Floor plan planning shortly before submitting the building application

I also appreciate that my husband can change the light bulbs without a ladder :P

In principle, we can't do anything about it since the contract is already signed.

The contract hardly obliges one to illegal construction; besides, the architect has to deliver a plan that can be approved. It would have been advisable for him to exercise due diligence and communicate with the building authority. The flip side of the coin "§34 = no development plan" is that one does not even have the clear statements of a development plan, which should be familiar to an architect by profession. You don’t plan beams and downpipes blindly without having clarified the essentials like how tall the building is allowed to be. April Fools' jokes don’t really belong in the Advent season.

I am 1.86 m tall... With higher ceilings, I would have to get a step ladder for every little task, which I’d find much more annoying

Le Corbusier recommended the outstretched hand of a standing person as a suitable measure for room height; for a person proportioned according to the golden ratio with a height of 1.86 m, that would be 2.30 m.

The urban planning office had vetoed and the building authority only forwarded it.

The new building two houses down has a clear room height of 2.85m on the ground floor and 2.60m on the upper floor. I was there just now. I have received the contact details of the planner and forwarded them to my planner.

By the way, their planner was the one who initially wanted to buy our property and backed out shortly before the notary appointment – also because his multi-family house project was not approvable.

The urban planning office had vetoed and the building authority only forwarded it.

There should have been no veto after a preliminary building inquiry – you would have known exactly from the heights in the inquiry that they are okay (unless the preliminary inquiry had already been rejected). Your planner seems to me to be a beginner – but they must have a "trainer," or did they throw themselves as a greenhorn fresh from university into the fray alone?

By the way, the planner from their side was the one who first wanted to buy our property and backed out shortly before the notary appointment – also because his multi-family house project was not approvable.

He did the right thing and asked beforehand. Your planner could have done that too (and should have!).

They will probably get away with a black eye.

The architect spoke with the head of the department and confirmed the following to him.

"During our conversation, it was decided that the wall height (eaves height) will be lowered by 25 cm,

that is from 6.54 m to 6.30 m.


The heights are composed as follows:


Single-family house: 101.68 m NHN

Eaves: 108.22 m NHN


108.22 m NHN – 101.68 m NHN = 6.54 m


New eaves height 101.68 m NHN + 6.30 m = 107.98 m NHN.


We will now adjust our planning to the required height (reduce story height, construction heights, etc.) and discuss it with the client.


The revised documents will then be submitted to the building application."


I think one can live with that. Almost exactly the situation as we are currently living. We are satisfied with it. Otherwise, it might even have been a bit too high on the ground floor.....

I am curious what this will change in terms of costs.

The enclosed space is reduced on the ground floor / upper floor from 1528.54m³ to 1486.83m³. I'm curious to see how this will affect the costs. The documents were sent to the building authority today,