Hello,
we would like to build a one-and-a-half-story single-family house with about 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) plus additional development space in the attic. Without a basement but with a 9 m (30 ft) garage.
We have a plot of land in sight, which we hope to reserve by May. We have already had several appointments with construction companies, including TaC, a developer from Krefeld, and one from Sonsbeck. I feel increasingly uncertain. Both developers offer roughly the same concept, but their prices differ significantly. One says that a ventilation system is not necessary for a KfW 55 solid construction house, while the other says it is very important. I am completely confused. Intuitively, the developer from Sonsbeck was our favorite—until we saw the cost estimate.
It is just too expensive! With TaC, the costs are within our budget, but opinions about the company are mixed.
Does anyone have experience in the NRW area?
Best regards
we would like to build a one-and-a-half-story single-family house with about 125 sqm (1,345 sq ft) plus additional development space in the attic. Without a basement but with a 9 m (30 ft) garage.
We have a plot of land in sight, which we hope to reserve by May. We have already had several appointments with construction companies, including TaC, a developer from Krefeld, and one from Sonsbeck. I feel increasingly uncertain. Both developers offer roughly the same concept, but their prices differ significantly. One says that a ventilation system is not necessary for a KfW 55 solid construction house, while the other says it is very important. I am completely confused. Intuitively, the developer from Sonsbeck was our favorite—until we saw the cost estimate.
It is just too expensive! With TaC, the costs are within our budget, but opinions about the company are mixed.
Does anyone have experience in the NRW area?
Best regards
We have all faced this problem before.
In total, I spoke with about 20 providers, only three of which were prefabricated house suppliers.
In the end, I had the best experiences talking to construction companies that either employ their own architect or cooperate with one and can still offer a fixed price.
To manage the issue of comparability and differing scopes of services, I created an Excel spreadsheet and recorded almost every term (e.g., foundation earth electrode, tiles for €30/m² (about $31/ft²), etc.) mentioned in any (construction and service) description of the providers.
Then, I asked each provider whether that particular item was included in their scope of services.
In the Excel sheet, I noted the additional costs for each feature for every provider, allowing me to calculate the total cost for each one.
If it’s not listed, it’s not included.
This takes a lot of effort but in my opinion is absolutely worthwhile, especially if you as the builder have no experience and want to avoid being overcharged.
Regarding ventilation: it is primarily a luxury, yes.
But necessary if you are too lazy to ventilate manually.
As someone else said, airing out the house five times a day for 10 minutes each time would be ideal.
At least three times a day.
If both of you are working full-time, you probably won’t manage even that.
If you don’t manage it, mold formation is very likely.
Especially in the first weeks or months when the building is still damp.
Why is that? With today’s building standards, you can expect the house to be quite airtight. Moisture cannot escape without ventilation.
Personally, I don’t know anyone who manages to do this regularly. That does not mean such people don’t exist, but I think most won’t succeed consistently.
To decide on a provider, I strongly recommend visiting houses built by them and talking with the owners about their experiences.
Check out construction sites to see what they look like and which tradespeople are working there.
Also, visit the construction company itself—how does their yard look? Does everything give a good, organized impression, or is it chaotic?
Additionally, I suggest reading through this forum about related topics and features. For common issues (such as whether controlled residential ventilation is necessary or not), there are already numerous thorough and concluded discussions.
In total, I spoke with about 20 providers, only three of which were prefabricated house suppliers.
In the end, I had the best experiences talking to construction companies that either employ their own architect or cooperate with one and can still offer a fixed price.
To manage the issue of comparability and differing scopes of services, I created an Excel spreadsheet and recorded almost every term (e.g., foundation earth electrode, tiles for €30/m² (about $31/ft²), etc.) mentioned in any (construction and service) description of the providers.
Then, I asked each provider whether that particular item was included in their scope of services.
In the Excel sheet, I noted the additional costs for each feature for every provider, allowing me to calculate the total cost for each one.
If it’s not listed, it’s not included.
This takes a lot of effort but in my opinion is absolutely worthwhile, especially if you as the builder have no experience and want to avoid being overcharged.
Regarding ventilation: it is primarily a luxury, yes.
But necessary if you are too lazy to ventilate manually.
