ᐅ Building a house is more complicated than expected – prices keep changing constantly!
Created on: 15 Apr 2022 18:05
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HolzWurm1988
Greetings everyone!
The house construction is actually supposed to start soon. After finding a plot of land here in our rural area, I inquired locally about all the costs related to the land (surveying, water/electricity/telephone connections, notary fees, etc.). I also have the exact notary costs, including the mortgage registration and so on. Some of the costs were significantly higher than I expected, while others were much lower. Overall, the total amount balances out in the end.
Since I basically want to build a log house, I have realized that the contractors are not flexible enough in their scheduling. Of course, I’m glad that all the contractors are busy. However, I also need to ensure that the respective companies can start on my construction site on time. It’s no good if weeks pass between the different phases. Unfortunately, with a log house, I have to manage all the contractors myself. There aren’t many, but they all need to be available at the required time. For this reason, I started looking into prefab houses. Specifically, I’m considering the following models:
Town & Country "Raumwunder 100" and Heinz von Heiden "Bungalow, der Unverbesserliche B760"
When searching online about both companies, you find a mix of positive and negative reviews. I personally believe that most people tend to share negative experiences on the internet, so I don’t include that heavily in my assessment! For both providers, I am increasingly confronted with new prices every few days, which makes me feel like they are trying to pressure me as a customer. So far, I have not signed any purchase contract. However, both houses are viable options for me.
So far, my costs are as follows:
Plot (750 sqm (8,073 sq ft)): 24,500€
Notary fees (including mortgage registration, etc.): 1,945€
Connections/lines/surveying: 6,300€
The Raumwunder 100 costs 210,000€ turnkey, including electric shutters, heat pump but NO underfloor heating.
The Heinz von Heiden bungalow costs 205,000€, including electric shutters, heat pump, and underfloor heating.
Ideally, I would have to commit immediately to Heinz von Heiden. However, my final bank meeting is not until the week after next, and I don’t want to sign any contract before that. I just don’t know if I would still have the option to back out if something goes wrong with the bank. Although, the bank told me in advance that I should have no problem obtaining the credit amount I need. In that case, the price would at least be “safe” for now...
What bothers me most, however, is that the Heinz von Heiden salesperson told me that if I signed the contract this May, I might not be able to build the house until October to December of next year. Building earlier is not possible due to material shortages and the high demand from many people currently wanting to build a house.
As an alternative, I have considered buying an older house again. However, I would have to completely renovate it. Still, I would never reach the current energy standards and would be left with the old water pipes in the house.
What would you do? Do you have any advice for my situation? Are there any alternatives?
I often read that despite a nearly agreed price, sudden price increases occur. Then there’s the fact that materials for continued construction are often missing. This makes me wonder whether it makes sense to take an older house and renovate it step by step, working with the materials currently available.
The house construction is actually supposed to start soon. After finding a plot of land here in our rural area, I inquired locally about all the costs related to the land (surveying, water/electricity/telephone connections, notary fees, etc.). I also have the exact notary costs, including the mortgage registration and so on. Some of the costs were significantly higher than I expected, while others were much lower. Overall, the total amount balances out in the end.
Since I basically want to build a log house, I have realized that the contractors are not flexible enough in their scheduling. Of course, I’m glad that all the contractors are busy. However, I also need to ensure that the respective companies can start on my construction site on time. It’s no good if weeks pass between the different phases. Unfortunately, with a log house, I have to manage all the contractors myself. There aren’t many, but they all need to be available at the required time. For this reason, I started looking into prefab houses. Specifically, I’m considering the following models:
Town & Country "Raumwunder 100" and Heinz von Heiden "Bungalow, der Unverbesserliche B760"
When searching online about both companies, you find a mix of positive and negative reviews. I personally believe that most people tend to share negative experiences on the internet, so I don’t include that heavily in my assessment! For both providers, I am increasingly confronted with new prices every few days, which makes me feel like they are trying to pressure me as a customer. So far, I have not signed any purchase contract. However, both houses are viable options for me.
So far, my costs are as follows:
Plot (750 sqm (8,073 sq ft)): 24,500€
Notary fees (including mortgage registration, etc.): 1,945€
Connections/lines/surveying: 6,300€
The Raumwunder 100 costs 210,000€ turnkey, including electric shutters, heat pump but NO underfloor heating.
The Heinz von Heiden bungalow costs 205,000€, including electric shutters, heat pump, and underfloor heating.
Ideally, I would have to commit immediately to Heinz von Heiden. However, my final bank meeting is not until the week after next, and I don’t want to sign any contract before that. I just don’t know if I would still have the option to back out if something goes wrong with the bank. Although, the bank told me in advance that I should have no problem obtaining the credit amount I need. In that case, the price would at least be “safe” for now...
What bothers me most, however, is that the Heinz von Heiden salesperson told me that if I signed the contract this May, I might not be able to build the house until October to December of next year. Building earlier is not possible due to material shortages and the high demand from many people currently wanting to build a house.
As an alternative, I have considered buying an older house again. However, I would have to completely renovate it. Still, I would never reach the current energy standards and would be left with the old water pipes in the house.
What would you do? Do you have any advice for my situation? Are there any alternatives?
I often read that despite a nearly agreed price, sudden price increases occur. Then there’s the fact that materials for continued construction are often missing. This makes me wonder whether it makes sense to take an older house and renovate it step by step, working with the materials currently available.
