Dear Homebuilding Community,
I have already read some exciting discussions here. However, I can’t help but share our building project with you to get your opinions. Perhaps our situation might also help other readers.
We already have a beautiful plot of land in southern Schleswig-Holstein (near Hamburg), where we want to build a spacious single-family home for a family of four, possibly five, with the option for Grandma to move in later. And by spacious, I really mean spacious: We approached the architect with a concept of about 300 m² (3,229 sq ft) of living space plus a basement and brought our dream home to paper. Including terraces, the total area is now an impressive 360 m² (3,875 sq ft). It’s large, and we know that. We’re currently in the planning approval phase.
First, some details about the house and property:
- 2,700 m² (29,063 sq ft) plot
- 360 m² (3,875 sq ft) living space plus basement
- Ground source heat pump with probes
- Photovoltaic system ~10 kWp
- Battery storage
- Central ventilation system
- Underfloor heating
- KNX smart home system for lighting, heating, ventilation, security
- Detached double garage
- Sauna house with whirlpool in the garden
- Meets KfW55 energy standard
- Watertight concrete shell (“white bathtub”)
- Built-in wardrobes
Everything falls into the category of high-end equipment.
Now our dilemma:
We started with a planning budget for cost groups 300 + 400 (shell + interior work and technical equipment) of €1.25 million (approximately $1.35 million; €3,500/m² or about $325/sq ft). This was the budget we planned with. Now the architect suddenly says the planned costs have almost doubled to about €2.1 million (approximately $2.27 million). The reason given: the square meters increased (the architect included some rooms in the basement as living space), and our wishes have continuously evolved along the way (dormers, double garage, outdoor kitchen, casemates, etc.). We’ve received a cost breakdown, but I have no way to evaluate whether the painter’s costs overall, or the price for a window or door, are reasonable.
Well – that’s clearly way over our budget, and we’re now cutting costs significantly. We’ve already removed the casemates, blinds, many built-in wardrobes, and still aren’t close to the budget we originally set. Apparently, we’ll have to downgrade from “high-end” to “standard” finishes and possibly shrink some rooms considerably.
The electrical planning has been the biggest surprise: After an initial quotation with very crazy prices, I now have a new “basis for discussion” on electrical costs. For electrical work (materials + installation), €220,000 (around $238,000) has been estimated so far—still excluding the photovoltaic system, battery storage, server, blind motors, KNX programming! Attached is a small excerpt from the planned costs. I can’t imagine these costs being realistic.
I know the square meters are extreme, and large areas like the entrance hall are not efficiently used. However, we started from the assumption that with a budget of about €1.5 million (planning + construction) we could build the absolute dream house.
Are we that far off? Is it not possible to realize such a project with this budget?
Thank you very much for your opinions and assessments! I’m also curious about your suggestions on what you would do or where you would cut costs.
Best regards!
I have already read some exciting discussions here. However, I can’t help but share our building project with you to get your opinions. Perhaps our situation might also help other readers.
We already have a beautiful plot of land in southern Schleswig-Holstein (near Hamburg), where we want to build a spacious single-family home for a family of four, possibly five, with the option for Grandma to move in later. And by spacious, I really mean spacious: We approached the architect with a concept of about 300 m² (3,229 sq ft) of living space plus a basement and brought our dream home to paper. Including terraces, the total area is now an impressive 360 m² (3,875 sq ft). It’s large, and we know that. We’re currently in the planning approval phase.
First, some details about the house and property:
- 2,700 m² (29,063 sq ft) plot
- 360 m² (3,875 sq ft) living space plus basement
- Ground source heat pump with probes
- Photovoltaic system ~10 kWp
- Battery storage
- Central ventilation system
- Underfloor heating
- KNX smart home system for lighting, heating, ventilation, security
- Detached double garage
- Sauna house with whirlpool in the garden
- Meets KfW55 energy standard
- Watertight concrete shell (“white bathtub”)
- Built-in wardrobes
Everything falls into the category of high-end equipment.
Now our dilemma:
We started with a planning budget for cost groups 300 + 400 (shell + interior work and technical equipment) of €1.25 million (approximately $1.35 million; €3,500/m² or about $325/sq ft). This was the budget we planned with. Now the architect suddenly says the planned costs have almost doubled to about €2.1 million (approximately $2.27 million). The reason given: the square meters increased (the architect included some rooms in the basement as living space), and our wishes have continuously evolved along the way (dormers, double garage, outdoor kitchen, casemates, etc.). We’ve received a cost breakdown, but I have no way to evaluate whether the painter’s costs overall, or the price for a window or door, are reasonable.
Well – that’s clearly way over our budget, and we’re now cutting costs significantly. We’ve already removed the casemates, blinds, many built-in wardrobes, and still aren’t close to the budget we originally set. Apparently, we’ll have to downgrade from “high-end” to “standard” finishes and possibly shrink some rooms considerably.
The electrical planning has been the biggest surprise: After an initial quotation with very crazy prices, I now have a new “basis for discussion” on electrical costs. For electrical work (materials + installation), €220,000 (around $238,000) has been estimated so far—still excluding the photovoltaic system, battery storage, server, blind motors, KNX programming! Attached is a small excerpt from the planned costs. I can’t imagine these costs being realistic.
I know the square meters are extreme, and large areas like the entrance hall are not efficiently used. However, we started from the assumption that with a budget of about €1.5 million (planning + construction) we could build the absolute dream house.
Are we that far off? Is it not possible to realize such a project with this budget?
Thank you very much for your opinions and assessments! I’m also curious about your suggestions on what you would do or where you would cut costs.
Best regards!
