ᐅ At the beginning of the planning phase, with many unanswered questions

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are still relatively early in our planning phase.
Basically, we would like to have around 160-180m² (1,722-1,937 sq ft) of living space, plus a usable basement with 3-4 rooms, also considering future family planning.
A few weeks ago, we visited a “prefabricated house village” with about 40 different suppliers and of course, came home with a lot of impressions and “a few” brochures. However, my parents-in-law have often advised us to “build properly” with an architect involved (their exact words :rolleyes 🙂.

Now the question remains what exactly we need to consider overall, especially financially (we already have the plot, but a demolition and basement excavation are required). Our current favorite—mostly mine—is the company Huf-Haus, mainly because we really like the timber-frame design with all the beams and so on.
I’m worried that an architect might first ask for a considerable fee before providing us with useful information and figures (Or am I possibly wrong about this?).

Hello,

Bau-Teufel schrieb:
...However, the question remains because my parents-in-law have often "advised" us to build "properly" with an architect (their exact words). Now, the question is what exactly this involves overall, especially financially (the plot is no longer needed, but there will be demolition and basement excavation). Our current favorite (mostly mine) would be the company Huf-Haus. Mainly because we really like the timber frame design with the many beams, etc.

Since you have chosen a house from the named, reputable provider, I assume you know how much money you need to invest in one of their houses. Therefore, I do not understand the question about an architect, unless you want to build a solid house with a timber frame look instead of a timber house?

Best regards

Yes, I am aware of the price range. The problem is that my wife isn’t ready to commit yet since, as mentioned, we are still quite early in the planning phase. She said that maybe an architect could do something with wooden beams and large, floor-to-ceiling glass surfaces. However, I have no idea whether this approach is better, cheaper, or whatever, because I thought the supplier does this all the time, is specialized in it, and probably has access to better prices due to volume, in-house production, etc. On the other hand, I have no experience with what an architect could do in this regard. It’s simply an area where you want to avoid as many mistakes and inconveniences as possible. 😉

At the moment, I’m trying to read up on as many topics as my free time allows, but for someone who is not from this industry, it’s a lot to take in. 😎 Honestly, I don’t even know where to start because everything seems "somehow important," and the more you learn about the subject, the more "ifs" and "buts" you come across… it can be a little confusing. 🙄

So, before things get even more confusing, I thought I’d try to find out the advantages and disadvantages of both options first, just to get a basic idea of which approach might be better for us. (I just hope I’ve expressed myself clearly enough 🙂 )

Hello,

Bau-Teufel schrieb:
…that my wife does not want to commit yet, as we are still quite early in the planning phase, as mentioned before. She said maybe an architect could "do something with wooden beams and large floor-to-ceiling windows"

I want to share something from my work experience: it’s great when the bride’s father – usually the fathers of wives/partners – participates in the planning and offers advice. It becomes complicated, however, when the project starts to feel more like the single-family home of the father/father-in-law, and the planning gives the senior a sense of “being needed,” which may have been neglected during retirement. And believe me, the boundaries are fluid … and during construction, it doesn’t really get any easier. Not rarely, very calm craftsmen turn into a farce of themselves.

I understand that your wife doesn’t want to settle for the first provider, and I think that’s a good approach, since you both need to develop a feeling for the challenge of building a new home yourselves first; consulting with various providers/independent mortgage brokers is the best way. But both of you need to clarify early on whose house you want to build and why.

Bau-Teufel schrieb:
But I have no clue whether it is better/cheaper/whatever to go with something like this because I thought the provider does this all the time, is specialized in it and probably has cheaper sourcing options due to volume, own production, etc. But on the other hand, I have no experience with what an architect can do there. It’s simply an area where you want to avoid as many mistakes and inconveniences as possible

An architect is always recommended when the father of your wife is going to play an advisory role throughout the entire construction process. From experience, the father’s questions tend to be so profound and complex that no general contractor can afford the luxury of spending hours answering them; this works against the general contractor system. The independent architect, on the other hand, will welcome it, as he bills every consulting hour according to the fee structure.

An architect also works with trusted craftspeople he has collaborated with for years. The difference to a general contractor is that the architect will hardly offer a fixed price for building your dream house; if he does, he is essentially acting as a general contractor and fully liable, which most architects avoid and rightly so. If you build with an architect, you will have influence over the choice of craftsmen, as the architect is obliged to present you with at least three bids per trade, from which you make your selection. A good architect can design any house – you should budget about 10-12% of the construction cost for planning; if the architect also takes care of construction supervision, this amount will increase accordingly.

Bau-Teufel schrieb:
So before more confusion arises, I thought I’d try to find out what the advantages and disadvantages of the two options are, to get a basic idea of the better approach for us (I just hope I expressed myself clearly enough)

I’ve attached a picture of a comparable house – solidly built – a reputable general contractor can also build a bright, well-lit house, as long as his concept allows for flexible planning.

Continue discussions with providers and find an architect to whom you can explain your project; however, make sure to inform the architect early on that it is a consultation only; if you say “yes” at the wrong time, you have hired the architect even without written confirmation. Compare the costs for architect/general contractor, the sales representatives’ statements, and especially the building specifications (building description). IMPORTANT: what is not in the building description, you have not bought! If possible, visit new housing developments and get a sense of the competitor’s houses during the structural phase. If you go to show home centers, it is the same as visiting a furniture store: if you don’t knock on the wall, you won’t even know whether the home is solidly built or a prefab house 😉

Afterwards, decide based on the offer, reliability (check through your bank), and your gut feeling; if necessary, hire external construction supervision, and then your dream of homeownership will work out.

Kind regards

Thank you very much for the detailed reply 🙂