Hello dear forum,
I am currently in Canada learning the fine art of log house construction. By now, I have caught the log house building fever so badly that I am seriously considering building my own house after I return home. My main principle will be that the house must be affordable! I don’t want to take out hundreds of thousands of euros in loans and spend my whole life paying them off. What I have in mind is a simple house! The floor plan should be a rectangle of about 8x9m (26x30 feet). As for the roof structure, I only feel confident doing something simple there as well. That means a basic purlin roof (naturally made from round logs) without any fancy extras. The interior walls should not be made of logs but traditionally built with masonry. That way, at least there will be some straight and, above all, bright walls where you can hang pictures... If anyone wants more details, I’m happy to share my first self-made construction drawings.
Now to my actual questions. Is it even allowed in Germany to build your own house (at least the shell from natural logs)? I assume I need proper plans from an architect at least for the building permit / planning permission? Or are there other solutions nowadays? As I said, the floor plan is already set, and the architect would only be there to put it into the correct form. Is there anything else that might stand in the way that I haven’t thought of? Another important question is whether it’s possible in Germany to heat a house solely with a masonry stove? Given the relatively small floor area, a correctly sized stove should be sufficient. I have seen houses here that were much larger and heated only with wood. For hot water supply, I was thinking of using an instantaneous water heater, and if the bathroom is too cold in the morning, then just putting an infrared heater on the ceiling. You can probably tell I have given careful thought to keeping costs down. Whether this is allowed, however, I don’t know.
Regarding costs, I might be a bit naive, so here is the question if I have forgotten anything important:
The serviced plot of land in Germany is already owned. About €10,000 should be enough for the foundation slab. For the shell, I need about 70 cubic meters of good spruce wood. At a price of around €130 per cubic meter including delivery, that’s roughly another €10,000. So, the shell including part of the roof frame (the rafters are still missing) could be realized for under €20,000. The interior finishing should also be cheaper compared to a “normal” solid house. Heating pipes and radiators are eliminated because of the masonry stove. The electrical installation in a log house is also quite simple, so the electrician would only need to come to connect the sockets, as the drillings for the cables are already made during the shell construction, and I’m confident I can lay the cables myself. Okay, installing the sanitary fixtures is not cheap either, but since only one bathroom is planned, it shouldn’t be too expensive. The costs for the rest of the roof should also not exceed €15,000 (rafters, insulation, tiles, etc.). I realize I’ve already written a pretty long text, and for fear that no one will read it to the end, I’ll stop now.
So please, bring me back to reality and tell me what important things I haven’t thought of...
Many thanks to everyone who can shed some light on these matters. Greetings from Canada. Christian
I am currently in Canada learning the fine art of log house construction. By now, I have caught the log house building fever so badly that I am seriously considering building my own house after I return home. My main principle will be that the house must be affordable! I don’t want to take out hundreds of thousands of euros in loans and spend my whole life paying them off. What I have in mind is a simple house! The floor plan should be a rectangle of about 8x9m (26x30 feet). As for the roof structure, I only feel confident doing something simple there as well. That means a basic purlin roof (naturally made from round logs) without any fancy extras. The interior walls should not be made of logs but traditionally built with masonry. That way, at least there will be some straight and, above all, bright walls where you can hang pictures... If anyone wants more details, I’m happy to share my first self-made construction drawings.
Now to my actual questions. Is it even allowed in Germany to build your own house (at least the shell from natural logs)? I assume I need proper plans from an architect at least for the building permit / planning permission? Or are there other solutions nowadays? As I said, the floor plan is already set, and the architect would only be there to put it into the correct form. Is there anything else that might stand in the way that I haven’t thought of? Another important question is whether it’s possible in Germany to heat a house solely with a masonry stove? Given the relatively small floor area, a correctly sized stove should be sufficient. I have seen houses here that were much larger and heated only with wood. For hot water supply, I was thinking of using an instantaneous water heater, and if the bathroom is too cold in the morning, then just putting an infrared heater on the ceiling. You can probably tell I have given careful thought to keeping costs down. Whether this is allowed, however, I don’t know.
Regarding costs, I might be a bit naive, so here is the question if I have forgotten anything important:
The serviced plot of land in Germany is already owned. About €10,000 should be enough for the foundation slab. For the shell, I need about 70 cubic meters of good spruce wood. At a price of around €130 per cubic meter including delivery, that’s roughly another €10,000. So, the shell including part of the roof frame (the rafters are still missing) could be realized for under €20,000. The interior finishing should also be cheaper compared to a “normal” solid house. Heating pipes and radiators are eliminated because of the masonry stove. The electrical installation in a log house is also quite simple, so the electrician would only need to come to connect the sockets, as the drillings for the cables are already made during the shell construction, and I’m confident I can lay the cables myself. Okay, installing the sanitary fixtures is not cheap either, but since only one bathroom is planned, it shouldn’t be too expensive. The costs for the rest of the roof should also not exceed €15,000 (rafters, insulation, tiles, etc.). I realize I’ve already written a pretty long text, and for fear that no one will read it to the end, I’ll stop now.
So please, bring me back to reality and tell me what important things I haven’t thought of...
Many thanks to everyone who can shed some light on these matters. Greetings from Canada. Christian
Often, it is the small details that increase the cost of building a house. Energy saving regulations / rainwater harvesting / soakaway pits, and so on.