K
k-man202129 Aug 2022 23:17Regarding the electrical work... is there even a well-thought-out plan? If I interpret your excerpt correctly, you want to control 250 outlets with KNX… if the rest of the planning looks similarly extensive, in my opinion, you shouldn’t be surprised by the price… it can also be done more efficiently 😎;)
In short – a castle like this probably doesn’t exist for 1.5 million. Whether this is the ultimate dream house is another question.
Tinkering with it, in my opinion, is pointless. A clean break is needed here – ditch the plan and start over.
It’s also not very useful to speculate about which part of the house drives the price up. What really matters is what you value most. Many would likely agree that the basement resembles an underground city and is completely excessive and pointless. (For example, what can you realistically store in 20cm (8 inches) of space for supplies?)
You can build a nice house for 1.5 million. In a new plan, I would also reconsider the orientation of the main terrace and the kitchen’s connection. It would also be questionable whether I would stick with the architect who gave me such a misjudgment.
Tinkering with it, in my opinion, is pointless. A clean break is needed here – ditch the plan and start over.
It’s also not very useful to speculate about which part of the house drives the price up. What really matters is what you value most. Many would likely agree that the basement resembles an underground city and is completely excessive and pointless. (For example, what can you realistically store in 20cm (8 inches) of space for supplies?)
You can build a nice house for 1.5 million. In a new plan, I would also reconsider the orientation of the main terrace and the kitchen’s connection. It would also be questionable whether I would stick with the architect who gave me such a misjudgment.
Plan smaller and start fresh. Just making minor cuts here and there won’t solve the issue. The house is already designed quite large. I think reducing about 100 sqm (1,076 square feet) and including some luxury features will bring you closer to your budget while still giving you a dream home.
To exaggerate a bit: you could hold ball games in your entrance hall or install a bowling alley in the walk-in closet. Would you still feel comfortable?
There are also houses around 200 sqm (2,153 square feet) with entrances that create a true "wow" villa effect.
The 350 sqm (3,767 square feet) need to be filled with life, too.
Go through all the rooms again. Is a wine cellar really needed or would a wine cabinet be sufficient? Do you need so many hobby rooms? We also planned a hobby room for everyone in the past. In the end, we didn’t build any and haven’t missed it so far.
You can also avoid each other all day long.
Thinking about [USER=46794]@rick2018’s project, I’m afraid that 2 million might already be a tight budget.
To exaggerate a bit: you could hold ball games in your entrance hall or install a bowling alley in the walk-in closet. Would you still feel comfortable?
There are also houses around 200 sqm (2,153 square feet) with entrances that create a true "wow" villa effect.
The 350 sqm (3,767 square feet) need to be filled with life, too.
Go through all the rooms again. Is a wine cellar really needed or would a wine cabinet be sufficient? Do you need so many hobby rooms? We also planned a hobby room for everyone in the past. In the end, we didn’t build any and haven’t missed it so far.
You can also avoid each other all day long.
Thinking about [USER=46794]@rick2018’s project, I’m afraid that 2 million might already be a tight budget.
Hello,
that’s quite an impressive house… whether it still suits today’s standards is something everyone has to decide for themselves.
Regarding the costs: 5800 € per square meter (approximately 540 USD per square foot) seems very expensive to me, even including a basement and high-end finishes. There are also huge terraces included, which regardless of the surface material, shouldn’t cost more than 500 € per square meter (approximately 46 USD per square foot). This means the actual house is budgeted at over 6000 € per square meter (approximately 560 USD per square foot). The estimated 1.25 million will likely be tight; I would guess more around 1.5 to 1.7 million.
About the layout:
Kind regards,
Andreas
that’s quite an impressive house… whether it still suits today’s standards is something everyone has to decide for themselves.
Regarding the costs: 5800 € per square meter (approximately 540 USD per square foot) seems very expensive to me, even including a basement and high-end finishes. There are also huge terraces included, which regardless of the surface material, shouldn’t cost more than 500 € per square meter (approximately 46 USD per square foot). This means the actual house is budgeted at over 6000 € per square meter (approximately 560 USD per square foot). The estimated 1.25 million will likely be tight; I would guess more around 1.5 to 1.7 million.
About the layout:
- Where is the option for a granny flat? I don’t see a realistic way to separate the guest area effectively. Apart from that, with your possibilities, I would rather plan for a separate 80 m² (860 square feet) bungalow in the garden for that purpose…
- The staircase is a complete no-go; its placement destroys the symmetry and sightlines in your entrance hall. That ruins the whole flow and balance. It must necessarily be attached to walls on either side; otherwise, it feels very cramped.
Kind regards,
Andreas
I also looked for an option for grandma but only found many oversized placeholder rooms in the basement. Or is the bedroom with a bathroom for grandma located on the left side of the plan?
I would design the center of the house, meaning the entrance area, to feel more homely. After all, you want to actually live in the rooms and not have to accept long, inconvenient walks every day.
Consider reducing the walk-in closet on the upper floor by half and reevaluating the dormers, including the living spaces in the attic for the children.
And if living space is going to be created in the basement anyway, think about adding an attractive light well on the side, which allows good use of the basement living area. This could reduce each floor’s area by 30–40 square meters (320–430 square feet).
Even with these reductions, it will definitely become an impressive, great house.
I would design the center of the house, meaning the entrance area, to feel more homely. After all, you want to actually live in the rooms and not have to accept long, inconvenient walks every day.
Consider reducing the walk-in closet on the upper floor by half and reevaluating the dormers, including the living spaces in the attic for the children.
And if living space is going to be created in the basement anyway, think about adding an attractive light well on the side, which allows good use of the basement living area. This could reduce each floor’s area by 30–40 square meters (320–430 square feet).
Even with these reductions, it will definitely become an impressive, great house.
Similar topics