ᐅ New single-family house construction without a garage, self-performed work
Created on: 7 May 2019 14:05
S
StefMeister
Hello everyone,
I’m transitioning from a silent reader to an active participant. In the near future, probably within the next 2-3 months, my fiancée and I plan to start building a single-family home. Here are some background details about what we plan to build and some information about our finances.
About me and my fiancée:
Me:
Age: 24
Profession: Trained road construction foreman with a master craftsman certificate, currently working as a project manager in construction projects for electrical substations, building construction, and building refurbishment.
Her:
Age: 21
Profession: Tax clerk, currently studying to become a business lawyer, with plans to qualify as a tax advisor and later continue as a certified public accountant.
Finances:
Equity capital: Currently about €40,000 divided into €20,000 in mutual funds, €5,000 in ETFs, and €15,000 in bank savings
Net income: €4,700 per month
Savings per month: €2,800
Our net income is expected to increase to about €5,300 per month within the next 2-3 months due to promotions in both of our jobs. Financially, we are well-positioned since neither of us has reached the peak of our careers yet. There are no limits upwards, especially for her, as she is expected to make a significant leap once she completes her studies, likely within two years.
Building costs / financing:
Plot of land: €70,000, fully serviced (711m² (7640 sq ft), flat with a slope toward the road, see picture)
Construction costs (more details below): €300,000
Additional building-related costs: Will be paid entirely from equity
Connection costs: Approximately €8,000 (probably significantly less)
Loan amount: €400,000
Monthly payment supported by both of us: about €1,400 (based on a 25-year term as of four weeks ago, with additional repayments of 5-8% depending on the lender; I don’t remember the exact interest rate right now)
Background:
Our decision to build a house came very quickly for both of us. It might be hard to understand for many, but somehow this idea was always lingering subconsciously for both of us. I simply asked whether we should move in together since we already spend almost all day together apart from work, get along well, and never get bored or annoyed by each other. We are both very neat and tidy to the point that we sometimes keep everything too clean.
We compared the costs of renting an apartment and decided that building a house is a much better option for us. This fits our idea of home ownership much better than buying a condominium, which in our region either is poorly maintained or has way overpriced offers. This decision was not sudden and was communicated and agreed on with our families.
The house:
Once we had finally agreed to build our own house, I started ordering various catalogs and used a design program to incorporate all our ideas, which I then shared with my fiancée. We both fell in love with the design. Currently, only the staircase and the living room are being slightly reworked by the architect because our original plan was a bit too open, with a freestanding staircase and excessively large windows. After reviewing a similar house, we realized there was too much openness or visibility, which we wanted to reduce.
Our wish list includes a large, spacious kitchen with plenty of storage, an island, and a side-by-side refrigerator, since we both really enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time there. We wanted a large living room with a dining area but also a cozy retreat within the living room for relaxing, chatting, and reading – a kind of fireplace room.
We insisted on having a master bathroom on the upper floor prepared for a sauna, and our future children should each have their own bathrooms. This idea comes from our current living experience. We also want a guest bathroom with a shower on the ground floor because some relatives travel over 200 km (125 miles) to visit, and for convenience, having a toilet on the ground level is important.
Large windows facing the garden in the living room and the master bedroom on the upper floor are important as the sun shines into the garden from noon, giving beautiful natural light in both summer and winter.
Additionally, we need a home office big enough for both of us since we both work from home, and my employer actively supports telecommuting.
This was the basic concept, and once we agreed on that and our desired features, we started searching for land. We never expected to find something after two months, but by a stroke of luck, a plot became available right next to her parents’ house – perfectly suited for our home. Her father found out that the owners wanted to sell it, so we didn’t hesitate. Since I’m already well integrated into the village, moving my home base 5 km (3 miles) away was no issue.
Also, I’m a skilled craftsman and construction enthusiast. I did exactly what I love, and I really enjoy building and managing the challenges that come with it.
Now, the key details of the house:
- Approximately 180 m² (1937 sq ft) of living space
- 2 full stories
- No basement, but insulated floor slab (similar to Jakodur)
- No binding development plan
- Heating via district heating
- Underfloor heating in almost all rooms (both of us have dust allergies)
- Modern, minimalist urban villa style with simple black/gray tones without excessive decoration
- Facade with facing brick
- 3 bathrooms (one for the children, one for the parents, one guest bathroom with shower)
- Utility room for washing machine, storage, and building services with a tall corner window
- No garage
- Space and rooms prepared for two children
Still undecided:
- Whether to install a photovoltaic system for electricity generation on the roof
- Lighting with recessed spotlights in the roof overhang
As for the construction phase, the house will be built almost entirely by ourselves. The only contracted services will be the architectural work (the architect is a family friend and charges significantly less than usual) and probably the roof structure.
Why is this possible to build mainly by ourselves (which explains the cost of under €2,000 per m²)?
For earthworks, shell construction, interior finishing, heating and plumbing, and electrical work, we have master craftsmen in the family who have already promised to help and have been asked to contribute their labor. I will be building the shell with two masons, and about 20 friends have already agreed to help with the interior finishing. Additionally, we owe them a favor.
Moreover, we can save on materials since my father and brother work for a building material wholesaler.
The utilities connections will already be laid up to the property boundary during the current expansion, and because of my professional contacts to relevant authorities, this will be cheaper for us, although I am not allowed to carry out this work myself despite my qualifications.
For those who have read this far, I would appreciate both positive and negative feedback on the design (the most recent version will be shared after tomorrow’s architect meeting) and on our overall plans. I look forward to your responses, suggestions, and critiques.
I’m transitioning from a silent reader to an active participant. In the near future, probably within the next 2-3 months, my fiancée and I plan to start building a single-family home. Here are some background details about what we plan to build and some information about our finances.
About me and my fiancée:
Me:
Age: 24
Profession: Trained road construction foreman with a master craftsman certificate, currently working as a project manager in construction projects for electrical substations, building construction, and building refurbishment.
Her:
Age: 21
Profession: Tax clerk, currently studying to become a business lawyer, with plans to qualify as a tax advisor and later continue as a certified public accountant.
Finances:
Equity capital: Currently about €40,000 divided into €20,000 in mutual funds, €5,000 in ETFs, and €15,000 in bank savings
Net income: €4,700 per month
Savings per month: €2,800
Our net income is expected to increase to about €5,300 per month within the next 2-3 months due to promotions in both of our jobs. Financially, we are well-positioned since neither of us has reached the peak of our careers yet. There are no limits upwards, especially for her, as she is expected to make a significant leap once she completes her studies, likely within two years.
Building costs / financing:
Plot of land: €70,000, fully serviced (711m² (7640 sq ft), flat with a slope toward the road, see picture)
Construction costs (more details below): €300,000
Additional building-related costs: Will be paid entirely from equity
Connection costs: Approximately €8,000 (probably significantly less)
Loan amount: €400,000
Monthly payment supported by both of us: about €1,400 (based on a 25-year term as of four weeks ago, with additional repayments of 5-8% depending on the lender; I don’t remember the exact interest rate right now)
Background:
Our decision to build a house came very quickly for both of us. It might be hard to understand for many, but somehow this idea was always lingering subconsciously for both of us. I simply asked whether we should move in together since we already spend almost all day together apart from work, get along well, and never get bored or annoyed by each other. We are both very neat and tidy to the point that we sometimes keep everything too clean.
We compared the costs of renting an apartment and decided that building a house is a much better option for us. This fits our idea of home ownership much better than buying a condominium, which in our region either is poorly maintained or has way overpriced offers. This decision was not sudden and was communicated and agreed on with our families.
The house:
Once we had finally agreed to build our own house, I started ordering various catalogs and used a design program to incorporate all our ideas, which I then shared with my fiancée. We both fell in love with the design. Currently, only the staircase and the living room are being slightly reworked by the architect because our original plan was a bit too open, with a freestanding staircase and excessively large windows. After reviewing a similar house, we realized there was too much openness or visibility, which we wanted to reduce.
Our wish list includes a large, spacious kitchen with plenty of storage, an island, and a side-by-side refrigerator, since we both really enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time there. We wanted a large living room with a dining area but also a cozy retreat within the living room for relaxing, chatting, and reading – a kind of fireplace room.
We insisted on having a master bathroom on the upper floor prepared for a sauna, and our future children should each have their own bathrooms. This idea comes from our current living experience. We also want a guest bathroom with a shower on the ground floor because some relatives travel over 200 km (125 miles) to visit, and for convenience, having a toilet on the ground level is important.
Large windows facing the garden in the living room and the master bedroom on the upper floor are important as the sun shines into the garden from noon, giving beautiful natural light in both summer and winter.
Additionally, we need a home office big enough for both of us since we both work from home, and my employer actively supports telecommuting.
This was the basic concept, and once we agreed on that and our desired features, we started searching for land. We never expected to find something after two months, but by a stroke of luck, a plot became available right next to her parents’ house – perfectly suited for our home. Her father found out that the owners wanted to sell it, so we didn’t hesitate. Since I’m already well integrated into the village, moving my home base 5 km (3 miles) away was no issue.
Also, I’m a skilled craftsman and construction enthusiast. I did exactly what I love, and I really enjoy building and managing the challenges that come with it.
Now, the key details of the house:
- Approximately 180 m² (1937 sq ft) of living space
- 2 full stories
- No basement, but insulated floor slab (similar to Jakodur)
- No binding development plan
- Heating via district heating
- Underfloor heating in almost all rooms (both of us have dust allergies)
- Modern, minimalist urban villa style with simple black/gray tones without excessive decoration
- Facade with facing brick
- 3 bathrooms (one for the children, one for the parents, one guest bathroom with shower)
- Utility room for washing machine, storage, and building services with a tall corner window
- No garage
- Space and rooms prepared for two children
Still undecided:
- Whether to install a photovoltaic system for electricity generation on the roof
- Lighting with recessed spotlights in the roof overhang
As for the construction phase, the house will be built almost entirely by ourselves. The only contracted services will be the architectural work (the architect is a family friend and charges significantly less than usual) and probably the roof structure.
Why is this possible to build mainly by ourselves (which explains the cost of under €2,000 per m²)?
For earthworks, shell construction, interior finishing, heating and plumbing, and electrical work, we have master craftsmen in the family who have already promised to help and have been asked to contribute their labor. I will be building the shell with two masons, and about 20 friends have already agreed to help with the interior finishing. Additionally, we owe them a favor.
Moreover, we can save on materials since my father and brother work for a building material wholesaler.
The utilities connections will already be laid up to the property boundary during the current expansion, and because of my professional contacts to relevant authorities, this will be cheaper for us, although I am not allowed to carry out this work myself despite my qualifications.
For those who have read this far, I would appreciate both positive and negative feedback on the design (the most recent version will be shared after tomorrow’s architect meeting) and on our overall plans. I look forward to your responses, suggestions, and critiques.
S
StefMeister7 May 2019 14:48@haydee Oops, I was looking for that but couldn’t find it. I’ve filled it out and attached it here.
The staircase will still be redesigned and moved—I’m curious to see what my architect comes up with. You can’t really tell from the photos, I’ll try to get better screenshots later. Upstairs, in the master bedroom, we can fit two 3-meter (10 feet) wide wardrobes, which is more than enough for our needs. Unfortunately, furniture arrangement is the only thing I’m not very good at in the CAD drawings. However, I printed the design to scale and, like you mentioned, there’s limited space for a dining table, but that will be taken into account in the new design. Laundry will go into baskets, and I prefer to keep cleaning supplies centralized in one place to avoid losing track and accidentally buying duplicates.
