Hello everyone,
I have the opportunity to acquire a small plot of land for a semi-detached house in Telgte (North Rhine-Westphalia – near Münster). It concerns plot 1468 with 237 sqm (2,550 sq ft) in a residential area 2.1 according to the attached development plan (link is below). From the land registry, I already found out that the plot measures 9.5 by 25 meters (31 by 82 feet). The garden faces directly onto a newly planned playground. The development of the new residential area will be completed by the end of 2025, and building would be possible from early 2026.
Before I commit, I have some questions and would like to hear your experience and opinions.
1. There is an obligation to build a semi-detached house together with plot 1469 (same size). According to the development plan, the houses must be “uniform in height, roof shapes, roof slopes and eaves, as well as roofing material.” I don’t know the neighbor yet. Does this mean the houses must be identical, or could I, for example, extend my half of the house further into the garden if the neighbor wants to build smaller? Regarding width and height (e.g., a set-back upper floor), I understand that differences are not allowed. (Floor-to-floor heights are specified.)
2. Is the plot size generally suitable for building? The width of only 9.5 meters (31 feet) seems very narrow to me. This means the house can be at most 6.5 meters (21 feet) wide to just barely maintain the required distance to the neighbor. A garage would probably no longer fit. The goal is to build a semi-detached house of around 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) suitable for small families (2 children).
3. Are there any other disadvantages of the plot (besides the small size) that you can see from the development plan? I generally like the location in the area. Thanks to the playground and the meadow behind the garden, there is at least a partial view of green space. ;D
I consider the price and other conditions to be fair and they should not play a major role in the evaluation here. Unfortunately, I only have one week to make a final decision. Otherwise, the next people on the waiting list will receive the offer.
If you need any more information from me, please feel free to ask. Otherwise, I look forward to your assessment.
I have the opportunity to acquire a small plot of land for a semi-detached house in Telgte (North Rhine-Westphalia – near Münster). It concerns plot 1468 with 237 sqm (2,550 sq ft) in a residential area 2.1 according to the attached development plan (link is below). From the land registry, I already found out that the plot measures 9.5 by 25 meters (31 by 82 feet). The garden faces directly onto a newly planned playground. The development of the new residential area will be completed by the end of 2025, and building would be possible from early 2026.
Before I commit, I have some questions and would like to hear your experience and opinions.
1. There is an obligation to build a semi-detached house together with plot 1469 (same size). According to the development plan, the houses must be “uniform in height, roof shapes, roof slopes and eaves, as well as roofing material.” I don’t know the neighbor yet. Does this mean the houses must be identical, or could I, for example, extend my half of the house further into the garden if the neighbor wants to build smaller? Regarding width and height (e.g., a set-back upper floor), I understand that differences are not allowed. (Floor-to-floor heights are specified.)
2. Is the plot size generally suitable for building? The width of only 9.5 meters (31 feet) seems very narrow to me. This means the house can be at most 6.5 meters (21 feet) wide to just barely maintain the required distance to the neighbor. A garage would probably no longer fit. The goal is to build a semi-detached house of around 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) suitable for small families (2 children).
3. Are there any other disadvantages of the plot (besides the small size) that you can see from the development plan? I generally like the location in the area. Thanks to the playground and the meadow behind the garden, there is at least a partial view of green space. ;D
I consider the price and other conditions to be fair and they should not play a major role in the evaluation here. Unfortunately, I only have one week to make a final decision. Otherwise, the next people on the waiting list will receive the offer.
If you need any more information from me, please feel free to ask. Otherwise, I look forward to your assessment.
The illustration from the geoportal is quite striking.
I also checked our local geoportal, and basically, it seems like the plot sizes are very similar to those of the semi-detached houses in our residential area. However, here (at least in theory) the development was carried out by a property developer, which wouldn’t be the case for you, right? The developer could set the entire framework, so coordinating among parties wasn’t much of an issue. (Of course, no one could have predicted if the developer went bankrupt…) I suspect that in your situation, it might actually be wise to choose the same construction company as your neighbor.
But as I said, our plots have very similar shapes. The houses that were built or planned on them have floor plans practically identical to a terraced end house. The dimensions are about 6.25m (20.5 feet) wide and 10.50m (34.5 feet) deep. Garages were also planned here; whether your zoning plan / building permit allows that, I can’t say—I’m not skilled at reading such plans.
This is roughly what it looks like for our neighbors: (The plots numbered 13 and 16 are similar in size to yours, according to the geoportal, and if I measured correctly, they’re even a bit smaller at about 9.30m x 24.25m (30.5 feet x 79.5 feet))
I also checked our local geoportal, and basically, it seems like the plot sizes are very similar to those of the semi-detached houses in our residential area. However, here (at least in theory) the development was carried out by a property developer, which wouldn’t be the case for you, right? The developer could set the entire framework, so coordinating among parties wasn’t much of an issue. (Of course, no one could have predicted if the developer went bankrupt…) I suspect that in your situation, it might actually be wise to choose the same construction company as your neighbor.
