Pipe route not drawn in the plan

Hello everyone,

I hope I have found the right forum for this question

At the beginning of the year we purchased a newly built apartment in Mannheim, and the following plan was presented to us with the purchase contract.


After the shell construction was completed, pipes were simply laid through the two marked spots without any further information, taking up about 20x20cm of space in total. See photos.


The bedroom and one of the children's rooms are affected.
This not only creates an uneven appearance in the rooms, but also results in high cancellation fees for the bedroom and children's room furniture, which we have already ordered based on the floor plan.

My questions on this topic are:
1. Is it common in a new building to lay pipes through living areas?
2. Should the builder have informed us beforehand?
3. Can the builder be held liable for the cancellation fees?
4. Is a purchase price reduction possible?
5. Would it make sense to consult a lawyer?

Thank you very much.

1. Is it common in a new building to lay pipes through the living area?

Well, the pipes have to go somewhere. Actually, there are installation shafts for this, which should have been included from the start in the planning. A good architect places them so that the toilet flush doesn’t run through the living room. What is inside the soffits? Heating, electricity, or worst of all, wastewater?

2. Should the builder have informed us beforehand? 3. Can the builder be held liable for the cancellation fees? 4. Is a reduction in the purchase price conceivable? 5. Would it be sensible to consult a lawyer?

These questions depend heavily on the contract and how binding the floor plan is. You need to read all that in detail again and have it checked. You are now missing 2 * 0.2*0.2m² of space. So before you involve a lawyer, first talk to the construction company to find out what this is about and on what basis they ordered it. Show them the plan and demand a dismantling (even if it is unlikely).

1. Rather not. Common are hallway, storage, bathroom. Kitchen. Maybe the person above wanted to change the layout at short notice and have their bathroom different or larger, etc.

3. Rather no. You do realize that in construction: planned dimensions ≠ shell dimensions ≠ finished dimensions. A building is not a precision machine, so that’s quite naive... I would have waited for the measurement with the order.

4. Because of 0.08 m2? With 100 m2 or so, that’s less than 1/1000 of the area! No, the plaster already takes more away if you apply 3 mm more of it throughout the whole apartment.

5. Certainly for the lawyer ;o)

I would talk to the site manager and present it like that. But somewhere the wastewater and water pipes, electrical cables and ventilation ducts in an apartment building have to be routed; maybe another routing is possible that suits you better.

And thank you for the quick response.

Well, somewhere the pipes have to go down. Actually, there are installation shafts for this, which should have been included in the planning from the start. A good architect positions them so that the toilet flush does not run through the living room. What is inside the soffits? Heating, electricity, or worst of all, wastewater?

Unfortunately, there was no information about the shafts, at least not in the floor plan. According to the client, wastewater actually runs through there, but it is said to be very well insulated.

These questions strongly depend on the contract and how binding the floor plan is. You have to read through and check (or have checked) everything in detail again. You are missing 2 * 0.2*0.2m² of area now. So before you involve a lawyer, first talk to the construction company about what this is supposed to mean, on what basis they initiated it. Show them the plan and demand a dismantling (even if it is unlikely).

According to the contract, "minor deviations" are not grounds for a purchase price reduction. The client is already aware of the problem and refers to the statement "Somewhere the pipes have to go, and they do not have to be shown on the floor plan."

1. Probably not. Usually hallway, storage, bathroom. Kitchen. Maybe the person upstairs wanted to change the floor plan at short notice and have their bathroom differently or bigger, etc.

3. Rather no. You do realize that in construction the following applies: planned dimensions ≠ shell dimensions ≠ finished dimensions. A building is not a precision machine, so that’s quite naive... I would have waited for the measurement before ordering.

4. Because of 0.08 m2? On 100 m2 or so, that’s less than 1/1000 of the area! No, the plaster already takes more away if you apply 3 mm more of it throughout the whole apartment.

5. Certainly for the lawyer ;o)

I would talk to the site manager and present it like that, but somewhere the sewage and water pipes, electrical cables and ventilation ducts have to run in a multi-family house, maybe another routing is possible that suits you better.

Thank you very much, then I will probably have to let it rest. I’ll be wiser with the next house.

Thank you very much, then I will probably have to let it rest at that. I'll be wiser for the next house

Ok, then the change doesn't seem to be that drastic for you after all

But I wouldn't accept that so hastily. In any case, you should check how loud it is when the wastewater flows through there. Try it out live directly.