@Lumpi_LE Structurally, there is no problem at all. The architect (who is also the engineer and structural engineer) has already checked it, but changes will be made because the stairwell and staircase are too open for our liking. We are adding a wall there and shifting the stairs slightly toward the hallway. Unfortunately, I’ll only get the revised design tomorrow evening, and it will be easier to see then. I know it’s a large house with essentially the same use as a smaller one, but ultimately we want it this big. We observed how our parents use their houses and asked what they would do differently, which is why we chose this size. I can get district heating as the house connection for under 100€ and a case of beer. Currently, the site is occupied by the construction office of the company that is installing the district heating network, and that was the condition for them to get approval for the area, so I’m quite relaxed about it.
@face26 Glad to hear that—I’m very open-minded. In my opinion, you can’t really judge people without knowing them at least a little. Unfortunately, I’m quite a romantic in that regard. Learning about construction and the direction it takes professionally has been a dream come true. I mean, who didn’t enjoy sitting in a sandbox as a child, building castles or digging holes? I just never grew out of it and enjoy the fresh air and the work immensely—I’m extremely happy with it.
Time is a factor. I personally don’t have any issues—I still have about 30 vacation days saved for the build and almost 200 hours of overtime waiting to be used. Among my relatives, one is almost more invested in their own build than I am in mine and can’t wait to get started. The rest have promised that with enough notice, they can find time within two weeks. We’re used to being faster though; last year we fully renovated my brother-in-law’s house in EL and usually had too many people helping, so we finished almost two months earlier than planned because everyone contributed and no one canceled, which was amazing. Sometimes it’s worth living in a village and knowing enough people from hobbies who have some connection to skilled trades.
Sorry.
The staircase will still be redesigned and moved—I’m curious to see what my architect comes up with. You can’t really tell from the photos, I’ll try to get better screenshots later. Upstairs, in the master bedroom, we can fit two 3-meter (10 feet) wide wardrobes, which is more than enough for our needs. Unfortunately, furniture arrangement is the only thing I’m not very good at in the CAD drawings. However, I printed the design to scale and, like you mentioned, there’s limited space for a dining table, but that will be taken into account in the new design. Laundry will go into baskets, and I prefer to keep cleaning supplies centralized in one place to avoid losing track and accidentally buying duplicates.
@Lumpi_LE Structurally, there is no problem at all. The architect (who is also the engineer and structural engineer) has already checked it, but changes will be made because the stairwell and staircase are too open for our liking. We are adding a wall there and shifting the stairs slightly toward the hallway. Unfortunately, I’ll only get the revised design tomorrow evening, and it will be easier to see then. I know it’s a large house with essentially the same use as a smaller one, but ultimately we want it this big. We observed how our parents use their houses and asked what they would do differently, which is why we chose this size. I can get district heating as the house connection for under 100€ and a case of beer. Currently, the site is occupied by the construction office of the company that is installing the district heating network, and that was the condition for them to get approval for the area, so I’m quite relaxed about it.
@face26 Glad to hear that—I’m very open-minded. In my opinion, you can’t really judge people without knowing them at least a little. Unfortunately, I’m quite a romantic in that regard. Learning about construction and the direction it takes professionally has been a dream come true. I mean, who didn’t enjoy sitting in a sandbox as a child, building castles or digging holes? I just never grew out of it and enjoy the fresh air and the work immensely—I’m extremely happy with it.
Time is a factor. I personally don’t have any issues—I still have about 30 vacation days saved for the build and almost 200 hours of overtime waiting to be used. Among my relatives, one is almost more invested in their own build than I am in mine and can’t wait to get started. The rest have promised that with enough notice, they can find time within two weeks. We’re used to being faster though; last year we fully renovated my brother-in-law’s house in EL and usually had too many people helping, so we finished almost two months earlier than planned because everyone contributed and no one canceled, which was amazing. Sometimes it’s worth living in a village and knowing enough people from hobbies who have some connection to skilled trades.
