ᐅ Estimated Construction Costs for a Single-Family Home in the Tübingen Area

nordanney schrieb:

No, that just brings a project back to a normal scale. If it ruins the project, it was already too expensive beforehand.

We see it the same way. That’s exactly why we keep asking “how much does it cost” – we already know what’s allowed and what we can afford.

ypg schrieb:

So, 10 more square meters of storage instead of taking the stairs once in a while?

Without a basement, where else would you put it? Storage space on the upper floor? I’d gladly take that.

ypg schrieb:

Then you do it like everyone else does (after all, you haven't invented celebrating): Set up beer benches and standing tables, arrange a buffet, equip the dining table with folding chairs, and everyone finds a place wherever they like. If necessary, standing by the kitchen island works too.

You may do it that way, but "everyone else" certainly does not. At our family gatherings, there are usually 15 to 20 people (adult children with families, siblings, parents). Older people are also present, and no one would accept standing tables. The house is designed so there is space between the dining table and the living room. The grandchildren use that space to play, and during celebrations a long table is set up there.

There are no pubs in our village either, and the older guests or small children might want to lie down during the event or in the evening.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

This has been included in our wish list – plus wishes you accumulate over a lifetime.

Nowhere does it say that you can or even should fulfill all your wishes in life. Many desires pass quickly, which is why you should take ample time for house planning. I like the way you present things; it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed at first or to need to clarify your own feelings and possibilities.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

But honestly, this is how you get carried away with cool things you could do... a plan that distinguishes between must-haves and nice-to-haves is important at first.

That’s a really valuable insight which you should revisit often: carefully examine your needs and wants, especially regarding costs. It’s wise to invest in what makes long-term sense and adds real value; focusing on so-called must-haves or trends long-term can be rather unwise. Listening to neighbors or other builders/friends makes limited sense because you mostly hear praise for their own decisions rather than critical feedback. Plus, you (hopefully) are completely different people and should bring that into your home construction.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

a living area long enough to fit a table for about 12–14 people (max. 1–2 times a year)

Sorry, but that mindset is outdated. You build extra space costing €3,000 per square meter (about $3,200 per sq yd) just so you can supposedly sit better once a year? When I was younger, I once invited 120 people in summer; there was a fire pit outside, and everyone spread out wherever they liked inside. That is much easier and nicer if you just let it happen—and with people you like (you shouldn’t invite others anyway), that works perfectly. When there’s a family gathering, like grandma’s birthday, only 6–8 sit at the main table, some prefer the counter, or we set up folding tables so 20 people fit. The days of keeping a “formal” living room just for Sundays should be over—I thought, at least. Recently, a young couple told me they absolutely need such a multipurpose room because they want to set up a straight table twice a year—an L-shape won’t do. Luckily, no one forces me anymore to attend such rigid events. You’d be surprised how nicely these occasions spread out in a detached house if you just allow it. You’re young people—man, we convinced our parents otherwise, and now you come back to this rigid thinking.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

a guest room on the ground floor that can be converted into a bedroom in old age, with a standard 180x200 cm (71x79 inch) bed and a classic Pax. Initially used as a home office or when grandparents visit and stay over.

Sounds sensible. We also have a multifunctional room like that. It can also serve as a place for kids to build their train tracks or whatever. Fortunately, children usually find other places than those they’re assigned; I used to build a hideout behind the corner bench as a child—my actual room didn’t matter much to me then.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

Children’s room size is important to us so they can pursue their hobbies, and both must be the same size.

Here comes another must-have. What hobbies do your children “need” or have that distinguish them from other home builders’ kids? Children may want more closeness now; eventually, they want distance from you, or you from them. Are parents with 13 sqm (140 sq ft) rooms poor parents just because the square meters differ? Try to detach yourself from such ideas; there is no solid reason for this other than perhaps some perceived social pressure. Trying to achieve fairness through that is nonsense, just like expecting or wanting to treat your children identically. That’s neither necessary, possible, nor sensible since they are completely different individuals. Children need a certain amount of privacy, but that begins with how you treat them, when/how you enter their rooms, and likewise how they handle your parental privacy. Room size can’t replace this kind of respect.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

Bedroom size has no priority and can benefit the children.

