ᐅ Multigenerational House / Semi-Detached House – Technical Separation of Building Services

Hello dear experts,

I am currently planning a multi-generation house for two households. The building will consist of two differently sized living units. The smaller unit is intended for my parents and should optionally be rentable in the future, functioning independently within a rental arrangement. A fully autonomous setup (e.g. separate heating system) for the case of a sale is not planned.

I now have some questions regarding the building services, specifically about their design and scope. Where might costs potentially be saved, and is a different configuration needed for the phase when we live together (own unit + parents) compared to the phase afterward (own unit + tenant)?

Below I would like to briefly outline my ideas in bullet points to stimulate discussion on the individual details:

1. Shared gas heating / boiler system sized appropriately for both households.

2. Our unit will have a hydronic fireplace to support heating. The parents’ unit will have a conventional fireplace.

3. Separate metering for electricity and water. Is it necessary or practical to have the meters physically separated? Would a main sub-distribution board be the right approach here?

4. Telecom / internet. Initially, a shared connection is planned. In the later rental scenario, this will need to be separated.

Perhaps you have additional suggestions or ideas to help make this concept both functional and cost-effective.

Thank you very much in advance!

1 logically 2 not sure if that makes sense 3 of course! What happens if tenants are inside? Do you remove everything? Install water meters and heat meters for each unit. Electricity should be metered separately for each unit. Report electricity and water meters to the supplier yourself and allocate the units individually. You then represent the building community towards the supplier 4 yes