ᐅ Realistic Cost Estimate: Single-Family Home with Challenging Site Access
Created on: 20 Jan 2023 10:50
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schmeissrein
Hello everyone,
I have been following this forum for a while and first of all, a big thank you to everyone who shares their advice here and sometimes also speaks hard truths. I didn’t originally want to create a new thread but intended to form an opinion based on other discussions. However, you convinced me that this building project is too individual for that. So here is our plan:
- Building a new single-family house in the far north of Germany (Schleswig-Flensburg region).
- Plot size is over 1000sqm (10,764 sq ft).
- Total square meters are not so important as long as the layout works.
- Basement is not planned.
What we would like:
- Open-plan kitchen-living area of at least 36m² (388 sq ft).
- Guest room (at least 10m² / 108 sq ft) and small guest bathroom with shower on the ground floor, so that in old age, with disability, or a broken leg, the ground floor can be used independently and possibly serve as a bedroom.
- Utility room / storage room / pantry with heat pump of at least 8m² (86 sq ft) (KfW 40 standard would be great, of course).
- Upper floor with three rooms (1 office, 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s room) each at least 14m² (151 sq ft) and one bathroom. Our dream would be a “walk-in” (what a silly word – aren’t all showers walk-in?) shower to avoid having to clean those limescale-rusty, annoying shower enclosures.
- We could contribute labor for garden landscaping and painting/wallpapering; otherwise, we would prefer a turnkey build.
As for the house style, regionally typical Frisian houses or captain’s houses (with all the “cute” features like small gables, etc.) are in consideration, or also not completely unimaginative “normal” single-family houses. We are not afraid of Bauhaus-style concrete marvels either, but those tend to be more expensive. In terms of fittings, no “gold-plated faucets” and no smart home – but decent and presentable.
The big BUT: the plot is not connected to utilities, and the distance to the street is about 65m (213 ft), of which 50m (164 ft) is a paved driveway and paved parking area that would have to be dug up (across another property). The connection costs and incidental construction costs worry us quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with such a “mammoth connection” for a relatively small building project? What realistic costs should we expect for both?
We would greatly appreciate any thoughts on this project, thank you very much in advance!
I have been following this forum for a while and first of all, a big thank you to everyone who shares their advice here and sometimes also speaks hard truths. I didn’t originally want to create a new thread but intended to form an opinion based on other discussions. However, you convinced me that this building project is too individual for that. So here is our plan:
- Building a new single-family house in the far north of Germany (Schleswig-Flensburg region).
- Plot size is over 1000sqm (10,764 sq ft).
- Total square meters are not so important as long as the layout works.
- Basement is not planned.
What we would like:
- Open-plan kitchen-living area of at least 36m² (388 sq ft).
- Guest room (at least 10m² / 108 sq ft) and small guest bathroom with shower on the ground floor, so that in old age, with disability, or a broken leg, the ground floor can be used independently and possibly serve as a bedroom.
- Utility room / storage room / pantry with heat pump of at least 8m² (86 sq ft) (KfW 40 standard would be great, of course).
- Upper floor with three rooms (1 office, 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s room) each at least 14m² (151 sq ft) and one bathroom. Our dream would be a “walk-in” (what a silly word – aren’t all showers walk-in?) shower to avoid having to clean those limescale-rusty, annoying shower enclosures.
- We could contribute labor for garden landscaping and painting/wallpapering; otherwise, we would prefer a turnkey build.
As for the house style, regionally typical Frisian houses or captain’s houses (with all the “cute” features like small gables, etc.) are in consideration, or also not completely unimaginative “normal” single-family houses. We are not afraid of Bauhaus-style concrete marvels either, but those tend to be more expensive. In terms of fittings, no “gold-plated faucets” and no smart home – but decent and presentable.
The big BUT: the plot is not connected to utilities, and the distance to the street is about 65m (213 ft), of which 50m (164 ft) is a paved driveway and paved parking area that would have to be dug up (across another property). The connection costs and incidental construction costs worry us quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with such a “mammoth connection” for a relatively small building project? What realistic costs should we expect for both?
We would greatly appreciate any thoughts on this project, thank you very much in advance!
schmeissrein13 Apr 2023 14:06@Traumfaenger
Thank you for your assessment and contribution to the original topic, which unfortunately is still very relevant. Some civil engineers never got back to us, while others are so busy they couldn’t even send a quote. One estimate came in at 80,000, but we now have a construction company and hope that with their help (and a foundation contractor) we can manage it more affordably and efficiently.
Thank you for your assessment and contribution to the original topic, which unfortunately is still very relevant. Some civil engineers never got back to us, while others are so busy they couldn’t even send a quote. One estimate came in at 80,000, but we now have a construction company and hope that with their help (and a foundation contractor) we can manage it more affordably and efficiently.
H
hanghaus202314 Apr 2023 07:44I can only recommend requesting the services to be included before signing the contract. Otherwise, you might face an unpleasant surprise in the end. Additional work is never cheap—usually quite expensive.
Has your contractor already planned the location of the house and garage with you? Your suggestion is not exactly optimized.
Has your contractor already planned the location of the house and garage with you? Your suggestion is not exactly optimized.
schmeissrein14 Apr 2023 14:33@hanghaus2023
We’re currently working with a draftsman to implement this properly 🙂 You definitely need a professional who can see everything in person.
The client quickly sketched a floor plan by hand and actually didn’t want it uploaded (she thought it turned out too ugly), but I’m sharing it anyway since it’s only about the general layout of the rooms. The room sizes aren’t accurate, but this is just what we’re giving the draftsman so she can create a proper version. We’ve now decided on the option “hallway without windows” on the upper floor. A door with glass in the office should solve the “problem” — which we didn’t really see as an issue in other houses anyway. What do you think?
WS = laundry chute (since the long distances for laundry were rightly mentioned here). WP = heat pump. Washing machine = washing machine. WT = clothes dryer.
We’re currently working with a draftsman to implement this properly 🙂 You definitely need a professional who can see everything in person.
The client quickly sketched a floor plan by hand and actually didn’t want it uploaded (she thought it turned out too ugly), but I’m sharing it anyway since it’s only about the general layout of the rooms. The room sizes aren’t accurate, but this is just what we’re giving the draftsman so she can create a proper version. We’ve now decided on the option “hallway without windows” on the upper floor. A door with glass in the office should solve the “problem” — which we didn’t really see as an issue in other houses anyway. What do you think?
WS = laundry chute (since the long distances for laundry were rightly mentioned here). WP = heat pump. Washing machine = washing machine. WT = clothes dryer.
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hanghaus202315 Apr 2023 13:29I have made some changes to the ground floor. The utility room can still be adjusted to include a pantry.
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xMisterDx15 Apr 2023 23:40It may be frustrating, but 12m² (130 square feet) for a children’s bedroom is borderline. Especially when you have a walk-in closet of 10m² (108 square feet). It also says something about the priority given to the children when the wardrobe space is almost as large as the rooms where a 16-year-old lives.
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