To me, that sounds like self-sacrifice. Why should adults responsible for children live less comfortably without a decent bedroom? Children might see that as inspiration for their own adulthood. Nothing “benefits” the kids here—you only think that. Square meters mean nothing in this case.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

The staircase shouldn’t be too steep; a landing between flights would be important because I’m clumsy.

You can definitely afford to use some space for that because a comfortable staircase is a plus for everyone—permanently.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

I’d like a space somewhere where I can practice boxing (punching bag, weight bench, some room for jump rope).

Absolutely. If you enjoy and do it regularly, you should plan for it accordingly. Good thinking. That’s exactly what I often miss when people try to define their needs individually. Take 2 times 3 sqm (about 6.5 x 6.5 ft) from the children’s rooms, and you have a nice little area for this—maybe not even separated, just visually or with movable partitions, so usage can easily change over time (children/teenagers).

D-Zug88 schrieb:

The upstairs bathroom should have a T-shaped shower and toilet combined and a roof window / if it’s a two-story house over the bathtub (bathing is important to us).

Then plan a nice bathing area and forget that apparently trendy but absolutely unnecessary “T” configuration. A nice bathroom can be achieved in many ways. What exactly is important to you?

D-Zug88 schrieb:

Storage for bikes, ride-on toys, suitcases, and all the bulky stuff you typically have with two kids.

That can also be stored covered on the side of the house or in a garden shed/carport.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

A living-dining area long enough to fit a table for about 16 people (about 5 times a year).

Now it’s 16 people five times a year. I see you’re stuck there!

D-Zug88 schrieb:

That’s the point, if we only celebrate one birthday, there are quickly 12 people, and it’s important to us to be at home with the family indoors and in the garden.

Do you really think you have an exclusive requirement with that? “Take it easy,” 15 people is nothing. Everyone has that. Why shouldn’t you have a nice celebration with friends and family in a detached house? I had that in my small 50 sqm (540 sq ft) house in Norway. So far, that sounds rather rigid and unnecessarily expensive. The problem I keep mentioning is that people run out of steam in other important areas during the build. A friend of mine is building a fence for €30,000 (about $32,000), huge foundations for his garden hut, and so forth, but on the terrace, there’s not enough space for a covered area. At this point, I recall a saying from my sadly recently deceased family doctor and friend: “What happens often, happens often, and what happens rarely, happens rarely.” Design the things you truly need and enjoy using (like sports) with the necessary attention to detail, also for the children (not just size). I think of sunshades, a nice terrace, a well-insulated house, beautiful window fronts, etc.

Arauki11 schrieb:

Another must-have again. What hobbies do your children have (or need to have) that set them apart from other homebuilders? Children may want more closeness now, but at some point, they’ll avoid you or you’ll give them space. Are parents with 13 sqm (140 sq ft) rooms bad parents just because of the size? Try to free yourself from such ideas—there are no solid reasons for them, except maybe perceived social pressure. Trying to achieve fairness this way is nonsense, just like the hope or intention to treat your children exactly the same at all times. That’s neither necessary, nor possible, nor even sensible, since they are all completely different individuals.
Children need a certain degree of privacy, but that starts with how you interact with them—when and how you enter their bedroom, and similarly how children should respect parental privacy. Room size alone cannot accomplish what proper interaction cannot.

To me, this always sounds like a form of self-sacrifice. Why should adults, who are responsible for the children, have less comfortable living spaces, like no proper master bedroom? Children might rather see that as inspiration for their own growing up. Nothing is “gained” for the children that way—you only believe that. Square meters don’t mean anything here.

