ᐅ Building an End-Terrace House as a Self-Managed Project with a General Contractor
Created on: 27 May 2019 10:48
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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.
Just give him a call and discuss the depth with him, wait for his reaction, and then respond accordingly. I think he will build it that way anyway, even if you disagree. The architect will be responsible for the proper execution, marked by his green seal. This won’t delay or prevent his construction, as it is quite common. However, you can document everything yourself—preferably with an expert’s assessment—and confront him if any consequential damages occur. It’s also possible that nothing will happen, but your reaction might strain your neighborhood relations.
P.S. Nearly every new building has settlement cracks.
P.S. Nearly every new building has settlement cracks.
goalkeeper schrieb:
Because then our foundation would need underpinning, which is expensive (for the neighbor) and, if done incorrectly, could cause our house to settle at that spot....and if done correctly, nothing happens at all?G
goalkeeper25 Feb 2020 11:59tomtom79 schrieb:
Just call him and talk to him about the depth, wait for his reaction and respond accordingly. I think he will go ahead with the construction despite your objections, as the architect is responsible for the flawless execution, marked by his green certification. You won’t delay or prevent his build by raising this issue, since it is normal. However, you can document it yourself—ideally with an expert report—and confront him if any consequential damages occur. It’s also possible that nothing will happen, but your reaction could harm your neighborhood relationship.
P.S. Every new build usually has some settlement cracks I don’t want to delay his construction at all. We have been in contact many times, and he has repeatedly made it clear that he does not want to underpin the foundation because it would mean additional costs of 10,000 to 15,000 euros for him. Just last week, we discussed this again when we received the letter from the building authority / planning permission office.
Our formal objection would mainly highlight the planning error made by his architect.
The problem is simply that he relies entirely on his architect. When I brought up the topic of underpinning and foundation depth back in November, his response was: “That’s not my problem; it’s the mason’s.”
The poor guy is still very young, inexperienced, and perhaps a bit naive, thinking he can just sign off on everything the architect says without a second opinion, which is clearly not the case here.
goalkeeper schrieb:
Because then our foundation would have to be underpinned, which is expensive for the neighbor and, if done improperly, could cause our house to settle at that point. Well, the costs are his responsibility if he thinks it’s worth it. And the other point isn’t necessarily a given! I understand your concerns, but if he wants to build that way, you will hardly be able to change or prevent it, and opposing it might even damage the relationship. If the work is carried out correctly, then it shouldn’t be a problem, and to assume it won’t be done properly is rather difficult.
Okay, I just saw your further comment. Then contact him again and ask if he’s aware that with the current plan underpinning will be necessary!?
goalkeeper schrieb:
We now have the planning documents from the neighbor next door: it looks like their architect designed the basement 30cm (12 inches) deeper than our foundation. That’s offside, and even I don’t need a video review to see that.
goalkeeper schrieb:
Here in Baden-Württemberg, there is a notification procedure [...] If I do nothing, the building permit is considered approved by us. The objection is therefore understandable—and important—because of the looming threat of official liability over the approval authority. By doing this, you protect your neighbor from unintentionally causing damage to your already laboriously built house out of misplaced trust in supposed experts. Sometimes you have to act for the greater good—even if not everyone will be thankful.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
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goalkeeper25 Feb 2020 12:46cschiko schrieb:
Ok, I just saw your next post, so please contact him again and ask if he fully understands that the current plan needs to be carried out!?Already done – I don’t want to let him walk straight into a trap.
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