ᐅ Affordable Building Without Compromising Quality, Architect-Designed Home
Created on: 2 Jan 2024 12:33
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IIIIIIIIIIIIII
Hello everyone!
I have been quietly following this forum for some time, and our house-building project (single-family home) will probably start in Q1/Q2.
I am wondering how to build a house in 2024 cost-effectively without compromising quality.
We have a budget of about 500,000-600,000 euros for the entire construction (excluding the land).
That is a lot of money, but not unlimited – I want to get the best out of it.
A brief overview of our project:
~120m2 (two floors), steep slope, no basement (not possible), 2 adults (maybe one child max in the future), undeveloped plot.
I assume that land development, slope work, and foundation slab will cost around 100,000 euros.
That leaves around 400,000 euros for a move-in ready house.
We have already looked at prefab house providers, but none of their offers matched what we wanted – customizing prefab houses is about as expensive as working directly with an architect.
The plan is to have the house built "ready for finishing" (shell and core) and carry out most of the interior work ourselves (walls, floors, tiles, bathrooms—only the tiling!—and outdoor terraces). We have sufficient craftsmanship skills for this!
Where is the best place to save costs?
What features are often installed without real benefit? (e.g., laundry chute, central vacuum system, automatic blinds, etc.)
Where should you definitely not save?
Should an independent expert inspect the work? Or is that a waste of money for a general contractor/architect-led build?
Should the construction contract be reviewed by a lawyer?
My current thoughts are:
* Simple building shape (rectangle), straightforward pitched roof construction
* No unnecessary home technology (ventilation system, smart home, etc.)
* Minimize large window areas
* Only a carport, no double garage
* The building method (timber frame, solid wood construction like Holz100, masonry) is still open – I prefer timber frame/solid wood.
* Good planning once is cheaper than planning two or three times
* Double checking is cheaper than fixing poorly done work afterwards
* A wood stove is nice, but a fireplace is also expensive.
Where else can you save? What unnecessarily drives construction costs up?
Our idea is:
If we skip things like a double garage, we have more budget for high-quality interior finishes.
We prefer to invest in interior finishing rather than, for example, a laundry chute, central vacuum system, automatic blinds, and so on.
I understand that features like a laundry chute can be subjective when it comes to being "unnecessary" or not.
The goal is to figure out what is essential for a house build, where one should definitely not save, and which elements can be omitted.
There are also significant price ranges for stairs, windows, doors, facades, and roof coverings.
Does it have to be an expensive branded roof? Will a cheaper option suffice?
With this "pre-planning," I also want to minimize the cost of architectural planning. If we come to the architect with a realistic, well-thought-out plan, it probably saves a few thousand euros... Also, an independent building surveyor can save money by detecting issues early on – once the progress payment is made, it is hard to get the money back.
Thanks in advance for your tips and opinions.
I have been quietly following this forum for some time, and our house-building project (single-family home) will probably start in Q1/Q2.
I am wondering how to build a house in 2024 cost-effectively without compromising quality.
We have a budget of about 500,000-600,000 euros for the entire construction (excluding the land).
That is a lot of money, but not unlimited – I want to get the best out of it.
A brief overview of our project:
~120m2 (two floors), steep slope, no basement (not possible), 2 adults (maybe one child max in the future), undeveloped plot.
I assume that land development, slope work, and foundation slab will cost around 100,000 euros.
That leaves around 400,000 euros for a move-in ready house.
We have already looked at prefab house providers, but none of their offers matched what we wanted – customizing prefab houses is about as expensive as working directly with an architect.
The plan is to have the house built "ready for finishing" (shell and core) and carry out most of the interior work ourselves (walls, floors, tiles, bathrooms—only the tiling!—and outdoor terraces). We have sufficient craftsmanship skills for this!
Where is the best place to save costs?
What features are often installed without real benefit? (e.g., laundry chute, central vacuum system, automatic blinds, etc.)
Where should you definitely not save?
Should an independent expert inspect the work? Or is that a waste of money for a general contractor/architect-led build?
Should the construction contract be reviewed by a lawyer?
My current thoughts are:
* Simple building shape (rectangle), straightforward pitched roof construction
* No unnecessary home technology (ventilation system, smart home, etc.)
* Minimize large window areas
* Only a carport, no double garage
* The building method (timber frame, solid wood construction like Holz100, masonry) is still open – I prefer timber frame/solid wood.
* Good planning once is cheaper than planning two or three times
* Double checking is cheaper than fixing poorly done work afterwards
* A wood stove is nice, but a fireplace is also expensive.
Where else can you save? What unnecessarily drives construction costs up?
Our idea is:
If we skip things like a double garage, we have more budget for high-quality interior finishes.
We prefer to invest in interior finishing rather than, for example, a laundry chute, central vacuum system, automatic blinds, and so on.
I understand that features like a laundry chute can be subjective when it comes to being "unnecessary" or not.
