Hello,
My partner and I are planning to build a duplex together with a couple of friends.
The two living units are not stacked on top of each other but are arranged side by side in two equally sized sections, each with its own entrance door. From the outside, it looks like a semi-detached house with mirrored halves. Each half spans two full floors plus a converted attic. Inside the house, there is a shared utility room, which is proportionally deducted from each living area and accessible from both sides through a door.
There is a single heat pump serving both halves.
I’m interested to know if anyone has experience with a similar project. We have several questions regarding the partition plan, deed of division, and condominium declaration.
In order for each household to secure its own financing, these matters need to be clarified beforehand. From what I understand, the architect must submit the partition plan at the same time as the building permit / planning permission application, but I might be mistaken?
We are also concerned about separating the heating and water systems so that each party can be billed accurately for their individual consumption.
I would appreciate any experiences or advice on these topics.
My partner and I are planning to build a duplex together with a couple of friends.
The two living units are not stacked on top of each other but are arranged side by side in two equally sized sections, each with its own entrance door. From the outside, it looks like a semi-detached house with mirrored halves. Each half spans two full floors plus a converted attic. Inside the house, there is a shared utility room, which is proportionally deducted from each living area and accessible from both sides through a door.
There is a single heat pump serving both halves.
I’m interested to know if anyone has experience with a similar project. We have several questions regarding the partition plan, deed of division, and condominium declaration.
In order for each household to secure its own financing, these matters need to be clarified beforehand. From what I understand, the architect must submit the partition plan at the same time as the building permit / planning permission application, but I might be mistaken?
We are also concerned about separating the heating and water systems so that each party can be billed accurately for their individual consumption.
I would appreciate any experiences or advice on these topics.
FloHB123 schrieb:
And what if one party doesn’t have the money at that time? Or if you disagree about replacing the heat pump (one wants to replace it before it breaks, the other wants to wait until the last possible moment)? That could lead to a lot of conflict. I wouldn’t want to deal with that. Also, the owners can change over time, and then your friends won’t be living next door anymore. What will you do then? I wouldn’t want that. Of course, these are all points that need to be considered.
Waldrich schrieb:
The house includes a shared utility room, which should be deducted equally from each party’s living area and is accessible from both sides through a door. The access would essentially be a central door leading to a shared room. Your two front doors would be on the left and right sides of this.
You want this arrangement because you think it will save on equipment by sharing a single system rather than each having their own. The equipment in question is the expensive heat pump, which then needs to be larger than two smaller ones for each of you.
Everything else must be separate for each of you: electrical installations, meters… honestly, how much do you really save? In my opinion, there are potential conflicts when it comes to maintenance: for example, one household may have four residents, while the other has only two and uses about half as much heating. This creates an imbalance that could negatively affect your friendship.
I wouldn’t do something like this with friends: neighbors can become good acquaintances, but friends rarely make good neighbors.
At the time, I built a 2-3 family house for my parents but unfortunately did not properly separate the units. Many years later, when circumstances changed, I had it divided, which was possible with a simple sketch I created myself. As described here, each unit must always function completely independently, meaning that everyone must have direct access to the designated shared spaces. For example, a utility room must be accessible from a shared hallway.
Every negative point mentioned here has its justification, just as the positives do. I would actually recommend calculating the financial benefit for each party as precisely as possible, keeping an open mind about the outcome, to see if there is no alternative or if it’s worth it (or not).
Back then (something I would never do again), I sold my parents’ top-floor apartment for very little money to solve other problems, and that’s when the trouble started. I sold the basement separately without any issues. In the end, we even had to hire an external property management company because the lady on the middle floor simply stopped paying and blocked everything in what turned into a sort of bitter dispute. Eventually, I sold my main apartment as well (at a much better price by then) and created a new place elsewhere.
I would definitely get used to and clearly address beforehand the idea that anyone can exit at any time and sell, rent out, or do whatever with their part—so the worst-case scenario is clearly named in advance.
Basically, it’s no different than a small multi-family building, which can have both advantages and disadvantages. How it will be for you is unpredictable, even for yourselves, because people and circumstances inevitably change (both positively and negatively).
In the best case, really clear rules are agreed upon and put in writing beforehand to clarify the terms of living together as much as possible. I would avoid attitudes like "we’ll see" or "we’ll figure it out later."
There are always technical solutions for accurate billing, and implementing these is not a major problem.
Every negative point mentioned here has its justification, just as the positives do. I would actually recommend calculating the financial benefit for each party as precisely as possible, keeping an open mind about the outcome, to see if there is no alternative or if it’s worth it (or not).
Back then (something I would never do again), I sold my parents’ top-floor apartment for very little money to solve other problems, and that’s when the trouble started. I sold the basement separately without any issues. In the end, we even had to hire an external property management company because the lady on the middle floor simply stopped paying and blocked everything in what turned into a sort of bitter dispute. Eventually, I sold my main apartment as well (at a much better price by then) and created a new place elsewhere.
I would definitely get used to and clearly address beforehand the idea that anyone can exit at any time and sell, rent out, or do whatever with their part—so the worst-case scenario is clearly named in advance.
Basically, it’s no different than a small multi-family building, which can have both advantages and disadvantages. How it will be for you is unpredictable, even for yourselves, because people and circumstances inevitably change (both positively and negatively).
In the best case, really clear rules are agreed upon and put in writing beforehand to clarify the terms of living together as much as possible. I would avoid attitudes like "we’ll see" or "we’ll figure it out later."
There are always technical solutions for accurate billing, and implementing these is not a major problem.
Arauki11 schrieb:
I would definitely get comfortable with the idea and make it clear in advance that anyone can opt out at any time and sell/rent out their share or whatever, so the worst-case scenario is clearly addressed beforehand. Yes, good idea. Still, the worst-case scenario ("Hey everyone, we're renting out because we're moving and want a change") might not be well received and could potentially cause conflict.
Waldrich schrieb:
This plot is part of a new development area; the city has already taken several measures before the sale. The soil survey was conducted, a cistern was installed, the sewer connection was extended one meter (3.3 feet) onto the property, and a geogrid-reinforced bedding layer was constructed. Is the soil survey specifically for this plot or just for the area as a general reference? Those are two very different things.
The plot would also need to be of sufficient size or have a high enough floor area ratio/site coverage ratio to accommodate two separate housing units. Maybe you could check with the local authority whether a semi-detached house would be allowed? Even with a semi-detached house, open development zoning applies and it should be legally possible.
Similar topics