ᐅ Estimated Construction Costs for a Single-Family Home in the Tübingen Area
Created on: 2 Apr 2025 21:54
D
D-Zug88
Hello everyone,
I’ll briefly describe our situation. We have reserved a plot of land for a single-family house. We would like to build a solid (whether Liapor or another type of "masonry," we are not really sure) structure on it. The plot is flat and square, measuring 417 m² (4490 sq ft).
We are allowed to build 2 full stories with SD, PD, FD, although only one SD is an option (maximum ridge height 9.5 m (31 ft), maximum wall height 6.10 m (20 ft)).
So far, we have received offers ranging from €3500/m² (local large contractor) to €2800/m² from, for example, Fingerhaus (probably excluded due to timber frame).
Now to our dream house:
- KfW 55 standard
- solid construction method (type not clear, will depend on budget; do Liapor and “masonry stone-on-stone” not differ much in cost?)
- 140 m² (1507 sq ft) living area
- 1.5 stories with a “high” knee wall
- basement (utility cellar, which can be finished later, connections for heating and electricity installed)
- house dimensions (determined by room requirements? 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 ft)? 11 x 10 m (36 x 33 ft)? Building area ratio of 0.4 is sufficient)
- including photovoltaic system with battery storage
- turnkey delivery
- Basement: technical room + laundry (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + large hobby room (approx. 30 m² (323 sq ft)) + fitness room (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + cellar (10 m² (108 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 70 m² (753 sq ft) + x
- Ground floor: living & dining area + kitchen (approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft)) + pantry (3 m² (32 sq ft)?) + guest room (>12 m² (129 sq ft)) + shower bathroom (4 m² (43 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 64 m² (689 sq ft) + x
- Upper floor: child 1 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + child 2 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + master bedroom + dressing room (20 m² (215 sq ft)) + bathroom (14 m² (151 sq ft)) + hallway + stairs (? m²) = 66 m² (710 sq ft) + x
Calculating room and floor area requirements (without the unknown x for stairs and hallways/entrance) we come to approximately 130 m² (1399 sq ft).
Our specific questions are,
a) Which “solid construction” companies do you generally recommend in the Tübingen area?
b) How much area should roughly be allowed for hallways and entrance / stairs? Yes, it depends on the floor plan, but we would like to estimate the total space requirements.
c) What rough price range should we expect in €/m² (living area) + €/m² (basement) for Liapor or other masonry? We do not want to consider additional costs like kitchen and garage here, but they are naturally included in the overall budget.
We hope you can help us. Please feel free to ask questions—I’ll respond promptly.
Have a nice evening!
I’ll briefly describe our situation. We have reserved a plot of land for a single-family house. We would like to build a solid (whether Liapor or another type of "masonry," we are not really sure) structure on it. The plot is flat and square, measuring 417 m² (4490 sq ft).
We are allowed to build 2 full stories with SD, PD, FD, although only one SD is an option (maximum ridge height 9.5 m (31 ft), maximum wall height 6.10 m (20 ft)).
So far, we have received offers ranging from €3500/m² (local large contractor) to €2800/m² from, for example, Fingerhaus (probably excluded due to timber frame).
Now to our dream house:
- KfW 55 standard
- solid construction method (type not clear, will depend on budget; do Liapor and “masonry stone-on-stone” not differ much in cost?)
- 140 m² (1507 sq ft) living area
- 1.5 stories with a “high” knee wall
- basement (utility cellar, which can be finished later, connections for heating and electricity installed)
- house dimensions (determined by room requirements? 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 ft)? 11 x 10 m (36 x 33 ft)? Building area ratio of 0.4 is sufficient)
- including photovoltaic system with battery storage
- turnkey delivery
- Basement: technical room + laundry (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + large hobby room (approx. 30 m² (323 sq ft)) + fitness room (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + cellar (10 m² (108 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 70 m² (753 sq ft) + x
- Ground floor: living & dining area + kitchen (approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft)) + pantry (3 m² (32 sq ft)?) + guest room (>12 m² (129 sq ft)) + shower bathroom (4 m² (43 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 64 m² (689 sq ft) + x
- Upper floor: child 1 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + child 2 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + master bedroom + dressing room (20 m² (215 sq ft)) + bathroom (14 m² (151 sq ft)) + hallway + stairs (? m²) = 66 m² (710 sq ft) + x
Calculating room and floor area requirements (without the unknown x for stairs and hallways/entrance) we come to approximately 130 m² (1399 sq ft).
Our specific questions are,
a) Which “solid construction” companies do you generally recommend in the Tübingen area?
b) How much area should roughly be allowed for hallways and entrance / stairs? Yes, it depends on the floor plan, but we would like to estimate the total space requirements.
c) What rough price range should we expect in €/m² (living area) + €/m² (basement) for Liapor or other masonry? We do not want to consider additional costs like kitchen and garage here, but they are naturally included in the overall budget.
