ᐅ Building a House Instead of Buying a Condominium (Apartment)

We (26m, 25w) are currently considering building a small house (100 square meters (1,076 square feet)) instead of buying an (older) condominium.

Reasons for considering this:
Condos in our area cost between €150,000 and €200,000 in poor condition.
Condos are always part of a homeowner association (HOA) / commonhold, which limits decision-making freedom.
We are fortunate to already own several building plots (at no cost).
If the house is built to be age-friendly, our parents could move in later, and we could then build a larger house or swap houses.

We currently pay €700 rent including utilities. We can easily afford this. We could also handle higher payments for loan repayment. We have about €100,000 in equity.

We have already read some information and warnings in the forum, ranging from kit homes to prefab houses.

The key question is: what does a house of about 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) cost without any major extras?
Basically rectangular, 2 floors, possibly a basement.
Region between Ulm and Lake Constance.
Examples of houses we like:
Flair 110 from Town & Country
Balance 200 from Weberhaus
ALTO SD.100.2, Modicus M 52 i from Heinz von Heiden

In the forum, prices between €2,000 and €3,000 per square meter (approximately $2,150–$3,225 per square yard) are mentioned, regardless of house type. That means €200,000 to €300,000. I assume this is without any personal work, right?

Is it cheaper to go with a prefab house builder for such “simple” floor plans than hiring a construction company to put up the shell?
What is the best way to compare different offers?

At the moment, we are at the very beginning and have not yet decided on a house type.

Why choose two stories if you want an age-appropriate home? In that case, a bungalow might be the right house type. We are building it to your size. Here in Schleswig-Holstein, it costs 163,000 euros without additional construction costs, painting, or built-in kitchen. It is made of aerated concrete, plastered monolithically, equipped with underfloor heating, a gas boiler with solar thermal system, and instead of a basement, an accessible attic with stairs. It has engineered roof trusses, a hip roof with a 30° or 45° pitch, a skylight (Velux), satellite TV, tiles at 25 euros per square meter (9.3 dollars per square foot), and no special KfW energy efficiency level. Doors are one meter wide (39 inches) to accommodate a walker or similar. This type of home might be worth considering. Karsten

To be fair, for a newcomer you should also mention that a) there is a north-south gradient regarding construction costs, b) additional building-related costs range between 39,000 and 59,000 (no currency), plus exterior work costing between 10,000 and 15,000 (no currency), and that do-it-yourself work only saves a few thousand, but can significantly delay the construction progress @Nordlys

There is a pinned post by tox in the construction financing subforum: take a look at it 😉

Briefly, best regards

That is certainly true. However, the additional costs are hard to compare—whether it’s a slope or not, the amount of earthworks, varying utility connection fees, and so on. I think you have overestimated the garden costs. It can be done more cheaply. Regarding the north-south slope, that is also correct; it is more expensive in “Northern Italy.” The idea of a bungalow measuring 13.5 by 10 meters (44 by 33 feet), with 1-meter-wide (3.3 feet) doors and using the basement floor as storage instead, also works in the south.

I would always advise people to approach a mid-sized builder, sketch out their ideas, and then have that builder construct their house. I consider prefabricated houses simply overpriced and fail to see the added value over a solid (masonry) house. Spending tens of thousands on KfW 40 standards never pays off. Karsten

Why do self-performed tasks have to delay the construction progress? We managed to complete doors, some flooring, plumbing, partial electrical work, and the kitchen within the regular construction timeframe.

Nordlys schrieb:
That is certainly true. Still, additional costs are difficult to compare—whether it’s a sloped site or not, the amount of earthwork required, utility connection fees vary, and so on. I think you have overestimated the garden costs. It can be done more cheaply. Regarding the north-south slope, that’s correct as well; it is more expensive in "Northern Italy." The idea of a bungalow measuring 13.5 by 10.1 meters (44.3 by 33.1 feet), with 1-meter-wide (3.3 feet) doors, and using the basement floor as storage space also works in the south.
...

Exactly. You are building here by far the cheapest. I, too, was able to build relatively cheaply four years ago. Still, I cannot and will not provide my figures as an average example. Moreover, a bungalow remains the more expensive type of construction. The soil conditions become more demanding the further south you go, as do wages and salaries.

And again: first look at the plot, the zoning plan (building permit / planning permission), as that determines the number of floors, etc. Then comes the financial plan. ...

@Bamboo
It’s best to browse the forum a bit—your questions will be answered quickly. The prefabricated house topic is discussed at least twice a week.

Regards, Yvonne