ᐅ Building an End-Terrace House as a Self-Managed Project with a General Contractor
Created on: 27 May 2019 10:48
G
goalkeeper
Hello everyone,
some of you might have already followed one of my threads about us having to or being allowed to build our end-terrace house on our own responsibility – depending on how you look at it. This means that we are buying an end-terrace plot (215 sqm (2315 sq ft)) in a new development area in the Rhein-Neckar district and will be building on it ourselves – but in coordination with our two terrace neighbors.
The municipality, which sold the plots through a local resident model, ideally wanted applicants to apply as a complete housing group with several families and then build accordingly with a general contractor, construction manager, or architect. Of course, that didn’t really work out, so now there are only individual applicants and also homeowners.
After we were awarded the plot, the addresses of the other terrace neighbors were shared to discuss certain matters, such as roof style, whether or not to have a basement, etc. It was immediately clear that everyone preferred to do their own thing. However, we were still able to agree that the housing group will have a gable roof with a pitch of 35 to 40 degrees (within this 5-degree range).
As the end house, we will build without a basement, while the middle house and the other end house will have basements. This obviously presents a challenge as we would have to make a deep foundation or simply skip it, and the middle house would have to support us, as we will start construction first. The current agreement with the middle house is that we will build a deeper foundation at his expense, as supporting our house later on would be considerably more expensive for him.
We are currently close to signing with the construction manager, the notarization appointment for the plot is at the end of June, and we hope to start construction in the fall of this year. Meanwhile, several other freely planned housing groups are being built around us, which might get in the way with their cranes.
I will document the progress here from time to time – such a self-planned terraced house doesn’t come along very often.
some of you might have already followed one of my threads about us having to or being allowed to build our end-terrace house on our own responsibility – depending on how you look at it. This means that we are buying an end-terrace plot (215 sqm (2315 sq ft)) in a new development area in the Rhein-Neckar district and will be building on it ourselves – but in coordination with our two terrace neighbors.
The municipality, which sold the plots through a local resident model, ideally wanted applicants to apply as a complete housing group with several families and then build accordingly with a general contractor, construction manager, or architect. Of course, that didn’t really work out, so now there are only individual applicants and also homeowners.
After we were awarded the plot, the addresses of the other terrace neighbors were shared to discuss certain matters, such as roof style, whether or not to have a basement, etc. It was immediately clear that everyone preferred to do their own thing. However, we were still able to agree that the housing group will have a gable roof with a pitch of 35 to 40 degrees (within this 5-degree range).
As the end house, we will build without a basement, while the middle house and the other end house will have basements. This obviously presents a challenge as we would have to make a deep foundation or simply skip it, and the middle house would have to support us, as we will start construction first. The current agreement with the middle house is that we will build a deeper foundation at his expense, as supporting our house later on would be considerably more expensive for him.
We are currently close to signing with the construction manager, the notarization appointment for the plot is at the end of June, and we hope to start construction in the fall of this year. Meanwhile, several other freely planned housing groups are being built around us, which might get in the way with their cranes.
I will document the progress here from time to time – such a self-planned terraced house doesn’t come along very often.
G
goalkeeper11 Feb 2020 10:06We will have the painting work done by the general contractor (GC) – otherwise, we will install the Parador Modular One design floor throughout the entire house, except of course in the wet areas. Those will be tiled.
The flooring is installed like laminate and only requires a vapor barrier underneath – it already includes impact sound insulation and more. That is about 100 sq meters (1,076 sq feet) to be installed by two people. I think it should be possible to complete within a week.
The flooring is installed like laminate and only requires a vapor barrier underneath – it already includes impact sound insulation and more. That is about 100 sq meters (1,076 sq feet) to be installed by two people. I think it should be possible to complete within a week.
If you have good endurance, you might manage two full days in a row, but then your knees and the skin will be completely worn out, and you’ll need to take at least two days off. We have now installed nearly 75m² (800 sq ft) over three weekends, working 2-3 hours on Fridays and 6-8 hours on Saturdays, which worked quite well.
The flooring was solid vinyl and could easily be scored and snapped with a knife, which is much simpler and faster than cutting each plank with a jigsaw or miter saw.
The flooring was solid vinyl and could easily be scored and snapped with a knife, which is much simpler and faster than cutting each plank with a jigsaw or miter saw.
G
goalkeeper11 Feb 2020 10:24kaho674 schrieb:
Cost?22-25 € per sqm (square meter).
goalkeeper schrieb:
That amounts to about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) for two people.100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) in one go is not the problem. However, divided into 4 to 5 rooms, it will take longer because the first row has to be installed perfectly; otherwise, it will look chaotic. If you’ve already installed flooring, you have the technique, but if not, you’ll need a lot of strength. Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is common—I dealt with it for about 9 months. Cutting with a jigsaw and circular saw is not difficult, but it creates dust and takes time. Especially in small rooms, it’s a real challenge to mark every 2-3 planks, stand up, go to the miter saw or jigsaw, and then get back on the floor.
G
goalkeeper11 Feb 2020 10:27MayrCh schrieb:
100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) in one piece is not a problem. However, divided into 4 to 5 rooms, it will take longer because the first row has to be laid perfectly; otherwise, it will look messy.
If you have laid flooring before, you already know the technique; if not, you will have to put in a lot of effort. Lateral epicondylitis can be a concern—I dealt with it for about nine months. Cutting with a jigsaw and circular saw is not complicated but creates dust and takes time. Especially in small rooms, it’s quite a hassle to mark every 2-3 planks, get up, go to the miter saw or jigsaw, then go back down to the floor. My brother-in-law has laid floors several times. He will help me so that one of us lays the floor while the other one does the cutting. That’s basically the plan.
I also requested quotes for the installation, which ranged between 32 and 34 hours, complete and finished including baseboards. Don't underestimate the time required and avoid planning too tightly.
Especially the hallway with the staircase and 4-5 rooms consumes an incredible amount of time. Just deciding where to start here took almost 2 hours on its own.
Especially the hallway with the staircase and 4-5 rooms consumes an incredible amount of time. Just deciding where to start here took almost 2 hours on its own.