Preliminary building inquiry before purchasing property okay, can this information be trusted?

Well, if you don't have an architect yet, I might suggest picking a "standard model" from a provider on the internet that comes pretty close to your ideas.

Or you could have a house provider create an initial non-binding plan for you, which you then use for the preliminary inquiry.

We attended the meeting of the building committee of our city last week – a building preliminary inquiry was also discussed there.

The only concrete figures mentioned were the building height, number of floors, and roof pitches.

Mainly, the city council members cared about the appearance and how it fits into the surrounding area.

Maybe you could also simply ask what information your municipality / district needs for a preliminary inquiry – this can vary a lot.

Regards,

Dirk

We were at the meeting of our city's building committee last week - a preliminary building inquiry was also discussed there. The only concrete figures mentioned were the building height, number of floors, and roof pitches.

Hello Dirk, that’s exactly what I meant. When preliminary building inquiries come in here, we basically only assess: Does this preliminary building inquiry fit into the surroundings or not. The building department clerk gives a recommendation from the administration, which we usually follow – but not always. That means if we think a city villa corresponds to a gable roof with an expanded attic, then it may be built that way. Of course, the higher authority can say no again, but that has never happened to us yet. What happens more often: the municipal council says no, the builders complain to the district office – the building project is approved by the district office and the municipal council’s decision is overruled. The preliminary building inquiries here are mostly architects’ drafts, but handwritten drawings have also been submitted for approval. So in short: with a design from the Internet, you can at least inquire whether a two two-story construction would be possible or not.

Hello Wastl,

yes, then we agree.

Do you work at a building authority?

If so, can you possibly explain to me why in some municipalities, besides the municipal council, the district office also has to approve a building application, while in others the approval only comes from the municipality / city.

Our (non-local architect) delivered us two copies (for city & district) of the building application, but we actually only needed one.

We are building in Baden-Württemberg - district Böblingen.

Regards,

Dirk

Hi Dirk, no I don’t work in the administration - I am on the municipal council (and there among others on the building committee). For us, the district office is initially not responsible. If the floor plan fits, it’s okay. BUT the district office can replace the floor plan because it is the superior authority. Possibly for buildings in the outer area, that is if environmental protection concerns, species assessments, etc. are required, the district office is needed as the responsible authority? But I only have layman’s knowledge there. As a builder in our municipality, we only had to submit a building application - but we had to file the building notification itself with the district office. Bavaria and its authorities So: no idea why sometimes also to the district office - with us, it’s not like that. Regards Wastl

Hello,

From this preliminary building permit the following emerges: 1.1.1 The planned project must, according to §34 paragraph 1 of the Building Code, adapt to the character of the immediate surroundings in terms of the type and extent of structural use, the type of construction, and the ground area to be built upon, particularly regarding the height classification in relation to the ground floor top edge (OK EG FF), street top edge (OK Straße), and existing neighboring buildings.

Are there city villas in the immediate vicinity?

1.1.2 The planned building project must adapt to the character of the immediate surroundings concerning the number of full floors (1 full floor with a developed attic).

I somewhat lack the understanding of why you – knowing that an approved preliminary building inquiry (BVA) is exactly the opposite of what you envision – are interested in the property?

We went to the city building authority today and presented our building style. It is to be a city villa with 2 full floors and a hipped roof. The responsible officer told us that he does not see any problem in building a city villa there. Can one trust that? How should one proceed best now? We are afraid that once we have bought the property and the building application is sent to the higher authority, the "city villa building style" will be rejected.

In my experience, the officer’s statement “can” be confirmed at the end of the day, but it “can” also result in exactly the opposite decision since the decision on yes/no is not up to him. What bothers me is the existing BVA with contrary planning. Therefore – if you were my interested party – I would strongly advise you to obtain written proof of this “almost” commitment. To do this, you can commission an architect to prepare a BVA; however, most municipalities also accept a layman’s drawing. That means you can create the inquiry yourself. It is important that you enter all relevant data for examination by the building authority, primarily building boundaries, size of the building body, floors, and height of the building.

Rhenish regards

What must also be included is the (NN-)height and location of the neighboring buildings, because the new development must adapt to the existing ones. Basically, one should engage a surveyor and/or AR in the 34 area, otherwise you will just waste time and money.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe