Hello everyone,
We’re starting to feel quite desperate and don’t know how to move forward. Here is the initial situation:
My husband and I want to build a new house on my parents’ property, where their house already stands. At the beginning of the year, we met with a local construction company. They referred us to an architect they work with. After he took two months to submit a preliminary building inquiry to the building authority (he simply forgot us twice!), we no longer want to work with him. The preliminary inquiry was just to get approval to extend the building envelope, so we could even build a second house on the property. We told the construction company that we didn’t want to continue with that architect, but they don’t seem very interested in working with us anymore, as they haven’t offered any next steps or suggested another architect. I suspect the construction company will only get involved if we come to them with a finished plan plus a building permit / planning permission.
Since we weren’t making progress, we turned to a large German builder specializing in solid construction, and we have already had several discussions with them. In the meantime, we received positive feedback on the preliminary inquiry, allowing us to build a one-and-a-half-story house with a pitched roof. So far, so good. The builder now wants to submit the building permit / planning application, but nothing is really finalized yet. We have a quote for a standard house from their catalog for €240,000. The sales advisor said we should first submit some basic details (external dimensions, position on the property, roof pitch, etc.), and the interior layout can be changed later. But if I realize the room layout doesn’t work inside, I’d have to change the external dimensions again, and that’s not so easy if it has already been approved differently, right? He also wants us to sign the construction contract before submitting the building permit application because the authorities need all details finalized. But I don’t want to sign a contract when the basic floor plan isn’t even clear, and the contract even lists individual electrical outlets!
I understand that they have already invested time and want to get paid eventually, but we feel a bit uneasy here. The advisor said they will include clauses in the contract so that if the permit is rejected or costs “explode” (which is subjective), we would not be bound by the contract.
I wanted to know if this is the “normal” procedure? Somehow I have the feeling we are on the completely wrong track... We already have a floor plan we like, which just needs to be refined, thus determining the external dimensions and so forth. But I get the impression the builder doesn’t want to deal with that because it’s too much work without knowing if they will actually get the contract. Or would it be better to look for an architect on our own, develop a concrete plan, and then approach building companies with that? We’re overwhelmed and already very frustrated because we’re not getting anywhere :-( We hoped to have a building permit by the end of the year with regard to the homebuyer subsidy, but somehow it looks like that’s slipping away...
Many thanks to everyone who read this, and maybe you have a tip on how we can move forward quickly and sensibly?
We’re starting to feel quite desperate and don’t know how to move forward. Here is the initial situation:
My husband and I want to build a new house on my parents’ property, where their house already stands. At the beginning of the year, we met with a local construction company. They referred us to an architect they work with. After he took two months to submit a preliminary building inquiry to the building authority (he simply forgot us twice!), we no longer want to work with him. The preliminary inquiry was just to get approval to extend the building envelope, so we could even build a second house on the property. We told the construction company that we didn’t want to continue with that architect, but they don’t seem very interested in working with us anymore, as they haven’t offered any next steps or suggested another architect. I suspect the construction company will only get involved if we come to them with a finished plan plus a building permit / planning permission.
Since we weren’t making progress, we turned to a large German builder specializing in solid construction, and we have already had several discussions with them. In the meantime, we received positive feedback on the preliminary inquiry, allowing us to build a one-and-a-half-story house with a pitched roof. So far, so good. The builder now wants to submit the building permit / planning application, but nothing is really finalized yet. We have a quote for a standard house from their catalog for €240,000. The sales advisor said we should first submit some basic details (external dimensions, position on the property, roof pitch, etc.), and the interior layout can be changed later. But if I realize the room layout doesn’t work inside, I’d have to change the external dimensions again, and that’s not so easy if it has already been approved differently, right? He also wants us to sign the construction contract before submitting the building permit application because the authorities need all details finalized. But I don’t want to sign a contract when the basic floor plan isn’t even clear, and the contract even lists individual electrical outlets!
I understand that they have already invested time and want to get paid eventually, but we feel a bit uneasy here. The advisor said they will include clauses in the contract so that if the permit is rejected or costs “explode” (which is subjective), we would not be bound by the contract.
I wanted to know if this is the “normal” procedure? Somehow I have the feeling we are on the completely wrong track... We already have a floor plan we like, which just needs to be refined, thus determining the external dimensions and so forth. But I get the impression the builder doesn’t want to deal with that because it’s too much work without knowing if they will actually get the contract. Or would it be better to look for an architect on our own, develop a concrete plan, and then approach building companies with that? We’re overwhelmed and already very frustrated because we’re not getting anywhere :-( We hoped to have a building permit by the end of the year with regard to the homebuyer subsidy, but somehow it looks like that’s slipping away...