H
HoisleBauer2216 Apr 2022 00:01A brief summary on house prices for the thread starter (period Sept. 2021 - March 2022) in our case :p
Starting price around 300K* for 140 m² (1506 sq ft)
Basement? A must! *Cash register rings* -> 370K
KfW55 instead of 70? There’s a 26K grant for that, let’s do it! – Consultant: Uh, it’s not really worth it, because the extra cost is 33K -> Doesn’t matter, we’ll do it anyway, we like being eco-friendly! *Cash register rings* -> 403K
Central ventilation system -> Always having to ventilate a new building is annoying! >Want it! -> 413K
Oh, we wanted to stay under 400K... Let’s just remove the bay window -> 403K
Warning, it gets hotter in summer! Ok, external blinds on the sunny side -> 405K
Roof windows for the kids’ rooms, knee walls higher because kids should have it nice -> 430K (Contract signed, “KfW pays 26K”...)
Selection in March 2022 (“The standard is really bad...” -> Better stairs, bigger windows, nicer bathroom fixtures, shower in the guest WC, nice tiles, tiled living room floor, etc., additional structural costs) -> 450K
- Ouch! 😱 Now we can only hope grandma...
*In the background, from the beginning around €90,000 for “additional construction costs”, such as kitchen [15K], earthworks [20K], landscaping [20K], garage [15K], temporary power and water supply [5K], painting [10K], flooring [10K], surveyor, fees...
Starting price around 300K* for 140 m² (1506 sq ft)
Basement? A must! *Cash register rings* -> 370K
KfW55 instead of 70? There’s a 26K grant for that, let’s do it! – Consultant: Uh, it’s not really worth it, because the extra cost is 33K -> Doesn’t matter, we’ll do it anyway, we like being eco-friendly! *Cash register rings* -> 403K
Central ventilation system -> Always having to ventilate a new building is annoying! >Want it! -> 413K
Oh, we wanted to stay under 400K... Let’s just remove the bay window -> 403K
Warning, it gets hotter in summer! Ok, external blinds on the sunny side -> 405K
Roof windows for the kids’ rooms, knee walls higher because kids should have it nice -> 430K (Contract signed, “KfW pays 26K”...)
Selection in March 2022 (“The standard is really bad...” -> Better stairs, bigger windows, nicer bathroom fixtures, shower in the guest WC, nice tiles, tiled living room floor, etc., additional structural costs) -> 450K
- Ouch! 😱 Now we can only hope grandma...
*In the background, from the beginning around €90,000 for “additional construction costs”, such as kitchen [15K], earthworks [20K], landscaping [20K], garage [15K], temporary power and water supply [5K], painting [10K], flooring [10K], surveyor, fees...
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Allthewayup16 Apr 2022 10:47HolzWurm1988 schrieb:
I’ve uploaded a screenshot of the construction specification here. Everything is clearly visible. I don’t see a major problem at first glance, but I’m happy to be corrected by others with more experience. As I said, I uploaded the images because I’m seriously interested in this matter.
I’ve left out the other pages. They consist of a cover sheet, signatures, and various floor plans. The entire offer has 28 pages. I quickly skimmed through this construction specification and I’d say it reflects standards from around the turn of the millennium – sorry if that sounds harsh. The quoted price for tile materials alone at €25 per square meter (about $27 per square yard) left me speechless. At a hardware store, a mediocre vinyl floor already costs €24.99 per square meter (about $27 per square yard). If you don’t want to feel like you’re moving into your grandparents’ inherited house when you move into your new build, you really need to be cautious here. When we had our general contractor’s construction specification, we immediately doubled the tile price from €30 to €60 per square meter (about $65 per square yard) for the offer, and now at least on the ground floor, we’re around €100 per square meter (about $108 per square yard) for porcelain stoneware tiles. €60 would have been sufficient, but as I mentioned two posts earlier, once you start to understand all the nice options available, the costs usually climb quickly...
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Fuchsbau3516 Apr 2022 10:54Exactly. A tile price of 25€/m² (about $23/sq ft) is hardly feasible anymore unless it is the simplest tile available in three color options. This is also stated in our construction and scope of work specification. However, this document dates back to early 2021 when the tile wholesaler still offered a larger selection within this price range. Now, due to several price increases, the variety is very limited. We ended up mixing tiles: the inexpensive dark gray tiles for the entrance, kitchen, and guest bathroom, and the slightly more expensive ones for the main bathrooms. This kept the additional cost manageable.
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Pinkiponk16 Apr 2022 13:50HolzWurm1988 schrieb:
... by now I am confronted with new prices every few days, which makes me feel like they are trying to pressure me as a customer. If possible, I would avoid building with companies that try to pressure you. They will likely continue to pressure you throughout the construction process.
If you have the option to buy an existing house, I would recommend that. My husband and I are only building a new house because there was no suitable existing home available in our desired area.
Not every existing house needs a full renovation. Plus, the advantage is that you can move in quickly and take care of the rest once the situation regarding materials, etc., has eased.
HolzWurm1988 schrieb:
I have written offers from both manufacturers here. The only things I still need to do are lay tiles, hang wallpaper, and buy a kitchen. If that’s true, those two houses are almost a bargain at the prices quoted, and I wonder why our rather simple house is significantly more expensive.
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