Co(n)dominium issues...

[Geo]

Yep, I got myself involved in one.
Poor me is to become a loanslave before the end of the year.

[Buster's Uncle]

Is that your basement cell?

[Geo]

Future living/kitchen space. Will be the largest room in the appartment.
Yes, we do live in smaller dwellings on my side of the Atlantic. At least, those with a typical labour income do.

View of the back of the building (has 9 appartments).
These are pictures taken last winter.

[Buster's Uncle]

It's a basement cell.  Don't get sick eating fish heads out of a bucket...

[Geo]

When will your 'cell' be tiled and walled?

[Buster's Uncle]

That would just absorb and retain the smell of the fish heads.

[Rusty Edge]

Thoughts/reactions- a) Congratulations! b) Hey! how do you get to the pipes when you need to fix them? Tear up the floor? c) You don't know what winter is.

[Buster's Uncle]

You just said that last to a European.

[Rusty Edge]

Yeah. That's just it.  If the pipes don't freeze, or corrode, or get gnawed by rodents, or broken by the brute force of livestock, there's not much need to access them, unless you want to change something.  Blows my mind.

In Pennsylvania the waterlines were always buried 3 feet deep, and they still froze and had to be dug up sometimes. In North Dakota they are buried 4 and 1/2 feet. 

[Geo]

Thoughts/reactions- a) Congratulations! b) Hey! how do you get to the pipes when you need to fix them? Tear up the floor? c) You don't know what winter is.

I only once in my life experienced -17° C night temperatures for a period around Christmas/New Year, back in I believe the winter of '96-97 in my country. Also, the appartment is not on the ground floor (its on the second floor in your terminology). Most common rodents here are rabbits, rats, and I guess mouses count as well. For fixing the pipes if there's a malfunction, I actually asked this very question at the notary. It appears that'd be a communal cost carried by all the residing owners in the building, and the wall would of course need to be broken out.

Oh, and thank you.

[Unorthodox]

So, you're just buying the cell? 

[Spacy]

We have basically the same system here, but we call them condo's (short for condominium).  The size and layout are more like apartments here, but they function like condo's as you are the owner of your space, the association is the owner of the community space which includes the insides of the walls and the lawn and other common areas, and you probably have association dues that go toward maintaining the common stuff along with a reserve for big ticket things like new roofs (every 20 years), water pipe breaks, etc.  Just remember, that although the association would be responsible for fixing the broken pipe inside the wall - you are still the owner of the carpet, furniture, kitchen cabinets, art, etc and that any damage to them needs to be covered by you (or your insurance). 

Be very careful with your insurance.   My sister in law who lives in Cologne, Germany, got into a nasty dispute over a clogged sewer line that serviced the unit next to her, where the association came in and damaged her property to gain access and then refused to repair or replace.  I don't know the details of how they work on that side of the pond, but on this side insurance people are generally helpful and get you the coverage you need only after you explain your circumstances - they want to help, but the variety of individual needs varies so much that you have to take the time to sit down with them. 

Oh, and grats on being an adult!

[Geo]

So, you're just buying the cell? 

I've signed a contract to pay up once its finished (meaning being habitable). If either party doesn't deliver, penalties are in order.

We have basically the same system here, but we call them condo's (short for condominium).  The size and layout are more like apartments here, but they function like condo's as you are the owner of your space, the association is the owner of the community space which includes the insides of the walls and the lawn and other common areas, and you probably have association dues that go toward maintaining the common stuff along with a reserve for big ticket things like new roofs (every 20 years), water pipe breaks, etc.  Just remember, that although the association would be responsible for fixing the broken pipe inside the wall - you are still the owner of the carpet, furniture, kitchen cabinets, art, etc and that any damage to them needs to be covered by you (or your insurance). 

There's a sort of communal 'building insurance' for the building itself, and the private parts will need to be covered by my own insurance.

Oh, and grats on being an adult!

You realise this could come over a bit wonky?

[Spacy]

yep   

[Rusty Edge]

How about a construction/photo update?