ᐅ Construction of a small multi-family residential building in Cologne
Created on: 17 Sep 2017 22:45
B
Bastürk
Hello everyone, I’m new to the forum and would like to warmly greet the community.
So, I’ll start from the beginning.
I have bought a mid-terrace house in 51105 Cologne, built around 1900, with dimensions of 6.15 m (20 feet) wide and 11.50 m (38 feet) deep, and the plot is 6.15 m (20 feet) wide and 22 m (72 feet) deep.
It has two floors plus an attic, but unfortunately the attic height is only 2 m (6.5 feet).
Since it is a very old house and almost no work has been done over the years, it looks accordingly worn.
Originally, I wanted to completely renovate it from top to bottom.
However, the carpenter who was supposed to build a new roof frame told me that a building permit / planning permission is required and advised me to demolish the house and rebuild instead, as did other tradespeople who inspected it.
In the end, I have decided to proceed with demolition and new construction.
At an information day at the Cologne building authority, an employee told me that I am allowed to build as high as the neighbor!
This means that my right-hand neighbor has a mid-terrace house of the same height, and the left-hand neighbor’s house is a multi-family building with three floors plus an attic with residential units.
So basically, I am allowed to build that high too, which means one additional floor for me.
I plan to use the first two floors myself (maisonette apartment), and I would rent out the third floor and the attic.
I have no experience at all and do not know exactly what I have to do besides obtaining a permit.
I look forward to your valuable advice.
So, I’ll start from the beginning.
I have bought a mid-terrace house in 51105 Cologne, built around 1900, with dimensions of 6.15 m (20 feet) wide and 11.50 m (38 feet) deep, and the plot is 6.15 m (20 feet) wide and 22 m (72 feet) deep.
It has two floors plus an attic, but unfortunately the attic height is only 2 m (6.5 feet).
Since it is a very old house and almost no work has been done over the years, it looks accordingly worn.
Originally, I wanted to completely renovate it from top to bottom.
However, the carpenter who was supposed to build a new roof frame told me that a building permit / planning permission is required and advised me to demolish the house and rebuild instead, as did other tradespeople who inspected it.
In the end, I have decided to proceed with demolition and new construction.
At an information day at the Cologne building authority, an employee told me that I am allowed to build as high as the neighbor!
This means that my right-hand neighbor has a mid-terrace house of the same height, and the left-hand neighbor’s house is a multi-family building with three floors plus an attic with residential units.
So basically, I am allowed to build that high too, which means one additional floor for me.
I plan to use the first two floors myself (maisonette apartment), and I would rent out the third floor and the attic.
I have no experience at all and do not know exactly what I have to do besides obtaining a permit.
I look forward to your valuable advice.
I would not make any hasty decisions. I dare to doubt that the house is really ready for demolition. This should not primarily be decided by a carpenter, but by an architect working together with a structural engineer. Besides, demolition can be quite costly, for example if neighboring buildings need to be secured or if a new basemented construction requires deeper foundations than the adjacent buildings. It is also possible that any existing building protection rights would lapse, meaning a new building might no longer be allowed to be constructed in the same form. This can only be assessed on site.
A house built around 1900 can basically be completely renovated, which is the usual approach. The roof truss almost always needs to be rebuilt because the rafter arrangement is undersized and cannot accommodate the required roof insulation according to the energy saving regulations. When rebuilding the roof, it may also be possible to raise the roof structure to allow for the attic to be converted into living space. Converting the attic generally requires a building permit (planning permission), as does renewing the rafter structure. This cannot be carried out independently by the carpenter. Additionally, for a complete renovation of the house, you need a renovation plan that coordinates all trades involved in the entire building.
If demolition is unavoidable or the best solution for the intended new use of the site, it must first be clarified under building and planning law what type and scale of new construction is permitted. The zoning plan provides this information and must be interpreted by an architect and negotiated with the building authorities to enable the design you want to build. If no zoning plan exists, the regulation §34 of the Building Code applies: the new construction must correspond to the surrounding built environment. For this, a building inquiry must be submitted.
Therefore, you should hire an architect to 1.) inspect the property and assess its condition to discuss with you the desired construction measures if the building is worth preserving. If it is 2.) indeed beyond repair, the architect can prepare a preliminary design for your building project based on an existing zoning plan or their assessment of the situation and coordinate its feasibility with the building authorities.
