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?
Einradbrot schrieb:
Our house. Similar to the Town & Country Bungalow 131, which can be found on YouTube, but significantly expanded to 16.2 x 10.4 m (53 x 34 feet) with 168 m² (1,808 sq ft) per floor and 336 m² (3,616 sq ft) in total. Built solidly with 36.5 cm (14 inch) aerated concrete, the bathroom and shower room both fully equipped including an oversized bathtub, heat pump and underfloor heating throughout, floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere with manual shutters retrofitted with electric strap winding drives by Rademacher. The 35-degree studio trusses feature four large Velux brand windows, all doors have three light panels, some of them sliding doors, etc. at a fixed price from the largest solid construction home builder in Germany for 231,000 euros. I would never pay the exorbitant, rip-off prices of prefab house manufacturers. Their lower quality houses start at 300,000 euros. The normal price is 120,000 to 150,000 euros. I don’t mean to offend you, but opinions regarding Town & Country’s implementation and quality vary widely. A comparison with the offer I published here is not possible. SchwörerHaus (now I did mention the prefab builder after all) focuses differently and has a completely different quality standard.
By the way, we also had an offer prepared by Massivhaus Mittelrhein. The price came out about the same...
336 m² (3,616 sq ft) of living space for 231,000 euros would be at most for the shell only—and even then it would be unbelievably cheap.
hausnrplus2528 May 2020 14:44Einradbrot schrieb:
[...] Their houses of inferior quality [...]nordbayer schrieb:
If you’re not in Munich or a similar location, then it seems like you’re talking to the wrong companies. Solid construction with a general contractor and mid-range finishes can be done much more affordably. Or do you have special conditions like a slope, huge window fronts, particular eco-conscious requirements, etc.?
Hiring an architect with separate contracts could also be worth considering... Thanks for your feedback – that actually fits. We now have an offer on the table from the general contractor that will probably come in around 2300-2500€ with a scope of work I haven’t seen from any “prefabricated house” provider (referring to timber frame or solid timber houses). We will probably head in that direction...
Oh, and yes, lots of windows, actually almost all floor-to-ceiling, large sliding doors to the garden, and a slope. It’s going to be a flat roof bungalow. Living, dining, kitchen, office, garage, etc. upstairs, and bedrooms, bathrooms, technical room, and cellar downstairs.
E
Einradbrot28 May 2020 21:18Einradbrot schrieb:
Our house. Similar to the Bungalow 131 model from Town & Country, which can be seen on YouTube, but significantly expanded to 16.2 x 10.4 m (53.1 x 34.1 ft) with 168 m² (1,808 sq ft) per floor and 336 m² (3,616 sq ft) in total. Solid construction with aerated concrete 36.5 cm (14.4 inches), bathroom and shower bathroom fully equipped with an oversized bathtub, including heat pump and underfloor heating, floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere with manual roller shutters that have been retrofitted with electric belt drives from Rademacher. 35-degree studio rafters with 4 large branded Velux windows, all doors with triple light panels, some as sliding doors, etc. at a fixed price from the largest German solid house builder for €231,000. I would never pay the extortionate prices of prefab house manufacturers. Their qualitatively inferior houses cost from €300,000. Normal price for this kind is €120,000-150,000. Foxilein schrieb:
Thanks for your feedback – that actually fits. We now have an offer on the table from the general contractor that will probably end up around €2,300-2,500 for a scope of work description that I haven’t seen from any “prefab” provider before (in relation to timber frame or solid wood houses). We will probably go in that direction...
Oh, and yes, quite a lot of windows, actually almost all floor-to-ceiling, with large sliding doors to the garden and hillside. It’s supposed to be a flat roof bungalow. Upstairs will be living, dining, kitchen, office, garage, etc., and downstairs bedrooms, bathroom, technical room, and basement. A flat roof is problematic; at least consider the affordable hip roof as well. Otherwise, you will have water issues after the first decade. I’m just making that bold claim, for now, with reservation.
Foxilein schrieb:
Thanks for your feedback – that actually fits. We now have an offer from the general contractor on the table that will probably end up around 2300–2500€ (about 2500–2700 USD) per square meter, based on a scope of work description that I haven’t seen from any other “prefabricated house” provider before (referring to timber frame or solid wood houses). We will likely go in this direction...
Oh, and yes, quite a few windows, actually almost all floor-to-ceiling, large sliding doors to the garden and hillside. It will be a flat-roof bungalow. Upstairs will have living, dining, kitchen, office, garage, etc., and downstairs the bedrooms, bathroom, technical room, and basement.That already sounds much better! Could you share a bit more about the specifications? What exactly is included in the price so far?