Hello dear forum members,
I have been reading quietly for a long time but haven’t found an answer to my specific question here in the forum. Maybe you can help me.
We are considering buying a townhouse plot, just under 200 sqm (about 2,150 sq ft), so it’s very small. For that reason, we would like to build a basement to make better use of the space. The basement must be constructed as a “white tank” (watertight concrete structure), which makes it quite expensive. One of the neighbors probably wants to build without a basement, the other with one. The neighbor without a basement is the current owner and may prefer that we also build without a basement; he might even make his decision to sell to us dependent on this. Because of this, we want to carefully consider the purchase, as we want to have a good neighborhood.
Now my questions:
- If we build with a basement, will this cause a construction delay for his house?
- Since it’s a townhouse, we would need to use his property for excavation, about 3 m (10 ft), right?
Kind regards
B.
I have been reading quietly for a long time but haven’t found an answer to my specific question here in the forum. Maybe you can help me.
We are considering buying a townhouse plot, just under 200 sqm (about 2,150 sq ft), so it’s very small. For that reason, we would like to build a basement to make better use of the space. The basement must be constructed as a “white tank” (watertight concrete structure), which makes it quite expensive. One of the neighbors probably wants to build without a basement, the other with one. The neighbor without a basement is the current owner and may prefer that we also build without a basement; he might even make his decision to sell to us dependent on this. Because of this, we want to carefully consider the purchase, as we want to have a good neighborhood.
Now my questions:
- If we build with a basement, will this cause a construction delay for his house?
- Since it’s a townhouse, we would need to use his property for excavation, about 3 m (10 ft), right?
Kind regards
B.
I’m afraid that “living there” and “living in peace” will exclude each other, so you would be better off looking for a different plot.
From my point of view, anyone who sells townhouse plots to anyone other than developers deserves the Schopenhauer Prize in gold for misanthropy. There are types of development that simply don’t fit the attitude of “I am my brother’s keeper.” Semi-detached houses don’t, triplexes even less so, and here you’re even talking about multiple mid-terrace houses. It won’t work.
At least one person will see “coordinated planning” as an improper demand. No thank you to community: “the others just want to throw my money out the window, I don’t need a basement,” and thoughts like that. “I won’t signal; it’s nobody’s business if, when, and where I’m turning” — “freedom” is interpreted as blatantly ignoring how adjoining houses need to fit together at the interface. “It’s all mine up to the property line; I won’t coordinate with anyone,” and the stereo is playing at 54.9 dB until 9:59 pm.
During “peaceful times” on the real estate market, only people who were compatible with this type of housing were interested in townhouses — unfortunately, this is no longer the case. The greeting across the garden fence is no longer “hello” but rather “see you in court.”
Was that too many words, and no clear yes/no answer to your question? Actually, the main point is right at the beginning: if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, then look for another plot.
Surgically precise excavation with a 90° slope angle only works in rock with a cutting disc — so “practically only in theory.” That’s the fundamental problem with basements so far. Roof pitches that face each other like saw teeth make every waterproofing task a job for someone who “killed their own parents.” From my point of view, there is only one good roof pitch for a row of houses: the same for all.
These are, in my opinion, fundamental problems that apply equally or similarly to all types of multi-unit terraced houses, whether semi-detached or townhouses.
But if you’ve read all those posts: even the contributors who hold opinions opposite to mine often explain their views.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
From my point of view, anyone who sells townhouse plots to anyone other than developers deserves the Schopenhauer Prize in gold for misanthropy. There are types of development that simply don’t fit the attitude of “I am my brother’s keeper.” Semi-detached houses don’t, triplexes even less so, and here you’re even talking about multiple mid-terrace houses. It won’t work.
At least one person will see “coordinated planning” as an improper demand. No thank you to community: “the others just want to throw my money out the window, I don’t need a basement,” and thoughts like that. “I won’t signal; it’s nobody’s business if, when, and where I’m turning” — “freedom” is interpreted as blatantly ignoring how adjoining houses need to fit together at the interface. “It’s all mine up to the property line; I won’t coordinate with anyone,” and the stereo is playing at 54.9 dB until 9:59 pm.
During “peaceful times” on the real estate market, only people who were compatible with this type of housing were interested in townhouses — unfortunately, this is no longer the case. The greeting across the garden fence is no longer “hello” but rather “see you in court.”
Was that too many words, and no clear yes/no answer to your question? Actually, the main point is right at the beginning: if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, then look for another plot.
Surgically precise excavation with a 90° slope angle only works in rock with a cutting disc — so “practically only in theory.” That’s the fundamental problem with basements so far. Roof pitches that face each other like saw teeth make every waterproofing task a job for someone who “killed their own parents.” From my point of view, there is only one good roof pitch for a row of houses: the same for all.
These are, in my opinion, fundamental problems that apply equally or similarly to all types of multi-unit terraced houses, whether semi-detached or townhouses.
But if you’ve read all those posts: even the contributors who hold opinions opposite to mine often explain their views.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A
AltUndNeu1 Jan 2019 19:1911ant schrieb:
I’m afraid that living "there" and living "in peace" will be mutually exclusive, so you’d be better off continuing to look for another plot.
