ᐅ House Construction with Extension or Basement/Hobby Workshop
Created on: 20 Nov 2017 10:03
S
Spiernik
Hello dear house building forum,
We are currently planning to build a house. Unfortunately, we are finding the planning quite difficult. It feels like a chicken-and-egg problem.
How much does the house cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the land price.
How much can the land cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the house price.
Therefore, we are trying to estimate the costs at the moment.
We would like to build a basement as a hobby workshop. We have quite a number of machines that would appreciate a proper place to stay.
Extension or basement, because we prefer not to have the dirt inside the house. Simply increasing the living space of the house is not an option for this reason.
What we would like to have at a minimum:
1. Heated (via the house’s central heating system?)
2. > ~50m² (540 sq ft)
3. Power supply (including three-phase power)
4. Partially soundproofed / insulated
| **Basement** | **Extension** |
|--------------|---------------|
| *Advantages* | *Advantages* |
| - More garden space
- Direct connection to the house
- No issues with building distance requirements
- Potentially higher market value of the house?
- Climate buffer?
- Better sound insulation (for neighbors)
- Network technology can be centralized | - Cheaper (?)
- Ground-level entrance
- Large gate/door
- Can possibly be added later |
| *Disadvantages* | *Disadvantages* |
| - Cost
- Utility room in the basement incurs additional cost
- Moisture and mold?
- Difficult natural lighting situation
- Poor access (always via narrow stairs)
- Bikes have to go to the garage
- Possibly need a sewage lift system
- Difficult soil could increase costs | - Less garden space
- May not visually match the house
- Security against break-ins? |
These are the pros and cons we are more or less certain about.
But some questions remain open:
1. Foundation for the extension? Slab foundation or like a garage?
2. Are building distance requirements also applicable from the extension to the property boundaries?
3. What is the difference (from a building regulation perspective) between a garage and an extension?
4. Can the extension be heated via the house’s central heating? Is it possible to relocate a utility room to the extension even if it is not directly connected to the main building?
5. Costs? Is there a general rule of thumb about the cost ratio? For example, does an extension usually cost only about 80% of a basement for the same floor area?
We are currently planning to build a house. Unfortunately, we are finding the planning quite difficult. It feels like a chicken-and-egg problem.
How much does the house cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the land price.
How much can the land cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the house price.
Therefore, we are trying to estimate the costs at the moment.
We would like to build a basement as a hobby workshop. We have quite a number of machines that would appreciate a proper place to stay.
Extension or basement, because we prefer not to have the dirt inside the house. Simply increasing the living space of the house is not an option for this reason.
What we would like to have at a minimum:
1. Heated (via the house’s central heating system?)
2. > ~50m² (540 sq ft)
3. Power supply (including three-phase power)
4. Partially soundproofed / insulated
| **Basement** | **Extension** |
|--------------|---------------|
| *Advantages* | *Advantages* |
| - More garden space
- Direct connection to the house
- No issues with building distance requirements
- Potentially higher market value of the house?
- Climate buffer?
- Better sound insulation (for neighbors)
- Network technology can be centralized | - Cheaper (?)
- Ground-level entrance
- Large gate/door
- Can possibly be added later |
| *Disadvantages* | *Disadvantages* |
| - Cost
- Utility room in the basement incurs additional cost
- Moisture and mold?
- Difficult natural lighting situation
- Poor access (always via narrow stairs)
- Bikes have to go to the garage
- Possibly need a sewage lift system
- Difficult soil could increase costs | - Less garden space
- May not visually match the house
- Security against break-ins? |
These are the pros and cons we are more or less certain about.
But some questions remain open:
1. Foundation for the extension? Slab foundation or like a garage?
2. Are building distance requirements also applicable from the extension to the property boundaries?
3. What is the difference (from a building regulation perspective) between a garage and an extension?
4. Can the extension be heated via the house’s central heating? Is it possible to relocate a utility room to the extension even if it is not directly connected to the main building?
5. Costs? Is there a general rule of thumb about the cost ratio? For example, does an extension usually cost only about 80% of a basement for the same floor area?
For a collection of machines for your hobby, a heated extension is probably the most practical solution.
For cost estimation: list your room requirements and look for standard house models that come closest to your needs. Check how many square meters (sqm) you require and use a factor of 1900 per sqm (20.6 per sq ft) for northern Germany, 2100 per sqm (19.5 per sq ft) for southern Germany as a rough guideline. This is only an approximation.
If you don’t yet have a plot of land, construction will likely not start before 2019/2020 anyway. You should be able to roughly calculate land prices based on the current rates in your area. Additional building costs for simple terrain are around 35,900, for difficult terrain about 50,000.
Carports, landscaping, and such... just try searching online or use the forum’s search function.
For cost estimation: list your room requirements and look for standard house models that come closest to your needs. Check how many square meters (sqm) you require and use a factor of 1900 per sqm (20.6 per sq ft) for northern Germany, 2100 per sqm (19.5 per sq ft) for southern Germany as a rough guideline. This is only an approximation.
