Hello everyone,
We are building a prefab house (urban villa passive house KfW 40 Plus including photovoltaic system, nearly 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) with a fireplace and hip roof with a 25° (25 degrees) roof pitch).
We submitted the building notification without a basement for cost reasons (according to the manufacturer, a basement including the shell costs about 60,000 Euros, and based on our bad experiences with basements in rental apartments).
For the past two weeks, I can’t stop thinking that this might be a mistake. Where will we go if we want to host a party? Where do we put the hobby room, winter clothes, flea market boxes, fitness equipment, souvenirs from our vacations, my decorations, and many other things? What if we want to add a sauna later?
Unfortunately, the rooms upstairs are already fully utilized. We had the idea of a guest house in the garden that could also serve as a hobby room and storage space. But our architect told us that this would probably not be approved. We are only allowed to build 30 m³ (1,059 cubic feet). A conservatory would be too small and also quite expensive, according to our research.
I would appreciate any experience reports or advice. I’m afraid we will really regret this and that I won’t be happy.
Furthermore, we were strongly recommended the Proxon air-to-air heat pump system, sold by Proxon (Zimmermann ventilation). However, during the cold days, I am very concerned that the floor (we have tiles downstairs and laminate upstairs) will be too cold, especially for our baby. We were told that with modern underfloor heating, people don’t really feel the cold anymore. We are uncertain which type of heating is right for us.
One more thing: we have a garage with space for one car and a small storage room. Unfortunately, the plot does not allow for anything bigger. I’m also not sure if it would have been better to include a door from the garage into the house; we only just started to see this might be really necessary.
I always feel like I forgot something important in the house planning that I might later regret, and as a result, I lie awake at night. I just can’t switch off.
We are building a prefab house (urban villa passive house KfW 40 Plus including photovoltaic system, nearly 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) with a fireplace and hip roof with a 25° (25 degrees) roof pitch).
We submitted the building notification without a basement for cost reasons (according to the manufacturer, a basement including the shell costs about 60,000 Euros, and based on our bad experiences with basements in rental apartments).
For the past two weeks, I can’t stop thinking that this might be a mistake. Where will we go if we want to host a party? Where do we put the hobby room, winter clothes, flea market boxes, fitness equipment, souvenirs from our vacations, my decorations, and many other things? What if we want to add a sauna later?
Unfortunately, the rooms upstairs are already fully utilized. We had the idea of a guest house in the garden that could also serve as a hobby room and storage space. But our architect told us that this would probably not be approved. We are only allowed to build 30 m³ (1,059 cubic feet). A conservatory would be too small and also quite expensive, according to our research.
I would appreciate any experience reports or advice. I’m afraid we will really regret this and that I won’t be happy.
Furthermore, we were strongly recommended the Proxon air-to-air heat pump system, sold by Proxon (Zimmermann ventilation). However, during the cold days, I am very concerned that the floor (we have tiles downstairs and laminate upstairs) will be too cold, especially for our baby. We were told that with modern underfloor heating, people don’t really feel the cold anymore. We are uncertain which type of heating is right for us.
One more thing: we have a garage with space for one car and a small storage room. Unfortunately, the plot does not allow for anything bigger. I’m also not sure if it would have been better to include a door from the garage into the house; we only just started to see this might be really necessary.
I always feel like I forgot something important in the house planning that I might later regret, and as a result, I lie awake at night. I just can’t switch off.
M
Mygstylzz9 Jan 2017 14:18Haha, thanks for the suggestions. Best regards
M
Mygstylzz9 Jan 2017 14:32tomtom79 schrieb:
I will never understand how someone doesn’t have 60,000k for a basement but builds a KfW40+ house and then even an air-to-air heat pump.
Is there already a soil survey? Yes, there is. What do you think we are doing wrong?
Hello,
as is often the case here in the forum, there are two strongly divided opinions on whether to have a basement or not. This can be discussed endlessly.
To help you move forward with your existing plan, here are a few ideas (and assumptions – did I miss your answers to the questionnaire?) from me:
Celebrations, especially children’s birthday parties or any event that requires frequent trips to the kitchen, are best held on the ground floor; kids and smokers can also go out to the garden if needed. Set up beer benches next to or instead of the dining table, and for a larger party (which probably won’t happen more than three or four times a year), just move the couch a bit to the side. In a worst-case scenario, you could use the garage and set up a heater if it’s impossible to manage in the living room.
I assume you don’t yet have any large exercise equipment; otherwise, you probably would have already factored it into the planning? If you get a home trainer, you could possibly place it between the dining and living areas.
