ᐅ Single-Family Home – New Construction Project from Day One – And the Planning Begins

Created on: 7 Feb 2020 22:54
D
DaSch17
Hello dear community,

For the past few weeks, I have been following this forum and have already gathered some valuable tips for our own planning.

I would like to use this thread to keep you updated from the very first day of planning until moving in. I hope to receive some valuable advice from the community and that this thread can also serve as a guide for other first-time homebuilders.

Now, a bit about our building project:

As mentioned, we are still quite early in the process...

It all started, as it probably does for most, with requesting a catalog from a prefabricated house company. In our case, it was FingerHaus around mid-December.

This was followed by a phone call with a sales representative from the mentioned company and arranging a first consultation. This appointment is scheduled for Sunday, 09.02.2020.

Since then, we have been intensively working on budget planning, possible floor plans and building plots, as well as ideal typical living space layouts.

So far, we have not purchased a plot yet. However, we are in contact with a municipality that is currently planning an expansion of a new residential area. Fortunately, this allowed us to help decide the size, location, and shape of our future plot. Our desired plot is reserved for us.

Key details of our planned single-family home:
– Location: Southwestphalia, Siegen-Wittgenstein district
– Living area: 179 sqm (1,925 sq ft)
– Concrete slab foundation
– Gable roof
– 1.5 stories with gable roof
– Single garage with extended length for tools/storage room

Our budget:
– Plot including property transfer tax: 70,000 EUR
– Construction costs: 470,000 EUR
– Additional construction costs including earthworks: 70,000 EUR

Our schedule:
– By May 2021: Selection of the construction company
– By July 2021: Contract signing, building permit / planning permission application
– By July 2023: Completion of construction work
– By October 2023: Completion of owner-performed work (painting and flooring) and move-in

We understand that the start of construction depends on the delivery time of the prefab house company, which can vary between 6 and 24 months.

We have now selected 8 different companies with whom we want to conduct initial meetings:
– FingerHaus
– Hanse Haus
– SchwörerHaus
– Bien-Zenker
– Schäfer Haus (contact via family)
– Büdenbender Haus
– WeberHaus
– a local developer

After these initial talks, we want to proceed with more detailed discussions with 4 of these providers.

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What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?
H
haydee
13 Feb 2020 08:04
A seller explained to us that for the same floor plans, with exactly the same features and quality, the offer price is almost identical.
K1300S13 Feb 2020 13:10
In my experience, this is indeed the case, but it is probably never possible to get two exactly identical quotes (down to the manufacturer of the mortar, supplier of the wood, etc.). And sometimes one just adds a little extra on top.
H
haydee
13 Feb 2020 13:20
It has also been confirmed for us that there is not much difference.
W
Würfel*
15 Feb 2020 08:41
Don’t your children bathe? They would then have to run through your bedroom to get to the bathroom with the bathtub. I would simply move the door from the hallway to the bedroom a bit further up and add another room between the dressing area and the bedroom.

And yes, sleeping habits do change in life—due to work or age.

Overall, I quite like the floor plan, but it definitely still needs some fine-tuning.
11ant15 Feb 2020 14:40
Würfel* schrieb:

Don’t your children bathe?
Saturday in eight days – or major laundry. Thööölke!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
DaSch1715 Feb 2020 23:12
Anmacatili schrieb:

@DaSch17 could you please send me a private message with the builder you mentioned? Thanks

Unfortunately, I’m still too new here to send private messages...

We have been considering FMR Bau from Wilnsdorf... You might want to contact Mr. Rosenberger there...
K1300S schrieb:

Nobody gives anything away for free. Although it often seems that way.

Are there any updates from the original poster? Hopefully, more discussions are still ongoing.

Definitely! An update will come with the next post...
haydee schrieb:

A seller explained to us that for the same floor plans, with exactly the same features and quality, the offer prices are almost identical.

We’ve heard the same from someone on the phone. He said that in the end, price differences between single-family home providers are usually between 10 and a maximum of 20 thousand euros (EUR).
Würfel* schrieb:

Don’t your children bathe? They would have to run through your bedroom to reach the bathroom with the bathtub. I would simply move the door from the corridor to the bedroom a bit further up and add another space between the dressing room and the bedroom.

And yes, sleeping habits do change over a lifetime, due to work or age.

Overall, I like the floor plan quite well, but it certainly needs some fine-tuning.

We are continuously developing the floor plan. This is of course far from the final version. Currently, for example, we are considering a skylight for the master bathroom instead of a strip window.

The children will, of course, bathe in the master bathroom when they are small. As teenagers, they will only get showers. What you don’t know, you can’t miss, right?