ᐅ Looking for a construction company, house type, floor plan, energy concept, and more.

Hello to all readers in this forum,

I am new here because my wife and I are planning a new build of a two-family solid house (basement with double garage, ground floor approx. 90m (295ft)², upper floor approx. 75m (246ft)²) and are continuously researching all related topics. The more construction companies we contact, the more confused we become.

We are looking for a general contractor for a project in Schleswig-Holstein and have requested the relevant catalogs and building specifications. However, what is standard and recommended, and what is just “nice to have”?

How do we choose the “right” insulation for us (e.g., 15 or 18cm (6 or 7 inches) of stone wool and insulation layers for exterior wall insulation; we have similar questions regarding the slab and the roof)?

What is the “right” ventilation system for us (air exchange in walls or in the floor and ceiling)?

Which construction company can we trust (one describes “brick by brick” in their catalog but only plans metal stud framing for the attic)?

Which heat pump can we trust (for example, there are serious defect reports about Nibe in some relevant forums, although at least one construction company exclusively installs “Nibe”)?

Is it true that with a zoning plan specifying “single-story construction,” a house with a ground floor plus upper floor is allowed if the living space on the upper floor is a maximum of 66% of the living space on the ground floor?

How can we obtain a zoning plan as free of charge as possible, and is the zoning plan also understandable for “laypersons,” so that we can see, for example, if only specific roof shapes are permitted; or if an adaptation to the surroundings is required, and what that means (is there any discretion by the permitting authority in such cases)?

Hopefully, I have not overwhelmed or discouraged readers with all these questions!!

Best regards

Hello Dieter,

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

I’m new here because my wife and I are planning a new build as a two-family solid house (basement with double garage, ground floor approx. 90 m (295 ft)², upper floor approx. 75 m (246 ft)²) and are continuously researching all topics. The more construction companies we contact, the more confused we become.

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

We are looking for a general contractor for a project in Schleswig-Holstein and have requested the “relevant” catalogs and building specifications.

Then go to a new development area near you and talk to the homeowners there; preferably on a weekend, when many owners are present and you can get an honest opinion about the respective contractor and the quality of work—independent from salespeople and suppliers.

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

But what is standard and recommended, and what is just “nice to have”?

Standard means the current state of technology – the rest depends on whatever your budget allows 🙂

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

Which heat pump can we trust (for example, there are serious complaints about Nibe in certain “relevant” forums, although at least one construction company installs only “Nibe”)?

This supplier from Sweden got a bad reputation—by the way, completely undeserved—because one well-known builder specializing in solid construction used it exclusively as an exhaust air heat pump; that can’t work well and leads to high operating costs. But even in that company’s building specifications, a change of approach has taken place; today they offer a combination of exhaust air heat pump and air-to-water heat pump.

For the rest, read up here, buy literature (for example, the Fraunhofer Institute website has good selections), attend lectures, visit consumer advice centers or energy agencies, and go to those new development areas.

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

Is it true that if a zoning plan specifies “single-story construction,” a house with ground floor plus upper floor is still possible if the upper floor’s living area is no more than 66% of the ground floor’s living area?

Only laypersons speak of “1.5-storey” – legally, there are only single-storey (I), two-storey (II), or multi-storey buildings. Single-storey means a full ground floor with standard ceiling height plus an attic with sloped ceilings. When the slopes begin depends on the allowed knee wall height or the eaves height.

Dieter-Hamburg schrieb:

How can we get a zoning plan as free of charge as possible, and is the zoning plan understandable for “laypersons” so that we can see if, for example, only specific roof shapes are allowed; or if adaptation to the surroundings is required, and what does that mean (is there room for discretion by the permitting authority)?

Many questions 🙂

Each plot comes with a zoning plan, which you can get free of charge from the responsible land registry office. Generally, even laypersons can get an overview if the associated textual regulations are also provided.

The floor area ratio (FAR) indicates the proportion of a building site that may be built upon.
Floor space ratio (FSR) refers to the ratio of the total floor area of all full floors of the structures on a property to the plot area.
Roman I indicates single-story construction, Roman II two-story construction. If these numbers are enclosed in a triangle, the required number of floors is mandatory. If the zoning plan only states I or II, you need to clarify with the planning authority whether the number of floors may be calculated on average or must be fully utilized.

There are some more notes on the zoning plan or in the textual regulations, and it’s always advisable to have someone with you who can read and interpret the zoning plan.

Whether there is room for flexibility depends on the person you deal with at the planning office and whether he or she had a good night’s sleep the night before...

Kind regards

Hello building expert,
thank you for your input.[

QUOTE=Bauexperte;40726]
The standard is the current state of the art – everything else depends on what your budget allows 🙂[/QUOTE]

But what exactly is the state of the art? When I search online, I find many links from construction companies and home improvement stores. All of them describe something valid from their perspective, but the details differ from one another. On sites like Fraunhofer or similar, there are many scientific publications, mostly from technical journals. However, are there reliable, clear, and understandable resources or statements available online, for example regarding the insulation of exterior walls? Because in this case, there are very many materials, methods, and differences. Every construction company seems to have its own interpretation of the state of the art; so far, based on the example of “insulation,” I cannot compare the construction and scope of work descriptions from different companies. This makes choosing the right builder very difficult for me. And comparing only by price would mean relying on whatever is offered without reading the details of the construction specifications.

Best regards