Flea market boxes, like holiday souvenirs, can be stored in the utility room or under the roof. But I always wonder with such things whether it might be better just to throw them away or not buy them in the first place? Otherwise, my (few) holiday souvenirs aren’t kept in boxes but displayed decoratively on shelves. ;-)
If you actually manage to close off the open space and turn it into a storage room, you would gain extra room for flea market items and seasonal clothing. I would also redesign the bedroom (perhaps do without the dividing wall between the dressing area and the bed?) and instead incorporate more wardrobe space there to minimize the seasonal wardrobe swap.
If you want to keep the open space but not lose the natural light in the hallway, a home trainer could also be placed there—next to shelves or cabinets along the wall to the bedroom. It would still feel more open than with a storage room, but would provide at least one or two extra meters of wardrobe space.
I have no experience with saunas, but I’m wondering if one could be retrofitted in a child’s room when the kids have moved out. Then there would at least still be room for loungers.
When it comes to hobbies, I can’t think of anything specific, but that’s mainly because I don’t have space-intensive hobbies myself. I also can’t imagine what yours might be since you probably would have already included that in the planning...? Otherwise, the children’s rooms could be used for that once the little ones have left home (okay, that might be far in the future, but I assume even space-demanding hobbies will be something for later).
About the direct passage from the garage to the house: what is more important to you? A 5-meter (16 feet) shorter walk with groceries once or twice a week, or at least one meter (3 feet) of additional floor space for more storage? You can only gain an extra passage by sacrificing wall space—and therefore shelving. I’d probably prefer to walk around outside...
One more tip: walk through your current apartment with open eyes or even a tape measure to see how many cabinets or shelves you actually use, where you currently lack space, and where and how you want to store these items in the new build. For example, in my living room there are at least three meters (10 feet) of shelving that in the new house would be distributed to other rooms: folders go to the office, and glasses and “decorative” bottles of alcohol go to the kitchen.
Finally: take a deep breath and let go of the idea that you need to account for every eventuality—from the sauna to a model railway collection to a private gym. Most people can’t have it all, but solutions can be found for many things if and when the time comes. 🙂
as is often the case here in the forum, there are two strongly divided opinions on whether to have a basement or not. This can be discussed endlessly.
To help you move forward with your existing plan, here are a few ideas (and assumptions – did I miss your answers to the questionnaire?) from me:
Celebrations, especially children’s birthday parties or any event that requires frequent trips to the kitchen, are best held on the ground floor; kids and smokers can also go out to the garden if needed. Set up beer benches next to or instead of the dining table, and for a larger party (which probably won’t happen more than three or four times a year), just move the couch a bit to the side. In a worst-case scenario, you could use the garage and set up a heater if it’s impossible to manage in the living room.
I assume you don’t yet have any large exercise equipment; otherwise, you probably would have already factored it into the planning? If you get a home trainer, you could possibly place it between the dining and living areas.
Flea market boxes, like holiday souvenirs, can be stored in the utility room or under the roof. But I always wonder with such things whether it might be better just to throw them away or not buy them in the first place? Otherwise, my (few) holiday souvenirs aren’t kept in boxes but displayed decoratively on shelves. ;-)
If you actually manage to close off the open space and turn it into a storage room, you would gain extra room for flea market items and seasonal clothing. I would also redesign the bedroom (perhaps do without the dividing wall between the dressing area and the bed?) and instead incorporate more wardrobe space there to minimize the seasonal wardrobe swap.
If you want to keep the open space but not lose the natural light in the hallway, a home trainer could also be placed there—next to shelves or cabinets along the wall to the bedroom. It would still feel more open than with a storage room, but would provide at least one or two extra meters of wardrobe space.
I have no experience with saunas, but I’m wondering if one could be retrofitted in a child’s room when the kids have moved out. Then there would at least still be room for loungers.
When it comes to hobbies, I can’t think of anything specific, but that’s mainly because I don’t have space-intensive hobbies myself. I also can’t imagine what yours might be since you probably would have already included that in the planning...? Otherwise, the children’s rooms could be used for that once the little ones have left home (okay, that might be far in the future, but I assume even space-demanding hobbies will be something for later).
About the direct passage from the garage to the house: what is more important to you? A 5-meter (16 feet) shorter walk with groceries once or twice a week, or at least one meter (3 feet) of additional floor space for more storage? You can only gain an extra passage by sacrificing wall space—and therefore shelving. I’d probably prefer to walk around outside...
