ᐅ Solid Construction House Providers in Hamburg – Alternatives to Viebrockhaus?
Created on: 9 Feb 2025 12:07
L
Lguenther
Hello everyone,
We are 99% certain about a plot of land and want to build a single-family house, single-story (gable roof with dormer or preferably a townhouse style) without a basement, with 225 sqm (2,421 sq ft), 5 bedrooms, 1 office, 2 shower bathrooms, and 1 full bathroom. Since the house has to be placed quite far back on the lot, the floor plan is rather unusual (side entrance, kitchen, living and dining areas on one side).
We have already received several offers from different builders, but so far only Viebrockhaus is an option, as the other two (Mollwitz, Breyer, and Seck) are too expensive.
Viebrockhaus is also just within our budget, which leaves little room for further adjustments.
We would like to get more offers in hopes of finding a provider who might allow for a bit more financial flexibility.
One of the main reasons Viebrockhaus is attractive to us is that much is well thought out and prepared, so we don’t have to invest too much effort as homeowners. (We have 4 small children, and our time and energy are resources we need to manage carefully.)
It is important to us that the house is built with solid masonry construction, with reliable and transparent planning and communication, and preferably a very transparent cost estimate (based on quantities). Above all, we want a truly solid build quality, preferably with no shortcuts on-site, so we don’t have to supervise the construction every day to keep things on track.
We have considered and requested an offer from Kagebau. I have also looked at Team Massivhaus, but I have often heard that as a homeowner you have to handle a lot yourself there (such as dealing with authorities, etc.).
Do you think there is an alternative that could be interesting for us? Or are our requirements too high or unrealistic regarding quality, price, and service? Do you have any other ideas or suggestions?
We are 99% certain about a plot of land and want to build a single-family house, single-story (gable roof with dormer or preferably a townhouse style) without a basement, with 225 sqm (2,421 sq ft), 5 bedrooms, 1 office, 2 shower bathrooms, and 1 full bathroom. Since the house has to be placed quite far back on the lot, the floor plan is rather unusual (side entrance, kitchen, living and dining areas on one side).
We have already received several offers from different builders, but so far only Viebrockhaus is an option, as the other two (Mollwitz, Breyer, and Seck) are too expensive.
Viebrockhaus is also just within our budget, which leaves little room for further adjustments.
We would like to get more offers in hopes of finding a provider who might allow for a bit more financial flexibility.
One of the main reasons Viebrockhaus is attractive to us is that much is well thought out and prepared, so we don’t have to invest too much effort as homeowners. (We have 4 small children, and our time and energy are resources we need to manage carefully.)
It is important to us that the house is built with solid masonry construction, with reliable and transparent planning and communication, and preferably a very transparent cost estimate (based on quantities). Above all, we want a truly solid build quality, preferably with no shortcuts on-site, so we don’t have to supervise the construction every day to keep things on track.
We have considered and requested an offer from Kagebau. I have also looked at Team Massivhaus, but I have often heard that as a homeowner you have to handle a lot yourself there (such as dealing with authorities, etc.).
Do you think there is an alternative that could be interesting for us? Or are our requirements too high or unrealistic regarding quality, price, and service? Do you have any other ideas or suggestions?
N
nordanney9 Feb 2025 17:55Lguenther schrieb:
if you have any ideas on who else to ask. Once again: a architect who plans for you. Then everything is possible – from solid construction to wood frame. From small local builders to large general contractors, up to prefabricated house companies. Or even separate trades contracts (through and with the architect).
I wouldn’t commit to a fixed square meter size beforehand. Ultimately, it shouldn’t be one square meter too many, but also not one too few. Given your needs, I would suggest having a resourceful architect work on the design rather than simply extending standard floor plans, which often end up with inefficient use of space.
Assessing quality based only on descriptions like “premium” or “standard” can be problematic, since the difference between two “standard” options might easily amount to 50,000 to 100,000 euros. Therefore, you should specify what those terms mean to you in detail and be clear about your expectations. Additionally, there are items that come up after the selections phase, such as lighting, furniture, kitchen, etc.
It’s difficult to say in advance with certainty which of the mentioned providers will cause fewer problems. I believe that a good architect who understands your personal needs and wants to meet them is a worthwhile investment.
You can basically ask anyone. I would be more interested in finding out who is most likely to address my personal concerns:
You can save most of your money upfront by smartly planning the location of the house, the layout of the floor plan, and by avoiding unnecessary space and costly special features.
How did you arrive at 225 square meters? Please share your project details. It’s well-known that every square meter saves at least €3,000 (around $3,200), so I would focus on that first instead of on “penny items” like pleated blinds for now.
Almost all homebuilders think they don’t have high demands, whatever that means. But at 225 square meters, you’ve already committed to a significant expense, and from what I read, you are worried that you might run out of budget later on. I understand that. Therefore, consider whether you can reduce your 225 m² (2,422 sq ft) plan without compromising quality, so you might make it work without transitional curtains and pleated blinds or for a carport.
I think you may have put the cart before the horse here, which is why I suggest sharing your project openly here.
Assessing quality based only on descriptions like “premium” or “standard” can be problematic, since the difference between two “standard” options might easily amount to 50,000 to 100,000 euros. Therefore, you should specify what those terms mean to you in detail and be clear about your expectations. Additionally, there are items that come up after the selections phase, such as lighting, furniture, kitchen, etc.
