Hello everyone,
This is my first post, and we are still at the very beginning of our planning process. (That’s why we haven’t gathered much information yet or found many suitable options).
We are considering building a so-called "single house" (solid construction) for our retirement. Unfortunately, we have found very little information so far, mostly about container homes, tiny houses, log cabins, and similar types. We want to build the single house in a rural area and use it as a vacation home over the next few years.
Now to my questions:
Does anyone know if, for rough cost estimates, the price per square meter or cubic meter should be higher than for a similarly equipped house with a "normal" floor area?
Could such a small house possibly be more expensive than a "regular" small single-family house?
Are there solid construction manufacturers (possibly also prefabricated house manufacturers) who build houses this small?
I would be grateful for any advice or tips.
Best regards
This is my first post, and we are still at the very beginning of our planning process. (That’s why we haven’t gathered much information yet or found many suitable options).
We are considering building a so-called "single house" (solid construction) for our retirement. Unfortunately, we have found very little information so far, mostly about container homes, tiny houses, log cabins, and similar types. We want to build the single house in a rural area and use it as a vacation home over the next few years.
Now to my questions:
Does anyone know if, for rough cost estimates, the price per square meter or cubic meter should be higher than for a similarly equipped house with a "normal" floor area?
Could such a small house possibly be more expensive than a "regular" small single-family house?
Are there solid construction manufacturers (possibly also prefabricated house manufacturers) who build houses this small?
I would be grateful for any advice or tips.
Best regards
Now to my questions:
Does anyone know if, for rough cost planning, you need to estimate more euros per m² (square meter) or per m³ (cubic meter) than for a similarly equipped house with a "normal" floor area?Yes, you do!
But don’t ask me for specific numbers.
Many costs that are independent of the house size are spread over fewer m², which means the price per m² increases...
Thank you for your response. I had suspected as much.
Which costs are independent of the size of the house, for example? (At the moment, the only things that come to mind are sanitary fixtures).
Are there prefab house manufacturers that would build something like this? Or can it only be designed and built with an architect?
Many questions. At the moment, I’m not even sure where to start.
Which costs are independent of the size of the house, for example? (At the moment, the only things that come to mind are sanitary fixtures).
Are there prefab house manufacturers that would build something like this? Or can it only be designed and built with an architect?
Many questions. At the moment, I’m not even sure where to start.
This already starts with the transportation of building materials, machinery, and personnel to the construction site.
The excavator is needed whether you are building 40m² (430 square feet) or 400m² (4,300 square feet).
In proportion, for example, you also have more square meters of exterior surface compared to interior space.
You only need one front door, connection fees, electrical distribution box, and so on.
The heating system must be smaller, but the cost will not decrease proportionally to the square meter area.
The excavator is needed whether you are building 40m² (430 square feet) or 400m² (4,300 square feet).
In proportion, for example, you also have more square meters of exterior surface compared to interior space.
You only need one front door, connection fees, electrical distribution box, and so on.
The heating system must be smaller, but the cost will not decrease proportionally to the square meter area.
B
Bauexperte12 Dec 2012 11:17Hello,
40 sqm (430 sq ft) is not much, and if I estimate the costs in relation to the result, I conclude that a single-story house of 80-90 sqm (860-970 sq ft) is the better option, or it might be better to invest the money in assisted living.
With every house, you have a fixed cost share for the technical installations; excavators and similar equipment hardly make a difference in this calculation. The house size you prefer would require approximately EUR 100,000 plus additional construction costs and land as an investment. By the way, you should consider at least 50 sqm (540 sq ft) of floor space because the utility connections need to be somewhere, and living in a room together in old age can get on your nerves ... I don’t know, I couldn’t do it — the best husband ever and I even have to be able to avoid each other sometimes.
On the other hand, 80 sqm (860 sq ft) of pure living space costs about EUR 145,000 plus additional construction costs and land — assuming simple architecture. As you can see, the “jump” to a reasonable size is not comparable to 40 sqm, since the technical installations have already been considered in the 40 sqm, and the increase to 80 sqm primarily involves more wall and roof area.
Any reputable provider offering standard models can provide such a “single house”; architects can, of course, as well.
Perhaps you should clarify what you and your wife want to achieve with this new build for your retirement before you make a final decision? You mention wanting to build in the countryside — understandable — but what about medical care in the worst case? There are now good nationwide offers for age-appropriate residential complexes, which — as the term might suggest at first glance — are not isolated retirement islands but rather a community of young and old, with access to social facilities if needed; the level of care increases with the requirements. Finally, implementing your ideas could be quite costly, especially if the result is only used temporarily.
