seems rather vague to easily check anything. (I mean, they can still say if something is done completely poorly in execution.) Are such formulations normal, or should these be specified more clearly?
What is the usual process regarding “custom requests”? I read that these can already be part of the notarized contract. What is typically decided before signing the contract, and what comes afterward? Can I expect to select tiles and decide on power outlets shortly before contract signing, or is it initially more fundamental things (like relocating a wall or similar)? We will certainly ask the developer about this again, but it doesn’t hurt to know how it usually works 😉 I imagine the more I define beforehand, the more secure I am about the price. Or is that assumption wrong?
Speaking of price: We are currently contacting banks, but are unsure how to handle the topic of “custom requests.” Our initial impression is that we are quite satisfied with the standard in the construction specification we have. There are one or two things we are a bit uncertain about (flooring is included, depending on the area tiles or parquet up to 30cm (12 inches) per square meter ... is that sufficient, or should we allow a buffer?), and beyond that a few things we might want to add (maybe 2-3 more LAN connections for access points, possibly empty conduits for photovoltaics, possibly empty conduits in the garage for a charging station or, depending on the price, have the charging station installed directly). We would be happy without them, but it just seems sensible to have these included now. Our original idea was to pay for these out of pocket, separate from the financing, but if they end up in the notarized contract and come with an additional cost, and we haven’t told the bank about it, the price would then be higher than what we communicated to the bank. Does the bank not care because these are our own funds, or could it even be unwise not to inform the bank, as it might improve the loan-to-value ratio? (The house might be worth more without the bank needing to provide additional funds.) I mean, these will probably just be minor things that won’t make much difference, but I am still a bit confused about how this is typically handled.
We are currently very interested in a terraced house being built by a developer. Unfortunately, our main contact person is on vacation at the moment, and I don’t want to bother the backup contact too much (even though I already have a few times, oops). So for some more general questions, I thought I’d ask the forum 🙂
We currently have, among other things, a construction specification, but no contract draft yet. We are trying to review ourselves where there might potentially be additional costs beyond the fixed price (“custom requests”), but in one or two areas we are still struggling to estimate this.
Generally: There is a lot of discussion here in the forum about incidental building costs and so on. But with a developer, they are the client, not us. Am I correct to assume that, because of this, we don’t really need to consider any “owner-supplied” costs? The documents do include a few general details about infrastructure (for example, electricity, water, telecommunications are included). When I think of things like construction site power, there’s nothing mentioned in the documents I have so far, but basically I assume that is the developer’s responsibility since they are the client?
There are quite often terms in the construction specification like “according to structural engineering” or similar (excerpt: “The exterior walls above ground level will be built from calcium silicate bricks, or reinforced concrete if structurally required. All other load-bearing walls according to structural engineering.”) or “according to the architect’s specifications” (“In some areas, brick slips will be used, with color and design as specified by the architect.”). We understand that with a terraced house via a developer there isn’t much choice here, and that is perfectly fine with us. But if I imagine we are in the construction phase and I send an inspector with the construction specification, such wording seems rather vague to easily check anything. (I mean, they can still say if something is done completely poorly in execution.) Are such formulations normal, or should these be specified more clearly?
What is the usual process regarding “custom requests”? I read that these can already be part of the notarized contract. What is typically decided before signing the contract, and what comes afterward? Can I expect to select tiles and decide on power outlets shortly before contract signing, or is it initially more fundamental things (like relocating a wall or similar)? We will certainly ask the developer about this again, but it doesn’t hurt to know how it usually works 😉 I imagine the more I define beforehand, the more secure I am about the price. Or is that assumption wrong?
Speaking of price: We are currently contacting banks, but are unsure how to handle the topic of “custom requests.” Our initial impression is that we are quite satisfied with the standard in the construction specification we have. There are one or two things we are a bit uncertain about (flooring is included, depending on the area tiles or parquet up to 30cm (12 inches) per square meter ... is that sufficient, or should we allow a buffer?), and beyond that a few things we might want to add (maybe 2-3 more LAN connections for access points, possibly empty conduits for photovoltaics, possibly empty conduits in the garage for a charging station or, depending on the price, have the charging station installed directly). We would be happy without them, but it just seems sensible to have these included now. Our original idea was to pay for these out of pocket, separate from the financing, but if they end up in the notarized contract and come with an additional cost, and we haven’t told the bank about it, the price would then be higher than what we communicated to the bank. Does the bank not care because these are our own funds, or could it even be unwise not to inform the bank, as it might improve the loan-to-value ratio? (The house might be worth more without the bank needing to provide additional funds.) I mean, these will probably just be minor things that won’t make much difference, but I am still a bit confused about how this is typically handled.
ypg schrieb:
Using the example of IS24I’m not sure what you mean by that. Otherwise, the exterior renders look completely fine to us so far. If I remember correctly, the development plan requires light-colored walls and dark roofs, so hopefully, we won’t be surprised by anything like bright green with purple dots 😉Bertram100 schrieb:
In the best case, they don’t bother anyone; in the worst case, the living room has the vibe of an average furniture store.My husband agrees, and honestly, for me, it’s just not a high priority. My parents partly have wood-look tiles (with completely normal grout, nothing especially narrow or so). Of course, you notice it if you look closely, but personally, I don’t really mind that much 😳 Some friends have terracotta (or similar) tiles on the ground floor, which I didn’t find bad either. My aunt has something similar here (I’m out of color names, not terracotta but a warm shade that’s just lighter), which works for me as well... White wouldn’t be my style, nor a very dark floor unless it’s warmed up well by other means. But yes, using parquet for the ground floor is currently being discussed 😉ypg schrieb:
I would change some minor things in the floor plan, but that’s for later 🙂Now I’m curious 😀 Here are the floor plans:
Basically, with the ideas I’ve had so far, I wasn’t sure if we’d be making improvements or accidentally making things worse. Sort of like the “mass-produced house – small changes with unintended side effects” thread we have here in the forum. From what I understood in the initial consultation, the walls that aren’t filled in yet (like on the upper floor) can be moved fairly easily. I’m not sure about the niche wall on the ground floor (which I think is above the basement wall, so possibly a load-bearing support?) or the wall in the attic. We will definitely ask about that as well.