As someone else said, airing out the house five times a day for 10 minutes each time would be ideal.
At least three times a day.
If both of you are working full-time, you probably won’t manage even that.
If you don’t manage it, mold formation is very likely.
Especially in the first weeks or months when the building is still damp.
Why is that? With today’s building standards, you can expect the house to be quite airtight. Moisture cannot escape without ventilation.
Personally, I don’t know anyone who manages to do this regularly. That does not mean such people don’t exist, but I think most won’t succeed consistently.
To decide on a provider, I strongly recommend visiting houses built by them and talking with the owners about their experiences.
Check out construction sites to see what they look like and which tradespeople are working there.
Also, visit the construction company itself—how does their yard look? Does everything give a good, organized impression, or is it chaotic?
Additionally, I suggest reading through this forum about related topics and features. For common issues (such as whether controlled residential ventilation is necessary or not), there are already numerous thorough and concluded discussions.
Thank you for your input.
The companies that have made the shortlist, as far as I understand, are construction supervisors?! They work with their own architect. The concept is as follows:
Payment to the companies is made after completion of each construction phase. (We are allowed to help choose the companies).
One invoice was received from:
Company from Sonsbeck (Master Mason)
110 sqm (which he seems to have misunderstood! We wanted 120 sqm (1300 sq ft) with additional finished space in the attic)
KfW 55 standard
Gray windows
Electric blinds
Concrete staircase
Solid wooden staircase upstairs
9 m (30 ft) garage
Prepared roof structure
Branded sanitary fixtures included
Underfloor heating as well
Deep drilling (without external unit)
Ventilation system
Small bay window in the living room
Shower in the guest bathroom
Also included all additional costs, own labor for floor coverings and walls.
Bottom line: BKOG 370,000 € (about USD 400,000)?
Is that realistic?
The companies that have made the shortlist, as far as I understand, are construction supervisors?! They work with their own architect. The concept is as follows:
Payment to the companies is made after completion of each construction phase. (We are allowed to help choose the companies).
One invoice was received from:
Company from Sonsbeck (Master Mason)
110 sqm (which he seems to have misunderstood! We wanted 120 sqm (1300 sq ft) with additional finished space in the attic)
KfW 55 standard
Gray windows
Electric blinds
Concrete staircase
Solid wooden staircase upstairs
9 m (30 ft) garage
Prepared roof structure
Branded sanitary fixtures included
Underfloor heating as well
Deep drilling (without external unit)
Ventilation system
Small bay window in the living room
Shower in the guest bathroom
Also included all additional costs, own labor for floor coverings and walls.
Bottom line: BKOG 370,000 € (about USD 400,000)?
Is that realistic?
Grym schrieb:
Soundproofing... Interior walls made of aerated concrete are like having no interior walls at all..I think that’s a mantra of yours.
Judith82 schrieb:
Bottom line: construction cost estimate €370,000??
Realistic?I googled yesterday for providers in Sonsbeck. One of them had this strange indication of a minimum and maximum construction cost in their offers (named after a flower, very nice). Whether that’s supposed to represent a wide range of a rough estimate or if they have two friends for all trades and in the worst case always have to choose the more expensive one because the cheaper isn’t available, resulting in that upper limit—I don’t know.
Whether it’s “realistic” or not can never be said just by square meters or cubic meters—you’d have to have read the detailed scope of work.
Am I right in assuming you’re also building in Sonsbeck, and because of the local regulations for non-local land buyers, you have to build to KfW55 standard?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Judith82 schrieb:
No, we are planning to build in Kamp-Lintfort. For us, it doesn’t matter whether it’s KfW 55 or not.Kamp-Lintfort, I think Alfred’s grandmother came from there (just kidding).
Judith82 schrieb:
However, there are subsidies available, and since we’re starting with little equity, we thought it would be an advantage.KfW 55 seems achievable with reasonable means. The Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 won’t be the last one, so a slightly higher energy consumption is acceptable. This little bit of “avant-garde” won’t hurt.
However, I caution against mortgage calculations that rely on KfW 55 as a condition to make the numbers work. If that’s the case, the budget is actually too tight, viewed without rose-colored glasses.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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