ᐅ Selecting a Plot in a New Residential Development

What about the brown plots? Are they already taken?

11ant schrieb:

First of all, congratulations on having a municipality that understands planning. Clear and unambiguous height specifications (WH = wall height, also known as eaves height; GH = building height, also known as ridge height) combined with contour lines and a dense network of elevation points provide excellent foundations for planners.

Considering the praised quality of planning feasibility, I think it's a good idea to try to secure a plot there (although, in general, I always advise waiting longer rather than making significant compromises). For you, this appointment means not only competing with other plots for buyers’ preferences but also competing with other interested parties. In this sense, less attractive plots would be less contested, increasing your chances if you focus on the underdogs. I wouldn’t recommend choosing “bad” plots but perhaps the “second-best” ones. For lottery numbers, 19 and the 40s tend to have the most winners. For you, this means better chances with plot 11 than with 13 (because 13 offers a more attractive price-performance ratio) and probably even better chances with 12. Similarly, plot 29 would be safer than 31, and 36 safer than 38.

I think it’s good that you are considering “only” 14 instead of all 19; in a less planning-friendly building area, I would have selected even fewer. From your selection (modifications as noted above), I would rank plots 25/26/27 first, followed by 11 to 13 and the other plots you mentioned as good fallback options. I believe it’s exactly right that you don’t fill all 19.

What mainly matters is the slope within the building area and then the slope along the access route to the front door and garage door, less so the overall slope of the plot. Plots 11 to 13 have the slope descending from the street to the garden side, plots 25 to 27 slope upward from the street to the garden side, and for 29/31/36/38/45 it depends on the chosen house orientation. Plot 17 is the most problematic here, with the slope running across nearly all conceivable house axes.

Thank you very much for the well-informed feedback. It has really helped us better understand the plots.

Do I understand correctly that plot 9 has the least slope within the building area compared to the other plots? Are plots 8 and 9 equivalent in rank to the “second choice” plots 11 to 13?

Is it possible to level the slope within a plot, for example, by using L-shaped retaining walls adjacent to the neighboring plot?

ypg schrieb:

What are you planning to build? Have you already considered your budget and other factors? What about a basement? A sloped site could actually work to your advantage then.
If you need to keep costs tight, something on level ground might be better.
(I haven’t looked at the plan yet because of the question for you)

We are open to either a square or rectangular house. Currently, we are considering a basement with a possible separate apartment as an option. Our budget is around €650,000 (+/-) and we would like to build with solid construction. The idea was that it might be cheaper if we contract the trades individually (please correct me if I’m wrong here).

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

What about the brown plots? Are they already taken?

These lots are allocated through a bidding process.

Limbrandi schrieb:

Do I understand correctly that plot 9 has the least slope within the building area compared to the other plots?
Are plots 8 and 9 equivalent to the "second choice" plots 11–13?

Yes, plot 9 is a double favorite: your interpretation is correct, and additionally, it might be less in demand due to its location opposite a junction. And yes, I also agree that plots 11 to 13 are comparable. Plots 25 to 27 have driveways with an upward slope, while with plots 8 to 13, water would need to be controlled in front of the entrance (but for 25 to 27, this would be in front of the patio door).

Limbrandi schrieb:

Can the slope within the property be leveled, for example by using L-shaped retaining blocks towards the neighboring plot?

People who want to return their brains with zero kilometers on their deathbed tend to be heavy users of foam insulation and L-shaped blocks. There are always solutions for those who use their brains. For the mentioned plots, the slope is rather moderate anyway; across neighboring properties (height restrictions can be roughly read as indicators for reasonable ground floor slab heights), it is usually only about ten or twenty centimeters (except the eighty centimeters between 25 and 26).

So to sum up: plots 9, 12, and 27 would be my top picks, and the others discussed so far are all at least decent consolation prizes. Regarding how fiercely contested they will be, expect many of your fellow bidders to naïvely choose their favorites based on, say, beginner criteria like maximum southwest-facing gardens.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Regarding the slope, I consider around 1.5 to 2 meters (about 5 to 6.5 feet) across the property as the worst case. Too much to just ignore, but too little to build a proper hillside house.

I recently discussed the “11ant basement rule” on "Bauen jetzt" (“With or without basement: a rule as a decision tool”). The “worst case” for a slab-on-grade house is naturally the best case for a house with a basement. ;-)

We are open to whether it will be a square or rectangular house.

Limbrandi schrieb:

Currently, the plan is to have a basement with possibly a granny flat/self-contained apartment. Our budget is around €650,000 and we would like to build with solid construction.

Topography clearly suggests a rectangular shape with a distinct building axis parallel to the contour lines (and therefore best aligned with the access road). A basement practically implies a masonry basement, even if the upper floors may be timber-framed. As always, I recommend deciding on the construction method only after the planning phase has settled.

Limbrandi schrieb:

The idea was that we might save money by contracting trades separately (please correct me if I’m wrong).

For first-time home builders, this is the quickest way to pay a lot of learning fees. Use the forum’s search function for my posts with keywords such as “building schedule,” “Gerddieter,” “individual contracting,” “self-contracting,” “tendering,” and “time and materials.” That way, I don’t have to add reading material for an entire weekend here ;-) (since I have already explained all this in detail).

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Limbrandi schrieb:

We are open to whether it will be a square or rectangular house.

It’s good that you remain flexible. Many already have a 130% fixed idea that they are reluctant to change.

Limbrandi schrieb:

Currently, we want a basement, possibly with a granny flat as an option. Our budget is around +/- 650,000€ and we would like to build with solid construction.

With a budget of 650,000€ (I assume this includes additional building costs?), I see a maximum living area of about 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft). Even if the additional building costs have been excluded on your side—which at your stage is actually too early to specify in detail—I don’t see a bigger house being possible, so also no granny flat, which requires a significant amount of living space, as do a terrace and parking space. If you only want to build a 100 sqm (1,075 sq ft) house because you don’t need more due to lack of children, a basement or granny flat would be doable.

Limbrandi schrieb:

The idea was that it would be cheaper if we commission the trades separately (please correct me if I am wrong here).

What is cheaper, in my opinion at the moment, doesn’t play a big role, since you can’t really save the value of a granny flat.

Regarding the plots:

11ant schrieb:

25/26/27 as first choice

That’s also my choice.

11ant schrieb:

then 11 to 13

Isn’t there a high-voltage power line running through the eastern row, @Limbrandi?
I find plot 17 great in terms of shape and orientation, but I cannot estimate the elevations.