ᐅ Cost Estimate Architect Single-Family Home. Your Assessment?
Created on: 3 Apr 2015 12:35
T
Tommes78
Hello everyone,
I have a question for you. We bought a plot of land (NRW) with a slight slope and recently visited an architect to have a single-family house designed with great enthusiasm.
During our first meeting, we mentioned a budget of around €260,000 for the house, including everything. He said that we could get something nice for that budget.
At the second appointment, he really presented a nice design. He responded to the sloped plot and planned a kind of split-level house with two building volumes and two shed roofs.
The planned house has an area of 146 m² (1570 ft²) of living space on the ground and upper floors, plus 24 m² (260 ft²) of utility space, totaling 170 m² (1830 ft²) of total area.
Now, the architect made a cost estimate, and he said he calculated with a medium standard. The cost framework according to BKI for 260 to 410 m³ (9200 to 14,500 ft³) of enclosed volume was estimated at 350 m³ (12,400 ft³).
The cost estimate states 763.53 m³ (26,950 ft³) × €350 per m³ (27 per ft³) = €267,236 + carport 72 m³ (2540 ft³) × €100 per m³ (7.44 per ft³) = €7,218 = a total construction cost of €274,455 excluding incidental building costs.
Or broken down differently:
Site preparation and connection: €4,600
Cost group 300 – Building structure: €222,280
Cost group 400 – Technical equipment: €45,180 (oil heating, ventilation system)
Outdoor facilities + carport: €10,000 (which I find a bit low)
Incidental building costs: €41,188
This brings us to a total of €323,000 including VAT.
We were a bit shocked, since our initial budget was €260,000, and going over by around €60,000 seems quite a lot. €280,000 is our absolute limit.
Of course, we still want to contribute some usual DIY work in the end (tiling, flooring, painting, landscaping, interior finishing), but that would probably save at most €15,000 to €20,000.
What do you think? Are those really the amounts you have to pay today, or has the architect perhaps estimated too generously or conservatively? Or is the planned house simply too upscale?
For comparison, we received a fixed-price offer from a general contractor that was quite high-end. There, a house with a gable roof and 160 m² (1720 ft²) (without attic space) was offered for €250,000, excluding basement, ventilation system, and outdoor facilities. But in that case, the plot would have had to be leveled.
Looking forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thomas
I have a question for you. We bought a plot of land (NRW) with a slight slope and recently visited an architect to have a single-family house designed with great enthusiasm.
During our first meeting, we mentioned a budget of around €260,000 for the house, including everything. He said that we could get something nice for that budget.
At the second appointment, he really presented a nice design. He responded to the sloped plot and planned a kind of split-level house with two building volumes and two shed roofs.
The planned house has an area of 146 m² (1570 ft²) of living space on the ground and upper floors, plus 24 m² (260 ft²) of utility space, totaling 170 m² (1830 ft²) of total area.
Now, the architect made a cost estimate, and he said he calculated with a medium standard. The cost framework according to BKI for 260 to 410 m³ (9200 to 14,500 ft³) of enclosed volume was estimated at 350 m³ (12,400 ft³).
The cost estimate states 763.53 m³ (26,950 ft³) × €350 per m³ (27 per ft³) = €267,236 + carport 72 m³ (2540 ft³) × €100 per m³ (7.44 per ft³) = €7,218 = a total construction cost of €274,455 excluding incidental building costs.
Or broken down differently:
Site preparation and connection: €4,600
Cost group 300 – Building structure: €222,280
Cost group 400 – Technical equipment: €45,180 (oil heating, ventilation system)
Outdoor facilities + carport: €10,000 (which I find a bit low)
Incidental building costs: €41,188
This brings us to a total of €323,000 including VAT.
We were a bit shocked, since our initial budget was €260,000, and going over by around €60,000 seems quite a lot. €280,000 is our absolute limit.
Of course, we still want to contribute some usual DIY work in the end (tiling, flooring, painting, landscaping, interior finishing), but that would probably save at most €15,000 to €20,000.
What do you think? Are those really the amounts you have to pay today, or has the architect perhaps estimated too generously or conservatively? Or is the planned house simply too upscale?
For comparison, we received a fixed-price offer from a general contractor that was quite high-end. There, a house with a gable roof and 160 m² (1720 ft²) (without attic space) was offered for €250,000, excluding basement, ventilation system, and outdoor facilities. But in that case, the plot would have had to be leveled.
Looking forward to your feedback.
Best regards,
Thomas
For exactly these reasons, we decided to go with a general contractor for a turnkey construction. It will always get more expensive anyway because you will want to make some changes in the post-contract phase. But such a jump from 390 per m3 (13.7 per ft3) to 440 per m3 (15.7 per ft3) — ouch.