We hope you can help us. Please feel free to ask questions—I’ll respond promptly.
Have a nice evening!
D-Zug88 schrieb:
In case the kids want to use it as a hobby room or I want a small workshop area myself—workbench, etc. But honestly, you can easily get carried away with all the cool things you might do eventually. Having a plan that distinguishes between must-haves and nice-to-haves is important first. Our requirements specification, so to speak.
We want a house that has:
- an open kitchen with a pantry
- it is important to us that the living area is as open as possible to keep an eye on the kids and provide as much freedom as possible
- a living area long enough to fit a table for about 12–14 people (max. 1–2 times per year)
- a guest room on the ground floor that can be converted into a bedroom in old age, with a standard 180x200 cm (71x79 inches) bed and a classic wardrobe system. In case the kids want to use it as a hobby room or I want a small DIY/workshop space with a workbench, etc. But honestly, it’s easy to get lost in all the cool things you could do someday. The plan that separates must-haves from nice-to-haves is important at first. Our requirements file, basically.
We want a house that:
- has a garden oriented so you can enjoy the evening sun, but not the midday sun.
- has parking options, which is important because there are no parking spaces on the street (space for 3 cars needed).
- an open kitchen with a pantry offering plenty of storage space (small freezer, beverage shelves, and similar).
- it is important to us that the living room is as open as possible to keep an eye on the kids and create a strong sense of freedom.
- a combined living and dining area that is long enough to fit a table for about 16 people (approximately 5 times per year).
- a guest room on the ground floor that can later be used as a bedroom in old age, with a regular 180x200 cm (71x79 inches) bed and a classic wardrobe system. Initially, it will serve as a home office or a place for grandparents to stay when they visit on weekends.
- a shower bathroom on the ground floor that is easily accessible but does not have to be fully wheelchair accessible. Ideally, it should be close to the guest room.
- children’s rooms large enough to accommodate their hobbies and both rooms should be the same size.
- bedroom size for the parents is not a priority and could be given to the children. However, the parents’ bedroom should be spatially separated from the bedrooms of child 1 and child 2.
- a large walk-in closet is not necessary, but nice to have. If included, it should have a window.
- no floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms (for heat protection).
- the staircase should not be too steep; a landing in between is important. I tend to be clumsy and I also like the idea of having pictures and decorations in the stairwell.
- acoustic separation between the living room and the upper floor is mandatory, meaning the stairwell should be closed off by a door from the living area.
- the mudroom or dirty zone must be completely separate from the main walkways.
- the upstairs bathroom should have a T-shaped shower-toilet combo and a skylight. In case there are two full floors, the bathtub should be over the shower (bathing is important to us).
- a niche in the hallway for towels and similar items.
- I would like a space somewhere to practice boxing (punching bag, weight bench, some room for jump rope). It should be soundproof so it doesn’t disturb anyone—could be behind the garage or somewhere else.
- storage for bicycles, ride-on toys, suitcases, and all the bulky stuff that comes with having two kids. We want to avoid carrying this stuff upstairs to the attic.
- minimal stairs when doing laundry—ideally, directly in the bathroom with space for a laundry basket and washing machine.
Those are the basic things important to us for now.
I’m just not sure how to proceed after this list. Visit show homes? Visit housing developments? Get a feel for what we want and what is realistic?
Would we find ourselves in a catalog home right away or not, and then what?
Either way, go to an architect who creates a preliminary draft and then visit various builders like Heinz von Heiden?
I think, based on the must-haves, we will probably end up with a standard catalog home with minor compromises here and there.
ypg schrieb:
Have you not seen anything in person yet? No housing developments or show homes yet. We received the plot unexpectedly just 6 days ago—we never thought it would happen... maybe the surprise shows in our questions.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
You mean the principle, right? I will inquire; on the plot itself, I haven’t found an inspection chamber – but I wouldn’t expect one there anyway.