Kind regards
Alfi schrieb:
What costs are independent of the size of the house, for example? (At the moment, the only thing I can think of is sanitary fixtures).
Are there prefabricated house manufacturers who would build something like this? Or can this only be planned and built with an architect?
40 sqm (430 sq ft) is not much, and if I estimate the costs in relation to the result, I conclude that a single-story house of 80-90 sqm (860-970 sq ft) is the better option, or it might be better to invest the money in assisted living.
With every house, you have a fixed cost share for the technical installations; excavators and similar equipment hardly make a difference in this calculation. The house size you prefer would require approximately EUR 100,000 plus additional construction costs and land as an investment. By the way, you should consider at least 50 sqm (540 sq ft) of floor space because the utility connections need to be somewhere, and living in a room together in old age can get on your nerves ... I don’t know, I couldn’t do it — the best husband ever and I even have to be able to avoid each other sometimes.
On the other hand, 80 sqm (860 sq ft) of pure living space costs about EUR 145,000 plus additional construction costs and land — assuming simple architecture. As you can see, the “jump” to a reasonable size is not comparable to 40 sqm, since the technical installations have already been considered in the 40 sqm, and the increase to 80 sqm primarily involves more wall and roof area.
Any reputable provider offering standard models can provide such a “single house”; architects can, of course, as well.
Perhaps you should clarify what you and your wife want to achieve with this new build for your retirement before you make a final decision? You mention wanting to build in the countryside — understandable — but what about medical care in the worst case? There are now good nationwide offers for age-appropriate residential complexes, which — as the term might suggest at first glance — are not isolated retirement islands but rather a community of young and old, with access to social facilities if needed; the level of care increases with the requirements. Finally, implementing your ideas could be quite costly, especially if the result is only used temporarily.
Kind regards
Hello, thank you very much for your participation and valuable suggestions!
I kept my initial message brief because I wasn’t sure whether longer texts would be read.
Our situation is as follows:
We already own a plot of land. It is a garden plot with a small garden shed. For several years now, building houses on these plots has been allowed. The restriction is a footprint of 40m² (430 square feet) and a pitched roof.
At the moment, we are considering how we want to continue using the garden. We definitely want to build a house, but we are not yet sure what type and quality.
Mobile homes and/or shipping containers have already been ruled out.
There are also various log and wooden houses with this small footprint (+ habitable attic). One model that we like costs around 50,000 euros (catalog price), and that’s without special winter insulation. Additional costs would apply here as well. These wooden houses also need to be repainted from the outside approximately every 5 years – and they are certainly not as durable as a solidly built house. (Or a prefab house?)
This has led us to consider whether it would be worth paying more for a house that can be used comfortably in winter and can be utilized by our children (and grandchildren) as well.
We will definitely continue living in a smaller apartment in the city. (Hopefully assisted living is still a long way off.)
At the moment, we are trying to estimate the cost difference between a log house and a (solidly) built house, and whether the additional financial effort is worthwhile for us. (100,000 euros is a significant figure here.) What minimum amount of additional construction costs / fees should we expect?
Now I will spend some time "studying" the forum...
I kept my initial message brief because I wasn’t sure whether longer texts would be read.
Our situation is as follows:
We already own a plot of land. It is a garden plot with a small garden shed. For several years now, building houses on these plots has been allowed. The restriction is a footprint of 40m² (430 square feet) and a pitched roof.
At the moment, we are considering how we want to continue using the garden. We definitely want to build a house, but we are not yet sure what type and quality.
Mobile homes and/or shipping containers have already been ruled out.
There are also various log and wooden houses with this small footprint (+ habitable attic). One model that we like costs around 50,000 euros (catalog price), and that’s without special winter insulation. Additional costs would apply here as well. These wooden houses also need to be repainted from the outside approximately every 5 years – and they are certainly not as durable as a solidly built house. (Or a prefab house?)
This has led us to consider whether it would be worth paying more for a house that can be used comfortably in winter and can be utilized by our children (and grandchildren) as well.
We will definitely continue living in a smaller apartment in the city. (Hopefully assisted living is still a long way off.)
At the moment, we are trying to estimate the cost difference between a log house and a (solidly) built house, and whether the additional financial effort is worthwhile for us. (100,000 euros is a significant figure here.) What minimum amount of additional construction costs / fees should we expect?
Now I will spend some time "studying" the forum...
Similar topics