ᐅ Estimated Construction Costs for a Single-Family Home in the Tübingen Area
Created on: 2 Apr 2025 21:54
D
D-Zug88
Hello everyone,
I’ll briefly describe our situation. We have reserved a plot of land for a single-family house. We would like to build a solid (whether Liapor or another type of "masonry," we are not really sure) structure on it. The plot is flat and square, measuring 417 m² (4490 sq ft).
We are allowed to build 2 full stories with SD, PD, FD, although only one SD is an option (maximum ridge height 9.5 m (31 ft), maximum wall height 6.10 m (20 ft)).
So far, we have received offers ranging from €3500/m² (local large contractor) to €2800/m² from, for example, Fingerhaus (probably excluded due to timber frame).
Now to our dream house:
- KfW 55 standard
- solid construction method (type not clear, will depend on budget; do Liapor and “masonry stone-on-stone” not differ much in cost?)
- 140 m² (1507 sq ft) living area
- 1.5 stories with a “high” knee wall
- basement (utility cellar, which can be finished later, connections for heating and electricity installed)
- house dimensions (determined by room requirements? 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 ft)? 11 x 10 m (36 x 33 ft)? Building area ratio of 0.4 is sufficient)
- including photovoltaic system with battery storage
- turnkey delivery
- Basement: technical room + laundry (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + large hobby room (approx. 30 m² (323 sq ft)) + fitness room (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + cellar (10 m² (108 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 70 m² (753 sq ft) + x
- Ground floor: living & dining area + kitchen (approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft)) + pantry (3 m² (32 sq ft)?) + guest room (>12 m² (129 sq ft)) + shower bathroom (4 m² (43 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 64 m² (689 sq ft) + x
- Upper floor: child 1 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + child 2 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + master bedroom + dressing room (20 m² (215 sq ft)) + bathroom (14 m² (151 sq ft)) + hallway + stairs (? m²) = 66 m² (710 sq ft) + x
Calculating room and floor area requirements (without the unknown x for stairs and hallways/entrance) we come to approximately 130 m² (1399 sq ft).
Our specific questions are,
a) Which “solid construction” companies do you generally recommend in the Tübingen area?
b) How much area should roughly be allowed for hallways and entrance / stairs? Yes, it depends on the floor plan, but we would like to estimate the total space requirements.
c) What rough price range should we expect in €/m² (living area) + €/m² (basement) for Liapor or other masonry? We do not want to consider additional costs like kitchen and garage here, but they are naturally included in the overall budget.
We hope you can help us. Please feel free to ask questions—I’ll respond promptly.
Have a nice evening!
I’ll briefly describe our situation. We have reserved a plot of land for a single-family house. We would like to build a solid (whether Liapor or another type of "masonry," we are not really sure) structure on it. The plot is flat and square, measuring 417 m² (4490 sq ft).
We are allowed to build 2 full stories with SD, PD, FD, although only one SD is an option (maximum ridge height 9.5 m (31 ft), maximum wall height 6.10 m (20 ft)).
So far, we have received offers ranging from €3500/m² (local large contractor) to €2800/m² from, for example, Fingerhaus (probably excluded due to timber frame).
Now to our dream house:
- KfW 55 standard
- solid construction method (type not clear, will depend on budget; do Liapor and “masonry stone-on-stone” not differ much in cost?)
- 140 m² (1507 sq ft) living area
- 1.5 stories with a “high” knee wall
- basement (utility cellar, which can be finished later, connections for heating and electricity installed)
- house dimensions (determined by room requirements? 11 x 9 m (36 x 30 ft)? 11 x 10 m (36 x 33 ft)? Building area ratio of 0.4 is sufficient)
- including photovoltaic system with battery storage
- turnkey delivery
- Basement: technical room + laundry (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + large hobby room (approx. 30 m² (323 sq ft)) + fitness room (15 m² (161 sq ft)) + cellar (10 m² (108 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 70 m² (753 sq ft) + x
- Ground floor: living & dining area + kitchen (approx. 45 m² (484 sq ft)) + pantry (3 m² (32 sq ft)?) + guest room (>12 m² (129 sq ft)) + shower bathroom (4 m² (43 sq ft)?) + hallway / stairs (? m²) = 64 m² (689 sq ft) + x
- Upper floor: child 1 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + child 2 (16 m² (172 sq ft)) + master bedroom + dressing room (20 m² (215 sq ft)) + bathroom (14 m² (151 sq ft)) + hallway + stairs (? m²) = 66 m² (710 sq ft) + x
Calculating room and floor area requirements (without the unknown x for stairs and hallways/entrance) we come to approximately 130 m² (1399 sq ft).
