Hello everyone!
After reading quite a bit in this forum over the past few days about basements/livable basements/square meter costs, I thought it would be good to get your assessment of our building project.
In short: Are we imagining something here that doesn’t fit our budget?
Our basic conditions are still quite flexible since we are very early in the process and only submitted an application for the planned development area two months ago. However, it looks like there is a good chance to get a plot there; so maybe the allocation will start around mid/end of next year. The whole thing is planned in a rural area in NRW.
That’s basically it…although I really did not expect the issue of the livable basement to cause us such a headache.
We were thinking of a budget for the house of 300,000 to 350,000 euros. Not turnkey, but “almost finished” each. We planned to do the flooring ourselves, walls, etc. Mainly for the basement, since my father and I also finished our parents’ current basement ourselves. If the single-family house could then be delivered turnkey on top and everything still fits the budget: even better. Well… was that wishful thinking?
We have already received two initial offers and are waiting for two more. For both quotes, the basement alone was about 60,000 euros, with the costs for the livable basement reaching approximately 120,000 to 140,000 euros! Ouch!
In the end, both offers were at least 420,000 euros, and with the second offer, they even hinted at a starting price of “five digits” if certain cases occur.
Have we so badly underestimated with our 300-350k euro (for the house)? Do we have to accept that what we want simply isn’t feasible with these requirements?
After reading quite a bit in this forum over the past few days about basements/livable basements/square meter costs, I thought it would be good to get your assessment of our building project.
In short: Are we imagining something here that doesn’t fit our budget?
Our basic conditions are still quite flexible since we are very early in the process and only submitted an application for the planned development area two months ago. However, it looks like there is a good chance to get a plot there; so maybe the allocation will start around mid/end of next year. The whole thing is planned in a rural area in NRW.
- The plan is for a 1.5-story single-family house with a basement apartment
- The building site is on a slope
- The basement will be for the parents, with a living area of 80sqm (860 sq ft). An additional 10sqm (110 sq ft) is planned as utility space (technical room, storage)
- Above that, as mentioned, a 1.5-story single-family house with about 120sqm (1,290 sq ft)
- The basement should slightly protrude to the south (towards the slope) to provide a small terrace for the ground floor
- We don’t have to pay for the land since the parents are covering that. Still, we expect to pay a typical two-thirds rent (+ rent for a parking space = at least 500€). That’s already nice
- Oh yes: both parts will be prefabricated. Due to various circumstances, the rather fixed and well-planned time frames for “when everything will be ready” are important to all of us.
That’s basically it…although I really did not expect the issue of the livable basement to cause us such a headache.
We were thinking of a budget for the house of 300,000 to 350,000 euros. Not turnkey, but “almost finished” each. We planned to do the flooring ourselves, walls, etc. Mainly for the basement, since my father and I also finished our parents’ current basement ourselves. If the single-family house could then be delivered turnkey on top and everything still fits the budget: even better. Well… was that wishful thinking?
We have already received two initial offers and are waiting for two more. For both quotes, the basement alone was about 60,000 euros, with the costs for the livable basement reaching approximately 120,000 to 140,000 euros! Ouch!
In the end, both offers were at least 420,000 euros, and with the second offer, they even hinted at a starting price of “five digits” if certain cases occur.
Have we so badly underestimated with our 300-350k euro (for the house)? Do we have to accept that what we want simply isn’t feasible with these requirements?
A basement built into a slope is never cheap. A prefab house doesn’t make it any easier. Whether the 4 has to be upfront is something the market will tell you...
50,000 euros (approximately 55,000 USD) in additional construction costs, 100,000 euros (approximately 110,000 USD) for the basement, 200,000 euros (approximately 220,000 USD) for the house... doesn’t sound too unreasonable at first. It also depends on your architecture and specific conditions.
50,000 euros (approximately 55,000 USD) in additional construction costs, 100,000 euros (approximately 110,000 USD) for the basement, 200,000 euros (approximately 220,000 USD) for the house... doesn’t sound too unreasonable at first. It also depends on your architecture and specific conditions.
Hello everyone!
Since we are planning something similar next year, I am also a bit surprised. I thought a basement in a sloping site would be cheaper than the living space in the upper floors. With your quotes of over €1,500 per square meter (over $160 per square foot) plus €60,000 (about $65,000)? That also seems too much to me. Are there any experiences or reference values here on the forum?
Since we are planning something similar next year, I am also a bit surprised. I thought a basement in a sloping site would be cheaper than the living space in the upper floors. With your quotes of over €1,500 per square meter (over $160 per square foot) plus €60,000 (about $65,000)? That also seems too much to me. Are there any experiences or reference values here on the forum?
Wissi schrieb:
Well… totally wrong assumption?
We have already received two initial quotes and are still waiting on two more. In both cases, the basement alone was about 60,000 € (about 66,000 USD), with additional costs for the habitable basement. Those were roughly between 120,000 and 140,000 € (132,000 and 154,000 USD)! Ouch!
In the end, both offers were at least 420,000 € (462,000 USD), and the second quote even hinted at prices starting with “5” if certain conditions occurred.
Did we seriously underestimate with our 300,000–350,000 € (330,000–385,000 USD) budget (for the house)? Should we just accept that this simply isn’t feasible with the given requirements?We experienced something similar last year. The prefab house suppliers really push the budget for the planning phase. There are all kinds of ambitious approaches. We also had unrealistic plans. Another idea was 60,000 € (66,000 USD) for the basement and then an additional 2,000 € (2,200 USD) per square meter of living area on top.
The problem often is that basements come from subcontractors. This creates an additional interface and coordination effort. Of course, when you ask, it’s all okay, no problem. But if you want to see a reference project with a habitable basement, there is only a shrug. About 95% build without a basement.
What I don’t quite understand:
"The basement is supposed to protrude slightly towards the south (towards the slope), providing a small terrace for the ground floor."
Where is the separate apartment located then?
Costs are really hard to estimate. It depends a lot on the plot and how you plan the basement.
Thank you for your feedback so far!
The slope faces south, and the basement is meant to extend slightly beyond the main house in that direction. This way, its ceiling would serve as a terrace for the ground floor. However, for cost reasons, we could also decide against this and just add a regular balcony. As mentioned, we are initially holding back on the architectural details. "Every corner costs money," and so do any extras... we are fully aware of that. But if the whole thing can’t even be implemented as part of the standard design, it wouldn’t make sense anyway :-/
What I don’t quite understand?
"The basement is supposed to extend slightly to the south (towards the slope) to provide a small terrace for the ground floor."
Where exactly is the granny flat then?
The slope faces south, and the basement is meant to extend slightly beyond the main house in that direction. This way, its ceiling would serve as a terrace for the ground floor. However, for cost reasons, we could also decide against this and just add a regular balcony. As mentioned, we are initially holding back on the architectural details. "Every corner costs money," and so do any extras... we are fully aware of that. But if the whole thing can’t even be implemented as part of the standard design, it wouldn’t make sense anyway :-/
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