ᐅ Modifying Floor Plans of Model Homes from Catalogs – Additional Costs?
Created on: 15 Mar 2016 09:16
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MizitHello,
we are still in the idea stage and are leaning towards either a prefab house or a solid brick-and-mortar house from a larger supplier. A completely custom design is currently not really an option.
We find some model homes quite appealing, but have not found a floor plan that fully matches our current ideas. We would make more or less small changes to every floor plan:
- We would like to turn an open kitchen into a closed one.
- We could quite well imagine a sample design if the house were built 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) larger to the left, so that the rooms along the left exterior wall would also become correspondingly larger.
Every supplier advertises that the catalog homes are just ideas and that each house can be redesigned. But how does that affect costs? So far, our impression is that this information is rather vague.
Adding a non-load-bearing wall surely won’t cost a fortune, but enlarging a house in terms of the exterior walls—should one expect huge expenses or would this still be in the low four-figure range?
Thank you for any experience and advice!
we are still in the idea stage and are leaning towards either a prefab house or a solid brick-and-mortar house from a larger supplier. A completely custom design is currently not really an option.
We find some model homes quite appealing, but have not found a floor plan that fully matches our current ideas. We would make more or less small changes to every floor plan:
- We would like to turn an open kitchen into a closed one.
- We could quite well imagine a sample design if the house were built 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) larger to the left, so that the rooms along the left exterior wall would also become correspondingly larger.
Every supplier advertises that the catalog homes are just ideas and that each house can be redesigned. But how does that affect costs? So far, our impression is that this information is rather vague.
Adding a non-load-bearing wall surely won’t cost a fortune, but enlarging a house in terms of the exterior walls—should one expect huge expenses or would this still be in the low four-figure range?
Thank you for any experience and advice!
We are building with a provider who generally plans freely. With the other providers we visited, the approach was that as long as the external dimensions remained the same, the interior layout could be modified. There was then an adjustment in price accordingly. We have a rather awkward front width, so no floor plan fit directly, which resulted in an additional charge of a few thousand euros immediately with all of them.
It becomes more expensive when additional rooms are added due to doors, electrical work, and so on.
In general, this is exactly the core issue... it rarely fits perfectly; often what follows is a well-intentioned but ultimately detrimental modification of a suboptimal design. A house is more or less a complex system. If you change wall A, it affects room C, window D, and door swing X, and on top of that, you might end up hitting your head on the staircase.
What I mean is that it is often easier to start from scratch than to try to revive a lost cause.
In general, this is exactly the core issue... it rarely fits perfectly; often what follows is a well-intentioned but ultimately detrimental modification of a suboptimal design. A house is more or less a complex system. If you change wall A, it affects room C, window D, and door swing X, and on top of that, you might end up hitting your head on the staircase.
What I mean is that it is often easier to start from scratch than to try to revive a lost cause.
N
nordanney15 Mar 2016 10:01For a larger house, you also need a new structural engineering assessment – which is not inexpensive!
My neighbor has a bungalow from Heinz von Heiden: simply extending it by one meter (about 3 feet) was not possible, for example, because it would have affected the structural integrity of the hip roof. Anyway – with a gable roof house, the length should be adjustable; however, as a rough estimate, extending by one meter (about 3 feet) generally means an additional cost of around 10,000.
Especially the big homebuilders, which offer a wide range of standard house models, have difficulty with major modifications. However, there are regional companies that are quite flexible.
Especially the big homebuilders, which offer a wide range of standard house models, have difficulty with major modifications. However, there are regional companies that are quite flexible.
We cannot confirm those cost estimates. We received quotes from Streif Haus, Fingerhaus, and Büdenbender (where we had fully customized planning), and with the standard house models, we had to reduce the width and increase the length. The structural engineering calculations naturally had to be redone, but this did not add up to an extra 10,000 euros. It was more like half of that.
None of these providers refused to modify the exterior dimensions, although they pointed out that it would increase the cost slightly. Of course, they initially tried (perhaps somewhat insistently) to fit our wishes into the predefined house design, but once we made it clear that this was not going to work, they began a new design process.
None of these providers refused to modify the exterior dimensions, although they pointed out that it would increase the cost slightly. Of course, they initially tried (perhaps somewhat insistently) to fit our wishes into the predefined house design, but once we made it clear that this was not going to work, they began a new design process.
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