ᐅ Construction Project in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)

Hello
I would like to briefly introduce ourselves.
We are a family with two children (4 and 7 years old) currently considering whether to leave our cozy home or take the risk and move.
At the beginning of next year, some new plots of land will be sold. Great location.
So far, we have visited a model home park in Wuppertal, and I (the wife) have fallen for a single-family house (detached house). My husband prefers a traditional masonry build. We have also spoken to the bank and had them calculate the financial burden.
This is all completely new to us!
We are not in agreement about the additional construction costs and how much to budget for the landscaping and external works.
Next steps: an appointment in August to calculate the house costs, and in September, a meeting with another building company.
The plots will probably only be available for purchase next year, most likely in spring.
Are we starting the planning too early, or is this timing alright?
Best regards

It’s never too early to gain initial experience. Acquiring knowledge and going through the process without time pressure is much more relaxed than having to push through such a decision within two weeks.

The downside of taking a long time is that you might overthink things.

In that sense, you’re approaching it the right way, but always keep in mind that your planned house might not fit the plot of land (due to size, appearance, roof design, or for any other reason).

So don’t get too fixated on a single option...

I’m with Toxi – it’s never too early to dream; the reality in the form of costs, soil conditions, building permit/planning permission, orientation, and layout of the plot will catch up with you.

Thanks for your assessments 🙂
We also went to the building authority (I had forgotten), and they said that the plots start from 350 square meters (3,767 square feet) upwards. These are intended for one-and-a-half-story single-family homes with a width of 9 meters (30 feet). That would probably be sufficient for us as well, I think.
We want around 120 to 135 square meters (1,292 to 1,453 square feet) of living space.
Some construction companies say that we are a bit early in the process, but I think we will only build once, and this should then already be our dream home 🙂

Sales representatives of construction companies think about their annual results ;-)
Sometimes you might simply not be that attractive a client if you are still at the very beginning. They also take a lot of time for you and don’t charge for the consultation.
However, we also started very early – our construction company then initially referred us to a planner.

judith.egelhof schrieb:
What we have done so far is visit a model home park in Wuppertal, and my wife (that is, me) fell in love with one of the houses (detached house). My husband prefers traditional brick-and-mortar construction.

The park is great, and since I live nearby, I visit it from time to time.
Whether to choose solid construction or timber frame construction (I don’t like the term “prefab house,” it just doesn’t make sense): you’ll have to decide together. Both are well-established and reliable methods for building homes that last a long time. Each has its pros and cons. Do your research and evaluate what suits you best.

judith.egelhof schrieb:
We don’t agree on the additional building costs and what we should budget for the landscaping.
Next step: an appointment in August to calculate the house cost and in September with another builder.

Read up on this here. There are many posts about these topics.
Because it depends on countless factors, it also largely depends on the plot itself and more than 100 other details.
You can spend a lot on landscaping as well. As a basic budget, I would suggest around 25,000 (25T) euros to have something done so you’re not walking over pallets anymore.

judith.egelhof schrieb:
Plots will probably only be available for purchase next year, likely in spring.
Are we starting to plan too early, or is this okay?

That’s fine.
Have you asked in Wuppertal what kind of delivery times a nice but affordable company (for example, one headquartered in northern Hesse) has after signing the contract? 18 to 24 months!

Start planning based on the potential plot.

By the way: roughly speaking, a 9 x 9 meter (30 x 30 feet) footprint with 1.5 stories should fit your desired living space (but this is just a rough estimate, take it with a grain of salt).

Regards,
Thorsten