ᐅ Plot in View – Experiences with Building Planning

Hi,
It’s great that a forum like this exists:

In the past, we have been looking for used houses in a specific location. However, for various reasons, we weren’t able to make progress there. Now we have a plot of land that we can buy for about 300,000. Size: just under 600 square meters (about 6,458 square feet). It is not far from a body of water. Behind it is a small slope with detached houses.

Allowed building size: 8 by 12 meters (about 26 by 39 feet), basement, ground floor, upper floor, 40% roof pitch. Next to it, a driveway including a garage.

Directly next to the plot stands a huge beech tree.

Budget: 600,000 (excluding land purchase)

Us: family with two very young children.

I need a separate office (i.e., not on the upper floor).

We really like wooden façades, but we’re not yet sure whether it will be a timber house.

Due to the development plan, it will be difficult to achieve more than 130–140 square meters (about 1,400–1,500 square feet) of living space. Therefore, we want a habitable basement with plenty of natural light. We don’t know the allowed ceiling height or how much the basement can protrude above ground level. Also unclear is whether it is permitted to excavate around it.

Groundwater issues have been a topic nearby before (water comes from the slope).

Currently, these are our questions:
- Is our budget sufficient?
- Should we buy the plot?
- What are the risks?
- What about the water situation?
- Timber house or solid construction, prefab house or not?
- Where could we save money on essential trades and possibly upgrade or replace them later? For example, a carport instead of a garage, gravel instead of a paved driveway.

Alternatively, a developer has offered us a house project. We don’t know the plot yet. The house images look more like prototypes. It seems more like an intermediary who finds plots and matching buyers. Is this a good alternative? Or does it tend to be more expensive? (Roughly 135 square meters (about 1,450 square feet) on 420 square meters (about 4,520 square feet) for 800,000.)

How should one approach such a project? Is there a good checklist or procedure available somewhere? How do you select the right architect? Which service phases should be supervised by them? Which prefab house company is the right one? Or which general contractor or builder? How do you decide between timber and solid construction (is there a checklist for this)?
(Is there a good magazine you recommend?) How do you ultimately decide whether to proceed with the offered plot? There is also some time pressure, as the plot could be gone quickly.

I appreciate all input. I have already browsed the forum a bit but would also be glad if you could link me to the 2–3 most important posts. Any help is much appreciated at this stage.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

- is our budget sufficient?

For a well-designed house with 140 sqm (1,507 sq ft) and everything included? Yes.
Including a basement? It could be tight or a close call.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Alternatively, a planner has proposed a house to us.

So, do I understand correctly that you have two projects?
One is the plot by the water, and the other is a house project where it’s unclear if the plot even exists?

Alex_mucll schrieb:

due to the development plan / zoning plan

Alex_mucll schrieb:

We don’t know what height is allowed. Nor how far it can protrude above the ground.

Could it be that you don’t know how to read a development plan / zoning plan or what the different terms mean?

Alex_mucll schrieb:

We want a livable basement with plenty of natural light.

Others want a house with a lot of natural light…

Alex_mucll schrieb:

It is located not far from a body of water.

For me, that would already be a reason not to build with a basement.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Currently, we are faced with questions:
- Is our budget sufficient?
- Should we buy the land?
- What are the risks?
- What about the water situation?
- Wooden house or solid construction, prefab house or not?

Unfortunately, others cannot answer these questions for you.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Where could we save money on important trades and possibly improve or replace later? For example, a carport instead of a garage, gravel instead of a paved driveway.

I would say: first get agreement on the project itself before trying to cut costs on something not yet planned or reduce equipment that is not significant at this stage.

Can you upload sketches and documents related to the zoning plan and the plot? Then we could take a look at what is possible at most.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Currently, we are facing several questions:
- Is our budget sufficient?
- Should we buy the plot of land?
- What are the risks?
- What about the water situation?
- Wood house or solid construction, prefab house or not?
- Where could we possibly save money on important trades and maybe improve or replace later? For example, carport instead of garage, gravel instead of a paved driveway.

I appreciate all input. I have already browsed the forum a bit but would also appreciate if you could link me to the 2-3 most important posts. Anything helps me at this stage.

Whether your budget is enough depends on many factors. With wishes like a wooden facade and a basement living area, it will definitely be very tight. What exactly should be included in the budget? Also additional construction costs, landscaping, garage, kitchen, photovoltaics, etc.? Otherwise, it depends on where you build, with whom, what requirements you have regarding equipment and quality, what extra costs arise, and of course how much own work you can and want to contribute. Price-wise, it’s certainly not impossible, but also far from a “wish-for-anything” scenario.

