Hello everyone,
this is my first post, so I would like to briefly introduce myself/us.
We are a family of four (33, 30, 5, 1) currently living in a 95m² (1,022 sq ft) 4-room condominium with a private 100m² (1,076 sq ft) garden in Cologne.
While the size of our apartment is sufficient for us, it is becoming a bit tight now with our second child, especially since I actually need my own home office. With four rooms, that is not possible.
Besides, we want to have our own place. The topic of “new build” never really came up before because our entire social circle (family/friends/neighbors/colleagues) has always focused on existing properties, and certain prejudices (too time-consuming, too risky, too expensive, too complicated, etc.) also led us to only look for existing homes.
So we have been searching for a house (terraced house, semi-detached house, etc.) for about a year.
We quickly realized that even in the less expensive districts of Cologne, a reasonably acceptable house costs at least 400,000 euros, rather 500,000 euros. When you add purchasing incidental costs and renovation expenses, you end up with about 700,000 euros, which is well over our budget.
Also, the high additional purchase costs (around 50,000 euros) bother me. On the one hand, this is the amount banks expect as equity, and on the other, I don’t really feel these fees are deserved by most real estate agents; they just demand them in my opinion.
In the past few weeks, I happened to have a conversation with someone who recently built a new home with a modular house provider (Allkauf Haus), which got things rolling. The acquaintance had positive experiences and suggested I look into it as well. I was skeptical because I couldn’t really identify with modular houses “made of wood” (timber frame construction). However, the comparatively affordable prices sparked our interest. We thought this might be our chance to realize our (affordable) dream home.
We actually visited the modular home exhibition in Frechen near Cologne to get a proper introduction to modular homes. There were many impressive houses, but when we inquired about prices, the range was between 2,000 - 3,500 euros/m² (186 - 325 USD/sq ft), which quickly dampened our initial enthusiasm. At those prices, you could also build conventionally using solid construction without all the reservations about modular homes and timber frame construction.
The last house on the tour was also the Allkauf Haus. We gave their salespeople a chance to convince us, and I have to admit they did a very good job. The salesperson was available on short notice and advised us for about two hours, and—just as expected—everything sounded great, easy, and straightforward. They said we just had to sign quickly to secure some bonus offers, etc.
Of course, we don’t have a plot yet, but they wanted us to sign anyway. They said Allkauf Haus could help us find one, and if we didn’t find a suitable plot, we could cancel the contract without problems. Even now, I can’t understand why anyone would commit contractually to a provider and a modular home without a plot and therefore without a specific development plan, etc. I see the significant advantages of this approach only on the seller’s side.
Nevertheless, I must admit that Allkauf Haus is very competitively priced (at least at first glance) compared to other providers at the modular home exhibition. Of course, there must be reasons for this, but the question is whether the potential “downsides” would be relevant to us or not...
Now, a few more details:
We planned an Allkauf Haus KfW40 single-family house without a basement, including a granny flat on the upper floor, thus benefiting from double KfW subsidies. The yet-to-be-purchased plot was budgeted at 150,000 euros (up to 40 km (25 miles) from Cologne). The single-family house with the granny flat on the upper floor is planned to have about 200m² (2,153 sq ft) of living space and to cost around 225,000 euros excluding interior finishing but including materials. The interior finishing was deliberately omitted because we want to do a lot of it ourselves (sweat equity) and have many helpers and skilled craftsmen/friends available:
Plot: 150,000 euros
Plot incidental costs: 13,000 euros
Building incidental costs: 80,000 euros (e.g., foundation slab, civil engineering, connections, etc.)
Allkauf Haus Gen. 4 including materials for interior finishing: 225,000 euros
Labor for drywall + all trades: 30,000 euros
Outdoor facilities: 30,000 euros
TOTAL: approx. 530,000 euros; minus subsidies approx. 475,000 euros.
If I consider only the house costs, the price without subsidies comes to just over 1,800 euros/m² (167 USD/sq ft), which sounds affordable but not unrealistic. With subsidies, it’s even only 1,560 euros/m² (145 USD/sq ft), which of course sounds great at first.
