Hello everyone,
I’m new here and looking forward to hearing about your experiences.
We are two families planning to build a semi-detached house soon. The plot costs us 75,000 euros per party.
Our plan is to build a solid structure without a basement. The eaves height is 4m (13 feet).
This limits us quite a bit. The idea is to build a semi-detached house measuring 8 by 12m (26 by 39 feet). Dormer windows (shed dormers) will be added both on the street side and the garden side to improve the appearance and create more space.
Ground floor: guest toilet, utility room, cloakroom, open kitchen/living area, and a pantry.
First floor: 2 children’s rooms, 1 master bedroom, bathroom.
Studio, finished, which could later be used as a bedroom for a third child.
A larger garage will also be added since we have little storage space.
Standard fittings.
My questions:
- Will 200,000 euros be enough for the house? Including additional construction costs?
- Is a gas heating system with underfloor heating in the tiled rooms sufficient?
- Should the heating be installed in the utility room or in the studio? Or even in the garage?
- Some providers are quoting around 220,000 euros including additional costs for a 12 by 7m (39 by 23 feet) house. An extra meter width is estimated to cost around 10,000 to 15,000 euros.
- Are windows in white/gray supposed to cost twice as much?
Our goal is to find a partner to build with 200,000 euros + 75,000 euros for the plot without notary and so on + a “contingency” since construction always costs more than planned + the exterior landscaping. I don’t want to exceed a total of 300,000 euros.
Is this realistic?
Thanks to all,
Alex
I’m new here and looking forward to hearing about your experiences.
We are two families planning to build a semi-detached house soon. The plot costs us 75,000 euros per party.
Our plan is to build a solid structure without a basement. The eaves height is 4m (13 feet).
This limits us quite a bit. The idea is to build a semi-detached house measuring 8 by 12m (26 by 39 feet). Dormer windows (shed dormers) will be added both on the street side and the garden side to improve the appearance and create more space.
Ground floor: guest toilet, utility room, cloakroom, open kitchen/living area, and a pantry.
First floor: 2 children’s rooms, 1 master bedroom, bathroom.
Studio, finished, which could later be used as a bedroom for a third child.
A larger garage will also be added since we have little storage space.
Standard fittings.
My questions:
- Will 200,000 euros be enough for the house? Including additional construction costs?
- Is a gas heating system with underfloor heating in the tiled rooms sufficient?
- Should the heating be installed in the utility room or in the studio? Or even in the garage?
- Some providers are quoting around 220,000 euros including additional costs for a 12 by 7m (39 by 23 feet) house. An extra meter width is estimated to cost around 10,000 to 15,000 euros.
- Are windows in white/gray supposed to cost twice as much?
Our goal is to find a partner to build with 200,000 euros + 75,000 euros for the plot without notary and so on + a “contingency” since construction always costs more than planned + the exterior landscaping. I don’t want to exceed a total of 300,000 euros.
Is this realistic?
Thanks to all,
Alex
B
Bauexperte16 May 2013 09:16Hello Alex,
Yes, that is correct. However, in your case, I added a bit extra for the two dormer gables and – if I remember correctly – did not take into account that you want to build in Rhineland-Palatinate.
They don’t exist only here but also in real life out there :-)
Architects mostly calculate based on cubic meters of enclosed space using their own lists; I prefer to work with euro amounts based on living area because, in my experience, they come closest to reality.
Regards, Bauexperte
Alex80 schrieb:
Hello Bauexperte, what price would you estimate per cubic meter? Is it 1500€ per square meter?
Yes, that is correct. However, in your case, I added a bit extra for the two dormer gables and – if I remember correctly – did not take into account that you want to build in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Alex80 schrieb:
Why are there these two different calculation bases?
They don’t exist only here but also in real life out there :-)
Architects mostly calculate based on cubic meters of enclosed space using their own lists; I prefer to work with euro amounts based on living area because, in my experience, they come closest to reality.
Regards, Bauexperte
B
Bauexperte16 May 2013 09:30@ Ingo
Very few providers build with their own employed craftsmen; those operating cross-regionally and low-cost providers definitely don’t.
€100.00/m³ (about $108/yd³) – you should be careful not to skimp in the wrong place. What’s the use of a low number in the bottom right if the result turns out to be poor quality? Nobody gives anything away – why do you think a company is willing to work within a radius of 400 to 500 kilometers (250 to 310 miles)? Certainly not because their services are in demand at their headquarters. That might still work for a shell builder, but for all subsequent trades it is a loss-making business. Unless your "small but competent company" comes from a neighboring country.
