ᐅ Preliminary planning guide: Design of boiler room with basement

Hello dear house experts,

I am planning to build a kind of staggered adjoining house together with an acquaintance, meaning two separate houses connected to each other with a shared heating system located in a utility room in the basement (without a shared staircase).

The issue is that my acquaintance wants to start building as soon as possible, preferably still this year. I, on the other hand, plan to start in about 1 ½ years.

Now I am wondering what needs to be planned in advance or what I need to consider, since I partly have to be involved in the planning process.

It would be great if you could share your experiences and list everything I should keep in mind, especially the points that a layperson might not think of.

Best regards

PS: If you need plans, data, or other information, I will be happy to provide them later

Do you have two plot numbers? Are these separate properties? If so, is the heating system in your acquaintance’s basement? How do you plan to handle rights of way or access permissions? The advantage of attached houses is the shared construction process – this can save you from having to set up the construction site twice, among other things. You lose all these savings if you build twice. If you are building with a basement, will you need to support their house while constructing your basement? That will cost more than usual.
The plan sounds rather unusual.

How is it decided who maintains the heating system and who pays for repairs? Who determines how much heating is used? Who orders the fuel, and how well will the parties get along in 20 years? What happens if your acquaintance transfers ownership of the house, voluntarily or not? I would never buy a house that doesn’t have its own heating system or where I would be dependent on a neighbor.

To me, that sounds like a crazy idea 🙂

Declaration of division and homeowners association according to the Condominium Act (WEG) if there is 1 parcel of land. If there are two parcels served by one heating system, you should seek legal advice. It will not work legally with two parcels unless you divide the properties into 3 parcels: 2 parcels as sole ownership and 1 parcel under the Condominium Act (WEG), where you place the heating system and make an appropriate agreement. Overall, a disaster for saving 2,000 (currency not specified).

To explain, this is a plot of land where the north side borders natural surroundings and the south side faces the street. There are two options being considered here.

1.) Divide the plot in the middle and build one house on the nature side and the other house facing the street.

2.) Divide the plot in the middle with one house on the left and one house on the right.

We couldn’t come to an agreement on either option because the attractive natural side and the sunlight conflict with each other. So we decided on a slightly offset layout where each house has its own advantages and disadvantages, and no one only has the drawbacks. The original idea was to build together to save money, but now it needs to happen quickly for them (child on the way), while for us it’s not financially feasible yet. The plot will be divided because you can never be sure if one of them might have to sell their house.

Does it still make sense to build a shared heating room to save a lot of money? We get along very well and consistently share the same views on the roof, heating, layout, etc., even though it’s possible that in 20 years we might have conflicts—that is a risk I am willing to take.

Since this is also an inheritance for both of us, there’s no question of choosing something else. I have to accept the circumstances as they are and try to find the best compromise between personal interests and mutual agreement.

I hope this helps you understand the situation better (if not, I’m happy to provide more information) and that you can offer further good advice.

Hello,

janS34 schrieb:

To explain, it is a plot where the north side borders nature and the south side faces the street. Two possibilities have been considered here.

1.) Divide the plot in the middle and place one house on the nature side and the other on the street side.
2.) Divide the plot in the middle with one house on the left and one house on the right.

We could not agree on either option because the nice nature side and the light conditions conflict. So we decided on a slightly staggered layout so that each has advantages and disadvantages, and no one only has disadvantages.

With all due respect – I don’t understand. If the houses are placed centrally, i.e., right and left of the central dividing boundary, then both have north and south light. Where is the disadvantage?

janS34 schrieb:

Doesn’t it make sense to build a shared heating room despite everything, since that would save a lot of money? We get along very well and consistently share the same views on roof, heating, layout, etc., even though we cannot exclude the possibility of conflicts in 20 years -> I am willing to take that risk.

If a detached house hosts the heating system, it must be clearly regulated that both of you have access to the heating system at any time. Whether this can be ensured by an easement (related to the division of the plot) is something I am unsure about. If I were you, I would rather parcel out an additional piece of land solely for this purpose; however, this would increase costs both for notary fees and construction, because a standalone technical room must meet different requirements than a heating room inside the house. Therefore, the supposed "savings" would tend toward zero or might even result in a loss.

A shared heating system usually only occurs where ownership is divided under condominium law (such as a two-family house or a detached house with a granny flat, or in multi-storey apartment buildings). This means that each party owns their unit, but the technical installations, hallways, garden, and driveway are common property.

I also doubt that you fully understand all the consequences associated with your proposed arrangement. What if changes in work, illness, or even death alter the circumstances so that you suddenly have a neighbor with whom you cannot reasonably negotiate? Or what if one of you has to sell for whatever reason? The savings from a shared heating system are usually not that significant, assuming a 50% share for each party, making such potential trouble hard to justify willingly.

If this topic is really important to you, consider building “one” larger house with a shared entrance and dividing it under condominium ownership; this can also be realized with staggered buildings. This approach is definitely safer and keeps you legally protected in all the issues I mentioned above, regardless of who owns the other share in 10, 20, or 30 years.

Best regards, Bauexperte