According to the Association of Private Building Owners (VPB), private building owners should engage their own independent experts on the construction site. For turnkey projects, construction companies often present architects as "your architect". However, the word "your" can be misleading. The planner or architect presented by the construction company is primarily responsible for the obligations towards...
Landlords must provide their tenants with clear rent increase declarations. They must also provide information on the use of third-party funds. This is the result of a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice (AZ: VIII ZR 416/21). In the case in question, a landlord had sent a tenant a declaration of rent increase, but did not refer to the use of third-party funds in this...
The conversion of basement rooms for residential purposes may require planning permission. This is emphasized by the Association of Private Builders (VPB). This is because it is a so-called change of use if homeowners want to turn their basement storage room into a separate apartment. In most cases, this change requires official approval. The respective state building regulations...
As part of the "DGNB Sustainability Challenge 2023", the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) has recognized outstanding players in sustainable construction. Smarter Habitat impressed with "ecoHab", a building panel made from popcorn. The company STRAMEN.TEC scored with a dry construction system made from straw. The Technical University of Berlin impressed with a sustainable rental apartment building made of wood, brick...
The Association of Private Building Owners (VPB) warns of the financial consequences of a planned reform of the Hazardous Substances Ordinance. If the reform is implemented as planned, private building owners, especially those without expertise, could have to pay for costly pollutant testing and remediation in older buildings on their own. Corinna Merzyn, Managing Director of VPB, emphasizes: "Not...
Scientists from the universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart presented a pavilion that was constructed using new, computer-aided methods and robotic manufacturing processes. According to the researchers, the construction of the "livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT" pavilion in lightweight timber construction resulted in considerable resource savings compared to traditional timber construction. The...
Additional costs can be incurred when building a house. This is described by a couple on the website "wirbaueneinhaus.info". The couple originally started with a cost forecast of around 730,000 euros in 2022. However, the actual expenses later increased by almost 54,000 euros. This was due to various miscalculated or unexpected costs. For example, the land charge fees increased to...
A so-called ThermWin system from Huber SE, which recovers energy from wastewater, is used for heating and cooling in the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte in Regensburg. The ThermWin system works by means of a specially developed wastewater heat exchanger in conjunction with a heat pump. The efficiency of the system is enhanced by a fully automatic self-cleaning...
From 2024, changes in the area of energy saving will come into force. The energy advice service of the consumer advice center points this out. One major change is the amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG). From January 1, 2024, new buildings in new development areas must install heating systems that use at least 65% renewable energy. For existing buildings outside of...
In an article on sustainable living trends, "kabeleins.de" has captured how sustainable building can be achieved. Modern technologies and innovative approaches, such as building using the wooden building block principle, make it possible to save money and protect the environment at the same time. With the wooden building block principle, for example, wooden building blocks are stacked in XXL format - similar to Lego. A building shell should...
Compare listings
Compare
English