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.
–––––––––––––––––––
What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?
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.
–––––––––––––––––––
What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?
KingJulien17 Feb 2020 17:0611ant schrieb:
namely, because in my opinion a somewhat broader range is necessary when it comes to experiences (pl).You’re right. However, every plural starts with the first singular. But one should always keep in mind that mostly negative reports end up on the internet and these can sometimes be isolated cases.11ant schrieb:
In addition, Kern’s headquarters is geographically close to me, and I haven’t heard anything negative about them “from the butcher’s” here.So at least you have contributed another experience, namely that you have none negative, even though you live nearby. Which again can mean everything or nothing.In my opinion, the best approach is to personally know at least one homeowner who has already built with the preferred company. Preferably someone you knew beforehand, not just a reference provided by the company.
P
Pinkiponk17 Feb 2020 17:58KingJulien schrieb:
However, every plural starts with the first singular. But it’s important to remember that mostly negative reviews appear on the internet and these can sometimes be isolated cases.It should also be taken into account that whether negative reports can be found depends on the quality and size of the respective companies’ legal departments. Some companies employ "cleaners."
hausnrplus2518 Feb 2020 12:59KingJulien schrieb:
In my opinion, the best approach is to personally know at least one homeowner who has already built with the preferred company. Ideally, you should have known them beforehand, not just as a reference provided by the company. I completely agree! Unfortunately, that’s not possible for us because all the people we know built with timber frame construction, or the company that was highly recommended to us no longer builds in our area -.-
hausnrplus25 schrieb:
Totally agree with you! Unfortunately, it’s not possible for us because all the builders we know have used solid construction, or the company that was highly recommended to us no longer builds in our area -.-So, were they satisfied? Why not check with the solid builders then? Or are they all gone as well?
A
Anmacatili21 Feb 2020 13:34DaSch17 schrieb:
Here is a brief update as promised:
[...]
3.) The phone call to schedule an appointment with the sales representative from Büdenbender-Haus was very positive. We have a really good feeling and are looking forward to the meeting. Perhaps it also helped that we happen to know the sales representative privately through some connections. Our initial on-site meeting is planned for early April.
4.) We have also arranged meetings with the other prefabricated house companies. The first contacts were all pleasant. Schwörerhaus and Bien-Zenker are scheduled for mid-May. We will meet with Hanse Haus at the end of May.
[...] Hi,
thank you for your reply to my question the other day.
I can tell you about Büdenbender that we already had our first meeting with the sales representative and are very positive about it. It was a very long conversation including an on-site inspection of the plot and then a discussion lasting over 3 hours.
A lot felt right, and we immediately got along very well. There was absolutely no pressure, and we are now looking forward to a preliminary planning drawing and a follow-up meeting. Everything seemed extremely transparent, and the staff member went through a kind of questionnaire booklet with us, recording our interests and ideas. Very thorough but also very insightful for us.
We also have a meeting scheduled soon with FMR, and we will also visit Fingerhaus. For now, we plan to focus on these three companies and then decide next steps. Fingerhaus has been excluded from our shortlist. I can let you know how it went. It’s unfortunate that private messages can’t be sent at this time.
Best regards