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

In a family, there really is no such thing as "too close together"—especially with aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and grandfathers who live hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from the family’s main hub. Therefore, I would seriously question the idea of sizing the living room based on a coffee gathering after a once-in-a-century flood.

D-Zug88 schrieb:

Is there a definition of this "normal family"? We are currently 2 adults and 1 child with the wish for 2 rooms. But it’s really about needs.

The typical customer profile for catalog home designers is a couple living in a marital or marriage-like partnership with a shared bedroom, where the total number of full or partial custody children living in the household is a maximum of two; a dog is assumed either not to be present or to be no larger than a poodle. Furthermore, it is assumed that all household members are fully mobile "pedestrians." And of course, as with the VW Golf, 90% of adults are considered average height—meaning only ten percent of adults (Central Europeans) are significantly shorter or taller. Basically, the same users who gave rise to tables with non-adjustable legs at a height of 72cm (28 inches). Late mothers having triplets after fertility treatments have to share the “special requests” drawer with home automation maniacs. The space requirements are assumed to be fully manageable above ground, except for a technical room that, if there is a basement, is renamed “office.” To avoid putting pressure on customers in a "mother of many" way, the second child’s room is by default labelled as “guest,” but following a popular trend of the equality delusion, it is the same size as the room for child number one. This equality delusion is a peculiarity of parents-to-be who during the planning phase have only child one either planned latently or already as a reality. In my entire group of childhood friends, it was standard in two-child families that the age difference was between one and one and a half years, and both the older and younger sibling agreed that any equal treatment was not “fair” but rather “unfair.” Parents who already have more than one child (excluding identical twins) quickly outgrow this equality nonsense.

ypg schrieb:

Yes! I do understand "your rules," though I also know your complex language. For others, this might cause them to give up reading the texts. You really need to speak for the reader, not for yourself.

Oh, if only you knew what was in the manuscript before the expert gave it a thorough wipe-down. In some places, I managed to “stand my ground,” and my five-line sentences remained. My lawyer is familiar with this too. I always want to maintain an authenticity for readers who know me back and forth, and that means I won’t stick to three-word sentences.

nordanney schrieb:

No, that just scales a project down to a normal size. If that ruins the project, it was already too expensive to begin with.

Exactly. If an interest rate fluctuation is a stress test for a building dream, then the eyes were once again bigger than the stomach. You can always tile the technical room yourself (even if it’s a clearance item finish), and a non-motorized swing gate instead of a sectional door is no disaster. Or...

Arauki11 schrieb:

Great, if you have a separate playroom for model trains, drums, and/or piano.

... if, in fact, only the piano can be there and the zigzag wall will be “smooth,” haha.

Arauki11 schrieb:

And erase that completely unnecessary, apparently trendy “T” from your head.

The T-shaped bathroom was really only invented to cover up the excess space of the ballroom bathroom in those substitute villas.

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motorradsilke schrieb:

You might do it that way, but "everyone else" certainly does not.

That’s true, and that’s precisely the nice thing—that everyone can have their own approach in their own space.

motorradsilke schrieb:

At family gatherings, we are also 15 to 20 people (adult children with their families, siblings, parents). There are older people as well, and no one would accept standing tables in such a situation. The house is designed so there is space between the dining table and the living room. The grandchildren use that space to play, and at celebrations, a longer table is set up there.

A standing table does not necessarily have to be used, but in a house there are plenty of other ways to provide seating. Whether someone would “accept” my offer of seating in the house is not really my concern; but in our home (and in a typical single-family house), everyone finds a suitable place to sit, and—for example—grandma has a particularly comfortable spot where she can also retreat to a room (such as a children’s room or multipurpose room). I would rather see an age-related need for a second bathroom on the same floor, though that too might be excessive in a typical single-family home.

motorradsilke schrieb:

There are no inns here either in our village, and the older people or little kids might want to lie down now and then or in the evening.

Guests have to travel to you anyway or be driven there, so they could also stay at an inn nearby. But I understand well, and personally I prefer it too, to hold celebrations at home because it’s more comfortable. As I said, we just have a different approach, which is useful for the OP’s decision-making, because I would not adjust my living space for a few moments a year that are constantly changing anyway. In that sense, you could never have it perfectly fitted.

ypg schrieb:

Everyone

motorradsilke schrieb:

No one

You can already see yourself that “everyone” represents something your “no one” stands for?! Why would “no one” accept a standing table? Out of 15 people of all age groups, there wouldn’t be anyone to stand at a standing table? And it is expected within the family that if you live somewhere, there is a living room with a table for “everyone”? Crazy society — I would have discontinued that a long time ago if I had that kind of thing or if I became like that myself, I wouldn’t be surprised.

