ᐅ Decision on Building Site?

Unexpectedly, things are now progressing quickly with the development plan area we originally targeted, so we now have the following two options to choose from:

Option a)
- Rural suburb
- Intercity bus takes 12 minutes to the city center
- By bike via "quiet" side paths along the federal road and across the highway in about 20 minutes to the city center (not a problem for me, but what about the children?)
- Primary school in the village, but crossing a federal road with a traffic light is necessary

Option b)
- Urban new development area on the outer edge of the city
- City bus within the same fare zone, about 20 minutes to the city center
- By bike about 25 minutes to downtown, but mostly through "busy" areas, passing through or along the city park
- School bus to the primary school less than 200 meters (yards) from the front door

Shopping options (supermarket and discount stores), bakeries, etc. are all very close to both locations. The highway is also nearby (no more than 5 minutes away in each case). Daycare centers are within walking distance at both locations, but the question always remains whether you can get a spot there or if you have to find daycare farther away. Prices are similar.

Both locations are basically and legally “quiet.” At the rural location a), a federal road runs 200 meters (about 220 yards) from the building site (closed to truck through traffic, and in practice almost no trucks drive there). Between the road and the site is a 6-meter (20 feet) noise barrier and housing. The highway is 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) away as the crow flies and audible only in otherwise absolute silence (i.e., if you concentrate on it). At the urban location b), a highway feeder road is 500 meters (about 550 yards) away in a straight line, but noise is “softened” by various sound protection measures (houses are partly right next to it). The highway itself is 1.0 kilometer (0.6 miles) behind dense block housing and hills, hidden from view. There is no direct line of sight to the highway from either area. During the day, you can mostly hear general city noise in the urban area, while in the rural area, I haven't really noticed much of that; I would have to check. There I mainly hear the federal road and the highway, depending on wind direction. But in both cases, the noise is not disturbing—just noticeable if you pay attention.

Building is possible with two full floors in both areas. Lot sizes are similar. South-facing orientation is possible in both areas, so in principle, the floor plan would not need to change.

The urban area b) has a nice existing mature tree population, which I like, as long as it’s not directly on the property or blocking the sun (which it isn’t). In area a), the greener surroundings basically start from zero.

There is a district park within walking distance at location b), or a real forest at location a).

Any ideas? What other factors have you included in your decision-making process?

Another factor to consider: What kind of neighborhood is important to you?
We deliberately decided against a building plot (e.g., an infill plot or an existing property) in an established development because we wanted to start together with other families, who usually have children of similar ages.

Our last house taught us this lesson. We moved in about 3-4 years after the neighborhood of approximately 140 houses was completed. Neighbors already had children, but we didn’t have any yet. By the time we had children, the neighbors’ kids were already grown. As a result, we never really formed close connections. One of the reasons for building a new home was this experience (plus having another “new” child).

Now we are happy with the neighborhood and feel like we truly belong. Especially in rural areas, it can be difficult to make connections.

Being able to walk to the daycare center and primary school gives me a great deal of quality of life. I would never want it any other way.

@nordanney: Both development areas include approximately 60 single-family home lots each, which will be developed over the next few months. In the rural area, there have occasionally been new housing developments nearby, here and there, a few hundred meters away. In the urban area, a neighborhood for around 4,000 people has essentially been built over the past 20 years, with the last construction phase completed a few years ago. But as mentioned, now there are two new development areas, both relatively large with about 60 single-family home lots each.

Then it will be a tough decision; you will probably need to trust your gut feeling. There really aren't any significant drawbacks with either option. I would prefer the rural area because a) rural means cozy and close to nature, and b) it is still close to the city.

I would like to address one point 🙂

Regarding the idea that there are no building gaps because the new development is occupied by young families: this does not always have to be true, as in our case during our current search. We initially wanted to buy in the new development, but then learned that out of 12 plots, 3 are being converted into an apartment block, 4 are purchased and built on by older people, one belongs to the local church, and one is reserved for a playground, so there isn’t much left.

In the end, we decided on a gap plot because of its nicer location (which of course is always subjective) and because we already knew who was living around it. (Additionally, the price per square meter was lower.)

But this decision always has to be made personally… as nordanney already said, it comes down to “gut feeling.”