ᐅ 140 sqm for a family with two children and parents – but what is the best way to design the floor plan?

Hello

We soon have the opportunity to purchase a plot of land for either a single-family house or a semi-detached house in the western Münsterland region. My wife and I (and possibly two children in the future) plan to live there.

Now, the question is how we want to build the house. In principle, we have nothing against semi-detached houses. What has bothered me so far are the dimensions of the living room (for example, 6 x 7 m (20 x 23 feet)). I would prefer a more elongated living room of about 5 x 9 m (16 x 30 feet). One side should connect the dining area to the kitchen, and on the other side, the sofa area with the TV should be along the short wall (not the long one). The person responsible for allocating the plots from the local authority said today that this could also work with a semi-detached house. Apparently, I lack the imagination to see how this could be done. For a semi-detached house, the plot would be approximately a maximum of 350 m² (115€ including development costs).

Is the price advantage per square meter of a semi-detached house really that high, or does it not make much difference compared to a single-family house (+ about 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) of land = +11,500€)? For the single-family houses, garages from two plots can be built side by side at a maximum length of 9 m (30 feet).

The house will be built without a basement (due to cost), so we want a large garage and a study room. My wife actually wants a basement, but I think it would just become a storage room. The soil, however, is suitable for a basement: no waterlogging or clay layers, etc. The roof is planned to be built in a standard way. At least that’s our intention. However, many houses are also built with a hip roof. Does that make sense (for a single-family home)? What are the advantages?

In addition, I might want a KfW 70 energy-efficient house. Controlled ventilation with a heat exchanger and an allergy filter would be great! I am allergic to house dust mites. Also, I am a fan of wood flooring (perhaps also for the terrace? Keyword Bangkirai). I might get that more affordably. Wood also absorbs and releases moisture, which is good for indoor humidity.

Timber frame or solid construction doesn’t matter much to us, although we would prefer solid construction with regional companies. The total cost including the plot should ideally stay at 290,000€. After all, you still need to buy some things later, like a sofa, etc.

I look forward to your answers!

Hello to the dark side of the force

I’m currently building a semi-detached house, and we have an L-shaped living room. Many things are possible with the floor plan. You can just look it up online.

In my opinion, the main saving with a semi-detached house is that you don’t need insulation or windows on one side—so it’s not really that significant. It’s more about saving plot area, since on 350m² (3750 sq ft) a (reasonable) detached house isn’t really possible because of the 3m (10 ft) distance required from the neighbor. But since your land price is low (by my standards: 350€/m²), if I were facing that choice, I would build a detached house!

With a budget of 290,000€ (including everything with furniture, etc.), it should be just about possible in my layman’s opinion, but without a basement.

Hi,

A few years ago, I bought an old house. It’s technically detached, but during the DDR times nobody really paid attention, so one or even two neighbors built onto it. What bothers me is a neighbor who chops wood constantly (no matter the time) and you can feel the vibrations at the other end of the house. I imagine it’s similar with a semi-detached house, but that’s a matter of opinion.

Regarding the floor plan: I want to build new on my property and have almost complete freedom in size and shape. We initially looked at floor plans online, but quickly realized none of them suited us. So we measured our current rooms. Are they large enough or not? That’s how we first determined the room sizes. When working on a floor plan, you try to find the right layout. By moving furniture pieces (bed and wardrobe, bathtub, sofa) around on the plan, you can see what else is needed or what can be removed. The important thing is to draw as accurately as possible and to cut out the furniture shapes precisely.

Once the floor plan is finalized, you can start requesting quotes. At least, that’s how I’m approaching it. Then you can still decide whether to build with masonry or wood.

Regards,
Bromi

Thank you very much for your replies! I have now scheduled appointments with two architects to get a better idea of how a building project might proceed and what costs they estimate. A house should probably be achievable for around 200,000€.

What exactly does “turnkey” construction mean? Do the developers already have house models available to build from? Could that perhaps be the more affordable option?

I’ve experimented with floor plans myself using Sweet Home 3D, but I’m not sure where to position the garage. If I put it on the side, I wouldn’t be able to have windows there. How large is a garage usually built? About 6 × 9 meters (20 × 30 feet)?

Ok, thanks for the tip! With the first one, the lady immediately said that the initial consultation is free. For the second, I still need to follow up. But of course, at some point they want to get paid.

It’s not that simple to create a rough drawing that includes my wishes. Everything you see online somehow always seems to be “basement-suitable.” Is there actually a rule of thumb to say from which price per square meter it starts to make financial sense to build a basement?

So, the initial consultation was somewhat disappointing. I had mentioned that our budget for the house itself was basically around 200,000 euros (about 275,000 euros in total). The architect then said that with that budget, you can't really build something special. I can't quite put into words what he said exactly. But I found his reaction strange. Soon, I have another appointment with a different architect, who is said to have a somewhat higher standard.

I am getting my plot of land for 50% ownership. It costs just about 50,000 euros including taxes and notary fees.