Hello everyone,
I more or less stumbled upon a plot of land after someone let their reservation expire.
The plot is about 606 square meters (6,521 square feet), according to my "measurement" approximately 18.10 meters by 33.50 meters (60 feet by 110 feet), not officially surveyed yet, and now I’m wondering exactly what I can do with it.
The development plan sets out the following for "my plot":
Here I have placed an example house measuring 9.60 meters by 11.95 meters (31.5 feet by 39 feet), which I like based on my initial review (Viebrockhaus Edition 600).
Next to the house, in the 5.50-meter (18 feet) wide space there would be a carport – is that enough space for two parking spots? I would prefer not to make the house narrower just to accommodate vehicles... but then there’s hardly any room left for fencing?!
The terrace and garden at the back are, of course, limited by the tall trees – but that’s a compromise I’ll have to accept.
I’ve never built a house in my life before... so this is my first time dealing with this topic in detail. What would you do in this situation? Make the house a bit smaller?
If you need more information, just ask – as I said, I’m a beginner and eager to learn 🙂
My wishes are:
- Starting from 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) upwards
- I’m currently thinking about a basement and budget around $100k extra for it
- I don’t like long corridors
Once the plot situation is reasonably clear, I’d like to hear your advice on floor plans – that will surely be a more extensive topic.
Best regards
I more or less stumbled upon a plot of land after someone let their reservation expire.
The plot is about 606 square meters (6,521 square feet), according to my "measurement" approximately 18.10 meters by 33.50 meters (60 feet by 110 feet), not officially surveyed yet, and now I’m wondering exactly what I can do with it.
The development plan sets out the following for "my plot":
- 0.35 floor area ratio
- Single-story buildings only
- Maximum building height 10 meters (33 feet)
- Eave height max 4.50 meters (15 feet)
- One driveway with max width of 4 meters (13 feet)
- Two parking spaces are mandatory
- Roof pitch between 15° and 51°
- Roofs of garages etc. may differ in shape
- Garages, carports, and ancillary buildings as defined by §14 (1) of the building use ordinance, which are buildings, must not exceed the street-side building boundaries of the access roads.
- Dormers and roof recesses: the total length of dormers or roof recesses per roof side may not exceed 50% of the total length of that roof side.
- Standard distance to property boundary is 3 meters (10 feet)
- In the southern area, there is an 8-meter (26 feet) deep strip across the full width of the plot (approx. 18 meters (60 feet)) where trees and shrubs must be preserved. This area is quite densely vegetated and reaches heights up to 10 meters (33 feet) – I’ve tried to visualize this below
- In the middle of this vegetation is a downward slope... the building boundary to this strip was reduced from the normal 3 meters to 2 meters (7 feet) so the plots aren’t too restricted.
Here I have placed an example house measuring 9.60 meters by 11.95 meters (31.5 feet by 39 feet), which I like based on my initial review (Viebrockhaus Edition 600).
Next to the house, in the 5.50-meter (18 feet) wide space there would be a carport – is that enough space for two parking spots? I would prefer not to make the house narrower just to accommodate vehicles... but then there’s hardly any room left for fencing?!
The terrace and garden at the back are, of course, limited by the tall trees – but that’s a compromise I’ll have to accept.
I’ve never built a house in my life before... so this is my first time dealing with this topic in detail. What would you do in this situation? Make the house a bit smaller?
If you need more information, just ask – as I said, I’m a beginner and eager to learn 🙂
My wishes are:
- Starting from 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) upwards
- I’m currently thinking about a basement and budget around $100k extra for it
- I don’t like long corridors
Once the plot situation is reasonably clear, I’d like to hear your advice on floor plans – that will surely be a more extensive topic.
Best regards
SaschaL schrieb:
heatedThat’s exactly what I mean. SaschaL schrieb:
? At least in Viebrockhaus, the following are included in the base price:
- Heat pump heating
- Underfloor cooling
- Central ventilation system
- Photovoltaic system
- Battery storage
- Air humidification
- Pre-wiring for EV charging station (wallbox)
All built to KfW40+ standard But that doesn’t apply to the basement. If you include a basement, additional costs arise to maintain the house’s KfW standard.
SaschaL schrieb:
I do... I’ve already budgeted an extra 60,000 for custom requests and electrical work in the list. Just do some research here as a future homeowner. It’s been said thousands of times that a catalog price rarely includes what you actually want.