When you

motorradsilke schrieb:

invite adult children with families, siblings, parents

then everyone should be able to find a seat. Older people can sit wherever they want or wherever they are most comfortable; everyone else adjusts accordingly. Fortunately, the days when children were tied to the table with “you stay seated as long as great-aunt is seated” are over. If someone wants it that way, fine. I don’t want to bore anyone with how we celebrate or invite people because it’s not relevant here, but every celebration ended well without anyone getting sore feet, back pain, or a sore bottom.

Looking at all the celebrations or invitations we have attended over the last decade, whether family or friends, children always moved away (whether 3 or 13 years old), many guests prefer to stand, everything rotates and flows. And those who have to or want to sit for whatever reason have their chair, sofa, or bench. There’s no elaborate planning or announcements about that. Our daughter often has over 20 people at her place. Yes, they have space for a 2.40m (8 feet) table, both indoors and outdoors. The in-law family is very large—there are always more than 20 people showing up. But everyone spreads out comfortably, usually a cake buffet because having a table with cake on top is not possible. No one complains because “something has to be done.” Whether host or guest, people adapt to the situation rather than complicate it.

And @Arauki11 already said many valid things. He is also a senior here, and you can see maturity in him, which can be very valuable even for young people.

You simply cannot build only for contingencies or rare occasions when both land and money are limited.

Arauki11 schrieb:

To carefully examine needs, especially concerning costs.

Exactly.

Yes, children need space. But to be honest, nowadays they don’t need a large room anymore. Generally speaking: under 7 years old, they play throughout the whole house anyway. Many parents today are quite tolerant about that. This also applies here with the original poster. Then there is the garden, which can be used in dry weather all year round, or the residential street. When they eventually want to retreat around 10 years old, they sit on the bed or floor, not on a sofa. Or they’re playing on the computer, phone, or watching TV. Playing at the table usually happens in smaller groups at the dining table. When older, they often like to meet elsewhere—anywhere but home. A friend staying over always has space on the nearby or their own mattress; the first boyfriend or girlfriend often shares the bed with physical closeness, even during the day. They need the least space.

Exceptions always prove the rule. However, they should always be given appropriate space to develop freely in a house or apartment, as far as possible.

But now back to @D-Zug88

Aloha_Lars schrieb:

You’re putting the cart before the horse, somehow.

I agree with that.

Here we have facts:

D-Zug88 schrieb:

- House + basement + single garage = max. 430,000 including own work on interior finishing (floors, painting, etc.)

Plot is approx. 19 x 22 meters (62 x 72 feet)

D-Zug88 schrieb:

these were basically the key things that are important to us:

And then fundamental wishes come along that almost always inflate the space requirements for a house.

- Garden oriented to enjoy the evening sun, not the midday sun.
This can still be done if the house is oriented to the west.

- Parking is important because there are no parking spaces on the street (3 cars need to fit)
A locked parking space is still manageable.

- An open kitchen with a pantry offering plenty of storage (small freezer, beverage shelves, etc.)
A pantry is more difficult. For example, consider the (affordable) Lichthaus 152, which has enough square meters on the ground floor. A pantry under the stairs could work; the freezer only fits to a limited extent. Storage is also limited. But the house doesn’t have a cloakroom. Where does that go? It was not mentioned, so maybe it’s not needed? The freezer room is tiny as well.

- It’s important that the living area is as open as possible to keep an eye on the kids and give a feeling of freedom.
Openness saves space, very good.

- A living-dining area long enough to fit a table for about 16 people (around 5 times a year)
A large dining table is possible, but will 16 people fit?

- A guest room on the ground floor that can be converted into a bedroom for later years, with a standard 180 x 200 cm (6 x 6.5 ft) bed and a classic Pax wardrobe. Initially used as a home office or if grandparents come over to stay on weekends.
An office with a sofa bed works. Trying to plan the house as an all-in-one solution for old age from the start is rather unrealistic.

- A shower bathroom on the ground floor that is easily accessible but does not have to be fully barrier-free. Preferably close to the guest bedroom.
Minus. Where to put the shower? Taking space from the freezer room, which is already tiny for today’s technology?

- Children’s room sizes are important so they can pursue their hobbies and both rooms should be the same size.
What hobbies do they have? Vaulting? Soccer? Reading? Playing with dolls or cars?

