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!
B
Bertram10030 Aug 2022 15:53I grew up in a fairly large house where we had rooms that were basically unused (only occasionally used for playing music), a shower bathroom that was hardly ever used (not even for the dog), and a utility room that wasn’t needed. We also had a garden so large that you couldn’t really make use of all of it. Terrible. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, and it’s not a fond memory. The house was smaller than the one presented here and had my father’s and grandfather’s workspaces on the ground floor.
SaniererNRW123 schrieb:
That could definitely be well brought to life. Hmm… if the entrance hall is actually a hall, meaning it is no longer just a foyer, then personally, I don’t find it appealing. It’s larger than a standard living room in a comfort-level apartment. It also needs to be frequently used to access the upper floors or the restroom. What I do find impressive, however, is the volume of airspace above it—if a really striking chandelier is hanging there, it does make an impact. Nevertheless, even if you have the budget, you have to consider whether you want to distance yourself that much from an average standard of living or if, with such a large space, you might want to stop pushing the boundaries.
Everything eventually becomes saturated and excessive: what use is a bouillabaisse if it contains so much premium fish that there’s no liquid left in the soup?
I’m not trying to convert anyone here, but since the house is not really affordable or feasible as it is, it might be worth considering that even a half-sized hall—a generous foyer—can be much more valuable to the house than a grand, castle-like space.
Personally, I would rather stick to built-in furniture that sets up the house or an expensive staircase, and save on impractical size.
C
Charlottka30 Aug 2022 18:04With a budget of 1.5 million, we currently cannot build 235sqm (2,530 sq ft) plus a double garage without a basement. We also tried to reduce a larger floor plan, costing over 2 million euros, down to 1.5 million – no chance. The only option left is to start the planning over. I’m afraid your architect’s cost estimate is quite realistic.
Hi,
off topic:
Excuse me? Does that price include a plot in Munich city center? Yes, prices have increased significantly in recent years, but we built in 2016, 180 sqm (1,940 sq ft) including a basement (so roughly comparable to 235 sqm without a basement) and our house cost around €420,000, including hardwood floors, electric aluminum shutters, controlled ventilation system, underfloor heating, and so on. Add additional construction costs and a garage, and you’re at about €500,000. So prices haven’t exactly tripled. Even if you cover the entire house with floorings costing €500 per sqm, that’s only about €100,000.
What kind of prices are those? Do your craftsmen arrive in Bentleys or a private jet?
Best regards,
Andreas
Charlottka schrieb:
Right now, we can’t manage to build 235 sqm (2,530 sq ft) plus a double garage for 1.5 million without a basement.
off topic:
Excuse me? Does that price include a plot in Munich city center? Yes, prices have increased significantly in recent years, but we built in 2016, 180 sqm (1,940 sq ft) including a basement (so roughly comparable to 235 sqm without a basement) and our house cost around €420,000, including hardwood floors, electric aluminum shutters, controlled ventilation system, underfloor heating, and so on. Add additional construction costs and a garage, and you’re at about €500,000. So prices haven’t exactly tripled. Even if you cover the entire house with floorings costing €500 per sqm, that’s only about €100,000.
What kind of prices are those? Do your craftsmen arrive in Bentleys or a private jet?
Best regards,
Andreas
C
Costruttrice30 Aug 2022 20:49andimann schrieb:
off topic:
Excuse me? Does that include the plot of land in downtown Munich? The land alone costs about 1.5 million euros in Munich, although not in the city center.
C
Costruttrice30 Aug 2022 21:03Unfortunately, I also think that the new price is more realistic than your stated budget. And I’m afraid the new quoted price won’t be the final cost for this project either.
It’s really frustrating because you’ve clearly defined your expectations. With our architect, the price also increased with each appointment. Once you reach your pain threshold, you have to pull the emergency brake. Saving money on built-in features or moving exterior walls inward to reduce room sizes won’t help and will ruin the entire design. It’s better to start over completely.
It’s really frustrating because you’ve clearly defined your expectations. With our architect, the price also increased with each appointment. Once you reach your pain threshold, you have to pull the emergency brake. Saving money on built-in features or moving exterior walls inward to reduce room sizes won’t help and will ruin the entire design. It’s better to start over completely.
Similar topics