ᐅ Purchase of a vacant farmhouse in a rural area outside the built-up zone
Created on: 15 Sep 2018 13:08
I
Ilef123
Hello everyone,
I am new here and urgently need some advice. We have fallen in love with an old farmhouse located in a district of our municipality (in Brandenburg). One reason we like the property so much is that it lies on the edge of several fields, with the nearest neighboring house approximately 50–200m (55–220 yards) away. Visually, the property is clearly distinct from the nearby settlement.
A few days ago, we learned that the current owner is willing to sell the farmhouse to us. We immediately started researching and arranged an appointment with the building authority, which will take place soon. During our research, we came across the topics of “outlying area” zoning and “scattered settlement,” which at first felt like a big setback, as we are generally only interested in properties like this. The farmhouse has probably been unoccupied for many years and apparently is not currently habitable (we have yet to do an interior inspection; there is significant damage to several roofs, though most exterior walls appear to be in acceptable condition).
We really want to buy this property and are willing to fight for it if there is a chance of success. Even just the land alone is worth the effort to us, so the poor condition of the buildings doesn’t discourage us much. We both have building experience, but as we are now realizing, not the legal or planning expertise. Our initial idea was, of course, to demolish at will and build a new, custom-designed house (construction would start no earlier than 2020). However, since we have read that the best we might achieve is to restore the existing residential buildings in the same form and in the same place, we would accept that too (although we don’t yet know exactly what counts as living space there, and we are tempted by the idea of turning one of the barns into a living room).
We feel quite overwhelmed and desperate and only have a few days to decide, as there are other interested parties. Could someone advise us on the best approach, what we should absolutely avoid, and what we need to be careful about? Is there a realistic chance of success? We know this probably isn’t a reasonable idea and that it will be a difficult path, but we want to give it a try.
Thanks in advance!
I am new here and urgently need some advice. We have fallen in love with an old farmhouse located in a district of our municipality (in Brandenburg). One reason we like the property so much is that it lies on the edge of several fields, with the nearest neighboring house approximately 50–200m (55–220 yards) away. Visually, the property is clearly distinct from the nearby settlement.
A few days ago, we learned that the current owner is willing to sell the farmhouse to us. We immediately started researching and arranged an appointment with the building authority, which will take place soon. During our research, we came across the topics of “outlying area” zoning and “scattered settlement,” which at first felt like a big setback, as we are generally only interested in properties like this. The farmhouse has probably been unoccupied for many years and apparently is not currently habitable (we have yet to do an interior inspection; there is significant damage to several roofs, though most exterior walls appear to be in acceptable condition).
We really want to buy this property and are willing to fight for it if there is a chance of success. Even just the land alone is worth the effort to us, so the poor condition of the buildings doesn’t discourage us much. We both have building experience, but as we are now realizing, not the legal or planning expertise. Our initial idea was, of course, to demolish at will and build a new, custom-designed house (construction would start no earlier than 2020). However, since we have read that the best we might achieve is to restore the existing residential buildings in the same form and in the same place, we would accept that too (although we don’t yet know exactly what counts as living space there, and we are tempted by the idea of turning one of the barns into a living room).
We feel quite overwhelmed and desperate and only have a few days to decide, as there are other interested parties. Could someone advise us on the best approach, what we should absolutely avoid, and what we need to be careful about? Is there a realistic chance of success? We know this probably isn’t a reasonable idea and that it will be a difficult path, but we want to give it a try.
Thanks in advance!
D
Deliverer20 Jul 2022 10:18That is a bit unfortunate, but still very nice!
Deliverer schrieb:
That’s a bit of a shame, but still very nice!Thank you, the renovation would have simply been too complex and might not have worked out that well. The roof had to be perfectly flat for the flat tiles, and I’m not sure if the final construction would have been structurally feasible without any clamps. We kept the old roof beams from the two gable roofs dating back to the 19th century and stored them carefully. Some will be used for decorative purposes, possibly around the chimney, and the rest will be sold.
ateliersiegel20 Jul 2022 10:48Ilef123 schrieb:
I don’t know if the final construction would have been this simple structurally without using clamps.What’s the trick to managing without clamps? Is it the ring beam? The flat roof in the middle?
(I’ve been through a clamp situation myself and, while I’m satisfied with the result, I would have been happier—and above all, it would have been cheaper—without all that clamp hassle.)
ateliersiegel schrieb:
What’s the trick for avoiding the use of clamps? The ring beam? The flat roof in the middle?
(I’ve been through a clamp hassle before and, while I’m happy with the result, I would have been happier without the clamp fuss—and especially it would have been cheaper) The ring beam was designed to support this, as are the rafters. Both gable roofs—the other gable roof contains finished living space without exposed beams (a standard structural timber roof).
ateliersiegel20 Jul 2022 11:17I hadn’t really noticed ring beams three years ago (when planning started) … :p
Looks good, this project (just saw it for the first time).
I like the mix of old and new architectural elements.
The roof (actually the roofs) looks “quite normal” to me, but the windows take advantage of modern possibilities.
It’s already built and well done … still, this comment:
I appreciate and love the charm of old (or older) building components (e.g., beams), but when something is newly built, I think it can be clearly visible as new (I wouldn’t have made the wood look “old”).
A craftsman who built something 100 (or 500) years ago and whose work we admire today probably wouldn’t have thought to make a repair look older than it actually is.
I always believe that the age of a building should (and needs to) be visible. What matters most to me is the warmth and humor with which a building is designed. Durability and maintainability are my top priorities, followed by appearance.
When something only looks “as if,” I always find that a bit questionable.
I’m just sharing this as a suggestion because I like the building, not to complain.
🙂
Looks good, this project (just saw it for the first time).
I like the mix of old and new architectural elements.
The roof (actually the roofs) looks “quite normal” to me, but the windows take advantage of modern possibilities.
It’s already built and well done … still, this comment:
I appreciate and love the charm of old (or older) building components (e.g., beams), but when something is newly built, I think it can be clearly visible as new (I wouldn’t have made the wood look “old”).
A craftsman who built something 100 (or 500) years ago and whose work we admire today probably wouldn’t have thought to make a repair look older than it actually is.
I always believe that the age of a building should (and needs to) be visible. What matters most to me is the warmth and humor with which a building is designed. Durability and maintainability are my top priorities, followed by appearance.
When something only looks “as if,” I always find that a bit questionable.
I’m just sharing this as a suggestion because I like the building, not to complain.
🙂
Interesting thought. However, we are not very fond of modern exposed roof trusses. I was heavily inspired by the Modern Rustic style during the planning, and we were quite sad when we had to remove the old timber framework. We simply prefer reclaimed wood in general, especially when combined with concrete, glass, and minimal decoration. 🙂
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