Our specific questions are,
a) Which “solid construction” companies do you generally recommend in the Tübingen area?
b) How much area should roughly be allowed for hallways and entrance / stairs? Yes, it depends on the floor plan, but we would like to estimate the total space requirements.
c) What rough price range should we expect in €/m² (living area) + €/m² (basement) for Liapor or other masonry? We do not want to consider additional costs like kitchen and garage here, but they are naturally included in the overall budget.
We hope you can help us. Please feel free to ask questions—I’ll respond promptly.
Have a nice evening!
N
nordanney5 Apr 2025 21:37D-Zug88 schrieb:
but yes, of course, we could simply buy a larger apartment – but I don’t see the point in buying a nice new-build apartment for more than 680,000 without additional purchase costs. I’d rather have a bigger house with a larger plot of land than the apartment. The only problem is that the house will likely cost between 750k and 1,000k.
That brings us back to your budget again.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
3 rooms, 75sqm (approx. 800 sq ft) with a large garden. D-Zug88 schrieb:
You really notice the strong gain in freedom combined with a spacious living and dining area and a nice terrace. If I were you, I would focus precisely on the fact that with your own house you have an additional 75sqm (approx. 800 sq ft) to use. Often, good room planning and a few extra square meters can turn a room from inadequate into a good one.
There are quite a few things you can positively influence, for example the windows, which currently cause you some disadvantages. Then add a few nice features, and so on. But don’t be disappointed if some things that are rarely needed, but still or precisely because of that take up a lot of space, are simply not feasible.
Your question about construction costs is actually answered and can be found on almost every page in this forum: around 3000€/sqm (approx. $280/sq ft) for a standard single-family house, turnkey. It can be cheaper, but many spend more because they want to realize many interior finishing wishes or because they build in a more expensive area where prices are higher due to a north-south gradient or location factors.
If you’re planning for 4 people, make sure to have enough closet space in the hallway or a storage room for coats and shoes. A chest of drawers, of course, too. With two people, you can still use the office as additional space, but with four it will get tight.
For family celebrations or gatherings with children and adults, an L-shaped open-plan living space is ideal so that children can watch a movie separately without disturbing the adults—and vice versa.
You can’t simply eliminate the staircase in a classic single-family house, but it helps if it is comfortable to use and not too steep. The utility room should not be too small. Your workbench and punching bag can also fit in a shed. But as I said: 417sqm (approx. 4,490 sq ft) is not exactly generous.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
Without a basement, where else for storage? A storage room on the upper floor? I’d gladly take that. For the third time: in the attic!
ypg schrieb:
If I were in your position, I would focus specifically on the fact that with your own house, you actually have an additional 75sqm (800 sqft) to use. Often, good space planning and a few extra square meters can turn a room from being barely usable into a good one.
You can positively influence quite a few things, for example the windows, which currently put you at a disadvantage. Then a few nice features, and so on. But don’t be disappointed if certain things that are rarely needed but take up a lot of space simply can’t be done.
Your question about construction costs has basically been answered and can be found on almost every page in this forum: 3000€/sqm (280 sqft) for a standard single-family home, turnkey. It can be cheaper, but many people need more because they want to realize many interior design wishes or build in a more expensive area where house building costs are already higher due to factors like the north-south gradient or location specifics.
If you plan for 4 people, make sure there is enough closet space in the hallway or a storage room for jackets and shoes. Of course, a chest of drawers as well. For two people, you can still use the office as a guest room, but with 4 people, that gets tight.
