ᐅ What do you consider standard in a solid construction house?

Hello everyone,

Since we are currently choosing the right construction company for a solid (masonry) house, I have been eagerly reading through this forum.

What I have often read here is that you should expect around 2000€ per square meter (10.8 sq ft) for a standard build.

Now, of course, the question arises for me: what exactly does “standard” mean?

I would appreciate it if you could describe what you consider “standard” for:

- Shell construction (masonry)
- Electrical installation
- Windows and doors
- Flooring and tiles
- Heating system
- Sanitary installations (bathroom)
- Roof
- Other

I’m really looking forward to your answers 🙂

For me, the standard regarding the house and its design is something like the Flair 110.

As for the features according to your list:

• Shell construction: -
• Electrical system: Traditional wiring plus Ethernet at key locations. No smart home systems like KNX.
• Windows and doors: Double-glazed, no large-area windows or sliding doors. Depends on the KfW standard and insulation.
• Floors and tiles: Parquet in the living room, otherwise laminate.
• Heating: Underfloor heating is an absolute standard in new builds. I am not an expert on heating types, but according to the Energy Saving Ordinance for new builds, renewable energy sources must be included. The current standard might be an air-to-water heat pump.
• Sanitary - Bathrooms: Wall-mounted toilets, at least two of them. Separate shower and bathtub. Standard bathrooms are usually as small as possible, focusing on absolute functionality and minimizing cost.
• Roof: Gable roof, no dormers.
• Other: No basement, carport or at most a single garage. No photovoltaic system.

My individual standard as described above may already result in additional costs with various providers, for example for network cabling.

It is better to clearly define what you want instead of asking for a subjective standard.

Four straight walls, bay windows, etc.
Gable roof
Energy Saving Regulation (EnEV)
Triple-glazed plastic windows
Window rebate ventilation
Approximately 80 electrical outlets
Manual roller shutters
Gas heating + solar system
Underfloor heating
Tiles max. 30cm x 30cm (12 inches x 12 inches)
Laminate flooring
1 guest toilet with sink
1 bathroom with bathtub, low-profile shower, 2 sinks, 1 toilet
Wooden staircase with wooden railing
White walls
Standard interior doors
Plastic front door with cylinder lock, no code, Wi-Fi

What you get for 2,000 Euros depends less on the wall construction and more on your region.
In Munich, you won’t get more than what is listed above.
Elsewhere, the above would cost around 1,700 Euros.
It also depends on the general contractor. The more his scope of work and standards match yours, the more affordable it becomes.

Encouragement is a big plus.
Sampling hardly reduces costs.

It doesn’t matter what we call standard, but what do you want?

Tassimat schrieb:

• Floors and tiles: Parquet flooring in the living room, otherwise laminate
• Heating: Underfloor heating is absolutely standard in new builds. I’m not really an expert on the heating system itself, but according to the energy saving regulations, renewable energy sources must also be included in new builds. The current standard is perhaps an air-to-water heat pump?

1. Parquet flooring in the living room is rather a high-end feature. During several house viewings before moving in, parquet was quite rare; the standard was more often tiles or laminate/vinyl.

2. At least in this area, gas boilers with controlled mechanical ventilation or solar systems are more common.

Otherwise, it seems about right.

neutronbx schrieb:
What I have often read here is that you should expect around 2000€ per square meter in standard construction.

No, you are mixing things up:
The average house costs 2000€/sqm (square meter), turnkey, built by a general contractor.

Standard is lower. The best example is the standard electrical installation, which is definable and can be found online. However, the average homeowner does not get by with that. For example, the standard electrical setup does not include LAN and does not cover a satellite dish or anything similar.

Regarding floor coverings: these are usually added separately by the homeowner.

Edit: Standard is _not_ the cheapest way to build, nor is it the simplest finish!

The general contractor we are currently talking to has prepared a rough preliminary calculation based on the living area, not the total floor area (2,000 per square meter (0.09 square feet) including additional construction costs). Marketing approaches from prefabricated house manufacturers are usually different, but I suspect that major solid construction providers operate similarly to most prefabricated builders in this regard.

Wall construction or the addition of a second full floor are details that we can adjust later for an additional charge.
We will receive a base offer that can then be built upon.