Sorry.
S
StefMeister7 May 2019 15:08Development Plan/Restrictions
Plot size: 711m² (7647 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: No development plan available
Floor area ratio: No development plan available
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Not defined due to missing development plan
An appointment with the local building authority was made before purchasing the plot to ensure there are no restrictions against the house. The official’s written statement was as follows: the building line or direction is defined by the neighboring houses’ front lines, approximately 5m (16 ft) from the property boundary, with a maximum of two full stories. The roof style is flexible, but should match the neighbors’ roof tiles, which range from black to red—covering essentially everything we want.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Urban villa, hipped roof or whatever the architect suggests, we are flexible.
Basement, stories
No basement, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age
2 persons, 21 and 24 years old
Space requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
GF: kitchen, open living room, fireplace room, office, bathroom, utility room
UF: 2 children’s rooms with bathrooms, master bedroom with bathroom
Office: family use and home office (with sofa bed)
Approximate guests per year: 15
Open-plan layout
Modern construction style
Open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace
House Design
Designed by:
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you especially like?
This question is probably answered by the above: the design originates from both our ideas and reflects what we want for our retirement years.
What do you dislike? Why?
Currently the staircase and the windows, which are too large, but both will be removed in the next design iteration.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
400,000€
Personal budget limit for the house, including fixtures:
500,000€
Preferred heating system:
District heating
If you had to give up, which details/fixtures
- You can give up:
Size and window areas
- You cannot give up:
Kitchen and living room size, underfloor heating
Why is the design as it is? For example:
It’s a mix of many examples from various magazines and personal experiences in the current situation, aligned with our feelings. We both like the design very much, or at least with only minor compromises, since it meets all our wishes.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Do you have improvement suggestions or ideas we haven’t thought of?
Plot size: 711m² (7647 sq ft)
Slope: No
Site coverage ratio: No development plan available
Floor area ratio: No development plan available
Building envelope, building line and boundary: Not defined due to missing development plan
An appointment with the local building authority was made before purchasing the plot to ensure there are no restrictions against the house. The official’s written statement was as follows: the building line or direction is defined by the neighboring houses’ front lines, approximately 5m (16 ft) from the property boundary, with a maximum of two full stories. The roof style is flexible, but should match the neighbors’ roof tiles, which range from black to red—covering essentially everything we want.
Client Requirements
Style, roof type, building type
Urban villa, hipped roof or whatever the architect suggests, we are flexible.
Basement, stories
No basement, 2 full stories
Number of occupants, age
2 persons, 21 and 24 years old
Space requirements on ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF)
GF: kitchen, open living room, fireplace room, office, bathroom, utility room
UF: 2 children’s rooms with bathrooms, master bedroom with bathroom
Office: family use and home office (with sofa bed)
Approximate guests per year: 15
Open-plan layout
Modern construction style
Open kitchen with island
Number of dining seats: 4
Fireplace
House Design
Designed by:
- Architect
- Do-it-yourself
What do you especially like?
This question is probably answered by the above: the design originates from both our ideas and reflects what we want for our retirement years.
What do you dislike? Why?
Currently the staircase and the windows, which are too large, but both will be removed in the next design iteration.
Price estimate according to architect/planner:
400,000€
Personal budget limit for the house, including fixtures:
500,000€
Preferred heating system:
District heating
If you had to give up, which details/fixtures
- You can give up:
Size and window areas
- You cannot give up:
Kitchen and living room size, underfloor heating
Why is the design as it is? For example:
It’s a mix of many examples from various magazines and personal experiences in the current situation, aligned with our feelings. We both like the design very much, or at least with only minor compromises, since it meets all our wishes.
What is the most important/fundamental question about the floor plan, summarized in 130 characters?