- Bedroom size has no priority and can benefit the children. However, parent and children 1 and 2 should be spatially separated.
Spatial separation in a standard single-family home of this size is difficult to achieve.

- A large walk-in closet is not necessary but nice to have, then with a window.
Good, not necessary.

- No floor-to-ceiling windows in bedrooms (for heat protection).
This can be arranged.

- The staircase should not be too steep; an intermediate landing is important. I’m clumsy and I like pictures and decorations in the stairwell.
Then I’d say, as a clumsy person, you should forgo pictures in the stairwell with a space-saving staircase.

- Acoustic separation of the living room to the upper floor is absolutely necessary, e.g., a closed stairwell with a door to the living area.
Can be done but it may restrict the dining setup.

- Dirty area must be completely separated from main traffic paths.
Absolutely!

- The upstairs bathroom should have a T-style shower toilet combo and a skylight / if two full stories, a bathtub (bathing is important to us).
“T” is not included.

- Niche in the hallway for towels and similar?

- I’d like a space somewhere to practice boxing (punching bag, weight bench, some space for jump rope). Should not disturb anyone acoustically — could be behind the garage or something else?
Good idea: outdoors!

- Storage for bicycles, ride-on cars, suitcases, and all the bulky stuff that comes with having up to two kids. But we don’t want to carry these things upstairs to the attic.
Storage in garage/garden shed. However, the Lichthaus 152 has at least an additional room upstairs. You can fill that however you like, but then you can’t expect maximum space for children’s rooms.

- Minimizing stairs when doing laundry is better; ideally a laundry basket and washing machine directly in the bathroom.
The bathroom can be cluttered, too. Ideally, the running washing machine would be next to the full bathroom.

I hope you used today to visit building sites or some model homes. Maybe your eyes will be opened a bit on how Spartan other people’s wishes are.
I have mentioned the Lichthaus 152 a few times, but beware: even that has its drawbacks, which beginners might not recognize at first glance. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it that much now, but at least it covers quite a few of your wishes.

May I ask how you currently live?

Addition:

11ant schrieb:

The customer profile for catalog home designers is [...]

I also forgot to mention: the one-and-a-half-story models from nationwide providers are designed so that, in the two-thirds federal states, the attic space uses the maximum knee wall height possible without qualifying as a full story. If you are building in a three-quarters federal state, you might consider increasing the knee wall height. But be careful: there is also a post on "Bauen jetzt" ("How the knee wall affects window placement in the attic") because the knee wall serves as a separator for windows. Regarding the avoidance of a full story designation, it may also be necessary to calculate whether adding a captain’s gable (which distinguishes the Flair 113 from the 110) is an option.

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Since the question already came up here, I think from 11ant:
Of course you can – 3 rooms, 75 sqm (807 sq ft) with a large garden. However, it really bothers us, for example, that the children’s room is so small that with a changing table, bed, and wardrobe there is no space left for playing. The living room is very small, where 4 adults and 3 children cannot comfortably play together.
Having to constantly walk through the dirty area drives me crazy.

The kitchen is open and fine. Next to the kitchen, we have a pantry with space for the washing machine. Having the laundry on one level is brilliant and something we wouldn’t want to miss.

The hallway is wide enough for a chest of drawers and sometimes a bench.

Floor-to-ceiling terrace doors in all rooms – sounded cool at first but now are annoying in the children’s room because they are unsafe, get dirty easily, and it gets very warm there.
Of course, there is still one room missing – but yes, we could of course just buy a bigger apartment – but I don’t see the point in buying a nice new apartment for over 680,000 without additional purchase costs.
Besides the obvious financial considerations, which naturally play a part.
What also really annoys me is not being free, always having a neighbor whose smoking fills the flat, or who is drilling, or other disturbances.
In a second home, my parents have a house, and when we are there you can feel the strong gain in freedom combined with a large living and dining area and a nice terrace.

Running a restaurant with 15-20 people is something you first have to be able to afford, as costs can quickly reach four figures.

Yes, owning a house offers a lot of freedom, but also comes with limitations and risks. If the heating system breaks down, you have to pay for it entirely yourself, not the community or the landlord. Where mandatory reserves are built through service charges or rent, the homeowner alone is responsible. Many people do not build these reserves.

And unless you have the money to hire professionals for everything and don’t just cover everything with gravel and concrete to make it “maintenance-free,” a house with a garden can require quite a lot of work. Even if you have it done by others and only maintain it afterward.