Hello and good evening,
my wife and I are planning a small extension to our second home, which during the week serves as my primary residence due to its proximity to work. The house is small, with a footprint of 10 x 6 meters (33 x 20 feet). In this area, a maximum of 75 square meters (807 square feet) of built-up area is allowed. Our first attempt, working with the local carpentry business, didn’t work out. The municipality gave them no information and told us to submit a building permit / planning permission application ourselves.
The plan is to build a small two-story extension using a timber frame construction. The first meeting with the architect was positive. He spoke with the municipality, and they indicated approval as long as we stay within the development plan. Hence the small extension, which adds nearly 30 square meters (323 square feet) of living space—enough for an office and a child’s room. The second meeting with the architect is scheduled for Friday. Originally, the local carpentry business planned to deliver just the building shell, and we would handle the rest ourselves. Since it’s only an office and a kid’s room, this is technically no problem. We already have an electrician and a heating engineer.
The architect said that because this is such a small project, he charges by the hour. That sounds good at first but could become problematic if complications arise. Our plan is to commission only design phases 1 to 4 and then carry out the remaining phases with the contractor we eventually choose. It’s not yet clear whether the architect will agree to this, and we are unsure ourselves. He said he has better contractors to recommend, which we tend to believe after the first meeting.
So here is our question: does it make sense to have only the planning done by an architect and organize everything else ourselves? The project seems manageable... Would it possibly be better to pay based on a cost estimate and the official fee scale for architects (HOAI)? Since we have no experience with this and only own previously used properties, we feel a bit overwhelmed.
One advantage we see is that after receiving the building permit / planning permission, we could then decide how to proceed, hopefully when prices improve a bit following the impact of COVID-19 and raw material shortages.
Lastly, what is the current cost per square meter situation for extensions? Or is it not possible to give a general figure?
We look forward to your tips, questions, and suggestions.
my wife and I are planning a small extension to our second home, which during the week serves as my primary residence due to its proximity to work. The house is small, with a footprint of 10 x 6 meters (33 x 20 feet). In this area, a maximum of 75 square meters (807 square feet) of built-up area is allowed. Our first attempt, working with the local carpentry business, didn’t work out. The municipality gave them no information and told us to submit a building permit / planning permission application ourselves.
The plan is to build a small two-story extension using a timber frame construction. The first meeting with the architect was positive. He spoke with the municipality, and they indicated approval as long as we stay within the development plan. Hence the small extension, which adds nearly 30 square meters (323 square feet) of living space—enough for an office and a child’s room. The second meeting with the architect is scheduled for Friday. Originally, the local carpentry business planned to deliver just the building shell, and we would handle the rest ourselves. Since it’s only an office and a kid’s room, this is technically no problem. We already have an electrician and a heating engineer.
The architect said that because this is such a small project, he charges by the hour. That sounds good at first but could become problematic if complications arise. Our plan is to commission only design phases 1 to 4 and then carry out the remaining phases with the contractor we eventually choose. It’s not yet clear whether the architect will agree to this, and we are unsure ourselves. He said he has better contractors to recommend, which we tend to believe after the first meeting.
So here is our question: does it make sense to have only the planning done by an architect and organize everything else ourselves? The project seems manageable... Would it possibly be better to pay based on a cost estimate and the official fee scale for architects (HOAI)? Since we have no experience with this and only own previously used properties, we feel a bit overwhelmed.
One advantage we see is that after receiving the building permit / planning permission, we could then decide how to proceed, hopefully when prices improve a bit following the impact of COVID-19 and raw material shortages.
Lastly, what is the current cost per square meter situation for extensions? Or is it not possible to give a general figure?
We look forward to your tips, questions, and suggestions.
sveba schrieb:
The architect said that since this is such a small project, he charges by the hour.sveba schrieb:
Would it possibly be better to pay according to construction cost calculation and HOAI?He probably wouldn’t earn anything significant using construction cost-based fees/HOAI, right?So, we have now submitted a building plan (application) and are waiting for the approval before proceeding. For this, I still need a structural engineer and someone to carry out the work, which seems to be somewhat difficult. Everyone approached so far has declined – too small, not worth their effort... So overall, it’s not that simple. I have looked at some online offers for a structural engineer but am not sure if that is the right approach. I have attached a few pictures. With such a small area, it shouldn’t be a big issue except for the two wall openings in the exterior wall. The plan was originally for timber frame construction, but solid (masonry) would also be fine. What do you think would be more cost-effective? We only want the shell; the interior will be finished ourselves, as there is only an office and a children's room. The location is in the district of Aschaffenburg. Maybe one of you knows a provider who could handle this? Ideally, I would prefer structural engineering and construction from a single source...
I see a basement and an embankment... if any part of the structure is in contact with the ground, a wooden frame is out of the question. I would skip the structural calculations for now and look for a construction company. Perhaps the extension could simply be quickly built using Poroton blocks (it's really not complicated, especially since the quality of these blocks is actually reliable). Areas in contact with the ground would need waterproofing—that’s not a problem either. A local construction company can build it in a few days when they have some downtime. And if you find someone willing to do the job, they will also know a structural engineer 🙂
I’ll quote myself for simplicity:
But even if not, it’s probably faster and easier to bring in a few pallets of bricks or blocks and build up quickly. The same company that handles the foundation usually does this as well. It might also depend on the existing building. Mixing construction methods is not ideal, but I assume the existing structure is also masonry, right?
Hangman schrieb:
I see a basement and a slope... if anything is in contact with the ground, a wooden stud frame is definitely out.
But even if not, it’s probably faster and easier to bring in a few pallets of bricks or blocks and build up quickly. The same company that handles the foundation usually does this as well. It might also depend on the existing building. Mixing construction methods is not ideal, but I assume the existing structure is also masonry, right?
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