No decisions should be made without an architect and an independent expert assessment of the existing situation.
Where is the property located in Cologne?
A house built around 1900 can basically be completely renovated, which is the usual approach. The roof truss almost always needs to be rebuilt because the rafter arrangement is undersized and cannot accommodate the required roof insulation according to the energy saving regulations. When rebuilding the roof, it may also be possible to raise the roof structure to allow for the attic to be converted into living space. Converting the attic generally requires a building permit (planning permission), as does renewing the rafter structure. This cannot be carried out independently by the carpenter. Additionally, for a complete renovation of the house, you need a renovation plan that coordinates all trades involved in the entire building.
If demolition is unavoidable or the best solution for the intended new use of the site, it must first be clarified under building and planning law what type and scale of new construction is permitted. The zoning plan provides this information and must be interpreted by an architect and negotiated with the building authorities to enable the design you want to build. If no zoning plan exists, the regulation §34 of the Building Code applies: the new construction must correspond to the surrounding built environment. For this, a building inquiry must be submitted.
Therefore, you should hire an architect to 1.) inspect the property and assess its condition to discuss with you the desired construction measures if the building is worth preserving. If it is 2.) indeed beyond repair, the architect can prepare a preliminary design for your building project based on an existing zoning plan or their assessment of the situation and coordinate its feasibility with the building authorities.
No decisions should be made without an architect and an independent expert assessment of the existing situation.
Where is the property located in Cologne?
Bastürk schrieb:
Built around 1900 and measuring 6.15m (20 feet) wide Six meters fifteen is still just as narrow today as it was back then, so I don’t expect a new build to offer much improvement in that respect that would justify the extra effort. On the other hand, the house looks too well maintained to consider demolition hastily. Both points, in my view, are good reasons to have an architect experienced with older buildings take a closer look.
Bastürk schrieb:
At an information day (building authority Cologne), the staff member told me that I can build as high as the neighbor!! Keep in mind that this information is not at all equivalent to an official building permit or planning permission. At these info days, a lot of standard phrases are given. It’s more like an FAQ session presented in person than a binding statement. In a §34 situation, I would fear that the more similar neighboring property would be considered more relevant—unless the taller house replaced two smaller houses of similar size.
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The usual and proven procedure to achieve a usable result for further steps would be:
1. On-site construction consultation with an architect: Assessment of the quality and condition of the load-bearing and non-load-bearing building structure for renovation/conversion/extension/expansion. This may require opening up parts of the building (ceiling/wall constructions). The condition of the ceiling above the basement is always of interest – likely a steel beam ceiling with masonry caps – as well as the wooden beam ceiling above the top floor for the attic conversion or attic extension.
2. When reusing the existing structure: Building survey and preparation of updated as-built drawings, development of a renovation concept/renovation plan, clarification of building permit/planning permission and structural requirements for the attic conversion/extension, cost estimation, possibly a building feasibility inquiry, building permit application, etc.
3. In case of demolition: Clarification of building permit/planning permission conditions for a new build, possibly negotiations with authorities based on §34 of the Building Code and a missing development plan, possibly a building feasibility inquiry, preliminary design with cost estimation and calculation of demolition costs, etc., followed by further processing as a building permit application up to construction realization.
1. On-site construction consultation with an architect: Assessment of the quality and condition of the load-bearing and non-load-bearing building structure for renovation/conversion/extension/expansion. This may require opening up parts of the building (ceiling/wall constructions). The condition of the ceiling above the basement is always of interest – likely a steel beam ceiling with masonry caps – as well as the wooden beam ceiling above the top floor for the attic conversion or attic extension.
2. When reusing the existing structure: Building survey and preparation of updated as-built drawings, development of a renovation concept/renovation plan, clarification of building permit/planning permission and structural requirements for the attic conversion/extension, cost estimation, possibly a building feasibility inquiry, building permit application, etc.
3. In case of demolition: Clarification of building permit/planning permission conditions for a new build, possibly negotiations with authorities based on §34 of the Building Code and a missing development plan, possibly a building feasibility inquiry, preliminary design with cost estimation and calculation of demolition costs, etc., followed by further processing as a building permit application up to construction realization.
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