In my opinion, anyone who sells row house plots to anyone other than developers deserves the Schopenhauer Prize in Gold for misanthropy. There are types of development that simply don’t work with the attitude of "I am my brother’s keeper." Semi-detached houses don’t work, three-house terrace blocks even less so, and here you’re even talking about several middle houses. That won’t work.
At least one neighbor will consider any "coordinated approach to planning" an improper request. No thanks to cooperation: "the others just want to throw my money out the window, I don’t need a basement" and similar thoughts. "I don’t signal when turning; what do other people care if, when, or where I turn?" — "freedom" is interpreted as not caring at all about how adjoining houses line up at the junction. "Up to the boundary it’s all mine, I don’t coordinate with anyone," and until 9:59 p.m. the stereo is cranked up to 54.9 dB.
During "peaceful times" on the real estate market, only people compatible with living in row houses showed interest — unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. The greeting over the garden fence isn’t "hello," but "I’m going to get a lawyer."
Is this too many words and no yes/no answer to your question? — No, the essential point is right at the start: if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, then look for another plot.
Surgically precise excavation with a 90° slope angle only works in rock using a cutoff wheel, so "practically only in theory." That’s the critical point concerning basements. Roof pitches facing each other like saw teeth turn every waterproofing task into a job for someone who has "killed father and mother." In my view, there is only one good roof pitch for a terrace: the same pitch on all houses.
In my opinion, these are all fundamental issues applying equally to all types of multi-unit terraces, whether semi-detached or row houses.
But if you’ve read the posts mentioned: even those who disagree with me often justify their views.It’s really kind of you to take the time on a holiday to write so thoroughly, but today’s topic isn’t about the overall feasibility of the building project itself; it’s about very specific questions. Those, for example, do not relate to the roof pitch. That is fixed exactly in the zoning plan, just like the building height.
I appreciate your experience, but as I said, I am already a homeowner living in a new development with over 80 semi-detached units, without a single developer. The houses look very different, some have basements on both sides, some none, and some mixed. Sure, some prospective buyers dropped out because of poor neighbor relations before purchase, but overall it has been harmonious.
Therefore, please trust me to decide for myself whether the plot makes sense for me or not. Especially since the criteria you raise, such as roof pitch, are not relevant to my question.
I’m grateful for answers to my questions, but I feel you are using my question to make a general statement about your opinion. That is not very helpful and frankly one-sided, because sure, such projects can fail. But they can also work well.
C
Caspar20201 Jan 2019 19:49AltUndNeu schrieb:
Now my questions
- If we build with a basement, this will cause a construction delay for his house, right?
- Since it is a terraced house, we would need to use 3m (10 feet) of the neighbor's land for excavation, right?Regarding 1)
Not really. Ideally, the parts with the basement would be built first; this is easier than the other way around. However, filling gaps in existing buildings is actually not unusual. Unfortunately, the costs could be significantly higher if extensive shoring is required.
Regarding 2) why?
A
AltUndNeu1 Jan 2019 20:34Caspar2020 schrieb:
Regarding point 1) Not really. Ideally, the sections with a basement would be built first; that is easier than the other way around. However, filling gaps in existing developments is not uncommon. Unfortunately, costs could be significantly higher if extensive shoring is required.
Regarding point 2) why?Thank you very much.
Regarding point 1 – Building first would not be a problem, but the neighbor also wants to start quickly, and if we build a basement, he thinks that might cause construction delays for him. I would have liked to reassure him about this.
Regarding point 2 – Because, in the basements I have seen under construction, I noticed this spacing. I am happy to be mistaken….
AltUndNeu schrieb:
Regarding point 1 – Building first wouldn’t be a problem; the neighbor just wants to start quickly as well, and if we were to build a basement, he thinks it might cause construction delays for him. I would like to alleviate his concern.Honestly, how do you imagine that working? The neighbor starts by building the foundation slab, and then you come along wanting to excavate for a basement?
AltUndNeu schrieb:
One of the neighbors will probably build without a basement, the other with one. The one without is the current owner and may prefer that we build without one, perhaps making his decision to sell to us dependent on that.AltUndNeu schrieb:
I want to live there in peace. InHonestly? He is probably already using his position as the owner to his advantage. And he will keep making things difficult for you or others, including his neighbors, until he decides to sell and move.
I would advise against purchasing – it’s way too complicated overall.
A
AltUndNeu2 Jan 2019 08:21ypg schrieb:
Honestly, how do you imagine this working? The neighbor starts building with the foundation slab, and then you come along wanting to excavate for a basement?
No, we would start first. The area is not allowed to be developed until 2020, so there is plenty of time to plan.
Honestly? He’s probably already playing his owner’s power. And he will use that against you or others—his neighbors—until he eventually decides to sell and move out.
I would avoid buying—too complicated overall.Here, no either; he simply doesn’t have the facts. The land was recently inherited, never built on before, and he simply hasn’t thought it through yet. Otherwise, he’s a good neighbor material. But as I said, any assessment that makes sense needs to be based on facts, which I hope to gather here.
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