Corners we’re considering:
- The kitchen and entry area don’t quite feel fully coherent to me. The niche is better than no coat closet at all (as we’ve seen in some other floor plans), but somehow both the niche and the kitchen feel a bit constrained. Maybe the kitchen as a U-shape instead? The island doesn’t seem very practical the way it is. Or (just another idea) swap the coat closet niche and kitchen niche (so the hallway at the entrance becomes wider and then narrows, and maybe the fridge would fit better in the wider kitchen part? But then the coat closet would be behind the door, hmm). None of these options excite me 100%, so I often end up thinking “or just leave it as is”, argh! By the way, a dark hallway doesn’t bother us at all.
- We actually like the upper floor quite a bit. Currently, we would use one of the children’s rooms as an office; long term, it depends on family planning 😉 I also keep looking at the storage room, where only one wall is really usable, and I wonder how useful it really is. We also considered taking a bit of space from the children’s rooms to make one slightly bigger for a small second office for me. At the moment, in our rental apartment, we have a bigger office and a small workspace in the living room (which would be the replacement). But again, it’s that kind of “or just leave it as is?” thing. Seems like a risk of making things worse.
- The attic raised the question of whether to reduce the bedroom size and make the studio a separate room. We’re not sure if that’s possible (if my assumptions about the walls are right), and currently there isn’t really a need for it. (Like I said, for now a child’s room will serve as an office... but long term, it may indeed be needed as a bedroom.) Again, “or just leave it as is?” For the first few years, it truly doesn’t matter, and by then remote work may be out of fashion anyway, who knows 😉
So far, it’s just brainstorming. We get the feeling that the current floor plan would be quite livable for us, and every time I think about changes, I end up wondering "did I just make it much worse?" :p I guess I should also try drawing the furniture and take a closer look.
This wasn’t really the point of the thread, but since you’ve all been so kind here 😉
@11ant Thanks for the reading tips and the heads-up about potential hidden costs! I hadn’t really thought much about the road. I’ll have to check again whether we already know anything more about that or if we need to ask.
mayglow schrieb:
Niche wall on the ground floor (I think it's located above the basement wall, so maybe it’s actually a load-bearing support?) Looked at it again, maybe not after all 😀 Still confused. I’m also starting to doubt whether I remembered the wall details correctly, oops.
mayglow schrieb:
My aunt also has something like this (I’m out of color names here, not terracotta but also a warm shade, just less dark), Travertine (natural stone) or more affordable tiles resembling travertine or similar are quite warm in appearance. For children and with garden access through the living room, I would recommend tiles and just use a nice rug under the seating area.
mayglow schrieb:
So the niche is better than no cloakroom (as we have seen in some other floor plans), but somehow both the niche and the kitchen feel a bit cramped to me because of it. On second thought, I would keep the niche there and if anything, make a U-shaped kitchen.
On third thought, the staircase to the upper floor (basement and ground floor) could be a quarter turn, so that the basement entrance is accessible from the dining area, then place the kitchen at the top left of the plan, and the living room corner where the kitchen currently is. Having a window facing southwest would be nice.
What I like is the sight line from the entrance toward the staircase/living area.
ypg schrieb:
For the third idea, the staircase going up (basement and ground floor) would be a quarter-turn, so that the basement access is from the dining area. Then the kitchen would be at the top left of the plan, and the living room corner where the kitchen is currently located. To be honest, I’m not sure how much we can change here (especially without causing significant extra costs), but we will take it into consideration. This is not a fully custom plan, and I don’t yet know which parts the developer will do “by the book” and keep fixed. That said, I’m also not completely sure if we actually want to change the staircase (I think I need to search the forum for that image with the floor plan measurements for stairs and mark it up). The advantage of having the kitchen next to the terrace would certainly be the shorter route from the terrace, although with an open floor plan I don’t find it a big issue if it’s the other way around. Otherwise, I will probably have to make a drawing, because I can’t really imagine how to arrange the kitchen then. (But I’ll wait until I know what’s possible. I’ll probably find out more this or next week.)
About the "window facing southwest," I’m not sure what you mean, since there is a garage there? Or do you mean a window on the west side, at the north corner where the kitchen is currently planned? (Or did you mean the upper floor instead of the ground floor?) Again, I’m not sure how much can be changed there. I assume new windows usually require new structural calculations? In principle, there are probably no windows on the ground or upper floor, since for the mirrored end house on the other side, windows are not allowed (noise protection towards the railway). But we agree it would be nice to have windows on the west side (which is actually one of the advantages of an end house), so we will consider that again 🙂
mayglow schrieb:
When you say "window facing SW," I'm not sure what you mean, since the garage is there? Yes, windows facing the yard. Natural daylight would be nice there, even if it's just the driveway.
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