Whether you should buy the plot is something you have to decide yourselves. Many factors come into play. If you have been looking in the area for a while, you probably have the best sense if something better is likely to appear and how to assess the price. Whether you find the plot appealing is something you will know best. We could only say whether we personally like the plot (but then many factors are missing, like neighboring buildings, location, noise, garden orientation, layout, etc.).

There are many risks, depending on what you understand by that. But if you study the topic of housebuilding thoroughly, plan well (preferably with an architect), and realistically assess the costs as well as your own potential for doing work yourself, you have already minimized many risks.

We cannot tell anything about the water situation from a distance. I would suggest asking neighbors how often they have problems with water and what measures they have taken. Otherwise, an architect can certainly give you many tips on what makes sense and what might be unnecessary.

Wood house or solid (masonry or concrete) construction ultimately comes down to personal preference and how much importance you assign to advantages and disadvantages. It’s best to read up on this. Today, neither construction method is generally better than the other, and cost differences are usually minimal—company choice plays a bigger role here. Basically, you could ask your architect to obtain quotes from providers of both construction methods and then decide.
Prefab house or architect-designed house is also a question you need to answer yourselves. Personally, I strongly favor architect houses because the home can be perfectly tailored to your own wishes and the specific plot. However, this is usually more expensive than a prefab house from a budget supplier.

You can always save the most by doing your own work. But you will need to consider what and how much you want to do yourselves, and most importantly, realistically assess whether you can do it well. Typical areas are flooring, painting, landscaping, etc. The bigger savings usually come with the major cost items, for which you either need relevant experience or someone you know who can do it together with you or alone for a “friend’s price.”
I assume you will take out a loan? In that case, I would be careful about leaving things unfinished to do later. At the beginning, many cost items come up that you didn’t think of initially, whether landscaping (a classic example is an entrance platform with a roof), furnishings, or other small things. Usually, it’s not so easy to save back an additional $50,000 as you initially hoped. Especially if many extras are missing but you would want them (garage, covered terrace, photovoltaics, etc.). Then you often have an unfinished home for a long time or have to give up on wishes. You should be aware of this in such a case.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

The building size allowed is 8 by 12 meters, with a basement, ground floor, upper floor, and a 40% roof pitch. Next to it, a driveway including a garage. [...]
Due to the development plan, it will be difficult to achieve more than 130–140 square meters (1400–1500 square feet) of living space. That means we want a livable basement with plenty of natural light. We do not know what height is permitted, nor how much it can protrude above ground level. Also unclear is whether some excavation in front of it is allowed.

That is indeed a very unusual development plan, allowing a house so tightly sized and an unspecific garage, while not specifying the number of storeys or reference heights, etc. When a slope itself is considered a structure, that is usually found in the regional building code. The budget limits the house more than the development plan does.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Currently, we face questions such as:
- Is our budget sufficient? [...]
- Timber frame house or solid construction, prefab or not?
- Where could we save money on crucial trades and possibly upgrade or replace those later? For example, a carport instead of a garage, gravel instead of a paved driveway.

Your budget already suggests that you can afford a gravel driveway even less than a paved one. For everything else, use the forum’s search function. I alone have over 22,000 posts with many answers to these questions; first, search for a post by Yvonne using the keyword #questionnaire – the next keywords would be “bare sale” or “land service.”

Alex_mucll schrieb:

Alternatively, a developer presented us with a house option. But we don’t know the plot yet. The house pictures look more like prototypes. It seems more like a broker who finds plots and matching buyers? Is that a good alternative? Or will one overpay there? (Approximately 135 square meters (1450 square feet) on 420 square meters (4500 square feet) for 800,000.) [...]
(Is there a recommended magazine?) How do you ultimately decide whether to proceed with the project including the offered plot? There is some time pressure because the plot could be sold quickly.

There is actually no time pressure at all behind those plots – see (mostly my) posts on the topic.
.

Alex_mucll schrieb:

How does one approach such a project? Is there a good checklist or procedure somewhere? How do you choose the right architect? Which phases of service should they handle? Which prefab house company is the right one? Or which general contractor or builder? How do you decide between timber and solid construction (is there a checklist for that)?

If my “House Construction Roadmap, also for you: the HOAI Phasing Model!” is not enough, get in touch personally. Also, there are plenty of posts here on the keywords “direct awarding” and “Gerddieter.” The decision on the construction method can be found (here and where that roadmap is) with the tool “set the course,” done during the “dough resting” phase. If needed, just look deep into my avatar’s eyes. You should only look for a general contractor locally and only as a replacement for, not instead of, a tender process.

ypg schrieb:

Could it be that you don’t know how to read a development plan or what its provisions mean?

I certainly won’t argue against that.

Enrico02 schrieb:

Personally, I am clearly in favor of architect-designed houses since the house can be perfectly tailored to your wishes and the plot.

Definitely on a slope. Naturally only with a “@Gerddieter-approved” architect.

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