But as I said, our plots have very similar shapes. The houses that were built or planned on them have floor plans practically identical to a terraced end house. The dimensions are about 6.25m (20.5 feet) wide and 10.50m (34.5 feet) deep. Garages were also planned here; whether your zoning plan / building permit allows that, I can’t say—I’m not skilled at reading such plans.
This is roughly what it looks like for our neighbors: (The plots numbered 13 and 16 are similar in size to yours, according to the geoportal, and if I measured correctly, they’re even a bit smaller at about 9.30m x 24.25m (30.5 feet x 79.5 feet))
H
Horst Peter24 Sep 2025 16:23mayglow schrieb:
The map from the geoportal is quite something.
(The lots 13 and 16 are about the same size as yours, according to the geoportal even a bit smaller if I measured correctly, approximately 9.30m x 24.25m (31 feet x 80 feet))
That doesn’t look too bad at all. I assume you don’t have the floor plans for the houses, right?
mayglow schrieb:
The map from the geoportal is quite something.
But here, at least in theory, the houses were built by a developer, which wouldn’t be the case for you, right? Exactly, we are building without a developer. That’s why I would have liked to meet the neighbors beforehand. However, that seems unlikely given the very short deadline to make a decision.
We really like the location of the plot. It’s also very attractively priced because it can be purchased through the church. For alternative plots in the same residential area (about 80 - 90 sqm (860 - 970 sqft) larger), I would have to pay around €150,000 more. Of course, that money would then be missing for the house construction. So, the consideration is:
A small (237 sqm (2,552 sqft)) plot from the church at a very good price, leaving more budget for the house with a few extras you might want (I think €150,000 would get you quite a few nice upgrades),
or
A larger plot (320 sqm (3,444 sqft)) from the Volksbank at a higher price, but then somewhat less money available for the house, meaning a more standard level of finish.
N
nordanney24 Sep 2025 16:40Horst Peter schrieb:
Regarding cold heat, I have already researched quite extensively. The offer from the municipal utility company is actually quite good. LOL. If I were to heat my house (comparable to a new build) with the local heating network, my annual costs would be 3 to 3.5 times higher than my current electricity costs. The offer is average, but far from "quite good."
I don’t want to discourage you, but if you might have four-figure heating costs in a new build, I don’t think that’s a good figure. You should at least consider this burden for the next 10 years (or however long your contract lasts) and be aware of it.
P.S. My first semi-detached house was about 140sqm (1,507 sq ft) with a smaller plot including a garage. It’s a good place to build and live.
O
Odyssee7724 Sep 2025 16:53I am curious about how it would work to build semi-detached houses on 7 plots, or alternatively, how a proper development with a single-family house could be arranged within the building envelopes.
If the owner of plot 1678 builds a semi-detached house together with the owner of plot 1679, then with a 3-meter (10 feet) boundary setback on plot 1680, only half a semi-detached house would fit there.
I am not an expert in reading zoning plans, but trying to build 3 or 4 semi-detached houses on 7 plots sounds to me like a fool’s errand...
If the owner of plot 1678 builds a semi-detached house together with the owner of plot 1679, then with a 3-meter (10 feet) boundary setback on plot 1680, only half a semi-detached house would fit there.
I am not an expert in reading zoning plans, but trying to build 3 or 4 semi-detached houses on 7 plots sounds to me like a fool’s errand...
Horst Peter schrieb:
I assume you don’t have the floor plans for the houses, right? I should still have them somewhere, but I’m not sure how useful they will be for you. No split-level floors were built here; instead, there’s a (relatively steep) converted pitched roof. (I assume that “FD ist vorgeschrieben” means FD stands for flat roof?) The built semi-detached houses have a ground floor + upper floor and a converted attic, and I believe they come to just under 140 sqm (1,500 sq ft) of living space. (There was also a version with a basement.) The layout roughly corresponds to what you have in mind, but I find the floor plans somewhat questionable – mainly because a straight staircase was forced in, which, in the version without a basement, divides the house into “front” and “back.” This worked quite well for the upper and attic floors, but I find the ground floor layout a bit awkward.
Uhmmm, links sometimes get edited out here, but I know of a project nearby that, although it features a basement version, might be quite similar otherwise. You could look up “AM RAUHEN HOLZ, Dortmund” and visit the Wilma website. There are “example residential properties” there, and the W195 house is a semi-detached with a similar width and, if I’m not mistaken, a split-level floor. Maybe a useful inspiration?
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nordanney24 Sep 2025 17:11@TE: Check out Area Clavis in Moers as an example. They usually build their semi-detached houses with a width of about 6.25m (20.5 feet), although with a traditional roof. This might give you some inspiration (the house size should generally fit).
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