Hello colleagues and everyone involved,
We have finally found a plot for our house. What now? How should we best approach this? Architect or general contractor? With or without a basement? What is truly important and what is just unnecessary?
About us: 2 adults + 2 children
Plot size: 934m² (see attachment)
House: either a 5-room corner bungalow (140m² / 1507 sq ft) or a two-story townhouse (160m² / 1722 sq ft)
Attached is a draft (self-made) of the floor plan. What do you think?
Best regards,
soon-to-be homeowners
P.S. This is our first construction project, so please be patient with us!
We have finally found a plot for our house. What now? How should we best approach this? Architect or general contractor? With or without a basement? What is truly important and what is just unnecessary?
About us: 2 adults + 2 children
Plot size: 934m² (see attachment)
House: either a 5-room corner bungalow (140m² / 1507 sq ft) or a two-story townhouse (160m² / 1722 sq ft)
Attached is a draft (self-made) of the floor plan. What do you think?
Best regards,
soon-to-be homeowners
P.S. This is our first construction project, so please be patient with us!
No, you need to first consider what rooms you will need and what your requirements are.
How many children’s bedrooms?
Shelving for 1,000 books?
Space for the model railway?
Do you need storage space because you preserve 300 jars of jam every year?
Then visit show homes and look at every house or apartment to see what you like and what bothers you.
Check the building plan / planning permission. Bungalows or two full stories are not always allowed.
The slope of the site must be taken into account in the planning.
Filling, split-level design, or a basement with living space.
How many children’s bedrooms?
Shelving for 1,000 books?
Space for the model railway?
Do you need storage space because you preserve 300 jars of jam every year?
Then visit show homes and look at every house or apartment to see what you like and what bothers you.
Check the building plan / planning permission. Bungalows or two full stories are not always allowed.
The slope of the site must be taken into account in the planning.
Filling, split-level design, or a basement with living space.
If you have close to 1000 sqm (about 10,764 sq ft) and the land is very flat at the end, you have a lot of freedom in planning. The fundamental decision is whether to build a bungalow or a two-story house? Stairs or a single-level layout? Decide this first.
Next, consider how much space you need. Four rooms, five? Should there be an open-plan area or should the kitchen be separate from the living room? Do I need storage space? Then choose a bungalow roof with a 30-degree pitch and access via stairs.
How should the exterior look? Plastered? Brick-faced? Or a timber facade? All options are possible, but not all cost the same! So, now you have a good overview. Go for it with confidence. Find a reliable builder suitable for the chosen construction type, and maybe one or two more for comparison. Then start planning. The builder will likely be familiar with the soil conditions if they work regionally, but they will want a soil report to accurately estimate excavation costs. In our case, only two builders remained in the running who presented designs; one was chosen, whose design was then fine-tuned and eventually built. What we wanted was already clear before the first meeting: a bungalow, solid construction, no external insulation system (such as ETICS or EIFS), enclosed room layout, four rooms, bathroom without a bathtub, guest toilet, back door, walkable attic with an internal staircase as a basement substitute — all for under 200,000 including delivery and permits. Well, it almost worked out that way. Karsten
Next, consider how much space you need. Four rooms, five? Should there be an open-plan area or should the kitchen be separate from the living room? Do I need storage space? Then choose a bungalow roof with a 30-degree pitch and access via stairs.
How should the exterior look? Plastered? Brick-faced? Or a timber facade? All options are possible, but not all cost the same! So, now you have a good overview. Go for it with confidence. Find a reliable builder suitable for the chosen construction type, and maybe one or two more for comparison. Then start planning. The builder will likely be familiar with the soil conditions if they work regionally, but they will want a soil report to accurately estimate excavation costs. In our case, only two builders remained in the running who presented designs; one was chosen, whose design was then fine-tuned and eventually built. What we wanted was already clear before the first meeting: a bungalow, solid construction, no external insulation system (such as ETICS or EIFS), enclosed room layout, four rooms, bathroom without a bathtub, guest toilet, back door, walkable attic with an internal staircase as a basement substitute — all for under 200,000 including delivery and permits. Well, it almost worked out that way. Karsten
Other Homeowners
Show Homes
Phone Directory
Google Search (I happened to come across ours this way)
I had entered Passive House and the district
There are various parameters.
What is important to you?
@Nordlys is satisfied with their general contractor. I would not have been happy with them, and Nordlys would not have been happy with mine.
Show Homes
Phone Directory
Google Search (I happened to come across ours this way)
I had entered Passive House and the district
There are various parameters.
What is important to you?
@Nordlys is satisfied with their general contractor. I would not have been happy with them, and Nordlys would not have been happy with mine.
zerro80 schrieb:
How do you find "a good contractor suitable for the chosen construction method"? We live in the Greater Koblenz area.I can recommend the company Weton from Limburg; we were very satisfied. I would suggest getting advice there, especially regarding construction costs for a bungalow. I would probably adapt the building style to the neighbors’, because it might look a bit odd if there are only two-story houses around and then a bungalow in between. Usually, the zoning plan / building permit regulations also require uniformity.
Best regards,
Sabine
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