Change of building description/exposé after reservation

Hello!

My first post....I hope someone can give me advice. I grew up abroad, hence the bad grammar :)

After a long search, I recently found a semi-detached house that I like. Construction is already underway and the basement is almost finished.
On 22.10 I signed a reservation.

On 26.10 the real estate agent called me and mentioned in passing that the architect had now informed him that the building does not need a lifting system for wastewater, as the slope should be sufficient. For this, the pipes had to be installed at a frost-safe height and had to be heated. He also told me that there is no longer a cistern, as the city has decided that the water must infiltrate.

I asked the agent if that didn’t save some construction costs, he said that with the connections etc. there is no price difference. When I asked if the electricity consumption is very high, he said it is negligible. The house is Kfw 85, additional consumption doesn’t help with that!

We can’t imagine that the city only now (4 days after the reservation) decides that a cistern is not possible. We also can’t imagine that it was only now discovered that a lifting system is not needed, after all, they have been building for months! We lose the rainwater for the garden and have higher electricity costs. Did they perhaps keep this from us for that reason?

Should I be worried about this story or are such last-minute changes normal?

Thank you very much for the help. What a stress, and I haven’t even bought the house yet!

Regards,

Sp :confused:

Hello,

My first post....I hope someone can give me advice. I grew up abroad, so the grammar is bad :)

Learning by doing - that should work :)

On October 26th, the agent called me and mentioned in passing that the architect has now informed him that the building does not require a lifting station for wastewater because the slope should be sufficient. However, the pipes had to be installed at a frost-safe height and had to be heated. He also informed me that there is no longer a cistern because the city decided that the water must seep away.

In order to answer your questions somewhat "reliably," I would first need to understand _why_ a lifting station was planned at all and consequently which type: a Sanibroy for water, or a system with a grinder? Flat plot or hillside? Where is the semi-detached house being built?

Furthermore - you write that the city foresees infiltration on the property - did the agent tell you anything about the necessity of a rainwater control (Regole) or how the infiltration is supposed to be ensured?

Kind regards

Hello...

Thank you very much for the quick response... wow!

I have been trying to get information from the city for a while now, unfortunately I keep getting passed on. Tomorrow I have an appointment with the construction company and the realtor, so I will try to get some more information.

The house will be built in Eppstein Vockenhausen. The plot is located in a depression, and the architect says that the slight slope of the land is sufficient as long as the pipes are not laid too deep. This is all the realtor said, he did not mention anything further about the lifting station. Unfortunately, at the time of the conversation, I hadn’t thought much about the topic.

I will get some information tomorrow and will write an update.

Thank you again!

SP

Hmm yes, you are right! That was actually my thought. If it starts like this, it's probably not a good sign. If it doesn't work out because of this, I hope that is enough reason to get my reservation fee back. Thank you for the answers..

Hello Soupuss

It is 100% impossible that the infiltration was not already known at the building permit stage (i.e., before construction started)! So you were fraudulently deceived. The same applies to the sewage lifting station... this problem was already apparent/recognizable when the drainage plan was created.

You still don't have to do without the cistern... you simply connect it between the roof water outlet and the infiltration system... whether as a soakaway or soak pit... the overflow of the cistern then leads there.

A permanent trace heating of a sewage pipe should definitely be avoided... also because it is usually completely unnecessary! If the architect has some brains, then he also knows the corresponding solutions... if not, he should give up the job.

One more tip for you... do not negotiate with the real estate agent... as a rule, they have no idea about construction planning and execution... they just handle the sale... nothing more. If it is about technical matters, turn to the site manager... or possibly also to the municipality/city and the relevant specialist departments there.

Or treat yourself to an independent construction consultant who acts in your personal interest and takes over this part or accompanies you in doing so.

Hello...

Thanks again to everyone for the help. The information was very helpful!

A lot has been clarified now. Actually, most problems come from a very aggressive realtor. Notary appointment next week.......

Have a nice weekend!

SP