For family celebrations or gatherings with both children and adults, an L-shaped open-plan living area works well, so kids can watch a movie on one side without disturbing the adults, and vice versa. You can’t just get rid of the staircase in a classic single-family home, but it helps if it’s easy to walk and not too steep. The utility room shouldn’t be too small. Your workbench and punching bag can also find a place in a shed. But as I said: 417sqm (4500 sqft) is not exactly generous.
For the third time: in the attic! We understand that while we have many wishes, we simply can’t afford them anymore given the current interest rates and construction costs, especially with a total budget of
The house + garage + additional construction costs must not exceed 430,000€ (about 430,000 USD). Subtracting 10% for additional construction costs leaves around 390,000€ (about 390,000 USD) for the house itself (I have already written off the basement). At 3000€/sqm (280 sqft), that would be about 130sqm (1400 sqft).
Which reputable company would build something like that for us? Well, this will be my last post on this topic. We thank you all for your support and all the learning along the way.
M
motorradsilke6 Apr 2025 06:02D-Zug88 schrieb:
We have realized that although we want a lot, we simply cannot afford it with the current interest rates and construction costs, given a total budget of
The house, garage, and additional construction costs must not exceed €430,000. If you deduct 10% for additional construction expenses, you end up with about €390,000 for the house alone (I have long since written off the basement). At €3,000 per square meter, that would be around 130 sqm (1,399 sq ft).
Which reliable company would build something like that for you..Any reputable company can build that for you. We had a bungalow of 105 sqm (1,130 sq ft) built.And if you look, all home builders offer models starting at 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft).
D-Zug88 schrieb:
The house + garage + construction-related additional costs must not exceed €430,000.Then there has to be a nice, concise floor plan to go with it, and you can find such plans online to try out. Maybe in the overall consideration it just won’t work out, but at least you would have thought it through fundamentally and with real key data. That has happened to me several times in life, where I ended up concluding that it’s not feasible, or that maybe I wouldn’t do it or would do it differently with the new knowledge. I don’t think that’s a problem, because there is not only one way to create a good life.Regarding your sentence above, my first advice would be: skip the expensive garage, because nowadays it has become a nearly standard but unnecessary cost driver that you really don’t need. In our current house, we built a carport, okay, but in my first house, where I lived for about 25 years, I had neither one nor the other—and life was good there.
After some time, maybe something will come up through acquaintances, or you might have another idea or so, and then you can still add something like that. Long before I would build a garage, I would focus on good comfort inside the house, because that’s where I actually live. A garden shed or similar can easily be set up later with simple and inexpensive means.
We were only able to build our first house because we did it with my parents as a multi-generational home; otherwise, it would never have been possible. That can be a sensible idea, too, although it is unfortunately becoming less common these days.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
Total 520,000€ for a desirable 140–150 sqm (1500–1600 sq ft). D-Zug88 schrieb:
The house, garage, and additional building costs must not exceed 430,000€. I’m confused. What is the correct figure?
You are buying the plot from the city, right? To me, that means all utilities are connected. Development is only up to the house itself. Also, it’s flat and, at first glance, unproblematic. Is that correct?
If so, spending 80,000€ on landscaping might be possible, but that would be quite excessive in my opinion. Most homeowners usually just build a parking space at first. For the lawnmower and such, a small shed you assemble yourself is enough.
I would budget for connections, patio, front entrance, drip edge, and pathways. The latter can initially be just gravel paths if needed. Excavation should probably be included in the house price, assuming the basement stays as planned and there are no surprises from the soil report.
For a plot of this size, 40,000 to 50,000€ should be enough, provided prices don’t go completely crazy in Tübingen.
That leaves 460,000€ for the house, which corresponds to about 150 sqm (1600 sq ft). Some dreams might have to be cut from the wish list, but that’s a very nice house size. You can also live very well in 130 sqm (1400 sq ft), if you want to keep a bit more buffer.
D-Zug88 schrieb:
Well, that will be my last post in this thread. We thank you all for the support and the many lessons learned along the way. I hope not. Now is when it really starts. Or am I misunderstanding, and we’ll soon see each other in the financing or floor plan discussion?
Similar topics