Do you have improvement suggestions or ideas we haven’t thought of?
S
StefMeister7 May 2019 15:17@hampshire You’re right about the staircase, but I think that issue is resolved now. It will be smaller and relocated to create more space in the living room.
The master bedroom was designed this large because we want to have a private retreat in the future, away from the children. That’s also why we have separate bathrooms. The sauna is reserved for us for now; we want to see if the kids will still be interested in it later. Since the nearest decent sauna is almost 50km (31 miles) away, we’d like to have our own.
The ceiling height has been considered in the construction costs, but it doesn’t make a big difference in the overall budget.
Timing and stress levels are manageable, and we’ve already discussed how everything will proceed. Since both the fittings and the practical aspects of the interior design—including flooring and fixture choices—have already been planned, there are hardly any points of disagreement. This means I have free rein during construction, and she doesn’t interfere with technical decisions but keeps an eye on costs and catering.
The master bedroom was designed this large because we want to have a private retreat in the future, away from the children. That’s also why we have separate bathrooms. The sauna is reserved for us for now; we want to see if the kids will still be interested in it later. Since the nearest decent sauna is almost 50km (31 miles) away, we’d like to have our own.
The ceiling height has been considered in the construction costs, but it doesn’t make a big difference in the overall budget.
Timing and stress levels are manageable, and we’ve already discussed how everything will proceed. Since both the fittings and the practical aspects of the interior design—including flooring and fixture choices—have already been planned, there are hardly any points of disagreement. This means I have free rein during construction, and she doesn’t interfere with technical decisions but keeps an eye on costs and catering.
H
hampshire7 May 2019 18:57@StefMeister This all sounds very promising.
A case for the family sauna: I grew up in a household with a sauna. For a long time, a typical Saturday looked like this: school (that’s how it used to be), spaghetti for lunch (parents, 4 children, and their friends), sports or helping out in the garden, sauna (without friends), watching the sports highlights, and then going out with friends again in the evening. I remember this very positively. I believe the relaxed atmosphere of the sauna helped many occasions where I might have clashed with my parents to be resolved smoothly.
Nowadays, my father is in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s, I’m 50, and we often go to the sauna together at his house on Saturdays. That is a piece of quality time that has remained.
A case for the family sauna: I grew up in a household with a sauna. For a long time, a typical Saturday looked like this: school (that’s how it used to be), spaghetti for lunch (parents, 4 children, and their friends), sports or helping out in the garden, sauna (without friends), watching the sports highlights, and then going out with friends again in the evening. I remember this very positively. I believe the relaxed atmosphere of the sauna helped many occasions where I might have clashed with my parents to be resolved smoothly.
Nowadays, my father is in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s, I’m 50, and we often go to the sauna together at his house on Saturdays. That is a piece of quality time that has remained.
Hello,
From the floor plan, I see you are still at a very early stage. Moving the staircase, in my opinion, requires starting over. It will take some time to achieve a successful design. For example, the fireplace room seems more like a small storage room to me.
With sufficient carpentry skills, building a house yourself is definitely feasible.
To keep glazing costs reasonable, it is also possible to use large fixed-glass windows.
We will use Jackodur floor slab insulation formwork again for our next house.
Olli
From the floor plan, I see you are still at a very early stage. Moving the staircase, in my opinion, requires starting over. It will take some time to achieve a successful design. For example, the fireplace room seems more like a small storage room to me.
With sufficient carpentry skills, building a house yourself is definitely feasible.
To keep glazing costs reasonable, it is also possible to use large fixed-glass windows.
We will use Jackodur floor slab insulation formwork again for our next house.
Olli
H
hampshire7 May 2019 19:02wrobel schrieb:
To keep glazing costs reasonable, it is also perfectly possible to use large fixed-pane windows.Solarlux folding glass walls are beautifully suited for such a glass façade! There should still be some budget left for a touch of enjoyable extravagance...Similar topics