Your somewhat casual “what-does-the-world-cost” expectations mean that those 60,000 will quickly slip away, so that you won’t have any money left for earthworks — even before the first shovel hits the ground :P
SaschaL schrieb:
Do you really think 600,000 for the house and garden is a tight budget? Get informed!
SaschaL schrieb:
and probably no one — who is building their first house — has directly drawn their floor plan… Of course. It’s best to make sketches on graph paper rather than using PC 3D animation…ypg schrieb:
...You quickly lose control with your rather casual "the sky's the limit" ideas, so there is no money left for earthworksI have no idea what that is supposed to mean or how I earned that.
I also never said that there might be “no money left.” When I say that money probably won’t be the problem, it should just be accepted as is. I’m making rough calculations because I want to have an idea of what I’m roughly getting into. If my expectations don’t match, I’m happy to take that as feedback. The “inform yourself!” advice doesn’t help me here—that’s exactly what I’m trying to do right now. I actually want to spend a maximum of 700,000 to 800,000 (approximately) but more would be possible without having to restrict myself elsewhere. You’re welcome to interpret that as a “sky’s the limit” attitude—but that is not my intention at all. I don’t want to spend more than the amount mentioned. If you say that with 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) and a basement I MUST spend more, then I can consider whether I want that—or make compromises.
And as for someone already turning their first sketch into reality—I continue to doubt that, even if graph paper was used.
W
WilderSueden16 Jan 2021 19:23It is completely normal for costs to spiral out of control during the first serious planning phase. Large manufacturers also encourage this with their catalogs. At first, you think, "Everything still fits," until you finally do the exact calculations. Then it’s no longer funny.
What would also be helpful for your plot is a drawing showing exactly where the street runs. I assume it’s to the north? Is there any development on the neighboring plots? Also, add a north arrow.
Otherwise, I agree with Yvonne. Anyone willing to spend €800,000 on a house should not just choose a standard model and try to adapt it. The latter often becomes very expensive. Furthermore, large companies have a habit of building houses that are permitted almost everywhere (which makes sense) but are hardly tailored to specific requirements. And with the bushes, you already have a special requirement. By the way, none of them will consider the terrain slope for you. That’s the second problem with mass-market providers. They plan the house as if it’s floating in space and don’t take the land into account.
What would also be helpful for your plot is a drawing showing exactly where the street runs. I assume it’s to the north? Is there any development on the neighboring plots? Also, add a north arrow.
Otherwise, I agree with Yvonne. Anyone willing to spend €800,000 on a house should not just choose a standard model and try to adapt it. The latter often becomes very expensive. Furthermore, large companies have a habit of building houses that are permitted almost everywhere (which makes sense) but are hardly tailored to specific requirements. And with the bushes, you already have a special requirement. By the way, none of them will consider the terrain slope for you. That’s the second problem with mass-market providers. They plan the house as if it’s floating in space and don’t take the land into account.
I don’t feel at all like my costs are getting out of control. When I look at the usual suspects, I mostly find catalog prices around 220k-250k, which clearly isn’t enough. So, I tried to research where the big difference might come from – with Viebrockhaus, quite a few items are included in the price that are added on elsewhere (what comes to mind are: building permits / planning permission, structural engineering, drawings, authorities, blower door test, soil survey, foundation slab (if no basement), earthworks (at least 2m (6.5 feet) around the house and up to 30cm (12 inches) deep – of course, disposal costs extra, and of course, the soil survey can cause additional costs), facing brick facade included, electric shutters, exterior painting, photovoltaic system (of course, there are upgrade options), ventilation system (yes, without basement – costs extra then) etc)...
- The price list says 360k including all the above, heating, flooring, standard electrical installations, etc...
- I am budgeting 15k for change requests and selections (price list is here and reviewed – roughly accurate)
- 15k for electrical selections (price list is here)
- 160k for land
- 14k land transfer tax
- 100k for basement
- 20k for kitchen
- another 60k for terrace and garden
... totals 744k – leaving another 56k for my actual contingency limit. And my savings are still well stocked. I’m not facing any threats here – except an expensive house.
If you really want to tell me that 800k is not enough for my project, then I have learned something. And I think I would make compromises rather than increasing the budget. I already said, I’m not yet sure if I’m really willing to pay 100k (or even more) for the basement just to realize my home theater dream. I’d have to watch a lot of movies for that to pay off 😉
Yes, I have neighbors to the left and right sides… well, not yet, but then – it’s a new development area. The street is in the north. Below is a sketch with a north arrow.
You can also see how the street runs in image 1 of my initial post – that is an excerpt from the development plan.
