ᐅ Which Type of House Should You Choose?

Hi everyone,

Until last night (when we visited a home builder), my husband and I were sure we wanted to build a house with 2 dormers...

We finally secured a plot of land in a residential development here (which is not easy due to high demand)! Unfortunately, the area specifies a maximum terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet). Our dream has always been a Mediterranean-style house, planned as a single-story building. We both find sloped ceilings on the upper floor impractical. But when we received the development plan, we had to consider an alternative.

We decided on two dormers since that helps avoid too many sloped ceilings.

Yesterday, we visited the builder, and he said it was a pity to build a house (which is not exactly cheap) and then have to make such compromises. He also mentioned (something we hadn’t realized before) that the Mediterranean style is actually simpler to build than dormers and therefore significantly less expensive. The bottom line: we would have to spend even more money on a house that we like but not as much as the Mediterranean style.

We felt quite frustrated... And to make matters worse, he said we probably wouldn’t finish the building permit/planning permission application this year anyway, so we would lose out on the KfW70 subsidy, since that will become standard next year. Is that correct?

Do you have any ideas for other house types that would look nice and be feasible with a terrace house height of 4 meters (13 feet) and a detached house height of 9 meters (30 feet)? Our plot is 706 square meters (7,600 square feet), so a bungalow is not an option for us.

Thanks in advance and best regards!

How many people will live in the house?
Open plan kitchen and living area or separate kitchen?

Please share some details about your specific preferences.

Gladly!
The house is planned for 4-5 people to live in, with about 150-160 sqm (1,615-1,722 sq ft) of living space.

Ground floor:
- Utility room + storage room
- Guest toilet with shower
- Kitchen with an island (designed to be open, but preferably separable from the living room by a sliding door)
- Living room with a fireplace
- Possibly an office

Upper floor:
- At least 3 bedrooms (depending on whether there is an office downstairs; otherwise, 4 rooms upstairs)
- Bathroom with walk-in shower

I think that’s about it. The rooms should be nice and bright everywhere. And as mentioned, if possible, as few sloping ceilings as possible…

Hello,

Milanni123 schrieb:

Our dream has always been a Mediterranean-style house, planned as a single-story building.

Mediterranean style and single-story is a contradiction in itself. You probably mean a two-story townhouse or villa?

Milanni123 schrieb:

We then decided on two captain’s gables because that way you can at least avoid a few sloping ceilings.

Not most of them; just the triangular area between the floor and the rising masonry—unless the captain’s gable is built over a dormer.

Milanni123 schrieb:

Yesterday, we visited the builder and he told us it’s a pity to have to make such compromises when building a house, especially since it’s not cheap.

He could have suggested a stepped story design. There’s a lot of flexibility there, and if cleverly designed, the house can truly look Mediterranean (for example, see the attached development).

By the way, building a house always involves compromises; the question is where you find the balance. And a ridge height of 4.00 meters (13 feet) and a roof ridge height of 9.00 meters (30 feet) is not really “that” bad; it allows—assuming the roof pitch is unrestricted—very nice architectural designs if you want to build in a classical style.

Milanni123 schrieb:

He also told us (which we hadn’t realized before) that the Mediterranean building style is much simpler than gabled roofs and therefore somewhat cheaper.

Provided I’m guessing correctly, a two-story design is not really much cheaper than a classic pitched roof house. Especially not if a flat roof is not permitted.

Milanni123 schrieb:

We ended up feeling quite frustrated ... And to top it off, he told us that we probably wouldn’t finish the building application this year anyway,

It’s November 19, 2015—you first have to sign a construction contract, which you should not rush. Then you need a preliminary site plan (mandatory for the building application), and all surveyors are quite busy. After that, the building application must be prepared; that’s not something done quickly. From contract signing to submitting the application usually takes, if all parties deliver quickly, around six weeks. This also assumes you approve the plans and don’t request any further changes. So, at best, that would be around Christmas.

Milanni123 schrieb:

So we’d miss out on the KfW70 funding because that will be standard from next year anyway. Right?

Yes, because you won’t manage to submit the application on time; you can still apply for the funding until the end of March 2016.

On the other hand, in my opinion, the funding is negligible—first monetarily, and secondly considering what some providers have to amend in their offers to meet the KfW funding requirements.

Regards, Bauexperte

Bauexperte schrieb:

Mediterranean style and single-story is a contradiction. You probably mean a two-story townhouse?

No, I actually mean like in your attachment, so a stepped floor. I'm not very familiar with the specific terms.

Bauexperte schrieb:

Not mostly; just at the triangle where the floor meets the rising masonry; unless the captain’s gable is placed over a dormer.

The captain’s gable is indeed supposed to be placed over a dormer.

Bauexperte schrieb:

He could have suggested the stepped floor to you. There’s a lot of flexibility there; if designed cleverly, the house really looks Mediterranean (see example in attachment).

Yes, he said that for a stepped floor he needs a minimum ceiling height of 5.25m (17 ft 3 in).

Bauexperte schrieb:

By the way, building a house always means making compromises; the question is where to find the balance. And a ceiling height of 4.00m (13 ft 1 in) and a ridge height of 9.00m (29 ft 6 in) are not that bad; it allows—assuming the roof pitch is flexible?—very nice architectures, if you want to build in a traditional style.

Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean by “roof pitch,” but otherwise the construction method is open. Yes, I also think we can definitely find something... but it would still be somewhat of a compromise. That’s why I’m hoping someone here might have a brilliant idea that we’d like even more.

Bauexperte schrieb:

On the other hand, in my opinion, the subsidies are negligible at first financially and also considering what some providers have to add to their offers to meet the KfW funding requirements.

But since from next year KfW standards will be mandatory anyway, it wouldn’t make financial sense to pass up the subsidy. Or am I totally mistaken there?

Somehow I feel like I’m losing sight of the forest for the trees.

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I tried to make your reply more readable; please try to use the quote function next time (bottom right, under each post).

Thanks
Bauexperte

Milanni123 schrieb:

Yes, he said that for a recessed top floor he needs a minimum ceiling height of 5.25m (17.2 feet)

Then he should hit the books again

Milanni123 schrieb:

But since KfW standards will be mandatory from next year and buildings have to meet them anyway, it wouldn’t be financially smart to give up the subsidy. Or am I completely misunderstanding something?

The reference building from 01.01.16 roughly corresponds to the current KfW 70 standard; so it depends on the specifications of the individual provider, which are covered in their building description (BB).

Smart or not – building permits submitted by Christmas won’t work anymore; “between the years” the building authority is also only working on a basic level

Addendum: DN = roof pitch

Regards, Bauexperte