If you don’t yet have a plot of land, construction will likely not start before 2019/2020 anyway. You should be able to roughly calculate land prices based on the current rates in your area. Additional building costs for simple terrain are around 35,900, for difficult terrain about 50,000.
Carports, landscaping, and such... just try searching online or use the forum’s search function.
Oh, one more thing: anything that is heated must have a slab-on-grade foundation. Building services should be located within the thermal envelope.
Living areas cannot be built on the property boundary, but garages can.
This should answer all your questions. If not, feel free to ask more.
Living areas cannot be built on the property boundary, but garages can.
This should answer all your questions. If not, feel free to ask more.
ypg schrieb:
[...]Check how many square meters you need and use the factor 1900/sqm for northern Germany, 2100 for southern Germany. But that’s just a rough estimate.Western Germany ypg schrieb:
If you don’t have a plot yet, building probably won’t start before 2019/2020 anyway. You should be able to roughly calculate land prices based on current rates in your region. Additional construction costs are about 35,900 for simple projects, 50,000 for more complex sites.
Carports, landscaping... just google or use the forum search.Additional construction costs?ypg schrieb:
Oh, by the way: what is heated, including the slab-on-grade foundation. Building services are part of the thermal envelope.Does the slab-on-grade foundation become "simpler" / cheaper if it carries less weight? (The extension is planned as a single-story, probably with a flat roof)Does this mean that if the extension is separate from the main house, you basically need two separate heating systems?
Are there special solutions for heating very small buildings? Or would electric heating be used in that case?
ypg schrieb:
Living rooms are not allowed on the property boundary, but garages are.
This should answer all your questions. If not, feel free to ask more. And do rooms become living rooms because they are heated? Or is it determined by their use?
If I use a large double garage as a workshop, can I still place it on the property boundary?
Spiernik schrieb:
Western Germany Construction costs vary by region... I have no idea whether building is cheap or expensive where you are. Why don’t you tell us?
You must be following the newspapers and online sources about building and related topics closely right now.
Spiernik schrieb:
Additional building costs?Additional building costs (earthworks, building permits / planning permission, etc. – just enter these terms in the search at the top right)
Spiernik schrieb:
Does the foundation slab become "simpler" / cheaper since there is less weight to support?No.
Spiernik schrieb:
Does it mean that if the extension is separated from the house, it basically requires two heating systems?
Are there special heating solutions for small buildings? Or do people then use electric heating?I think what you are aiming for is actually a separate building. That is not always straightforward. It’s usually not allowed in a new residential area, and also not if the zoning plan or the floor area ratio prevents you from building too much area.
Usually, an additional building like a garage must be subordinate to the main building; with 50 square meters (540 square feet), that becomes less clear.
Maybe a building gap in a rural area, or possibly an existing building.
I also think you might not be fully aware of the costs. Spending around 40,000 to 60,000 for heated rooms used only for hobbies is not something you just do casually.
What does your bank say about how much financing you can actually get?
Spiernik schrieb:
Do rooms become living spaces through heating? Or through their use?
If I use a huge double garage as a workshop, am I allowed to build it right on the property boundary?It depends on use! But also on whether and how the secondary building is connected to the main house. You’ll have to check that carefully.
A large garage must be approved before you get to the payment stage. I don’t want to be harsh, but if you ask the typical “chicken or egg” questions here on the forum, you probably won’t be able to finance everything easily.
AHA!
Now I understand a bit better
As far as I can see, I basically have no choice but to build a fully functional residential building as an extension. So, there is no real in-between between a living room and a garage.
Either I can live in it, or it’s cold in winter?
Well, I’m afraid that in this case, a basement might not even be more expensive than an extension. Instead of a 9x9m (30x30 ft) foundation slab, I would need a 14x9m (46x30 ft) slab including earthworks. And the extension isn’t really much cheaper than living space if I have to fully finish it, so to speak.
The payment is basically arranged already. I am just trying to figure out how to invest the money most efficiently according to my needs. I would rather have 5m² (54 ft²) more living space than end up with 5,000 € left at the end of the build. (I know, I know... that’s wishful thinking. But I hope this clarifies my point.)
Exactly. That’s why I’m asking these annoying questions.
Now I understand a bit better
As far as I can see, I basically have no choice but to build a fully functional residential building as an extension. So, there is no real in-between between a living room and a garage.
Either I can live in it, or it’s cold in winter?
Well, I’m afraid that in this case, a basement might not even be more expensive than an extension. Instead of a 9x9m (30x30 ft) foundation slab, I would need a 14x9m (46x30 ft) slab including earthworks. And the extension isn’t really much cheaper than living space if I have to fully finish it, so to speak.
The payment is basically arranged already. I am just trying to figure out how to invest the money most efficiently according to my needs. I would rather have 5m² (54 ft²) more living space than end up with 5,000 € left at the end of the build. (I know, I know... that’s wishful thinking. But I hope this clarifies my point.)
ypg schrieb:
Simply having 40-60,000 for heated rooms used only as a hobby isn’t something you just have lying around.
Exactly. That’s why I’m asking these annoying questions.
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