Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

(Probably not the case with you) but with something like this I would always check whether it might be prohibited in the development plan (which it is here in some cases). (Otherwise, I personally don’t find shiny tiles very nice either, but that’s a matter of taste).

Here we can build according to Paragraph 34 of the Bavarian Building Code, as you already said, not relevant for us. :-) The tiles are not high-gloss, just a bit smoother than the "untreated" concrete roof tiles. The choice of these tiles has practical reasons in our case. Since we have dark roof tiles, you will later be able to clearly see the pollen under the photovoltaic modules because the rain will hardly wash anything away. On the smooth tiles, a small storm can rather blow the dust out than on the rough concrete roof tiles.

At least it should be clear that the fine new housing estates with their floor-to-ceiling windows and inviting lighting, along with the image of the burning fireplace, will be the first place to be visited by marauding, hungry, freezing, and completely impoverished people.

I regretfully assume that the residential areas you mentioned will turn into "gated communities," as is already common in many other countries. I still hope that politics will see possibilities and take advantage of them to counteract such a development. So far, I think it is still relatively successful in Germany, although in my opinion there are already too many people who, among other reasons, turn against their neighbors out of frustration, greed, ...

Apparently, buying a photovoltaic system is also child's play for us. Obtain quotes via email, award the contract to XYZ, the next day I received an email from our electricity provider (there is only one in Perth, the electricity prices have not changed since last year) that the application for the feed-in tariff (Step 1) has been submitted. The electricity provider sends the same email simultaneously to my photovoltaic installer, who then submits the application for the electricity connection (Step 2). The panels are then installed promptly, in my case 10 days later (the old ones are removed), I receive a copy from the electrician confirming they are connected, the document then goes to the electricity provider (Step 3). And then there's solar power. For me, no meter had to be changed; that was done 13 years ago with our first, small photovoltaic system.

Okay, photovoltaic systems are cheap here, a maximum of 6.6 kW is subsidized by the government. 36% of houses in Perth have a photovoltaic system. As of Jan 2022.

Yesterday we were sitting in the beer garden with a few architect friends and of course the conversation turned to building. They have not yet noticed a decline in orders among their predominantly very wealthy clientele, but planning ideas from the prepper scene are slowly emerging. One had to expand a technical room with an emergency power generator, plus a diesel tank, which could become interesting during the approval process, another reported about a client who wanted not only a swimming pool in the basement instead of an outdoor pool, but also large storage and refrigeration rooms. And solar systems in all variants, even with development plans that do not provide for them. But what everyone complained about was that neither time nor cost estimates are possible these days. Construction times from application to move-in are currently almost twice as long as they were a few years ago and every little issue leads to litigation from all sides.

apparently buying a photovoltaic system is child's play for us too.

That's all well and good, but how fast are you allowed to drive on the highway?

Unfortunately off-topic but I don't think it needs a thread for that... How long are your garages inside? I want to place the trash bins/Vespa against the wall in front of the car, for example... Currently, 6m are planned but that seems tight to me...