Hello everyone!
We are currently considering three companies as potential builders. One of them is Laux Fertigbau from Saarland. They have offered to design our house according to our wishes (we sent them a list in text form). They have their own draftsmen but also work with architects.
The agreement would be that we pay €1500 (about $1600) for this planning work if we decide NOT to choose the company in the end. However, we would receive the plans and drawings and could have the house built by another company if we wanted to. If we decide in favor of Laux, then this planning is part of the project and costs nothing extra.
Overall, I find this arrangement fair, and I think it’s interesting to see what a local architect comes up with if given free rein. Still, I have some reservations about paying this money upfront because I worry it might create a sort of "pre-selection" for the builder and that we might then feel influenced to go with them, just so we don’t waste the €1500.
The second company (currently ranked third in my mind) is called DHI, and the third one is a very local provider with no website or brochures but has been building houses in the region for over 20 years and relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. I had a long phone conversation with them, and it was all very likeable. However, I don’t have a price estimate yet, and their aversion to anything digital (no smartphone, no website) puts me off a bit. On the other hand, their workload despite having no advertising clearly speaks in favor of the builder.
Best regards,
Kati
We are currently considering three companies as potential builders. One of them is Laux Fertigbau from Saarland. They have offered to design our house according to our wishes (we sent them a list in text form). They have their own draftsmen but also work with architects.
The agreement would be that we pay €1500 (about $1600) for this planning work if we decide NOT to choose the company in the end. However, we would receive the plans and drawings and could have the house built by another company if we wanted to. If we decide in favor of Laux, then this planning is part of the project and costs nothing extra.
Overall, I find this arrangement fair, and I think it’s interesting to see what a local architect comes up with if given free rein. Still, I have some reservations about paying this money upfront because I worry it might create a sort of "pre-selection" for the builder and that we might then feel influenced to go with them, just so we don’t waste the €1500.
The second company (currently ranked third in my mind) is called DHI, and the third one is a very local provider with no website or brochures but has been building houses in the region for over 20 years and relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. I had a long phone conversation with them, and it was all very likeable. However, I don’t have a price estimate yet, and their aversion to anything digital (no smartphone, no website) puts me off a bit. On the other hand, their workload despite having no advertising clearly speaks in favor of the builder.
Best regards,
Kati
No, I haven’t uploaded any photos of the plot yet. A contractor measured it and said there is about a one-story difference in elevation along the length of where the house would be.
Of course, no one really needs a house that size. But it’s nice to have. We like the floor plan because it has a lot of natural light and an open, spacious living area. We currently have 150m² (1,615 sq ft), not 200m² (2,150 sq ft), and that works too. However, we do value comfortable living and, since we work remotely, we like spending a lot of time at home.
For example, my sister definitely wouldn’t build a house like this. She doesn’t care much about interior design and still has the wallpaper and curtains in her living room that my mother put up over 15 years ago when the house still belonged to her. So everyone has their own preferences, or I might almost call it a hobby. 🙂
Reinhard84.2 schrieb:
Being out in the middle of nowhere is nice—you’re not right up against your neighbor, and there’s a bit of nature around. The downside is less social interaction and more farmers 😉. At least if it’s not in the East, there shouldn’t be any neo-Nazis. I would just think twice about taking on so much debt—it ties you down to work. When I think about it, even with three or four people, a house doesn’t need to be 200m² (2,150 sq ft); love, affection, and time matter more.
Of course, no one really needs a house that size. But it’s nice to have. We like the floor plan because it has a lot of natural light and an open, spacious living area. We currently have 150m² (1,615 sq ft), not 200m² (2,150 sq ft), and that works too. However, we do value comfortable living and, since we work remotely, we like spending a lot of time at home.
For example, my sister definitely wouldn’t build a house like this. She doesn’t care much about interior design and still has the wallpaper and curtains in her living room that my mother put up over 15 years ago when the house still belonged to her. So everyone has their own preferences, or I might almost call it a hobby. 🙂
If you can afford the space or open area, I would always invest in it. While space efficiency is important, despite all the complaints about our house in an older thread, our use of space—or more positively, the generosity of it—was the right decision. It’s like many things in construction: obviously a luxury and not strictly necessary. But everyone enjoys the luxury they can afford and prefer, whether it’s a fireplace, expensive “wellness bathrooms,” other costly fittings, or simply space.
We are aware of the budget. 😉
We will keep the house as it is, with all its spaciousness, without trying to make everything fit perfectly on paper. We know our soft limits—that is, the maximum loan amount we want to take on to feel comfortable with the monthly payment. In a few days, we will know the final price of the house, what that means for our overall budget, and which adjustments we can make if needed to keep everything in balance.
The floor plan is currently designed to be very symmetrical. That’s why I’m not a big fan of moving individual walls, as it would ruin the symmetry on both floors, which I really like.
The centerpiece of the house is that when you go downstairs (the staircase is in the middle), you enter an open hallway that leads almost without doors into the large open living area (kitchen, dining, living). It is really very open, and I can imagine it feels very spacious and roomy.
My husband loves it because it reminds him of his brother’s large and very open house in New Zealand.
We will keep the house as it is, with all its spaciousness, without trying to make everything fit perfectly on paper. We know our soft limits—that is, the maximum loan amount we want to take on to feel comfortable with the monthly payment. In a few days, we will know the final price of the house, what that means for our overall budget, and which adjustments we can make if needed to keep everything in balance.
The floor plan is currently designed to be very symmetrical. That’s why I’m not a big fan of moving individual walls, as it would ruin the symmetry on both floors, which I really like.
The centerpiece of the house is that when you go downstairs (the staircase is in the middle), you enter an open hallway that leads almost without doors into the large open living area (kitchen, dining, living). It is really very open, and I can imagine it feels very spacious and roomy.
My husband loves it because it reminds him of his brother’s large and very open house in New Zealand.
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