ᐅ Home Construction: Bungalow, Villa, or Single-Family House? Looking for a Starting Point in Self-Planning

Hello,

we want to build a house.

The basic facts: family with one child, potentially two in the future.

Total net income: 4600 (civil servant)

Problem:
The dilemma of choice. Which type of house? Bungalow, villa, single-family home? Energy saving? Attached garage? What happens when the children move out? When we are old? How much money should I spend so that in the end I don’t regret the hassle with the mortgage?

Where would you generally start thinking?

So far, we often look through catalogs and say yes or no, but when it gets more concrete, it becomes difficult to decide.

Thanks

Regarding the plot...

knock88 schrieb:

We want to build a house.
[..]
Problem:
The dilemma of choice. Which type of house? Bungalow, villa, single-family house? Energy efficiency? Attached garage? What happens when the kids move out? When we get older? [..]
Where would you generally start thinking?

BeHaElJa schrieb:

With the plot of land..

The very first question should be: what am I willing and able to invest?

Since the question "this plot or that plot" sometimes doesn’t even come up depending on the region—because at least where we are, almost only plots in "D" locations are available—it’s also worth considering: "New build? Or perhaps an existing property or even a renovation project?" Unfortunately, existing properties in more desirable locations were overpriced in our case...
Once you have the plot in mind, the question of the house type often answers itself. Now the question is: can the plot, buildability/renovation needs, investment willingness, and conditions (accessibility, public transport, doctors, personal preferences) all be aligned? If not—keep looking...

knock88 schrieb:


Where would you generally start thinking?

The first question should be: WHERE do I want to live? Big city, small town, village? Do I want a large garden and to live on the outskirts with proximity to a forest, etc.? Infrastructure, schools, hospital, and so on...

When potential plots of land come into view, I would start thinking about the house.

Okay,

so the location where we want to live is clear.

800-1000 m² (8600-11,000 sq ft) with good infrastructure. We have already looked into this and researched the market prices.

Once I have chosen a plot, I need to know whether to build a townhouse or a bungalow, because some building types are restricted by the number of floors allowed.

From what I observe here, plots are quickly taken.

So would you search first, then go to the bank, and then plan the house type?

knock88 schrieb:
So would you search first, then go to the bank, and then design the house type?

No, first go to the bank and have them roughly calculate how much loan you can get or what amount you might have available including your own equity.

Then roughly calculate your housing program. Standard bedrooms and children's rooms are about 15sqm (160 sq ft), bathrooms 10sqm (108 sq ft), kitchen 12sqm (130 sq ft), kitchen with island 15sqm (160 sq ft), etc. Add circulation area of about 10–15%. Leave special requests like a sauna, balcony, or other luxury features aside for now.
If you come to around 150sqm (1,615 sq ft), it can be difficult to build that much space in an area where plots are only about 500sqm (5,380 sq ft). Usually, a one-and-a-half-story house (officially called a single-story) is considered. This can possibly be expanded upwards if the zoning plan (building permit / planning permission) allows it and if you want to.

… And the budget! You can assume (I can’t remember exactly… it’s generally cheaper in the north than in the south) about 1500 to 1800 per sqm (140 to 167 per sq ft). In addition, a lump sum of 30,000 is calculated for additional construction costs, 15,000 for landscaping, and 10,000 for a carport.
Calculate this and then you’ll know how much is left for the land. Don’t forget land purchase fees.
If your land only costs a few euros and there’s plenty of building land to choose from, you might have some buffer regarding higher specifications.

Otherwise, I always recommend: order catalogs and drive through new housing developments. Visit display home villages, go to bathroom showrooms, and read up on things like the latest heating technology in the forum. Get a feel for what is generous and what is too large, what is standard and what is unnecessary. And always keep an eye on prices including VAT. Forget DIY store prices where a carport is offered for 300 euros—those aren’t durable.

Best regards,
Yvonne