My girlfriend and I want to start building within the next 1-4 years. We already have a clear idea of our house. We know exactly that we want to build in the town where we already live. However, I think our house might not fit on the plots in the new development area. The largest plots are 680 square meters (7309 square feet) and have a maximum ridge height of 9.5 meters (31 feet). I also don’t want the house to feel cramped on the lot. So I was wondering if it would make more sense to first discuss our wishes with an architect, who could then look for a suitable plot where the house would actually fit. Or am I completely on the wrong track, and is this approach very unusual?
Here are our ideas for the house. I just added one thing from another discussion here on the forum. My girlfriend is really into steel trims for window decoration. Can an architect work with a requirement like that?
Plot/House General
Entrance Area (Vestibule/Foyer)
Dining/Living Room
Kitchen
Master Suite
Children’s Rooms
Fitness Room
Office
Guest WC
Terrace
Heating/Utility Room
Special Requests
Here are our ideas for the house. I just added one thing from another discussion here on the forum. My girlfriend is really into steel trims for window decoration. Can an architect work with a requirement like that?
Plot/House General
- Number of floors does not matter – maximum 4 if the attic is developed
- Attic, if not developed, used as storage
- Basement, if included, with windows
- No sloped ceilings in any rooms except for a developed attic or on the 4th floor
- Roof shape does not matter, just no flat roof
- Brick facade
- Terrace not too close to neighboring plot, minimum 5 meters (16 feet) distance
- Large double garage
- 2 outdoor parking spaces for cars
Entrance Area (Vestibule/Foyer)
- Entrance area with wardrobe
- Stairs not in the entrance area but in the hallway leading to the living area
- Access to the garage from the entrance area
Dining/Living Room
- Only dining and living room open plan – kitchen in a separate room
- Dining table for minimum 10 people; chairs or corner bench possible
- Living room space for 2 large functional sofas (3-seat) and side tables
- Fireplace visible from the sofas
- Large media wall with TV
Kitchen
- Lots of storage – small dining table for 4 people
- Doors to the hallway and dining area
Master Suite
- Bedroom
- Walk-in closet
- Bathroom with tub, large shower, double sink
- Separate toilet
Children’s Rooms
- 2 rooms at least 16 square meters (172 square feet) each
- Separate bathroom for children with tub and shower
Fitness Room
- At least 30 square meters (323 square feet)
Office
- At least 14 square meters (150 square feet)
Guest WC
- Without shower or tub
Terrace
- Partially covered (without glass)
- Dining table for 10 people
- Outdoor kitchen (grill/sink/fridge/work surface)
- Terrace large enough to also fit 6 beer garden-style benches with backrests
- Terrace must be open on only 2 sides
- Transparent protective roller shutters on the terrace
- Terrace accessible from the living/dining area and level with no steps
Heating/Utility Room
- Large, also suitable for washing and drying clothes – possibly a separate room for washing and drying on the sleeping level
Special Requests
- Large separate room for bicycles/trash bins/car tires/lawnmower/garden tools etc.
- Storage closet on each floor
- Central vacuum system
- Fireplace in the living room connected to the heating system
- Central ventilation/alarm system/underfloor heating/shutters/lights – electronically controlled via units in ground floor hallway and master bedroom
- Steel trims embedded in plaster in the window lintels, wallpapered over. Window decorations freely positionable on magnetic hooks
- Lots of indirect lighting
- Visible beams (rustic modern), can also be fake
- Alarm system securing lower windows and doors
- Laundry chute (omit if there is a separate laundry room on the sleeping level)
- Solar system
- Attic, if present, accessible via regular stairs
- Accessible for disabled – doors and corridors wide enough – enough space for stairlift
- Many electrical outlets
- LAN cables in office and children’s rooms
- Finished ceiling height slightly higher because of visible (fake) beams or suspended ceilings (indirect lighting)
Bieber0815 schrieb:
If you tweeted something like that, you’d probably trigger a wave of outrage :P
...I know.
But I’m a realist, not a feminist... and I also like to be a bit provocative :P
Bieber0815 schrieb:
In my opinion, magazines like these aren’t representative. People buy them to dream... Most real existing houses look different.Of course. Most people are just happy if they can build anything at all.But I do think there is a slight trend toward mega-houses among the wealthy—in the American style—everything bigger and wider.
Just five years ago, you had to search carefully with prefab home manufacturers to find single-family houses larger than 200cm (2152 square feet). There was hardly anything. Now everyone is putting gigantic houses on the market, and the catalogs are getting thicker.
Bieber0815 schrieb:
The plot is non-negotiable First, the plot, then the zoning plan, that results in the product building plot – if one factor is bad, the product will be bad as well
kaho674 schrieb:
Now everyone is launching gigantic houses on the market, and catalogs are getting thicker. I see different trends here: the brochure ends on page 12 with the note that beyond these suggestions, they’ll also build anything else you might want. And the segment of bungalows under 100cm (40 inches) for childless people is growing – at least judging by the number of models offered.
kaho674 schrieb:
But I do believe there is a slight trend toward mega-houses among the wealthy – in the American style – everything bigger and wider. American “style,” yes – in the sense of size over proportion, and an uninhibited mix of styles. Square meters per person, too. And American in the sense of no basement, with a large double garage (with an internal door).
I see the real estate market in five years as a paradise full of luxury houses from failed financing.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
I see the real estate market in five years as a paradise full of luxury homes from failed financings. A banker in my family said the same thing five years ago, but so far nothing like that has happened. Either we are just postponing the bubble or it doesn’t exist.
C
chand198610 Jan 2018 16:43kaho674 schrieb:
Either we push the bubble ahead of us or there is none.In the past, the bubble was caused by Americans taking out mortgages based on the fictional appreciation of their homes, which became due all at once after the virtual speculative values were corrected, because the banks’ balance sheets collapsed.
Here, on the other hand, fewer mortgages are taken out, and houses (including mansions) are mostly paid for with cash flow generated from employment, with a significant amount of equity invested, so I don’t see a bubble bursting.
What could happen: If the euro collapses and a new currency in Germany appreciates sharply, export rates could shrink, putting many jobs at risk. In that case, many financings might default—but that wouldn’t be a housing bubble, at most an export bubble caused by a faulty currency.
The cycle can be prolonged for quite a while by political measures. Nothing necessarily has to burst—at least in the medium term. Of course, it could happen.
kaho674 schrieb:
A banker in my family already said this 5 years ago, but so far nothing like that has happened.I would interpret this as the money still being too cheap. There’s a sudden change as soon as a new, higher interest rate environment appears about 10 years after the start of construction or financing, because then loans that were initially calculated tightly at 1% to 2% no longer work out. Suddenly, the monthly payment increases by around €200 (about $220), and then nothing moves forward.
Compared to the levels 5 years ago, money has actually become cheaper. I believe the financing is quite safe. However, those who have calculated too tightly at today’s low interest rates may run into problems with follow-up financing unless they have made provisions. I just didn’t want to wait 10 years and therefore took the plunge last year, although the increased construction costs seem to essentially consume or even exceed the benefit of low interest rates. I think construction was effectively cheaper 5 years ago. But that’s just a side note.