Hi everyone,
Until last night (when we visited a home builder), my husband and I were sure we wanted to build a house with 2 dormers...
We finally secured a plot of land in a residential development here (which is not easy due to high demand)! Unfortunately, the area specifies a maximum terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet). Our dream has always been a Mediterranean-style house, planned as a single-story building. We both find sloped ceilings on the upper floor impractical. But when we received the development plan, we had to consider an alternative.
We decided on two dormers since that helps avoid too many sloped ceilings.
Yesterday, we visited the builder, and he said it was a pity to build a house (which is not exactly cheap) and then have to make such compromises. He also mentioned (something we hadn’t realized before) that the Mediterranean style is actually simpler to build than dormers and therefore significantly less expensive. The bottom line: we would have to spend even more money on a house that we like but not as much as the Mediterranean style.
We felt quite frustrated... And to make matters worse, he said we probably wouldn’t finish the building permit/planning permission application this year anyway, so we would lose out on the KfW70 subsidy, since that will become standard next year. Is that correct?
Do you have any ideas for other house types that would look nice and be feasible with a terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet)? Our plot is 706 square meters (7,600 square feet), so a bungalow is not an option for us.
Thanks in advance and best regards!
Until last night (when we visited a home builder), my husband and I were sure we wanted to build a house with 2 dormers...
We finally secured a plot of land in a residential development here (which is not easy due to high demand)! Unfortunately, the area specifies a maximum terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet). Our dream has always been a Mediterranean-style house, planned as a single-story building. We both find sloped ceilings on the upper floor impractical. But when we received the development plan, we had to consider an alternative.
We decided on two dormers since that helps avoid too many sloped ceilings.
Yesterday, we visited the builder, and he said it was a pity to build a house (which is not exactly cheap) and then have to make such compromises. He also mentioned (something we hadn’t realized before) that the Mediterranean style is actually simpler to build than dormers and therefore significantly less expensive. The bottom line: we would have to spend even more money on a house that we like but not as much as the Mediterranean style.
We felt quite frustrated... And to make matters worse, he said we probably wouldn’t finish the building permit/planning permission application this year anyway, so we would lose out on the KfW70 subsidy, since that will become standard next year. Is that correct?
Do you have any ideas for other house types that would look nice and be feasible with a terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet)? Our plot is 706 square meters (7,600 square feet), so a bungalow is not an option for us.
Thanks in advance and best regards!
B
Bauexperte20 Nov 2015 15:12EveundGerd schrieb:
A personal conversation with the mayor helped in the end. I experienced something similar in 2009 with a building project in Neuss – the local authorities there tend to act quite differently, often ahead of the curve; it’s pretty frustrating to have to take that route.
By contrast, for the aforementioned project in ME, I was warned by many sources beforehand that dealing with the local building department and the officials in charge would be futile, and that I should expect a very long and drawn-out approval process. In the end, however, the permit was granted within 8 weeks – with only a few personal meetings before submitting the building permit/planning permission application. Things can work that way, too.
Glad to hear it worked out for you!
Best regards, Bauexperte
M
Milanni12321 Nov 2015 07:43That takes courage! I think I’ll go to the higher-level building authority (here in the village, they don’t really know much anyway! ) and pretend to be clueless... Thanks for all your tips! )