ᐅ Realistic Cost Estimate: Single-Family Home with Challenging Site Access
Created on: 20 Jan 2023 10:50
S
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!
X
xMisterDx25 Apr 2023 15:06K a t j a schrieb:
Before deciding not to build at all, I’ll leave out the terrace for now—of course. However, the loan payments won’t suddenly decrease after three years, and the terrace probably won’t get any cheaper. So where is the money supposed to come from? Therefore, it’s better to plan smaller right from the start but include the must-haves. Because maybe you have small children who will start school in 3, 4, or 5 years, and this will allow your wife to return to full-time work???
For us, that means about 1,200 EUR net income when my wife can work full time again instead of 50%.
That’s where the money will come from in 3 or 4 years. Some people here are so out of touch with reality, seriously…
I’m really annoyed by this “let them eat cake” attitude here. Not everyone has as much cash as you do or wants to get heavily into debt just because they can’t wait two years for a terrace…
W
WilderSueden25 Apr 2023 15:10You can place the office on the ground floor if you have a basement. However, having the technical room, pantry, and office all on the ground floor is simply too much. Even with 160m² (1,722 sq ft), the space in the open-plan area will be tight. You need to set priorities. Likewise, four gables and a centrally located staircase do not make the floor plan any simpler. The very first step I would take is to position the stairwell in one of the captain’s gables.
ypg schrieb:
It is often the straight staircase that takes up a lot of hallway space. On top of that, a solid wall. A prime example can be seen here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundstueck-einfamilienhaus-neubaugebiet.45350/page-8#post-627120
schmeissrein schrieb:
We currently live in less than 90 square meters (970 square feet) like you @Winniefred, and it doesn’t feel cramped to me either. I always advise my coaching clients to draw their current home and mark tight spots and other points where they would like a fairy godmother to improve things.
schmeissrein schrieb:
Then I stand in real houses, and it feels like no room is really spacious; some are even borderline small. schmeissrein schrieb:
Unfortunately, the houses are not available online, So you are talking about private homes, since show homes are usually known on the internet (or?)
schmeissrein schrieb:
I found some interesting floor plans at “Buss Bauunternehmen” under ‘Viergiebelhaus’ and at “die Planerei” (References/Viergibelhaus 151). If you like, you can share your thoughts on them. There are several “die Planerei,” probably meaning the one in Edewecht (written without a hyphen). My opinion is well known, and the impact of secondary and tertiary roof ridges on standing height availability is undisputed.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
xMisterDx schrieb:
Not everyone has as much money as you or wants to get heavily into debt just because they can’t wait two years for a terrace... Very few here actually have enough funds to cover 160 square meters (1722 square feet) or more. If you save 10 square meters (108 square feet) of living space, you can afford the terrace and driveway that come with the house. Oh man, always this “You’re so rich, look at me, the poor craftsman” attitude.
schmeissrein schrieb:
The exterior dimensions are not fixed; the floor plans from the general contractor were only examples. If they are considered fixed, that must be a misunderstanding or you’re confusing us. No, you wrote that you wanted to use a standard model house from the general contractor as an example and then at some point posted the drawing with the dimensions…
I think it’s getting quite pointless to keep repeating that 7 rooms are indeed tight if you can’t build on a larger scale right away. Neither Mr. Google nor another house name will change that.
schmeissrein schrieb:
that we can get reasonably decent room sizes and not have it much larger than 160 square meters (1722 square feet). schmeissrein schrieb:
Yes, the office on the ground floor is unpopular here, but unfortunately it’s necessary. The priority list and the idea of assigning multiple uses to rooms apparently didn’t work out?! Too bad.
Wasn’t there a budget mentioned? 500,000 euros?
xMisterDx schrieb:
Because maybe they have young children who will start school in 3, 4, or 5 years, and the wife can go back to full-time work???
That easily means an additional $1,200 net income when my wife can work full-time again instead of 50%.
That’s where the money will come from in 3 or 4 years. Some people here are really out of touch, seriously...
This “let them eat cake” attitude here annoys me a lot as well. Not everyone has as much cash as you or wants to go deeply into debt just because they can’t wait two years for a terrace… To be honest, we had much less money than the original poster. And yes, if there is a prospect of financial improvement later on, you are absolutely right. However, it was never primarily about the terrace or other optional outdoor features for me. I’ve tried to make that clear all along. The original poster’s money will go toward site development costs, so they are free to dream about a seven-room mansion. If the total budget stays at $500k all in, the house will be only about 140 square meters (1,500 square feet) instead of 160 square meters (1,700 square feet). You simply can’t do without water, electricity, and telephone connections. But maybe I’m exaggerating or misjudging the situation. I’m happy to be proven wrong.
H
hanghaus202325 Apr 2023 18:39schmeissrein schrieb:
Yes, that's true! We would also take a standard model immediately, but unfortunately, there are so few with two gables :/ Do you happen to have a smart source for that?Anyone who wants four gables and can afford it should consider going to an architect. It's hardly possible to get anything smaller with four gables.
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