ᐅ How do you get started? When should you hire which professionals for which tasks?

Hello,
I have decided to build a single-family house. I have already read a lot about it and could answer many detailed questions, but I can never find information about the first steps. How do I get an approximate idea of the cost of my desired house without immediately paying several thousand for an architect? How do I find a plot of land? How can I tell if my idea for the house will fit on the plot, or how many square meters (square feet) of living space would be suitable for me?

I know what I want:
A basement, underfloor heating, a heat pump with a cooling function (probably with a ground collector), photovoltaic panels and solar thermal system (possibly integrated directly into the roof without tiles underneath?), a smart home system (probably Homematic), a double garage with electric vehicle charging capabilities, and preparations for a home battery.
I also already know the type of rooms I want, the kind of features they should have, and roughly where they should be located in the house.
I assume I will need an architect to realize my wishes. But my questions are: When should I bring the architect on board? When do costs start to occur? And who else do I need? The construction companies will surely need to be coordinated by someone.

Regarding my financial possibilities, I still plan to discuss this with a banker friend, but at the moment, I estimate a budget of about 300,000 euros (approximately $330,000), with about 30% saved as equity so far.

I am currently single but want to plan the house so that it can comfortably accommodate up to four people with minimal renovations.

I suspect that I will need an architect to realize my wishes. But the question for me is when exactly you bring them on board...

With a list of demands like "the full package," meaning a fully equipped home with as much flexibility as possible, as early as possible. If you also tell them your budget for the entire project, then I’m not sure whether they will laugh or cry...

dr2okevin schrieb:

Hello,
I have decided to build a single-family house. I have already read up on many things and could answer some detailed questions, but I never find information about the first steps. How can I estimate the cost of my desired house without immediately paying several thousand to an architect?

If you don’t want to build something extravagant, go to the nearest construction company and ask for a personal consultation. They can give you a rough estimate of the costs. Then calculate the additional building-related expenses, which are listed in this forum, plus a 20,000 to 30,000 reserve.

dr2okevin schrieb:

How do I find a plot of land?

Online listings, neighbors, friends, coworkers, farmers, checking the websites of local municipalities, etc.

dr2okevin schrieb:

How do I know if my idea of a house will fit the plot or how much living space in square meters would be appropriate for me?

Model home parks, houses of acquaintances or family. That’s a good way to get a feel for the size of different living areas in square meters. The local development plan (zoning plan) shows what your house may look like—or must not look like.

dr2okevin schrieb:

I know that I want the following:
A basement, underfloor heating, heat pump with cooling function (probably with a ground collector), photovoltaics and solar thermal (possibly integrated directly into the roof without tiles underneath?), smart home system (probably Homematic), double garage with charging options for the car, and preparations for a home battery.
I already have an idea of the rooms I want, their features, and where approximately in the house they should be located.
I suspect I will need an architect to realize my wishes. But my question is, at what point do you get the architect involved, when do costs start to arise, and who else do I need? The construction companies must surely be coordinated by someone.

You don’t necessarily need an architect for that. Every construction company offers these services as well. It gets interesting if you don’t want an off-the-shelf house—which is by no means a bad thing.

dr2okevin schrieb:

Regarding what is financially possible for me, I will discuss it with a banker friend, but currently I estimate about €300,000 (approximately $330,000) with around 30% saved equity so far.

dr2okevin schrieb:

I have already been reading a lot and could answer some detailed questions.

Can you perform magic? If you could double your €300,000, then you could build your house as you imagine it. Just your basement alone costs between €60,000 and €80,000 (about $70,000 to $90,000). A heat pump usually adds another five-figure amount on top of a standard system. Your double garage alone will cost more than 10% of your estimated budget. So you definitely haven’t read deep enough yet. These are usually the first costs you encounter.

dr2okevin schrieb:

I am currently single but want to plan the house so it can comfortably accommodate up to four people with very little remodeling.

Compared to your other wishes, that should be relatively easy to achieve.

You must be living somewhere now, right? How large is your apartment or house, and how much bigger would it need to be? Only you can decide that yourself.

Four people? That would probably require around 140 to 170 m² (1500 to 1830 sq ft).

Based on your expectations, I would estimate that it starts at around 500,000 € (euros). Not including the land, of course.

Chiloe schrieb:

If you tell him your price expectation for the entire project, I’m not sure if he will laugh or cry...

I’m also not sure whether to laugh or cry. It’s definitely close to trolling territory. Maximum demands, minimal budget.

But how do you explain realistic prices to a complete beginner? If you send them to a model home center, they’ll just fall for the sales pitches.

Maybe it’s enough to just look at a major online real estate portal to see what comparable properties cost in the target region. Or spend some time browsing the finance section of this forum.

A reasonable approach looks like this: How much can I spend? Once that is clear, the next question is what can I get for that amount? This is answered by a combination of land price and house price. Land values can be found online. The house price is determined through discussions with builders.