It’s difficult to say in advance with certainty which of the mentioned providers will cause fewer problems. I believe that a good architect who understands your personal needs and wants to meet them is a worthwhile investment.
Lguenther schrieb:
Therefore the question is whether you have ideas on who else to ask.
You can basically ask anyone. I would be more interested in finding out who is most likely to address my personal concerns:
Lguenther schrieb:
where you don’t really have to be at the construction site every day to supervise.
You can save most of your money upfront by smartly planning the location of the house, the layout of the floor plan, and by avoiding unnecessary space and costly special features.
How did you arrive at 225 square meters? Please share your project details. It’s well-known that every square meter saves at least €3,000 (around $3,200), so I would focus on that first instead of on “penny items” like pleated blinds for now.
Lguenther schrieb:
We are not demanding when it comes to tiles and hardwood floors (and that’s already included, as mentioned above), and a carport is out of the question for now, which we are fine with. Pleated blinds are an extra we could add later. For now, curtains in the bedrooms are sufficient.
Almost all homebuilders think they don’t have high demands, whatever that means. But at 225 square meters, you’ve already committed to a significant expense, and from what I read, you are worried that you might run out of budget later on. I understand that. Therefore, consider whether you can reduce your 225 m² (2,422 sq ft) plan without compromising quality, so you might make it work without transitional curtains and pleated blinds or for a carport.
I think you may have put the cart before the horse here, which is why I suggest sharing your project openly here.
N
nordanney9 Feb 2025 18:23How do you arrive at 225 m² (2,421 sq ft)?
- 5 bedrooms = 60 m² (646 sq ft)
- 1 office = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
- 2 shower bathrooms = 24 m² (258 sq ft)
- 1 full bathroom = 15 m² (161 sq ft)
- Kitchen = 16 m² (172 sq ft)
- Utility room, etc. = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
- Hallways = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
==> That leaves 75 m² (807 sq ft) for the living area. If you reduce it to only 50 m² (538 sq ft), you’ve already saved $75,000 in construction costs while still having a 66 m² (710 sq ft) open living/dining/kitchen space.
You can plan even smaller. (I wonder why you need three bathrooms).
- 5 bedrooms = 60 m² (646 sq ft)
- 1 office = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
- 2 shower bathrooms = 24 m² (258 sq ft)
- 1 full bathroom = 15 m² (161 sq ft)
- Kitchen = 16 m² (172 sq ft)
- Utility room, etc. = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
- Hallways = 12 m² (129 sq ft)
==> That leaves 75 m² (807 sq ft) for the living area. If you reduce it to only 50 m² (538 sq ft), you’ve already saved $75,000 in construction costs while still having a 66 m² (710 sq ft) open living/dining/kitchen space.
You can plan even smaller. (I wonder why you need three bathrooms).
D
derdietmar9 Feb 2025 18:36Hello,
One for the parents, one for the children, and one for guests. Although the guest bathroom doesn’t necessarily need a shower. With four children close in age, even two showers can sometimes cause queues.
Still, I think the bathroom areas you mentioned are too large. A shower room can be done in 6–8 m² (65–86 sq ft). With a bathtub, you’ll need 9–10 m² (97–108 sq ft), unless you have a true freestanding tub.
Best regards
nordanney schrieb:
I wonder why you need three bathrooms
One for the parents, one for the children, and one for guests. Although the guest bathroom doesn’t necessarily need a shower. With four children close in age, even two showers can sometimes cause queues.
Still, I think the bathroom areas you mentioned are too large. A shower room can be done in 6–8 m² (65–86 sq ft). With a bathtub, you’ll need 9–10 m² (97–108 sq ft), unless you have a true freestanding tub.
Best regards
M
MachsSelbst9 Feb 2025 20:46This calculation of square meters is a bit unrealistic. Hallways of 12m² (130 sq ft)? Including the entrance area, also called a foyer? That doesn’t work.
Five bedrooms. 12m² (130 sq ft) for a child’s bedroom is already borderline small, and for a bedroom with a double bed and wardrobe, it’s also too little if you want to have some room to move around. So that doesn’t work either.
However, three bathrooms are definitely not necessary. Traffic jams also happen with three bathrooms if everyone insists on showering at the same time. To be honest, most families of four manage with just one bathroom.
That said, 10m² (110 sq ft) is enough for a full bathroom.
Five bedrooms. 12m² (130 sq ft) for a child’s bedroom is already borderline small, and for a bedroom with a double bed and wardrobe, it’s also too little if you want to have some room to move around. So that doesn’t work either.
However, three bathrooms are definitely not necessary. Traffic jams also happen with three bathrooms if everyone insists on showering at the same time. To be honest, most families of four manage with just one bathroom.
That said, 10m² (110 sq ft) is enough for a full bathroom.
We had considered getting a quote from Kagebau. I was also looking at Team Massivhaus, but I had often heard that as a homeowner you have to take care of many things yourself (such as dealing with authorities, etc.).Until the start of construction, that is true for Team Massivhaus. After that, it depends on the commitment of the site manager. (In our case, it was really good (Schleswig-Holstein).)
However, it should be mentioned that the authorities in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein know Team Massivhaus and are aware that they tend to send the (inexperienced) homeowners on their way. I encountered a lot of patience there.
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