Hello,
I am a single man, 45 years old, currently considering building a house again. I have three teenage children who often stay with me, although they officially live with my ex-wife. When the marriage broke down, I bought the next best house within cycling distance (in a great suburban location of a major city, built in 1995, well equipped). The house is intended to be sold if necessary, is free of liabilities, and my financial situation is comfortable partly because of this. With about 280 square meters (3000 square feet) of living space and just over 1000 square meters (0.25 acres) of property, however, it is far too large for someone living alone and requires a lot of maintenance. Maintenance means time, and I would rather spend that time on my children, traveling, and my job. I have been interested for some time in Bauhaus-style houses (more precisely: what is currently considered Bauhaus style, basically a cube-shaped design), around 140–160 square meters (1500–1700 square feet) of living space, no basement, and a plot of 500–600 square meters (0.12–0.15 acres).
Through networking, I might have the opportunity to acquire a suitable plot in the coming months.
Has anyone had similar experiences? How did you approach building your house? Did you build just for yourselves, or did you rather opt for a “family house” even if you were moving in alone? Did you ultimately decide against a detached house and choose a condominium instead?
Thanks!
I am a single man, 45 years old, currently considering building a house again. I have three teenage children who often stay with me, although they officially live with my ex-wife. When the marriage broke down, I bought the next best house within cycling distance (in a great suburban location of a major city, built in 1995, well equipped). The house is intended to be sold if necessary, is free of liabilities, and my financial situation is comfortable partly because of this. With about 280 square meters (3000 square feet) of living space and just over 1000 square meters (0.25 acres) of property, however, it is far too large for someone living alone and requires a lot of maintenance. Maintenance means time, and I would rather spend that time on my children, traveling, and my job. I have been interested for some time in Bauhaus-style houses (more precisely: what is currently considered Bauhaus style, basically a cube-shaped design), around 140–160 square meters (1500–1700 square feet) of living space, no basement, and a plot of 500–600 square meters (0.12–0.15 acres).
Through networking, I might have the opportunity to acquire a suitable plot in the coming months.
Has anyone had similar experiences? How did you approach building your house? Did you build just for yourselves, or did you rather opt for a “family house” even if you were moving in alone? Did you ultimately decide against a detached house and choose a condominium instead?
Thanks!
P
pagoni202031 May 2021 14:46Schimi1791 schrieb:
I think you do need to be financially prepared to own several (personal) houses over a lifetime...
(my post #22 also refers to post #13 by @K1300) Not if it happens one after another and according to your own needs and possibilities.
I can’t count myself among the financial elite here, yet I have lived in several different properties of my own.
Often, though not always, it’s a matter of personal mindset, flexibility, and especially the chosen path in life.
It’s not about better or worse, but I have often heard that people can’t make necessary changes because… x-y-z… they don’t want to pay the “price.”
If those excuses had played a bigger role for me, I’d still be living in my simple childhood suburban house—and I wouldn’t necessarily be unhappy there.
Making fundamental changes in life on your own can be difficult; many people don’t want to take that risk. Then it’s a common excuse that, for reasons x-y-z, they just can’t do it themselves… but yes, you can!
Who forbids me from living differently or somewhere else if I don’t like it here or the way things are? No one!
It’s not a problem if you’re happy with what you have and not envious of those who have consistently made such changes.
Money is usually just the excuse. “Money” often belongs to those who have changed less; because change also costs a lot of money or, at least initially, brings in less.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Not if it happens one after the other and depending on your own needs and possibilities.
I can’t count myself among the financial elite here but have still lived in several properties of my own. It went the same way for me. Acted according to my needs and possibilities.
At 21, I bought a 3-room condominium with 65 sqm (700 sq ft). Sold it 5 years later.
At 26, I bought a mid-terrace house. Sold it after 7 years.
At 33, we bought a semi-detached house. We have lived here for 5 years now; the house will be sold later this year.
At 38, I/we (m, 44) are building a detached house.
Hoping to stay healthy and grow older, and then spend retirement in a stylish apartment with a rooftop terrace 🙂
In the case of the original poster, I would consider buying the plot now due to the situation with the children if it really appeals.
Wait a few years to see which educational or career path the kids choose. Right now, there’s still the possibility that they might want to live with their father.
In the meantime, plan the new house with a maximum of one “spare room” 😀 exactly as you want it for yourself.
P
pagoni202031 May 2021 15:25Yaso2.0 schrieb:
Hoping to stay healthy and grow older, and eventually spend my retirement in a stylish apartment with a rooftop terrace That sounds quite interesting!
We had decided on this stylish rooftop terrace version until the current project fell through due to the unreliability of the owner, even though we were already living there 😡 so now we’re building a small house for the two of us instead.
At first, we were sad and uncertain, but then we took action and now we’re glad about how things turned out. The financial and other hardships that came up had to be, and still must be, paid for.
I think this will be the last home we own...... but who can really say..... 😎
B
Bertram10031 May 2021 16:50I live alone in a 140m2 (1,507 sq ft) house. It’s a bit large, but not so much that I can’t comfortably fill the space. I have three bedrooms: two intended as children’s rooms and one master bedroom. I don’t necessarily need all this space (there was no other option from the builder), but it’s perfectly fine and doesn’t significantly impact the ongoing costs.
I believe that three rooms are better for resale value.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to build a house on my own. I bought a finished house (well, finished as the builder defines it), and the subsequent planning of the remaining connection work nearly pushed me into a construction burnout. It was a nightmare: tradespeople who didn’t show up, those who came but did a poor job, and others who arrived easily two hours late and considered that normal.
The time needed for planning and decision-making multiplies many times over for an entire house. I personally would never do it again. Also, I almost always find existing buildings more charming than new builds. I haven’t seen a new build that really impressed me. Often, it’s clear that the passion for the craft (architecture and construction) is missing.
I believe that three rooms are better for resale value.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to build a house on my own. I bought a finished house (well, finished as the builder defines it), and the subsequent planning of the remaining connection work nearly pushed me into a construction burnout. It was a nightmare: tradespeople who didn’t show up, those who came but did a poor job, and others who arrived easily two hours late and considered that normal.
The time needed for planning and decision-making multiplies many times over for an entire house. I personally would never do it again. Also, I almost always find existing buildings more charming than new builds. I haven’t seen a new build that really impressed me. Often, it’s clear that the passion for the craft (architecture and construction) is missing.
Bertram100 schrieb:
…
Tradespeople who arrived over 2 hours late and considered that normal.…lol … if you get upset about a 2-hour delay, it’s your own burnout problem 😎Here’s an example showing that staying calm even when problems arise leads to success: Today, the screed was delivered to our site. However, in the ground floor, the installers had incorrectly constructed the floor build-up. They used 20cm (8 inches) of insulation instead of 17.5cm (7 inches). As a result, the screed didn’t fit on top. I casually chatted with the site manager at 7:00 am, and by the afternoon, someone was already there to remove parts of the underfloor heating. The floor will be ready by Wednesday, and the rest of the screed will be installed on Monday. And… am I upset? No. That doesn’t help. The key is to look for constructive solutions.
N
nordanney31 May 2021 20:43Bertram100 schrieb:
Personally, I wouldn’t want to build on my own. I bought a finished house (well, at least what the developer calls finished), and the subsequent connection and follow-up work I had to plan almost pushed me into construction burnout. It was a nightmare; tradespeople who didn’t show up, tradespeople who did show up but did a shoddy job, tradespeople who were easily two hours late and considered that normal.By the second or third house, everything becomes much more straightforward. You get to know the usual practices in construction and become more relaxed (and focus more on the truly important aspects of the house) 😉Similar topics