I see this differently from my own experience. Children need space. They want to play, build with Lego, set up the model railway, have a nice console or computer area, place sports equipment, and bring friends over, sometimes even to spend the night.
If space is limited, I would always make a sleeping room, where I mostly just sleep, smaller in favor of the children’s rooms.
For the kids, their bedroom is both living space and sleeping space. Eventually, the first boyfriend or girlfriend comes along, and they spend a lot of time there together.

Arauki11 schrieb:

What hobbies do (or must) your children have that set them apart from other homebuilders?

Hehe. From the life of a father of three girls. Their bedrooms are enough with about 6m (20 feet) squared. Sleeping, phone, homework. Otherwise, all three spend around 25 hours a week at the stable with their horses.
What I mean is, you really can’t plan for anything—it always turns out differently when you have kids.

motorradsilke schrieb:

I see it differently based on my own experience. Children need space. They want to play around, build with Lego, set up model trains, have a great gaming console or computer area, place sports equipment, and bring friends over, sometimes even for overnight stays.

However, the following very important questions come to mind for me:
1. What can I afford?
It’s great if you can have a separate playroom for model trains, drums and/or a piano, or a particularly quiet room for a child who prefers to read alone. Luckily, you can’t really plan for all that, and reserving rooms for possible uses only makes sense if you can afford it and is not very practical from a caring perspective. Kids would much rather play their console games on a huge OLED TV than on a shaky 42-inch LCD, which might still be acceptable for the older generation. I wouldn’t try to accommodate every conceivable situation (wish), nor would I want to. Children especially need mental freedom and inspiration from their environment for healthy development; having more square meters won’t help with that.
Children have enough space in a reasonably sized single-family home anyway; doubting this due to a slightly smaller room seems completely exaggerated to me. We raised two boys ourselves—one had 14 sqm (150 sq ft) and the other 11 sqm (120 sq ft). Do I see any direct link between their room sizes and their development? Not really. Did they play a lot? Yes, constantly and everywhere, often alone with the door closed.
An extreme view as if they had no space in the house isn’t very helpful when trying to find a healthy balance. Once, half of the elementary school class was in our garden, and because of heavy rain, it was decided that instead of staying in tents as planned, they all slept in our living room. I thought it was great, but I wouldn’t design my house to be expensive just for that; at least I wouldn’t, and the kids found it adventurous.

2. Do I need to make my house expensive to accommodate every completely unforeseeable option?
If I do that, I’ll end up making compromises elsewhere (structurally and financially), and that’s something I would never want. Do both children have to have the permanent right to place a large piece of sports equipment somewhere in the house? No, that’s not always possible. Having friends stay over is fine, but that’s always been doable on an air mattress in the child’s room, a folding bed, or elsewhere.

motorradsilke schrieb:

If space isn’t unlimited, I would always make a sleeping room, where you mainly just sleep, smaller in favor of the children’s rooms.

Everyone has their own approach, but I like to spend time in nice rooms, and that includes my bedroom; I can’t relate to the sometimes heard comment that "it’s dark there anyway."
Currently, we purposely built our bedroom not particularly large but made sure it is nice for ourselves. Actually, I can’t understand the often read "pressure" (sorry if that’s not quite the right word) to make it as easy and comfortable as possible for children just by size or equalizing rooms. The phrase "in favor of the children" implies that otherwise it would be too little or insufficient, which is not true or supported by evidence.

motorradsilke schrieb:

For children, their room is both living space and sleeping space. At some point, the first boyfriend/girlfriend comes along, and they spend a lot of time in there together.

But they are not adults yet, so they have a completely different set of requirements. Otherwise, you would also need the often mentioned kids’ bathroom. The romantic relationship in their own bedroom tends to be temporary anyway, and an adult would be bothered by it regardless. Privacy cannot be created just by adding 3 sqm (32 sq ft) more space in the room; it’s more about thoughtful planning in advance, which I would find sensible. For example, @wiltshire has done a great job giving two boys their privacy.

As I said, everyone is free to see and do things differently, but I just don’t find the statement that anything else would be too little, insufficient, or somehow "better" for the children to be appropriate or helpful. That is simply not correct.