Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and I are planning to start building a house next year. Three weeks ago, we reserved and made a down payment on a plot of land. Once the municipality has developed the area, we will have 5 years to realize our dream home. The area will be located in the Simmern district.
We have spent the last few weekends having many discussions with prefab house manufacturers, and there are still many more appointments planned. Since we are not under time pressure, on my father’s advice I also want to get some quotes for a solid masonry house. But first, here are our ideas...
About the plot:
650 sqm (approximately 7,000 sq ft), roughly 20 x 30 m (65 x 98 ft). We will get the exact dimensions once the area is developed.
The plot is flat with no slope.
The street is located north of the plot; our garden will face south.
Development plan:
Ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Eaves height 6 m (20 ft)
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
About the house:
Size: 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Children’s rooms: 2 rooms of about 18 sqm (194 sq ft) each
Office: at least 14 sqm (150 sq ft) so it can be converted into a children’s room if needed
Master bedroom: without a separate dressing area, rather a larger floor space
Bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, both with showers, upstairs also with a corner bathtub
Basement: none
Garage: double garage with additional storage space
Roof: preferably a hip roof but we could also imagine a gable roof
A fireplace is shown in the living room on the plans.
Heating:
Gas condensing boiler with heat recovery
About the floor plan:
186 sqm (2,000 sq ft)
The cost for the floor plan would be around €280,000, almost turnkey except for floor coverings and wallpapering.
Without the extra bay window, it would be about €30,000 cheaper. The question is whether it’s worth it? It makes the house bigger and provides a south/west-facing balcony.
Equity:
Currently about €80,000
About us:
We are both just turned 30.
Children: none yet, but two are planned.
Since I have only received this one offer with a floor plan from a manufacturer so far, I don’t have real comparison options yet. I hope this will change soon.
What would you do differently or improve?
Would you recommend building such a house as a prefab or a masonry house?
Can anyone recommend a particular provider?
I have already spent several nights searching the internet for answers to these questions and keep coming back to them.
Thank you for your constructive opinions.
Best regards,
Invi85
My girlfriend and I are planning to start building a house next year. Three weeks ago, we reserved and made a down payment on a plot of land. Once the municipality has developed the area, we will have 5 years to realize our dream home. The area will be located in the Simmern district.
We have spent the last few weekends having many discussions with prefab house manufacturers, and there are still many more appointments planned. Since we are not under time pressure, on my father’s advice I also want to get some quotes for a solid masonry house. But first, here are our ideas...
About the plot:
650 sqm (approximately 7,000 sq ft), roughly 20 x 30 m (65 x 98 ft). We will get the exact dimensions once the area is developed.
The plot is flat with no slope.
The street is located north of the plot; our garden will face south.
Development plan:
Ridge height 10 m (33 ft)
Eaves height 6 m (20 ft)
Site coverage ratio 0.4
Floor area ratio 0.8
About the house:
Size: 160-180 sqm (1,720-1,940 sq ft)
Children’s rooms: 2 rooms of about 18 sqm (194 sq ft) each
Office: at least 14 sqm (150 sq ft) so it can be converted into a children’s room if needed
Master bedroom: without a separate dressing area, rather a larger floor space
Bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, both with showers, upstairs also with a corner bathtub
Basement: none
Garage: double garage with additional storage space
Roof: preferably a hip roof but we could also imagine a gable roof
A fireplace is shown in the living room on the plans.
Heating:
Gas condensing boiler with heat recovery
About the floor plan:
186 sqm (2,000 sq ft)
The cost for the floor plan would be around €280,000, almost turnkey except for floor coverings and wallpapering.
Without the extra bay window, it would be about €30,000 cheaper. The question is whether it’s worth it? It makes the house bigger and provides a south/west-facing balcony.
Equity:
Currently about €80,000
About us:
We are both just turned 30.
Children: none yet, but two are planned.
Since I have only received this one offer with a floor plan from a manufacturer so far, I don’t have real comparison options yet. I hope this will change soon.
What would you do differently or improve?
Would you recommend building such a house as a prefab or a masonry house?
Can anyone recommend a particular provider?
I have already spent several nights searching the internet for answers to these questions and keep coming back to them.
Thank you for your constructive opinions.
Best regards,
Invi85
Hello,
first of all about the existing floor plan:
Since you are not planning a basement, the available storage space seems too limited to me. Consider that in your utility room on the ground floor, besides the technical equipment, you will also need space for items like a dryer, washing machine, ironing board, seasonal clothing, decorations, etc. (perhaps it’s still possible to create storage space under the stairs). Personally, I would completely omit the pantry and instead allocate this space to the utility room (by removing the pantry, you gain additional wall space for cabinets in the kitchen, which in turn creates more storage).
Think about whether you will actually use the balcony (and I don’t mean just for drying laundry). You will have a garden in the future, which is usually used more than a balcony that is only accessible from the bedroom. Try to realistically furnish the bay window area; I don’t believe you will effectively use the extra space it provides, and just for aesthetic enhancement of the exterior, the bay window seems somewhat expensive to me.
The wardrobe area might be a bit tight for four people later on.
As the staircase is currently positioned, it will always act like a “dirt trap,” since every guest enters with dirty street shoes right in front of the stairs, and you will have to pass through this dirty area to get to the upper floor.
Regarding prefabricated vs. solid construction:
Both building methods have their advantages and disadvantages, so ultimately, the decision is yours. Visit some houses to get a feel for the living environment.
Regarding home builders:
It’s always helpful to visit home building exhibitions, read construction blogs, or ask friends how satisfied they were with their building company.
Best regards
first of all about the existing floor plan:
Since you are not planning a basement, the available storage space seems too limited to me. Consider that in your utility room on the ground floor, besides the technical equipment, you will also need space for items like a dryer, washing machine, ironing board, seasonal clothing, decorations, etc. (perhaps it’s still possible to create storage space under the stairs). Personally, I would completely omit the pantry and instead allocate this space to the utility room (by removing the pantry, you gain additional wall space for cabinets in the kitchen, which in turn creates more storage).
Think about whether you will actually use the balcony (and I don’t mean just for drying laundry). You will have a garden in the future, which is usually used more than a balcony that is only accessible from the bedroom. Try to realistically furnish the bay window area; I don’t believe you will effectively use the extra space it provides, and just for aesthetic enhancement of the exterior, the bay window seems somewhat expensive to me.
The wardrobe area might be a bit tight for four people later on.
As the staircase is currently positioned, it will always act like a “dirt trap,” since every guest enters with dirty street shoes right in front of the stairs, and you will have to pass through this dirty area to get to the upper floor.
Regarding prefabricated vs. solid construction:
Both building methods have their advantages and disadvantages, so ultimately, the decision is yours. Visit some houses to get a feel for the living environment.
Regarding home builders:
It’s always helpful to visit home building exhibitions, read construction blogs, or ask friends how satisfied they were with their building company.
Best regards
D
Doc.Schnaggls29 May 2015 09:00Hello,
First of all, regarding the floor plan itself:
The bay window is certainly a visual highlight, but as @Dindin has already mentioned, I also find the furnishing to be challenging. The use of the balcony above is also questionable to me—especially since it is only accessible from the master bedroom. I would rather lean towards a conservatory with this area.
I would also reconsider the double doors from the hallway to the dining area—my parents had such doors, which mainly stood out because the door panels were constantly in the way. In our house, we therefore omitted these doors and have “only” an open passage.
I also doubt that the bathroom layout will work—the plan unfortunately doesn’t show 2 m (6 ft 7 in) clearance lines—and in my opinion, the headroom on the way to the toilet in the main bathroom on the upper floor will be very tight.
Whether you decide to build such a house as a prefab or a solid (masonry) construction is a decision no one can make for you.
For example, we built a custom-designed timber frame prefab house from Weberhaus, but we also compared several other prefab manufacturers and solid builders. We are very satisfied with our house and the entire building process and would definitely build with Weberhaus again.
If you are interested, I can gladly share the link to our construction blog—where we also describe the selection process in detail.
Best regards,
Dirk
First of all, regarding the floor plan itself:
The bay window is certainly a visual highlight, but as @Dindin has already mentioned, I also find the furnishing to be challenging. The use of the balcony above is also questionable to me—especially since it is only accessible from the master bedroom. I would rather lean towards a conservatory with this area.
I would also reconsider the double doors from the hallway to the dining area—my parents had such doors, which mainly stood out because the door panels were constantly in the way. In our house, we therefore omitted these doors and have “only” an open passage.
I also doubt that the bathroom layout will work—the plan unfortunately doesn’t show 2 m (6 ft 7 in) clearance lines—and in my opinion, the headroom on the way to the toilet in the main bathroom on the upper floor will be very tight.
Whether you decide to build such a house as a prefab or a solid (masonry) construction is a decision no one can make for you.
For example, we built a custom-designed timber frame prefab house from Weberhaus, but we also compared several other prefab manufacturers and solid builders. We are very satisfied with our house and the entire building process and would definitely build with Weberhaus again.
If you are interested, I can gladly share the link to our construction blog—where we also describe the selection process in detail.
Best regards,
Dirk
I can fully agree with Dindin, especially regarding the necessity of the bay window and the balcony. If you have a garden, you usually spend time on the patio. I would rather invest the cost of the bay window inside the house.
The bathroom layout upstairs has already been mentioned; it probably won’t work as planned.
The bathroom downstairs, with a shower and just 3 m² (32 ft²), will be quite tight.
We also spent some time considering whether to build a solid construction or a prefab house. Since I grew up in a noisy prefab house from the early 1980s, we ultimately chose a solid house.
The bathroom layout upstairs has already been mentioned; it probably won’t work as planned.
The bathroom downstairs, with a shower and just 3 m² (32 ft²), will be quite tight.
We also spent some time considering whether to build a solid construction or a prefab house. Since I grew up in a noisy prefab house from the early 1980s, we ultimately chose a solid house.
D
Doc.Schnaggls29 May 2015 09:16marv45 schrieb:
We also spent some time deciding between a solid construction house and a prefab home. Since I grew up in a prefab house from the early eighties that had poor sound insulation, we eventually chose a solid construction house. This was also an issue that occupied my thoughts a lot. With modern, especially high-quality prefab homes, lack of sound insulation is no longer a concern.
We also built a house using timber frame construction (moved in 2014) and are very satisfied, especially with the indoor climate, which we find very comfortable. We also do not have any issues with sound insulation. But as mentioned, whether to choose a prefabricated or solid construction is something everyone must decide for themselves, as it is also a matter of personal preference and, for some, a matter of belief.
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