Land on a clay pit

Hello, I wanted to bother you with a question.

I have reserved a plot of land. 420m² for 40,000 euros. I have reserved two plots. It's actually a bargain since it costs about 90 euros per m². In the area, such plots cost around 110 euros (partly developed). But with my plot, everything is included, the road, the curb, and so on. Everything is included.

Now I heard from an acquaintance that these plots were for sale two years ago. It was found with a soil measurement (some kind of drop weight) that the building land there is actually not really suitable for building, so it’s right on the limit, so to speak.

There used to be a clay pit there that was then filled with sand. Of course, these statements from my acquaintance (about the measurement) are probably exaggerated, I think.

Then there’s also the fact that the seller of the plots two years ago sold the whole thing to another investor; now these plots are available from a different seller. Or the company has a different name now.

What actually if he was right? What can happen to my new building later? Should I rather build somewhere else?

What’s also strange is that the building authority for this area has mandated that all houses be built with basements. What does that mean???

I would definitely be happy about your contribution, many thanks!

Best regards Frico26 PS: That must surely be safe if the city approves building there? Can the city be held liable later for damages because of this, or only the land seller? When reserving the plot, the seller said nothing about a clay pit filled with sand, only mentioned the building regulations with basements.

Hello Frico26,

I'm not a specialist, but it sounds expensive.

Normally, the construction company tests the ground before you build. If you have "difficult" terrain, it will just be (much???) more expensive because the standard for the basement and base slab cannot be used.

We currently live in a terraced house that is also located on a former clay mining area. In the first construction phase, they built a basement, but they need a system that pumps the water out so it doesn't "flood". It once failed, and promptly several basements flooded. In our construction phase, they (probably for this reason) omitted the basement. What was impossible for all our neighbors was to drill a well. They simply couldn't reach the groundwater through the clay layer.