One more tip: walk through your current apartment with open eyes or even a tape measure to see how many cabinets or shelves you actually use, where you currently lack space, and where and how you want to store these items in the new build. For example, in my living room there are at least three meters (10 feet) of shelving that in the new house would be distributed to other rooms: folders go to the office, and glasses and “decorative” bottles of alcohol go to the kitchen.
Finally: take a deep breath and let go of the idea that you need to account for every eventuality—from the sauna to a model railway collection to a private gym. Most people can’t have it all, but solutions can be found for many things if and when the time comes. 🙂
M
Mygstylzz9 Jan 2017 17:46Maria16 schrieb:
Hello,
as is often the case here on the forum, there are two strongly opposed groups when it comes to having a basement or not. This can be debated endlessly.
To help you move forward with your current plan, here are some ideas (and guesses—I seem to have missed your answers to the questionnaire?) from me:
Parties, especially children’s birthday parties or any event that requires frequent trips to the kitchen, are best held on the ground floor; children and smokers can go outside into the garden if needed. Set up beer benches beside or instead of the dining table, and for a larger party (which will probably only happen three or four times a year) move the couch a bit to the side. In a pinch, you can use the garage and put a patio heater there if the living room really doesn’t work.
I assume you don’t yet have any large fitness equipment, otherwise you probably would have considered it in the planning? If a stationary bike or similar comes into the picture, it could be placed between the dining and living areas.
Boxes for flea market items can be stored in the utility room or under the roof, as can souvenirs from holidays. Although I always wonder if such things shouldn’t just be thrown away or not bought in the first place? Otherwise, my (few) souvenirs never end up in boxes but are displayed decoratively on shelves. ;-)
If you can bring yourself to close up the open space and turn it into a storage room, you would gain extra room for flea market stuff and seasonal clothes. I would also consider redesigning the bedroom (perhaps do without the partition wall between the dressing area and bed?) and instead add more closet space there to minimize seasonal wardrobe swaps.
If you want to keep the open space but not lose the natural light in the hallway, a fitness machine could also be placed there—next to shelves or cabinets on the wall facing the bedroom. It would still feel more open than with a storage room but at least provide one or two extra meters of closet space.
I have no experience with saunas, but I’m wondering if one could later be installed in a child’s bedroom—once the kids have moved out. That way, there’d still be room for lounge chairs.
As for hobbies, I honestly can’t think of anything, mainly because I don’t have any space-consuming hobbies. I don’t imagine you do either; otherwise you probably would have planned for that by now...? Alternatively, the children’s rooms can be used for hobbies once the kids have grown up (okay, this might be far in the future, but I assume that bulky hobbies are still a thing for another while).
Regarding the direct passage from garage to house: which priorities matter more to you? Walking about 5 meters shorter with groceries once or twice a week, or gaining at least a meter of floor space for extra storage? You can only gain an additional passageway by sacrificing wall—and thus shelf—space. I’d probably prefer to walk around...
Another tip: take a close look or even measure in your current apartment how many closets or shelves you actually need, where you feel you lack space, and how or where you plan to store your existing items in the new build. For example, in my living room there are at least three meters of shelving that I would completely redistribute in the new house: folders go into the office, and glasses plus decorative alcohol bottles into the kitchen.
Finally: take a deep breath and try to let go of the idea that you have to plan for every possible eventuality, from a sauna to a model train collection to your own fitness room. Most people can’t have it all, but many solutions can be found when the time comes. 🙂 Thanks, these are exactly the kind of answers that help. Best regards!!!
tomtom79 schrieb:
I will never understand how someone doesn’t have 60,000€ for a basement but builds a KfW 40+ house with an air-to-air heat pump.An air-to-air heat pump can be sufficient for low energy demand. I wouldn’t choose it myself either, but many contractors use it when building near KfW 40 or passive house standards. These units are affordable and fit well within the KfW calculations.
Otherwise, the logic does add up. If you build a timber frame, you basically have the KfW 40 wall as standard. If a heat pump and ventilation system are already planned, the general contractor just adds the smallest possible photovoltaic system on the roof along with the smallest battery storage, which costs a maximum of 10,000€ (about 11,000 USD) extra, if at all. In return, you get a 5,000€ (about 5,500 USD) KfW repayment subsidy, a proud feeling of "doing everything right," and the contractor gets something great for their marketing brochure.
60,000€ (about 65,000 USD) for a basement is definitely a completely different price category. Although I understand what you’re getting at 😉
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