In this specific case, the backwater level is almost equal to the current ground level. That means the two water columns would be nearly the same height. Water column in the sewer Good heavens no, you have completely misunderstood and mixed it up. The principle of communicating vessels applies between the elevated storage tank and the connection points of the water supply customers and is what creates water pressure at the tap. So this relates to the supply of “clean” water; by analogy to wastewater, you could call it “inflow water.” Where the next inspection chamber is (and whether it’s on your property) is a completely different topic. What you found in the water utility documents is a simplified diagram for dummies. The green columns shown would appear only in an emergency if the sewer system were completely blocked. The backwater level should remain purely theoretical. If the situation shown actually occurred, residents’ sewage would flood the street, and anyone entering an inspection chamber would need to be a diver. If the household wastewater pipes were as full as shown in the illustration, the house would be severely gurgling and congested. Also, the washbasin does not discharge black water, but gray water. This is really just a highly simplified schematic where cows are colored purple.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
I’ve now read through your cellar rules, and I don’t even understand the first one. I guess it’s about how hilly the plot is. The hillier it is, the more expensive and pointless the cellar? No idea. Can it really be misunderstood that badly? Then I will clarify it directly at the source in the coming days. On the contrary: the flatter the plot (especially under the house footprint), the more the cellar is worth reconsidering, because the plot (though not vetoing it) clearly speaks against it.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
I think the roadmap is very good – we will do our homework – the roadmap sounds like preparing a program of requirements or specification – that makes much more sense than just rushing into floor plans and costs. A conceptual approach instead of blindly rushing into floor plans is always the smarter choice, but the roadmap is really just a chronological preview with explanations and recommendations. The (complete) standard series represents the normal path, and the (to be expanded) “Reloaded” series follows reader requests to also cover deviations or variations. I probably won’t be able to cure the laypeople’s obsessive fixation on floor plans.
For big celebrations, there are banquet halls; equal-sized rooms only really make sense for identical twins; a shower on the ground floor depends on how much the dog loves dirt; and sunlight in the dressing room tends to stir up dust.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
I’m just unclear how it continues after this list. Visit show homes? Visit housing parks? Get a feel for what we imagine and what is reality?
Would we find ourselves in a catalogue house or not, and then what?
Either way, go to an architect who creates a preliminary design with which we then approach the various Heinz von Heidens of the world? Visit your own current apartment, deliberately walk through it and sketch it out, bring a tape measure, mark tight spots, write down everyday living frustrations – then you have a clear idea of reality and where you urgently want to make changes.
A catalog home is very likely almost a made-to-measure suit if you are close to an average family and have a simple flat plot.
Either way, commissioning an independent architect for module A (and no more in the first stage) is the logical conclusion after reading and understanding my roadmap. On my “Services” page you will find, among other things, the setup of important decisions. Gabrielle’s favorite Heinz so far has never been among the candidates I contacted; the owner-operated, regionally focused builder (for shell construction and turnkey handover) is usually the best choice. Don’t forget: first set the course during the “dough resting” phase and incorporate those insights into service phase 3 or other further development toward the design, not immediately contract the general contractor. Getting overwhelmed with ideas at show home exhibitions increases the risk of ending up with a McMansion nightmare.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Can it really be misunderstood that badly? – then I will address it directly in the next few days No, I just don’t get it – I keep stumbling over missing vocabulary. The glossary helps with that.
11ant schrieb:
For big celebrations there are inns, of similar size That’s the point: if we just celebrate a birthday, we quickly reach 12 people, and it’s important to us to be at home with family and in the garden.
11ant schrieb:
similar to the average family Is there a definition of this “average family”? Currently, we are 2 adults and 1 child, and want 2 bedrooms. But this is really about needs.
I also wanted to say thanks again outside of the discussion – you really open our eyes!
11ant schrieb:
Visit your existing apartment intentionally, walk through it consciously and sketch it out, take a tape measure, mark tight spots, write down everyday living annoyances; then you get a real sense of the reality and what and where you urgently want to change. This has been included in our wish list – plus wishes we have had throughout our lives.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
This is the issue: when we just celebrate a birthday, there are quickly 12 people, and it’s important to us to be at home and in the garden with the family. Then you just do what everyone does (you didn’t invent celebrating after all): set up beer benches and standing tables, arrange a buffet, equip the dining table with folding chairs, and everyone picks their spot, wherever that may be. If necessary, standing at the kitchen island also works.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
But we don’t want to carry all that stuff upstairs to the attic. So, have 10 sqm (108 sq ft) more storage space instead of taking the stairs once in a while?
D-Zug88 schrieb:
(3 cars need to fit) You have a 417 sqm (4,488 sq ft) plot... you didn’t win the lottery.
Here’s some advice: look at other houses.
Draw your plot with the building boundaries, mark parking spots and the terrace. And of course, the house.
If you register interest in a plot, you should know what’s possible: both financially and in terms of the plot.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
What if we wouldn’t find ourselves in a catalogue house, then what? If you’re looking for more than 180 sqm (1,938 sq ft), then yes.
But I think you should revise your list a bit.
11ant schrieb:
Can this really be misunderstood so badly? Yes! I do understand “your rules,” but I also know your complicated language. For others, it might mean they give up reading because of the effort. You have to speak for the recipient, not for yourself.
ypg schrieb:
Knowing what is possible: with the money, but also with the property. That was 4 months ago at 3% interest, now we are at 4.3%, which can really ruin a project, right? Of course, we looked at what was feasible back then, but today it’s different.
N
nordanney5 Apr 2025 12:04D-Zug88 schrieb:
That was 4 months ago at 3% interest, now it’s 4.3%, which really ruins a project.No, it just scales a project down to a normal size. If it ruins the project, it was already too expensive before.Similar topics