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.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Ah, the first mayor is already chiming in. More like a caretaker. At least in the vicinity of Potsdam, I am somewhat familiar with the situation.
P
Pinkiponk13 Aug 2020 09:08Ybias78 schrieb:
More like a janitor. At least in the vicinity of Potsdam, I am somewhat familiar with the situation. Understated, refined, and very English.G
goalkeeper13 Aug 2020 09:17Throughout this whole circus, where we have been repeatedly pointing out the issue of load-bearing support since the beginning of the year, the neighbor’s architect was already involved from the start, and later several other parties joined the neighbor’s construction project. All of them had the audacity to get involved in this matter. At no point did anyone show any sense or tact. They insisted on their “right,” which wasn’t a right at all, without ever making any effort to talk to us.
Since August last year, when the neighbor was confirmed as the interested party for the plot, there was one meeting with all the timber frame builders — that was the introductory meeting. There was never any approach from their side or even any information provided about when and how the construction work would take place. It was a complete mess, which has cost us much more effort and stress than we care to admit...
...and it all culminated on Monday in a disaster, when they simply tried to make a fool out of us and take away our property rights on the newly built, expensive house — something we only managed to defend through determined legal action — not to mention the disputes at the excavation site, where they even tried to ridicule us.
I am now taking this very personally and will not make any move to approach anyone — we have always behaved correctly and neighborly — for us, it’s over now.
He still has the option to appeal against the order or to build without a basement.
I never wanted it to end this way — but sometimes you just have to firmly show people their limits when they refuse to understand on their own.
Since August last year, when the neighbor was confirmed as the interested party for the plot, there was one meeting with all the timber frame builders — that was the introductory meeting. There was never any approach from their side or even any information provided about when and how the construction work would take place. It was a complete mess, which has cost us much more effort and stress than we care to admit...
...and it all culminated on Monday in a disaster, when they simply tried to make a fool out of us and take away our property rights on the newly built, expensive house — something we only managed to defend through determined legal action — not to mention the disputes at the excavation site, where they even tried to ridicule us.
I am now taking this very personally and will not make any move to approach anyone — we have always behaved correctly and neighborly — for us, it’s over now.
He still has the option to appeal against the order or to build without a basement.
I never wanted it to end this way — but sometimes you just have to firmly show people their limits when they refuse to understand on their own.
It’s possible that he is that narrow-minded. That’s granted (at least for now). But what surprises me the most is this:
Neither the architect, the civil engineer, nor any other tradespeople objected? These are professionals with liability insurance, licensing boards, and trade associations, so they’re certainly not reckless! Or are they all cousins or brothers-in-law of the uncle, or how should one understand this?
goalkeeper schrieb:
his architect was already involved, and later other parties were also brought into the neighbor’s construction project, and all of them had the audacity to get involved in the whole situation. Not a single person shows any common sense or tact at any point.
Neither the architect, the civil engineer, nor any other tradespeople objected? These are professionals with liability insurance, licensing boards, and trade associations, so they’re certainly not reckless! Or are they all cousins or brothers-in-law of the uncle, or how should one understand this?
G
goalkeeper13 Aug 2020 10:45At the beginning of the year, his architect said that underpinning was not necessary at all – it’s only 30cm (12 inches). This already made us and our general contractor (GC) flinch slightly for the first time.
His structural builder is a limited liability company (UG) founded in January 2020, which subcontracted the underpinning to a one-man “do-it-all” operation who also made a comment about Syrian refugees – an absolutely unpleasant and confrontational individual. He was in charge on site, proceeding quickly and without our approval or involving our geotechnical engineer. He even denied us access to the property.
After receiving a temporary injunction from our lawyer, he angrily called the office, apparently spewing venom and claiming he didn’t even have a construction site there… even though he had emailed us just three weeks earlier announcing the start of construction work… you just can’t believe it.
His structural builder is a limited liability company (UG) founded in January 2020, which subcontracted the underpinning to a one-man “do-it-all” operation who also made a comment about Syrian refugees – an absolutely unpleasant and confrontational individual. He was in charge on site, proceeding quickly and without our approval or involving our geotechnical engineer. He even denied us access to the property.
After receiving a temporary injunction from our lawyer, he angrily called the office, apparently spewing venom and claiming he didn’t even have a construction site there… even though he had emailed us just three weeks earlier announcing the start of construction work… you just can’t believe it.
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