- The price list says 360k including all the above, heating, flooring, standard electrical installations, etc...
- I am budgeting 15k for change requests and selections (price list is here and reviewed – roughly accurate)
- 15k for electrical selections (price list is here)
- 160k for land
- 14k land transfer tax
- 100k for basement
- 20k for kitchen
- another 60k for terrace and garden
... totals 744k – leaving another 56k for my actual contingency limit. And my savings are still well stocked. I’m not facing any threats here – except an expensive house.
If you really want to tell me that 800k is not enough for my project, then I have learned something. And I think I would make compromises rather than increasing the budget. I already said, I’m not yet sure if I’m really willing to pay 100k (or even more) for the basement just to realize my home theater dream. I’d have to watch a lot of movies for that to pay off 😉
WilderSueden schrieb:
What would be helpful for your plot is a drawing showing exactly where the street runs. I guess it’s to the north? Are there buildings on the neighboring plots? Also, add a north arrow.
Otherwise, I agree with Yvonne. Anyone willing to spend €800,000 on a house shouldn’t just take a “standard model” and adapt it. The latter becomes really expensive. In addition, the big companies tend to build houses that are allowed almost everywhere (which makes sense) but are little adapted to specific requirements. And you already have a special requirement with your shrubbery. By the way, none of them will consider the terrain slope for you. That’s the second problem with mass providers. They plan the house floating and don’t take the plot into account.
Yes, I have neighbors to the left and right sides… well, not yet, but then – it’s a new development area. The street is in the north. Below is a sketch with a north arrow.
You can also see how the street runs in image 1 of my initial post – that is an excerpt from the development plan.
W
WilderSueden16 Jan 2021 20:27I can’t say if that will be enough—I’m not that far along yet. All I can tell you is that I’ve doubled my budget and decided to skip the basement. Slowly, though, things seem to be stabilizing.
Typical large-scale hidden cost traps include, for example:
- Heating is included but it’s only air heating (this was the case with Weberhaus, Schwörerhaus). You book underfloor heating with a heat pump, and suddenly you’re about $50,000 poorer or something like that.
- Floors are included but the standard is only carpet. Upgrading to vinyl at Weberhaus was around €140 per square meter (approximately $150 per square meter), and they only install it as click-lock, not glued down. That’s where your €15,000 (approximately $16,000) for change requests can disappear. For comparison, the offer from the local general contractor had floors listed around €50-55 per square meter (about $55-$60 per square meter).
- Moving walls → “free planning” = extra charge (by the way, then you end up with an architect-designed house even though you only wanted one from the catalog)
- Window modifications?
I can’t say if this applies at Viebrockhaus. They mostly operate in northern Germany (everything north of Stuttgart). Maybe everything is fine there, but I can only tell you that with Weberhaus we finally ended up at almost €370,000 (around $400,000) just for the house—it was about 130 square meters (about 1,400 square feet) and didn’t include smart home features. And Weberhaus is not known as a cheap builder.
PS: The design looks quite nice. I would still recommend not just placing any house on the plot but having a concrete plan for the house, the garage, the garden shed, etc. After all, you don’t want to be looking directly at the garage wall from a window.
Typical large-scale hidden cost traps include, for example:
- Heating is included but it’s only air heating (this was the case with Weberhaus, Schwörerhaus). You book underfloor heating with a heat pump, and suddenly you’re about $50,000 poorer or something like that.
- Floors are included but the standard is only carpet. Upgrading to vinyl at Weberhaus was around €140 per square meter (approximately $150 per square meter), and they only install it as click-lock, not glued down. That’s where your €15,000 (approximately $16,000) for change requests can disappear. For comparison, the offer from the local general contractor had floors listed around €50-55 per square meter (about $55-$60 per square meter).
- Moving walls → “free planning” = extra charge (by the way, then you end up with an architect-designed house even though you only wanted one from the catalog)
- Window modifications?
I can’t say if this applies at Viebrockhaus. They mostly operate in northern Germany (everything north of Stuttgart). Maybe everything is fine there, but I can only tell you that with Weberhaus we finally ended up at almost €370,000 (around $400,000) just for the house—it was about 130 square meters (about 1,400 square feet) and didn’t include smart home features. And Weberhaus is not known as a cheap builder.
PS: The design looks quite nice. I would still recommend not just placing any house on the plot but having a concrete plan for the house, the garage, the garden shed, etc. After all, you don’t want to be looking directly at the garage wall from a window.
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