Tuesday 12 May 2015

Kitchen planning, but mostly waiting...

After I submitted one copy of the plans to the Swisttal planning office (in triplicate) and the other copy to Allkauf things went quiet for a bit. About a week later I received the confirmation of the costs of alterations to the plan which allowed me to do my accounts. I had been worried about this because thus far I had been keeping a running total of adding this and then taking away that. But it was a pleasant surprise, it was actually lower than my rough calculation. Obviously it won't stay this way but I was worried that the budget was running away before we'd even begun.

This costs confirmation was followed by a request for confirmation of funding by me and my bank. Thankfully I have an agent and he will sort this out for me. I haven't seen any report of it arriving at Allkauf yet but it shouldn't be too long.

In the mean time IMPULS contacted me about my kitchen. As part of my deal with Allkauf I have a built-in kitchen, or more accurately a voucher of unspecified amount with IMPULS. Then sent me their catalogue (without price list) and an 'example' of what could be bought with it. I replied quickly with a plan and 3D render of my plan. A week went by without response. Only when I sent a slightly miffed email did they reply, very quickly, with an implantation of my plan, and a cost estimate. I was pretty disappointed that a few additional units was so expensive, even with the cheapest finish. And the standard oven isn't good enough, even for me! It's still cheaper than going with another supplier but far from a full kitchen.


My main concern over the past weeks has been about the planning application. I heard nothing. Not that I was expecting approval so 'quickly', but there was not even a confirmation of receipt. The concern was that I had sent it to Swisttal but it might have been quicker to send it to Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (the administrative body above Swisttal). Given what had happened earlier this was a worry. Emails were sent and voice messages left but there was no response. I sent another slightly miffed email and got an immediate response. They had received the application and had sent it on to Rhein-Sieg-Kreis  with their recommendation. But they didn't say what their recommendation was. Nor do I have any idea if it needs to be rechecked by Rhein-Sieg-Kreis  or if it will be rubber-stamped. And how long this will take is anyone's guess. But I at least know that it's not stuck in Swisttal.


My neighbours are already building. The house opposite looks a lot like I expect mine will be. The others that are building are the developers behind my plot. They took one of the smaller plots and divided it in two to make a semi-detached house. They are building right up against the boundary limits putting all their garden in the front, south side, of the house. It's a bit of a shock to see these two story buildings backing onto my plot after months of it being totally open. But if they're like other buildings from these developers, they should be ok.

Back to waiting...

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