Many thanks to everyone who read this, and maybe you have a tip on how we can move forward quickly and sensibly?
T
T_im_Norden23 Jul 2020 17:13Alverde schrieb:
This issue becomes even more complicated because the plot is a leasehold property owned by the church, but I thought that would be going too far here... We asked the church in principle whether we could build a second house there. Basically, there is no objection, but you obviously need to have a detailed plan to get a definite yes or no...Clarify that first before you do anything else. How much longer is the leasehold running?
T_im_Norden schrieb:
Clear this up before you do anything else.
How much longer does the leasehold run? Over 60 years with my parents’ contract. That’s why we actually don’t feel the need to renew it, since it wouldn’t really affect us anymore. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, because the church naturally only provides a statement once they know exactly what we plan to do on the property. It’s possible that we plan everything and in the end the church blocks our plans...
H
HilfeHilfe23 Jul 2020 18:26Alverde schrieb:
Yes, I also find that a bit strange... We have already submitted two sketches showing how we would like to adapt the catalog house (which is a perfectly fine starting point) according to our ideas. The response was always, "Yes, we are very flexible on the inside and can still change walls and rooms as you want." But why doesn’t someone on their side just do it then? Because with the floor plan design, we have often realized ourselves that the devil is in the details and things often don’t work out as originally planned. What if we apply to the building authority for a house measuring 9 x 10 m (29.5 x 32.8 ft) and then realize we actually need 10 x 11 m (32.8 x 36 ft) because the interior layout doesn’t work? Or am I just overthinking the details here?
So should we look for an architect on our own and develop a professionally drawn floor plan with them, then get firm offers based on that plan? How much does an architect’s plan typically cost? (Or what’s the best approach to take?) Because they don’t earn anything from offers until the contract is signed. The problem is that every change from the standard always costs an additional amount.
P
Pinkiponk23 Jul 2020 19:21Alverde schrieb:
""Yes, inside we are completely flexible, and we can still change the walls and rooms as you want.""Have you already received a detailed scope of work? It should state whether and how many times the floor plan can be changed free of charge.I can share my approach from last year:
I wrote an email outlining all the key requirements such as approximate floor area, roof type, windows, heating system, number of bathrooms, and so on, along with a rough preliminary floor plan and a price range (I might be able to send you a template via private message). I asked for a quote and the scope of work from the potential companies in a show home park, excluding those I knew were too expensive for me. I also mentioned that the land was already owned and requested information on the estimated construction time from the approval of the building permit / planning permission.
Once I received the initial information in writing, I scheduled appointments at the show home parks. On two separate days, I set aside two-hour time slots for each company that seemed interesting.
Some companies did not respond to my email and were naturally eliminated. Others refused to provide a scope of work and were also no longer considered. One company told me by phone that they generally don’t build without a ventilation system, another said they don’t use gas condensing boilers, and one stated that due to their workload, our house (in our case a prefabricated house) couldn’t be started before 2022, and so on.
P
Pinkiponk23 Jul 2020 19:30Alverde schrieb:
My husband is now to the point where he doesn’t really care anymore and just wants to choose a standard house from the prefabricated home provider. Your previous posts are likely just a snapshot of the current situation, and I hope I’m not coming across as too presumptuous. But if it’s already mentally and emotionally so exhausting for you both, I truly think a prefabricated home might be a good choice. I’m not entirely objective, though—we ourselves have decided on a prefabricated home but haven’t started building yet. Hopefully, we will begin soon.
Alverde schrieb:
It's a classic chicken-and-egg problem, since the church will only give an official response once they know exactly what we plan to do on the property. It’s possible that we arrange everything, and in the end the church could still block the project... Then kindly ask again – the church shouldn’t need more information than what is submitted for the building permit / planning permission preliminary inquiry. Regarding the lease agreements (when did your parents actually build, 20 or 39 years ago?), here’s how it usually works: there is a fixed term, after which there are two options. Extension is more common, but non-renewal is also possible. In the latter case, you or your heirs would receive some form of compensation for the value of the house – the property would neither be demolished due to contract termination, nor would it be returned without any compensation. Extending 80-year contracts to 99 years counted from the start of the parents’ contract should be unproblematic; anything beyond 99 years is usually avoided.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Your previous posts probably just reflect a snapshot of the situation, and I hope I don’t come across as too presumptuous. But if things are already this mentally and emotionally exhausting for you, I do think that a prefabricated house would be a good choice. That’s not presumptuous but simply confusing: a prefabricated house is only as “finished” as a dog is “in” a dog biscuit, meaning “just in name only.” It is not faster here, nor is it simpler. The main difference is that a large part of the shell is built in the factory, so it’s just not visible yet at the assembly site.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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