Compared to an existing property, we see the following advantages:
- New build (new is really new...) with significantly less need for repairs
- Energy efficiency
- Floor plan planning
- Modern construction methods, appearance, and technology
- Subsidies and lower additional purchase costs
- Larger living space
Disadvantage: Location outside of Cologne
Please forgive me for these beginner questions, but I wanted to first explain our motivation and way of thinking, and then initiate the next steps with your advice.
Financial situation:
- 4,600 euros monthly income (currently 1 income) plus 2 child benefits
- 15,000 euros equity (yes, very little; invested elsewhere)
- Budget: 530,000 euros including ALL COSTS
What we will NOT do upfront:
- Sign a contract with Allkauf Haus without first having a plot and without comparing prices with other modular home providers and regional general contractors!
What we plan to do:
- Gather information and compare offers from modular home providers suitable for us
- Obtain and compare offers for solid (masonry) construction
What bothers us about our current condominium:
- Living room is too narrow and dark at 6.10 m x 3.78 m (20 ft x 12 ft) (ground floor, area built up around us, 2 windows, southeast orientation)
- No laundry room
- No home office
What we want:
- Our own spacious detached single-family house with granny flat
- Large living/dining area (approx. 45-50m² (484 - 538 sq ft)) plus kitchen
- Bright rooms (floor-to-ceiling windows, southwest orientation of living room and garden)
- Larger entrance/reception area with gallery (open ceiling)
- Bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, laundry room, dressing room, office, guest room (combining possible)
- 2 garages
- At least 200m² (2,153 sq ft) garden
Our questions:
1. What are general experiences with Allkauf Haus (including reliability)?
2. What is the difference compared to Massa Haus (Okal Haus, Allkauf Haus, Massa Haus basically belong together)?
3. Depending on the answer to 2), would Massa Haus be a better choice if we plan to do all interior finishing ourselves?
4. Can you confirm that Allkauf Haus and Massa Haus are the most affordable modular home providers on the market?
5. Would it be possible to build a new solid construction house within the same budget?
6. If yes to 5): Does this also apply to building a KfW40 house to benefit from subsidies and with 200m² of living space?
7. Is it possible to realize the room requirements mentioned above with, for example, 150m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space instead of 200m²?
8. Do you agree with the arguments in favor of a new build?
9. In your opinion, is our budget/income sufficient to realize our wishes?
Thank you very much to everyone!
Best regards
silverminer
this is my first post, so I would like to briefly introduce myself/us.
We are a family of four (33, 30, 5, 1) currently living in a 95m² (1,022 sq ft) 4-room condominium with a private 100m² (1,076 sq ft) garden in Cologne.
While the size of our apartment is sufficient for us, it is becoming a bit tight now with our second child, especially since I actually need my own home office. With four rooms, that is not possible.
Besides, we want to have our own place. The topic of “new build” never really came up before because our entire social circle (family/friends/neighbors/colleagues) has always focused on existing properties, and certain prejudices (too time-consuming, too risky, too expensive, too complicated, etc.) also led us to only look for existing homes.
So we have been searching for a house (terraced house, semi-detached house, etc.) for about a year.
We quickly realized that even in the less expensive districts of Cologne, a reasonably acceptable house costs at least 400,000 euros, rather 500,000 euros. When you add purchasing incidental costs and renovation expenses, you end up with about 700,000 euros, which is well over our budget.
Also, the high additional purchase costs (around 50,000 euros) bother me. On the one hand, this is the amount banks expect as equity, and on the other, I don’t really feel these fees are deserved by most real estate agents; they just demand them in my opinion.
In the past few weeks, I happened to have a conversation with someone who recently built a new home with a modular house provider (Allkauf Haus), which got things rolling. The acquaintance had positive experiences and suggested I look into it as well. I was skeptical because I couldn’t really identify with modular houses “made of wood” (timber frame construction). However, the comparatively affordable prices sparked our interest. We thought this might be our chance to realize our (affordable) dream home.
We actually visited the modular home exhibition in Frechen near Cologne to get a proper introduction to modular homes. There were many impressive houses, but when we inquired about prices, the range was between 2,000 - 3,500 euros/m² (186 - 325 USD/sq ft), which quickly dampened our initial enthusiasm. At those prices, you could also build conventionally using solid construction without all the reservations about modular homes and timber frame construction.
