House shape in a complicated location with hillside position

At my parents-in-law's place, actually a company comes ?once a year?. How expensive something like that is, no idea.

Good day

I think you should quickly abandon the fixed idea of a bungalow for the development of your property. You won’t be able to implement that practically; not even the most creative architect. Apart from the fact that a bungalow in this existing development simply _has_ to get lost. I rather see a variant of a longhouse _with_ a basement on your property; however, you will have to increase your budget for that – which, in my opinion, you would have to do anyway, a bungalow is not cheap.

Why a basement: You bought a hillside property; adding earth will almost certainly be about as expensive as building a basement, and I don’t know anything yet about the existing soil conditions.

Why a longhouse: the property allows it and it can be planned much better than a design that is forced and with the restriction of somehow "cobbled together" light.

I am also quite sure that the neighbor on the right (standing in front of the property) certainly did not install his windows black. A 3-family house usually requires a regular building application, and its implementation is meticulously monitored by the building authority.

Suggestion: think about a longhouse; barrier-free access can also be achieved with a reasonably wide staircase. Living space (with a view of the garden – why should you leave this highlight unused?), kitchen and utility room in the basement; bedrooms and bathroom on the ground floor. We once planned something similar for a self-employed beautician; unfortunately, I can’t find the designs right now. But I do have something in my collection that I can use to illustrate what I mean.

Please ignore the rear adjoining structure; also the rear stairs. Then imagine the floor plan rotated – workspaces are at the front (I would arrange that as a utility/household room) and living spaces at the back. The width limited to 6.94 m even allows you a light well in front of the guest WC and kitchen, to the back no problem anyway. Then bedrooms and bathroom on the same level with a separate access down the stairs. A good architect – of which there are certainly plenty in Bremen – will show you many other possibilities. Your property is not simple, but certainly a challenge to plan so that it does not get “lost” between II- and III-story buildings.

Rhenish greetings

Variant of a country house _with_ basement on your property

The first time I read country house.... the second time I read country house.... but you are speaking from the heart about a country house. I see it exactly the same way - and only with an architect!

I see it the same way regarding the windows at the neighbor's - they are not there by chance in the recessed part of the building. The likelihood of an illegal construction is very low here.

Of course, you can check by simply reporting it to the building authority. The legitimate interest in inspecting the building records of the two neighbors is given through the property acquisition. On the other hand, you can also save yourself the effort because an architect is needed anyway who will submit your own building application and, of course, should roughly check the neighboring buildings or plan the new construction based on that.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe

and Thanks for the feedback! I can understand everything: the bungalow gets lost among the other houses, I want to respect the neighbor's windows anyway, and giving up the basement is actually a pity. Maybe a half-basement will do... Equally unfortunate is having to forgo an upper floor and the beautiful Weser view. But you can't have everything... The long house is a nice idea. I will meet an architect in mid-November and suggest this to her. Budget-wise, I probably have to bite the bullet - it's somehow unsatisfactory: you pay an insane amount of money, get into debt beyond death, and still don't have everything you would wish for... (That's why I initially only wanted to renovate, despite the uneven floors).

Budget-wise, I guess I have to bite the bullet – it’s somehow unsatisfying: you pay an insane amount of money, go into debt beyond death, and still don’t have everything you could wish for... (That’s why I initially only wanted to renovate, despite the uneven floors).

Hello Diana,

no offense intended, but you made a purchase as an enthusiast, if I remember your ET correctly. Discussing “insane money” at this point is (almost) pointless, unless you would actually get over-indebted with the construction. However, you will only find that out in cooperation with your bank and an architect. Since the child has already fallen into the well, I would take it easy because there are two exit scenarios:

1. Offer the property including house as it is for sale again. The real estate prices are currently so good that this can definitely be considered; with a bit of luck, you’ll break even +/- on the matter.

2. Tear down the house and offer the free plot for sale. But discuss this with your architect before demolition. You will probably need a lot of time to reach your overall price, but both options have one advantage:

In the end, you won’t be ruined.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe