Hello Forum,
I’m currently considering buying my own property and am strongly leaning towards building a house. However, I’m still a bit hesitant because of the high costs, which might partly be due to not having a clear understanding of everything involved — and that’s where you come in 🙂 I hope you can share some useful tips and/or links to help me get a better grasp.
Now, here are my “ideas” and my current level of knowledge:
I would like to build a house of about 130m² (1400 sq ft), including a basement. The big question is whether to go for a prefabricated house, a solid construction house, or a hybrid prefabricated-solid house?!
Time is not a critical factor for me — whether the process takes a few months longer or shorter isn’t decisive. What matters more is a future-oriented building method and features, meaning good thermal insulation, and possibly installing solar panels or similar systems if the budget allows.
The cost of the land is set aside here; I want to focus only on the house itself and all related costs.
What I know so far is that additional construction-related costs usually add about 15–20% to the total building cost. I can do some of the work myself, such as electrical connections, wallpapering, painting, installing doors, and laying floors. So, I don’t necessarily need a turnkey house — unless it turns out to be cheaper in the end to have some of these tasks done by the builder.
Because building plots here (in the Stuttgart region) are quite expensive, my budget is somewhat limited. I don’t want the cheapest possible house, but rather a good balance between quality and price. I understand that good quality doesn’t come for free.
Do you think it’s possible to realize the above within about €160,000 (approximately $175,000) — that is, build a complete, decent house for this price?
My total budget should not exceed €250,000 (around $275,000), so €160,000 for the house (including all costs) because the land is estimated at around €90,000.
So many questions, but I’m still quite new to this and really count on your help 😉
Optimistic and best regards
Flameboy
I’m currently considering buying my own property and am strongly leaning towards building a house. However, I’m still a bit hesitant because of the high costs, which might partly be due to not having a clear understanding of everything involved — and that’s where you come in 🙂 I hope you can share some useful tips and/or links to help me get a better grasp.
Now, here are my “ideas” and my current level of knowledge:
I would like to build a house of about 130m² (1400 sq ft), including a basement. The big question is whether to go for a prefabricated house, a solid construction house, or a hybrid prefabricated-solid house?!
Time is not a critical factor for me — whether the process takes a few months longer or shorter isn’t decisive. What matters more is a future-oriented building method and features, meaning good thermal insulation, and possibly installing solar panels or similar systems if the budget allows.
The cost of the land is set aside here; I want to focus only on the house itself and all related costs.
What I know so far is that additional construction-related costs usually add about 15–20% to the total building cost. I can do some of the work myself, such as electrical connections, wallpapering, painting, installing doors, and laying floors. So, I don’t necessarily need a turnkey house — unless it turns out to be cheaper in the end to have some of these tasks done by the builder.
Because building plots here (in the Stuttgart region) are quite expensive, my budget is somewhat limited. I don’t want the cheapest possible house, but rather a good balance between quality and price. I understand that good quality doesn’t come for free.
Do you think it’s possible to realize the above within about €160,000 (approximately $175,000) — that is, build a complete, decent house for this price?
My total budget should not exceed €250,000 (around $275,000), so €160,000 for the house (including all costs) because the land is estimated at around €90,000.
So many questions, but I’m still quite new to this and really count on your help 😉
Optimistic and best regards
Flameboy
6Richtige schrieb:
€90,000 (approx. $98,000) land
5% of that €4,500 (approx. $4,900)
€35,000 (approx. $38,000) basement
€10,000 (approx. $11,000) earthworks
€20,000 (approx. $22,000) additional costs
€156,000 (approx. $170,000) house
adds up to around a €320,000 (approx. $348,000) budget. Don’t forget to plan a reserve, and it’s advisable to have 20% of that as equity 😉 Well, with just over €250,000 (approx. $272,000) I could have managed something, but if it’s going that much higher 🙁
Then I guess I’ll have to rethink my plans….
Ok, I’ve reconsidered everything, both financially and in terms of possible personal contributions, and I think that, given my professional situation, I can approach a budget of around 300,000€ (about $330,000) or even a bit more.
I would like to gather some information on which prefab house manufacturers are recommended, who has had positive or negative experiences, and which companies offer good value for money (and, of course, quality).
Links to similar topics are welcome, but direct feedback is also appreciated. The usual advice to “use the search” doesn’t help me much, as I haven’t found much relevant information with the search terms I’ve tried so far. 🙂
I would like to gather some information on which prefab house manufacturers are recommended, who has had positive or negative experiences, and which companies offer good value for money (and, of course, quality).
Links to similar topics are welcome, but direct feedback is also appreciated. The usual advice to “use the search” doesn’t help me much, as I haven’t found much relevant information with the search terms I’ve tried so far. 🙂
6
6Richtige23 Mar 2010 22:43With well over 200 companies in the prefabricated house sector, this can be quite challenging. You should exclude both the premium providers and the budget options from your search. First, a visit to your mortgage lender can help you get a preliminary idea of your budget without any obligation. Then, a model home exhibition can provide initial inspiration. Spending several dozen hours reading through building forums is also extremely helpful.
Talking to friends who may have had positive experiences is just as useful in finding a suitable company as visiting new housing developments to watch house assemblies and speak with homeowners.
In the end, you'll find yourself sitting in your living room surrounded by a pile of brochures, your mail carrier will no longer greet you cheerfully, and you may start feeling that continuing to rent might be the better option—but this phase will pass as well.
Once you have received quotes from several companies and have considered all other advice from this forum, you will choose the right provider and hopefully become a happy homeowner soon.
Talking to friends who may have had positive experiences is just as useful in finding a suitable company as visiting new housing developments to watch house assemblies and speak with homeowners.
In the end, you'll find yourself sitting in your living room surrounded by a pile of brochures, your mail carrier will no longer greet you cheerfully, and you may start feeling that continuing to rent might be the better option—but this phase will pass as well.
Once you have received quotes from several companies and have considered all other advice from this forum, you will choose the right provider and hopefully become a happy homeowner soon.
Catalogs have already arrived. Today, we’re also heading to Fellbach/Stuttgart for the "Eigenheim & Garten" exhibition to visit some houses.
But to differentiate between budget and premium providers, it’s important to know who falls into which category.
As far as I know within my circle of acquaintances, there are no prefabricated house builders—either people have their homes built by others or build themselves, usually with solid construction.
But to differentiate between budget and premium providers, it’s important to know who falls into which category.
As far as I know within my circle of acquaintances, there are no prefabricated house builders—either people have their homes built by others or build themselves, usually with solid construction.
P
perlenmann22 Apr 2010 10:02Flameboy schrieb:
But to differentiate between low-cost providers and premium suppliers, you should know who falls into which category.*high-end stuff*
So, who or what turned out to be the choice?
I have the same problem: who should I build with?
Which providers are recommended but not too expensive?
perlenmann schrieb:
*premium stuff*
So, who or what did you end up choosing?
I have the same problem—who should I build with?
Which providers are recommended but not too expensive?For now, I have decided not to build, also due to personal reasons, so I can’t really give you much advice on that.