B
Bauexperte8 Apr 2015 21:24Tommes78 schrieb:
450.00/m3 per m3? Are you sure about that? That’s 100 above what the architect estimated. Doesn’t it also depend somewhat on the region? Near Paderborn, but more rural and not in the city I am fairly confident that my figures are close to reality; maybe slightly lower for your region, but not by much.
Your architect’s design is well done – in my opinion, it won’t be feasible to add another room on the ground floor – but it also comes at a fair price. The large foundation slab and several offsets in it already add considerable cost; the excavation work is also more complex. Then, the combination of flat and shed roofs; with a split-level, the builder can’t work any magic (pouring a continuous concrete slab), but has to build foundations on different levels.
Regards, Bauexperte
W
Wanderdüne8 Apr 2015 21:39Tommes78 schrieb:
Can you say anything else about the floor plan?Yes. First of all, I don’t understand why you were presented with a design that apparently doesn’t include the complete desired room program. Additionally, the design exceeds your budget, which makes realization unlikely.
Therefore, a discussion doesn’t make much sense.
In general, I think it’s always good when the natural terrain is incorporated into the design, which is why an L-shape with a split-level can be appealing.
Here, I miss a clearer zoning on the ground floor, specifically a more distinctly separated master area with its own bathroom, a guest toilet, reconsideration of the circulation paths (why do you have to carry used laundry through the dining room and kitchen?), a more compact building shape, and so on.
We were also a bit cautious when he suddenly brought up cost calculations, as we had different requirements.
What do you think about the idea of using the single-story front section with the small shed roof to bring sunlight from the southwest into the large northeast-facing backyard? This is basically where the L-shaped layout originated. Or do you think the importance of sunlight in the garden is overrated? We are a bit concerned about not getting enough sun in the backyard, so we liked the idea of the L-shape, except that it currently exceeds our budget.
Regarding the landing staircase, which takes up a lot of space—what alternatives are there to save some room? In my opinion, the hallways are currently too large and waste space because of the staircase, for example below near the living room where the PC is shown.
I also don’t think the laundry area accessible through the kitchen is ideal.
What do you think about the idea of using the single-story front section with the small shed roof to bring sunlight from the southwest into the large northeast-facing backyard? This is basically where the L-shaped layout originated. Or do you think the importance of sunlight in the garden is overrated? We are a bit concerned about not getting enough sun in the backyard, so we liked the idea of the L-shape, except that it currently exceeds our budget.
Regarding the landing staircase, which takes up a lot of space—what alternatives are there to save some room? In my opinion, the hallways are currently too large and waste space because of the staircase, for example below near the living room where the PC is shown.
I also don’t think the laundry area accessible through the kitchen is ideal.
W
Wanderdüne9 Apr 2015 09:08Tommes78 schrieb:
Or do you think the importance of having sun in the garden is overrated? We’re a bit worried that the garden at the back might not get enough sunlight, so we liked the idea of an L-shaped house, although right now it exceeds our budget.You need to decide what is important to you. Especially with larger gardens, there are plenty of options to have sun or shade at different times, depending on your preferences.
I always find building designs with multiple wings or sections appealing, especially when clear zoning and attractive sightlines are planned. However, more complex building shapes tend to be more expensive because they combine elements of a bungalow and a one-and-a-half-story house, but share common systems, access, etc.
This should ideally be designed and discussed initially without CAD.
B
Bauexperte9 Apr 2015 12:58Hello,
On the other hand, I agree with “Wanderdüne” that it’s pointless to keep discussing this design since it won’t fit your budget nor meet your requirements. As for the sunlight issue: I think it’s completely overrated, since you will get sun in every part of the garden at some point—you just have to move with it. By the way, there are also plants that prefer partial shade.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Tommes78 schrieb:It’s true that a landing staircase occupies a lot of space; on the other hand, in the proposed design—due to the separation from the ground floor to the lower level—it doesn’t really. Personally, I find it almost too confined along the wall here. Of course, you could plan for a straight staircase, but I’m worried that the split-level effect would then appear more forced than skillful. A separation of levels, as you envision, in my opinion requires enough space to be effective.
Regarding the landing staircase, which takes up a lot of space. What alternatives are there to save a bit of room? Because of the stairs, the corridors currently seem too large and space is wasted, as shown below near the living room where the PC is placed.
On the other hand, I agree with “Wanderdüne” that it’s pointless to keep discussing this design since it won’t fit your budget nor meet your requirements. As for the sunlight issue: I think it’s completely overrated, since you will get sun in every part of the garden at some point—you just have to move with it. By the way, there are also plants that prefer partial shade.
Best regards, Bauexperte
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