You will also need windows and doors (front door, patio door) in your wooden house – these are quite expensive here in Germany. Wastewater pipes and water supply lines have to be connected to the house and to the city’s or municipality’s sewer system – that costs money! A wood stove means you will need a) to store and source wood, and b) a chimney and a chimney sweep to maintain it – which costs money again.
Building permit applications in Germany can only be submitted by certain professionals. As far as I know, these are draftsmen and architects.
I don’t think you will be able to build a low-budget house that way.
You will also need windows and doors (front door, patio door) in your wooden house – these are quite expensive here in Germany. Wastewater pipes and water supply lines have to be connected to the house and to the city’s or municipality’s sewer system – that costs money! A wood stove means you will need a) to store and source wood, and b) a chimney and a chimney sweep to maintain it – which costs money again.
Building permit applications in Germany can only be submitted by certain professionals. As far as I know, these are draftsmen and architects.
I don’t think you will be able to build a low-budget house that way.
B
Bauexperte9 Sep 2013 12:18Hello Christian,
For self-building, it likely won’t work either, as the individual logs must already be prepared at the factory for window openings, electrical wiring, and technical installations. By the way – in my humble opinion – massive interior walls have no place in such a house; in my view, that would ruin the character of the home.
Energy saving regulations or even a KfW standard are absolutely no problem with this – but as mentioned before, this will definitely not be a budget solution.
Regards, Bauexperte from Canada
Chris84 schrieb:Some time ago, I visited a model home in the south of Germany; I could easily “copy” these houses – but unfortunately, they are beyond the budget I set for myself.
I am currently in Canada learning the fine art of log cabin construction.
Chris84 schrieb:You can quickly forget that with a genuine, solidly built natural log home; I also doubt whether spruce is the right material here. It’s important that the logs used are all the same age – the thickness should also be roughly consistent.
The top priority should be that the house remains affordable!
For self-building, it likely won’t work either, as the individual logs must already be prepared at the factory for window openings, electrical wiring, and technical installations. By the way – in my humble opinion – massive interior walls have no place in such a house; in my view, that would ruin the character of the home.
Energy saving regulations or even a KfW standard are absolutely no problem with this – but as mentioned before, this will definitely not be a budget solution.
Regards, Bauexperte from Canada
Hey, thanks a lot for the initial responses!
First of all, I’m aware that building a single-family house for 50€ is impossible. But I don’t understand where my reasoning is flawed when I claim that the shell construction can be obtained cheaper overall than in a typical solid construction house. (25,000€ of which 10,000€ is for the foundation slab and 10,000€ for the wood, 5,000€ for the crane; I’m not even counting the six weeks of work…)
Regarding the objections related to the energy-saving regulations, are these concerns about the wood stove as the sole heating source or about the insulation properties of the log walls?
@Bauexperte: You still owe me the explanation why building a natural log house can’t be done inexpensively! I studied forestry and trained as a forest worker, so I should know a bit about wood. Without exception, ALL companies in Germany that offer natural log houses work with spruce. Douglas fir would be an alternative, but since slow-grown Douglas fir is almost impossible to find in Germany, I would always prefer spruce (from higher elevations in the Harz region, Thuringian Forest, etc.). I understand that a log must be factory-prepared to accommodate electrical installations, windows, and doors. However, this is quite straightforward in a log house. Anyone who can hold a large drill and drill vertical holes is already halfway there. For fitting windows and doors, you need exactly one vertical cut with a chainsaw, into which a piece of angle iron is inserted. The window frame is then attached to this iron. The whole thing is insulated and the gap covered with a trim or board, and the window or door installation is done. I just want to say that natural log construction is not rocket science. Anyone with some practical experience will agree with me here. Of course, some companies would never admit this... Opinions may vary regarding the massive interior walls. Personally, I just want to have some “white” and straight walls in my house. Also, installing plumbing fixtures on a wall that does not settle and remains straight is much easier.
That’s all from me for now… work is calling… Best regards, Christian
First of all, I’m aware that building a single-family house for 50€ is impossible. But I don’t understand where my reasoning is flawed when I claim that the shell construction can be obtained cheaper overall than in a typical solid construction house. (25,000€ of which 10,000€ is for the foundation slab and 10,000€ for the wood, 5,000€ for the crane; I’m not even counting the six weeks of work…)
Regarding the objections related to the energy-saving regulations, are these concerns about the wood stove as the sole heating source or about the insulation properties of the log walls?
@Bauexperte: You still owe me the explanation why building a natural log house can’t be done inexpensively! I studied forestry and trained as a forest worker, so I should know a bit about wood. Without exception, ALL companies in Germany that offer natural log houses work with spruce. Douglas fir would be an alternative, but since slow-grown Douglas fir is almost impossible to find in Germany, I would always prefer spruce (from higher elevations in the Harz region, Thuringian Forest, etc.). I understand that a log must be factory-prepared to accommodate electrical installations, windows, and doors. However, this is quite straightforward in a log house. Anyone who can hold a large drill and drill vertical holes is already halfway there. For fitting windows and doors, you need exactly one vertical cut with a chainsaw, into which a piece of angle iron is inserted. The window frame is then attached to this iron. The whole thing is insulated and the gap covered with a trim or board, and the window or door installation is done. I just want to say that natural log construction is not rocket science. Anyone with some practical experience will agree with me here. Of course, some companies would never admit this... Opinions may vary regarding the massive interior walls. Personally, I just want to have some “white” and straight walls in my house. Also, installing plumbing fixtures on a wall that does not settle and remains straight is much easier.
That’s all from me for now… work is calling… Best regards, Christian
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