Hello everyone,
we have recently purchased a plot of land and plan to build a house on it in the next few years.
I have been thinking a lot about the floor plan and the size—just roughly speaking. We recently visited a show home from a local company specializing in solid construction, which is very affordable and also appealed to us.
I am quite certain that we will not go through an architect but will look for promotion houses from companies instead, mainly to save costs. Of course, compromises are necessary, but we don’t have any extraordinary requirements at the moment.
Therefore, I wanted to ask more generally if anyone has experience building promotion houses regardless of the company. Were there any unexpected costs, or did the predefined floor plans turn out to be less practical than expected?
we have recently purchased a plot of land and plan to build a house on it in the next few years.
I have been thinking a lot about the floor plan and the size—just roughly speaking. We recently visited a show home from a local company specializing in solid construction, which is very affordable and also appealed to us.
I am quite certain that we will not go through an architect but will look for promotion houses from companies instead, mainly to save costs. Of course, compromises are necessary, but we don’t have any extraordinary requirements at the moment.
Therefore, I wanted to ask more generally if anyone has experience building promotion houses regardless of the company. Were there any unexpected costs, or did the predefined floor plans turn out to be less practical than expected?
Some comments about the base house or catalog costs have already been made here.
Enrico02 schrieb:
There are always additional costs, of course. The best way is to look at and compare the individual specifications of the construction services.
ypg schrieb:
The catalog price always increases with chosen upgrades – even if it’s just a few extra power outlets.
Hausbau202500 schrieb:
Exactly, the driveway should be accessible from the street. The two neighboring houses have basements, so their driveways are basically level, and the garage is at basement level. We don’t want that. Would it be such a problem if the driveway were a bit steeper or made longer to make it less steep? That depends on your expectations and the local conditions. You would naturally need vehicles with sufficient ground clearance that can safely manage a slippery slope in winter if necessary.
A slope of around 10% is usually not a problem, but with a 2-meter (6.6-foot) height difference, that would mean at least 20 meters (66 feet) in length. Usually, you want the garage next to the house and additional parking spaces in front of it. If you place the house close to the building line at the front and have the garden on the north side, the driveway will be naturally short—especially if you also need parking spaces before the garage. I can’t really see how you could manage a 2-meter (6.6-foot) elevation this way.
We can advise you much better if we know more about the plot of land. The picture only shows an approximate rectangle with a small extension and no elevation details; it also mentions that the section is not exactly aligned to true north, and that the road is at the bottom edge of the image. The plot apparently borders the road directly. What does it mean that it is two meters higher? Surely not on a step, with a lift system to reach the road (but more likely a slope rising around two meters along its length), so it is a hillside location. Post #11 mentions neighboring houses with integrated garages at the downhill level, which you should use as a reference (although you do not want to). The latter would probably mean a very long driveway almost reaching the back end of the property, like at house no. 28b. "That’s about it"—I initially see little chance of a catalog house here (which promotional houses always are, a supplier—though not recommended by me for other reasons—calls them “incorrigible,” meaning “unchangeable”). However, catalog houses are generally unsuitable here without modifications, and such modifications are quite limited with promotional houses.
As a “normal family,” the idea of choosing a tried-and-tested standard or catalog house is very reasonable and advisable. Yvonne is mistaken twice here: the majority of general contractors (like Steiner and Holzer) I work with regularly offer promotional houses; these are not “prefabricated,” but “pre-priced.” However, they are usually designed for flat plots, with or without a utility basement; houses with full living basements are uncommon. But that is exactly what you need, and preferably one tailored with an architect. Your actual basic model is “too small” in size and the number of rooms, under which a basement is used for living space.
I only partly agree with “the company doesn’t matter.” You probably imagine you could choose from a wide range of suppliers and their promotional houses. That is not the case, nor is it advisable. Nationwide, most general contractors do offer promotional houses, usually two to four models per promotion, and they can provide current pricing quickly for their 2023 or 2022 promotional houses (earlier models are harder because they complied only with the 2016 energy saving ordinance). A key feature of recommended general contractors is that they are owner-managed and have a reputation to maintain in the building region. Suddenly, the world shrinks to a radius of about 30 km around the plot. In many areas, that still leaves two to three dozen general contractors but is clearly fewer than if you also consider the big national brands. Those, in turn, typically offer catalog houses generally (not limited to promotional houses), which, as described, are “too small.” These can also be listed under “bungalows.”
It is best if you fill out the questionnaire https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-planung-unbedingt-vor-beitrag-erstellung-lesen.11714/ and check the Bayernatlas to tell us more about the plot—is it still this one: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundstuecks-einfahrt-ideen-erfahrungen.47877/?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hausbau202500 schrieb:
I’m pretty sure we won’t go the architect route but will look for promotional houses from companies. Mainly for cost reasons. Of course, compromises have to be made, but we don’t have any extraordinary wishes at the moment.
ypg schrieb:
Usually a regional solid construction house, i.e., a tried-and-tested standard house, is cheaper; these are not promotional offers because nothing is prefabricated.
As a “normal family,” the idea of choosing a tried-and-tested standard or catalog house is very reasonable and advisable. Yvonne is mistaken twice here: the majority of general contractors (like Steiner and Holzer) I work with regularly offer promotional houses; these are not “prefabricated,” but “pre-priced.” However, they are usually designed for flat plots, with or without a utility basement; houses with full living basements are uncommon. But that is exactly what you need, and preferably one tailored with an architect. Your actual basic model is “too small” in size and the number of rooms, under which a basement is used for living space.
I only partly agree with “the company doesn’t matter.” You probably imagine you could choose from a wide range of suppliers and their promotional houses. That is not the case, nor is it advisable. Nationwide, most general contractors do offer promotional houses, usually two to four models per promotion, and they can provide current pricing quickly for their 2023 or 2022 promotional houses (earlier models are harder because they complied only with the 2016 energy saving ordinance). A key feature of recommended general contractors is that they are owner-managed and have a reputation to maintain in the building region. Suddenly, the world shrinks to a radius of about 30 km around the plot. In many areas, that still leaves two to three dozen general contractors but is clearly fewer than if you also consider the big national brands. Those, in turn, typically offer catalog houses generally (not limited to promotional houses), which, as described, are “too small.” These can also be listed under “bungalows.”
It is best if you fill out the questionnaire https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-planung-unbedingt-vor-beitrag-erstellung-lesen.11714/ and check the Bayernatlas to tell us more about the plot—is it still this one: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundstuecks-einfahrt-ideen-erfahrungen.47877/?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
Hausbau20250018 Nov 2024 09:57Thank you very much for the detailed response. The plot of land is exactly the same as in my previous post. I am only able to reply now because I have been very busy with other matters. I will fill out the template soon once I have all the information about the plot. However, we still plan to build a steep driveway without a basement.
H
Hausbau20250018 Nov 2024 10:13Hausbau202500 schrieb:
Thank you very much for the detailed response. The plot is the same one I mentioned in my previous post. I’m only able to reply now because I’ve been very busy with other matters. I will fill out the template soon once I have all the information about the plot. However, we are still planning to build a steep driveway without a basement. The picture was drawn by my friend, showing the side view of the plot. The street is directly at the bottom, and the land continues straight back from there, about 30 meters (98 feet).
Hausbau202500 schrieb:
However, we still recommend building a steep driveway without a basement. According to the sketch, driving in and out is only possible with a snowcat; you can forget about using any regular car there.
If you leave the car outside and build a staircase there, then you are inside the house.
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