The last house on the tour was also the Allkauf Haus. We gave their salespeople a chance to convince us, and I have to admit they did a very good job. The salesperson was available on short notice and advised us for about two hours, and—just as expected—everything sounded great, easy, and straightforward. They said we just had to sign quickly to secure some bonus offers, etc.
Of course, we don’t have a plot yet, but they wanted us to sign anyway. They said Allkauf Haus could help us find one, and if we didn’t find a suitable plot, we could cancel the contract without problems. Even now, I can’t understand why anyone would commit contractually to a provider and a modular home without a plot and therefore without a specific development plan, etc. I see the significant advantages of this approach only on the seller’s side.
Nevertheless, I must admit that Allkauf Haus is very competitively priced (at least at first glance) compared to other providers at the modular home exhibition. Of course, there must be reasons for this, but the question is whether the potential “downsides” would be relevant to us or not...
Now, a few more details:
We planned an Allkauf Haus KfW40 single-family house without a basement, including a granny flat on the upper floor, thus benefiting from double KfW subsidies. The yet-to-be-purchased plot was budgeted at 150,000 euros (up to 40 km (25 miles) from Cologne). The single-family house with the granny flat on the upper floor is planned to have about 200m² (2,153 sq ft) of living space and to cost around 225,000 euros excluding interior finishing but including materials. The interior finishing was deliberately omitted because we want to do a lot of it ourselves (sweat equity) and have many helpers and skilled craftsmen/friends available:
Plot: 150,000 euros
Plot incidental costs: 13,000 euros
Building incidental costs: 80,000 euros (e.g., foundation slab, civil engineering, connections, etc.)
Allkauf Haus Gen. 4 including materials for interior finishing: 225,000 euros
Labor for drywall + all trades: 30,000 euros
Outdoor facilities: 30,000 euros
TOTAL: approx. 530,000 euros; minus subsidies approx. 475,000 euros.
If I consider only the house costs, the price without subsidies comes to just over 1,800 euros/m² (167 USD/sq ft), which sounds affordable but not unrealistic. With subsidies, it’s even only 1,560 euros/m² (145 USD/sq ft), which of course sounds great at first.
Compared to an existing property, we see the following advantages:
- New build (new is really new...) with significantly less need for repairs
- Energy efficiency
- Floor plan planning
- Modern construction methods, appearance, and technology
- Subsidies and lower additional purchase costs
- Larger living space
Disadvantage: Location outside of Cologne
Please forgive me for these beginner questions, but I wanted to first explain our motivation and way of thinking, and then initiate the next steps with your advice.
Financial situation:
- 4,600 euros monthly income (currently 1 income) plus 2 child benefits
- 15,000 euros equity (yes, very little; invested elsewhere)
- Budget: 530,000 euros including ALL COSTS
What we will NOT do upfront:
- Sign a contract with Allkauf Haus without first having a plot and without comparing prices with other modular home providers and regional general contractors!
What we plan to do:
- Gather information and compare offers from modular home providers suitable for us
- Obtain and compare offers for solid (masonry) construction
What bothers us about our current condominium:
- Living room is too narrow and dark at 6.10 m x 3.78 m (20 ft x 12 ft) (ground floor, area built up around us, 2 windows, southeast orientation)
- No laundry room
- No home office
What we want:
- Our own spacious detached single-family house with granny flat
- Large living/dining area (approx. 45-50m² (484 - 538 sq ft)) plus kitchen
- Bright rooms (floor-to-ceiling windows, southwest orientation of living room and garden)
- Larger entrance/reception area with gallery (open ceiling)
- Bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, laundry room, dressing room, office, guest room (combining possible)
- 2 garages
- At least 200m² (2,153 sq ft) garden
Our questions:
1. What are general experiences with Allkauf Haus (including reliability)?
2. What is the difference compared to Massa Haus (Okal Haus, Allkauf Haus, Massa Haus basically belong together)?
3. Depending on the answer to 2), would Massa Haus be a better choice if we plan to do all interior finishing ourselves?
4. Can you confirm that Allkauf Haus and Massa Haus are the most affordable modular home providers on the market?
5. Would it be possible to build a new solid construction house within the same budget?
6. If yes to 5): Does this also apply to building a KfW40 house to benefit from subsidies and with 200m² of living space?
