ᐅ User Experiences with Air Source Heat Pumps, Wood Stoves, Solar Systems, and Noise Issues

I see €1500 as the minimum amount, with no room for negotiation.

The problem is that providers sometimes make more money if you sign the contract but cannot start construction. The penalties for breach of contract can be extremely high, and so far there is no protection against unscrupulous sellers. They are not liable for your lack of knowledge.

If you want to have an additional room on the ground floor just "in case":
We can later separate the TV area with a wall when needed, creating an extra room on the ground floor.

Petri schrieb:
We based our decisions on age. We didn’t want to have to renovate the house again in about 25 years just because we can no longer manage the stairs. That’s also why the doors downstairs are 1m (3.3 ft) wide. The point about having a child is also valid, though. Thanks for the tip.

I just say stairlift 🙂
And when the time comes, you simply renovate. I wouldn’t want to live with compromises for 25-30 years that I might only need later.
We have a shower on the ground floor bathroom, which is very convenient right now, since I couldn’t walk for a week and didn’t have to struggle upstairs. But if the stairs do become a problem with age, we’ll install a stairlift.
Or we might sell or pass on the house and move into a smaller apartment.

Der Da schrieb:
I see €1500 as the minimum limit; there’s no room for negotiation below that.

The problem is that some providers actually earn more if you sign a contract but then aren’t able to start building. The penalties for canceling are sometimes very high, and so far there’s no protection against unscrupulous sellers. They don’t take responsibility for your lack of knowledge.

I have concerns with all providers, whether it’s a company like Helma or an architect offering construction supervision, etc.
How much higher should I go instead of €1500 to leave at least some margin?

perlenmann schrieb:
If you just want a potential extra room on the ground floor "just in case":
As we get older or if needed, we can section off the TV corner with a wall and have an additional room on the ground floor.

Thanks for the tip. Could be a solution 🙂

Hello,

Petri schrieb:

That means a single-family house with 1 1/2 stories, half-hipped roof - solid construction.
We now have a floor plan that we could work with (attached).
Our first and second biggest problems were that we want the large bathroom (with bathtub) on the ground floor as well as our bedroom.
This significantly increases the footprint.

I have a few questions, especially since the budget is quite tight:

- Why did you design the space in front of the stairs as a vestibule instead of having it as the start of the staircase? You would gain space on both floors this way. Otherwise, I would skip it because it causes unnecessary costs and “just” looks nice.
- If the bedroom is planned for older age, I would place the kitchen at the front and, for later use—when the time comes and a stair lift is not an option—separate the room currently planned as the kitchen from the living room.
- Why is a shower bathroom on the ground floor not enough? From all experience with disabilities, showers are by far the better wet rooms; they simply have to be planned to be level-access and larger.

Petri schrieb:

- Underfloor heating is fixed, but what heating type? Currently, we are looking at an air-source heat pump since geothermal is too expensive upfront. A wood stove is also certain, as well as a small solar system. Can someone share their experience with air-source heat pumps (noise level, efficiency)?

You write in another thread as if you have already decided on the air-to-water heat pump. If the site conditions are right, based on all experience and the corresponding masonry construction, it would already be a KfW 70 efficiency house.

For split units, opinions vary, and it reveals what the “average German” does best. If someone mentions “possible” noises, they will hear them too 🙁 The outdoor units are only allowed to reach certain decibel levels, above which it is prohibited; simply put.

Petri schrieb:

Our budget is €180,000. We have additionally planned €20,000 as incidental costs. Is that realistic for this project? We already have offers but always feel we’re not being taken seriously.

With the enclosed vestibule, that won’t work, and a half-hipped roof is not one of the cost-effective solutions either.

Petri schrieb:

Reading all this, for me it means either drastically reducing the house size to fit the budget or raising the budget.

Not necessarily smaller. If you skip the enclosed vestibule and the half-hipped roof, the budget should be sufficient for the house—even as a KfW 70 efficiency house.

Petri schrieb:

I feel uncertain with all providers, whether a company like Helma or an architect with construction supervision, etc.
How high should I raise the budget instead of 1,500, so that at least there is a bit of wiggle room?

You have just been unlucky with both in that the salespeople or architect were focused more on closing the deal than on your interests.

If you don’t get any further with your search for the right building partner, just send me a message; I’m happy to try to help you.

Best regards, Bauexperte