307 is more than the initially mentioned 250.
Regards, Bauexperte
Ingo Kommen schrieb:
Also, what’s this about Bulgaria and Romanians? They want to build and they can build. If Bauexperte thinks that large construction companies only build with their own employed workers, then he must be living in Bulgaria or the Carpathians. Every bigger construction company, I won’t name names, makes a fortune and has subcontractors from Bulgaria. The overpriced golden prices at the sale are obviously because a German GmbH built it (albeit on the backs of Bulgaria).
Very few providers build with their own employed craftsmen; those operating cross-regionally and low-cost providers definitely don’t.
€100.00/m³ (about $108/yd³) – you should be careful not to skimp in the wrong place. What’s the use of a low number in the bottom right if the result turns out to be poor quality? Nobody gives anything away – why do you think a company is willing to work within a radius of 400 to 500 kilometers (250 to 310 miles)? Certainly not because their services are in demand at their headquarters. That might still work for a shell builder, but for all subsequent trades it is a loss-making business. Unless your "small but competent company" comes from a neighboring country.
Ingo Kommen schrieb:
Bauexperte can also recalculate. €200,000 divided by (I’ll be generous) 650 m³ (850 yd³) gives me (and also in Bulgaria, Romania, and Takatukaland, “where many architects should build”) €307/m³ (about $330/yd³) and that’s totally fine.
307 is more than the initially mentioned 250.
Regards, Bauexperte
Bauexperte schrieb:
Behind your unspoken statement "8 x 12 semi-detached house" there are about 160 m² (1,722 sq ft) of pure living space – excluding the attic. That is definitely not a small house!
I am (almost) sure that I know the names behind the supposed providers :-) Take a look at their forums/contracts and then we can talk further. Nobody gives anything away for free, and a solidly built, high-quality single-family home to KfW 70 standard costs on average about €1,500.00 per m² (per sq ft) of living space; that is a fact you cannot ignore.
Regards, BauexperteIf I calculate now... €1,500.00 per m² (per sq ft) of living space multiplied by 160 m² (1,722 sq ft) of pure living space equals €240,000.00.
So, the offers fit the example calculation quite well, or are not all costs included in the €1,500.00?
B
backbone2322 Jul 2013 22:04No, just read posts 2 and 4 in this thread ... . 🙄
I’m not an expert in house construction, and I’m not sure how house prices are in your area. However, we had our own experience with builders about two years ago. I’m sharing this as an example for you to consider:
We were offered a solid, Tuscan-style turnkey house with 170 m² (1830 sq ft) of living space, including the plot of land, for €370,000. Of that, €120,000 was for the land. We thought it was a great deal—until we really examined the building plans in detail. On the surface, everything looked excellent. We wanted to make a few small changes and found other issues only after the fifth review, or when friends pointed out gaps in the plans.
Usually, these were minor amounts: a few hundred here, a thousand there. After six weeks of negotiations, the price on paper had suddenly risen to over €420,000.
Meanwhile, through contacts with acquaintances and friends who have built houses, we concluded that at least in our region, it’s rare to find a house built to KfW 70 standard for less than €1,800 per m² (167 sq ft). For a passive house, the price goes up to a comfortable €2,200 per m² (204 sq ft). Prices around €1,500 per m² (139 sq ft) are only achievable if you stick to basic standards without customization. This applies whether it’s a detached house, a semi-detached house, or slightly smaller row houses.
But as I said, these are just my personal experiences. 🙂
We were offered a solid, Tuscan-style turnkey house with 170 m² (1830 sq ft) of living space, including the plot of land, for €370,000. Of that, €120,000 was for the land. We thought it was a great deal—until we really examined the building plans in detail. On the surface, everything looked excellent. We wanted to make a few small changes and found other issues only after the fifth review, or when friends pointed out gaps in the plans.
Usually, these were minor amounts: a few hundred here, a thousand there. After six weeks of negotiations, the price on paper had suddenly risen to over €420,000.
Meanwhile, through contacts with acquaintances and friends who have built houses, we concluded that at least in our region, it’s rare to find a house built to KfW 70 standard for less than €1,800 per m² (167 sq ft). For a passive house, the price goes up to a comfortable €2,200 per m² (204 sq ft). Prices around €1,500 per m² (139 sq ft) are only achievable if you stick to basic standards without customization. This applies whether it’s a detached house, a semi-detached house, or slightly smaller row houses.
But as I said, these are just my personal experiences. 🙂
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