The goal is to figure out what is essential for a house build, where one should definitely not save, and which elements can be omitted.
There are also significant price ranges for stairs, windows, doors, facades, and roof coverings.
Does it have to be an expensive branded roof? Will a cheaper option suffice?
With this "pre-planning," I also want to minimize the cost of architectural planning. If we come to the architect with a realistic, well-thought-out plan, it probably saves a few thousand euros... Also, an independent building surveyor can save money by detecting issues early on – once the progress payment is made, it is hard to get the money back.
Thanks in advance for your tips and opinions.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
Trying not to sell builders, architects, and prefab house companies something that causes extra costs but no real benefit? I would like advice on that. No.
So maybe prefab house builders, but wood is practically out of the question if part of the ground floor has to be built into a slope.
I also don’t understand why everyone here focuses on prefab stuff. That has already been discussed, as far as I remember.
Main contractors for solid constructions, meaning masonry houses, are happy not to have to install extras because they have to provide a warranty for them. Usually, you have to contact subcontractors to have extras installed. Everything else also adds costs for the main contractor or tradesmen in terms of procurement.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
It simply does not matter exactly where the house is located. Yes, it does. Regional building regulations apply in many respects.
If the construction site is not in Germany, then you could have also saved yourself three pages with the “Bauernatlas” here…
Besides, when building cheaply, you generally use the materials that are affordable and commonly available in the area.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
Dormers are allowed. They are extremely expensive.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
The development plan is briefly summarized as follows: * maximum of 2 full stories plus basement * gable roof, parallel to the slope * dormers are allowed * sufficient building area available * neighbors are far enough away * access is from below
[...] The plot is in Austria, in the Alps. In post #38, after several advisors have already counted themselves out of further help. But at least – it is possible. Even though addressing the follow-up questions first would be better.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
What am I supposed to do if I don’t even live in Germany? I HAD to select some federal state. I have already seen “abroad” or “OE” several times here. With “prefabricated house” you could have guessed Austria; I’m more “trained” to recognize the keyword “Stiege” (staircase).
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
Are construction companies, architects, and prefab house providers trying to sell something that causes extra costs but has no essential benefit? I would appreciate advice on that. You should have asked that in your opening post. And the answer would be: if you come to the construction company with an architect or another independent building consultant, you get what you want. What they try to sell you is what you get if you show up unprotected.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
If I had never mentioned building on a slope – would you also need to know everything relevant to the actual thread topic, like how and exactly where the building will be placed with a topographical site plan and where the connections and neighbors are? Yes, of course. If you hadn’t mentioned the slope, you would have been asked about it. You can read in detail under the keyword 11ant basement question how the causal relationship between topography and building structure works. A very large cost factor (many times larger than a walk-in rain shower, corner windows, and similar features) versus economical building is not using a basement required by the plot, meaning not compensating for it above ground. This redundancy is expensive. Seriously expensive.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII schrieb:
I can assure you that even with sky and view, the picture won’t become significantly more helpful.
The fact that no one from the internet will visit me once the house is built is another matter – you are welcome to share your private address. It is properly listed in the imprint if “river kilometer 610” is too imprecise for you (true, I omitted “Deutzer side,” and on the cathedral side there is naturally the same river kilometer). You can trust those who can read what a meaningful picture needs. You certainly won’t be questioned here just for fun.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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hanghaus20233 Jan 2024 14:28I would not base my house construction mainly on building as cheaply as possible.
Instead, I would build according to the premise of what luxury should be.
For example, it was important for me to have centrally controlled and electric blinds on the ground floor. Underfloor heating in the ground floor and bathroom. Large window areas facing south, and so on.
Building on a steep slope means building with the terrain. That is why I am interested in plots with elevations and the direction of the slope.
Instead, I would build according to the premise of what luxury should be.
For example, it was important for me to have centrally controlled and electric blinds on the ground floor. Underfloor heating in the ground floor and bathroom. Large window areas facing south, and so on.
Building on a steep slope means building with the terrain. That is why I am interested in plots with elevations and the direction of the slope.
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hanghaus20233 Jan 2024 14:35I am also considering a solid basement level, a solid ground floor, and a wooden roof.
In which direction does the slope go?
In which direction does the slope go?
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Oberhäslich3 Jan 2024 14:44hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I’m also thinking about a solid basement, ground floor, and a wooden roof.
Which way does the slope go? Does that actually make sense? The masons for the basement are already on site, the bricks are already being delivered and unloaded, and the concrete/mortar is coming with the basement as well. I can also imagine that having a uniform construction might be easier to plan...
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hanghaus20233 Jan 2024 14:47Oberhäslich schrieb:
Does that actually make sense? The masons for the basement are already on site, the bricks are already being delivered and unloaded, and the concrete/mortar is already coming with the basement. I can also imagine that a uniform construction is easier to plan...For a concrete basement, which makes sense on a slope, usually yes.Similar topics