7. Is it possible to realize the room requirements mentioned above with, for example, 150m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space instead of 200m²?
8. Do you agree with the arguments in favor of a new build?
9. In your opinion, is our budget/income sufficient to realize our wishes?
Thank you very much to everyone!
Best regards
silverminer
S
silverminer2 Nov 2020 15:33ypg schrieb:
All good! It’s always helpful to share ideas and hear counterarguments. That’s what a forum is for.I just wanted to avoid any misunderstandings.
One takeaway from all the posts is the fact that a local builder does not necessarily have to be more expensive.
Are there any who know builders from the Cologne/NRW area who you can also contact for inquiries?
P
pagoni20202 Nov 2020 15:50silverminer schrieb:
For this reason, in the end, it could be a non-KfW/KfW70/KfW55/KfW40/KfW40+ etc. standard...Plan and build YOUR house according to your own needs, not those of a funding agency. If you can then achieve a standard that gives you a financial advantage through a subsidy by making small and MEANINGFUL changes FOR YOU, then YES. However, you should free yourself from these often somewhat cliché parameters right from the start, or at least not focus on them too much.Fundamental considerations regarding a parent can be reasonable and perhaps attractive to both parties if seen as part of a shared lifestyle; but not just for funding reasons. Often, such matters with a mother/father are not specifically discussed or calculated; maybe this would lead to a completely new perspective on your building project if that is desired on both sides.
You should then implement this with someone who can act more flexibly than the mentioned house builder, possibly better with a local, more adaptable provider.
Regardless of tax and funding considerations, smart planning can make this feasible within an affordable budget.
Ötzi Ötztaler schrieb:
If a seller wants you to sign a construction contract without having a specific, visited, and notarized plot of land secured at the latest at the same time... What do you think, is that trustworthy?
Folks, I thought the “grandchild trick” was bold. But here it’s completely legal. They don’t pretend to be the missing grandchild, but rather to own the dreamed-of piece of land. Only nobody actually gets to see it. In my opinion, entering into a construction contract without owning land would even constitute deception by the builder, since they would knowingly risk not being able to fulfill their part of the contract. The provider’s “land service” probably protects them from jail time *LOL*
superzapp schrieb:
I have to strongly disagree with you. I can’t provide complete figures yet, but based on the numbers so far and my gut feeling, I would say the additional cost for KfW40(+) is less than the amount of the subsidy. Are you also considering the increased financing costs for the “luxury” of acting as a landlord?
silverminer schrieb:
And that’s exactly why I’m grateful for any kind of support and suggestions from the many experts here. Regarding the term “experts,” I would like to exclude myself; I’m allergic to that word. I always associate it with some so-called professor or doctor spreading nonsense on Sunday evening talk shows.
silverminer schrieb:
Does anyone know of contractors from the Cologne/NRW area where it’s possible to get some references? I’ve “lost track” of which regional general contractors have already been discussed here, but the Cologne area is probably not a blank spot. Browse through the moderated section “Experiences with XYZ Construction.” Which location about 40 km (25 miles) from Cologne are we even talking about: a specific, fairly fixed place 40 km (25 miles) away from Cologne, or any location within a 40 km (25 miles) radius around Cologne (possibly also on the Deutz side), such as BM, BN, GL, GM, SU, EU?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
T
T_im_Norden3 Nov 2020 09:53Keep in mind that if you include the rental income from the guest apartment in the financing, the bank may also want to meet the tenants.
S
silverminer3 Nov 2020 10:08No, this should be calculated from the start based on income without rental income or similar.
S
Stefan0013 Nov 2020 12:59Depending on how patient your chosen general contractor is, they should simply provide you with an example implementation of their proposal.
You specify the framework regarding rooms and areas, and the general contractor creates a floor plan with and without a separate apartment. That way, you can clearly see whether it is worth it.
You specify the framework regarding rooms and areas, and the general contractor creates a floor plan with and without a separate apartment. That way, you can clearly see whether it is worth it.
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