Jasper der Baumeister

Jasper working the Bagger and helping dig the foundations.

It's NotAr Problem?

The Notar has confirmed that there is no Baulast and that the pipe has been laid illegally - so, how do I convince the new owner of the house behind to fork out to re-route pipes that he wasn't told would be problematic?

I'm gonna have to give him a call - I think my conversational German could really be put to the test here talking about legal stuff, planning permissions, sewage pipe connections etc.

:-(

I just hope he is not on summer vacation for x weeks because every delay means more rent in the current place.

Week 7 (Literally, "oh s**t")

This little pipe is causing massive problems - this sewage pipe, running through my building site, from the house behind ... simply should not be there. Construction on my site will soon have to stop until the problem is resolved.
At a time of summer vacations for many stakeholders, this could cause delays.

Logically, how else is the house behind going to get its sewage to the main town connection sewage pipe behind my property (considering that my land used to be its garden).
However, somehow it was never registered with the city council (which happened a lot in the 60's, never enforced) - and my contract to purchase the land has no 'Baulast' giving them the right to have a pipe through my property.

The owner of the house thinks he bought the house legally and it is not his problem either (just wait til I block his sewage pipe!!!!).
The original owner/builder is probably no longer around.

Great, I am going to have a nasty disupte with my new neighbour before I have started construction.

Somehow I will have to redirect his pipe around my new house and through my garden (unless I am nasty and refuse), but he is going to have to pay for it!!!! I kinda feel sorry for the guy, he just spent ****loads on a new house only to find after the fact
a) his garden is actually not his garden after all, it is my land
b) he has a building site at his back door
c) his nice expensive view is going to be part-blocked by my house

and now
d) he is going to have to pay to re-route a sewage pipe which he never imagined would be a problem
not to mention
e) he will have to fork out some money to share the cost of fencing our properties off!

Someone, remind me why I had this crazy notion to build a house ... in a foreign country ... with more laws & rules than inhabitants!

First problem

Apparently some sewage pipes, from the house behind, are illegally(?) on my site.

Meeting the council on site tomorrow as a matter of urgency.

Week 6 (Lazy Bagger!)

Yippee!!!!

Finally we see some Erdarbeit on site.

Japanese Knotweed

It seems that we have Japanese Knotweed on the site, I'm sure there wasn't any there before - but it is evil stuff and spreads from its rhizomes very easily.

Seems to be evil stuff but the Architect thinks it is nothing to worry about (maybe because he is Japanese?).
The Olympic sites have had to spend over 70 million quid eradicating Japanese Knotweed.

http://www.wiseknotweed.com/japanese-knotweed-information/why-is-japanese-knotweed-a-problem/
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/build-renovate/structural-problems/japanese-knotweed-identifying-and-removing

Could have come from the

Week 5

Another week goes by and ... well, we have +10m of fencing to "secure the site".
We also now have some red stakes in the ground from the Vermesser (Surveyor).
Not that much progress it seems.

Kitchen planned!

Nearly 6 months after we started (but still on track) we have finally agreed on layout, applicances, price, colours etc for our new kitchen.

About 22k, which has to be self financed, 25% up-front and the rest after installation. Not cheap, but it's considered a big kitchen and we didn't want to scrimp on such an important room!

Week 4

Expecting to see this week
1. the site secured
2. the work on 'rohbau' commencing
3. the 'Bauschild' affixed on site
4. the 4 bordering neighbours informed of what will happen

Instead we see ... only a portaloo! and one neighbour informed (no answer from others, but personally I wouldn't open the door to these guys either!).

Apparently there has been some delay with the Vermesser (?) who marks out the land.
Not sure why, within 4 weeks, this couldn't have been sorted already.

Next week we are promised that the this will all be done and the 'Bagger' will be on site. Also it seems that the 8 week Rohbau planning had anyway a buffer built in so that, weather permitting, we are still on track.