Hello everyone,
Until a few weeks ago, building a house was something we thought about in the back of our minds but was never really a current topic. That changed when we recently came across "our" plot of land.
Now, as beginners, we are faced with a mountain of technical terms, processes, and uncertainties that we first need to clarify. Starting with questions like "What exactly is a hip roof?" or "What does knee wall mean?" and moving on to more complex issues such as how to calculate the possible building area.
As you can see, we are really just at the very beginning. Therefore, we are trying to read as much as possible on the subject, which is how I found this forum. Hopefully, some of the users here will be willing to help us with advice on our project.
The situation: My husband (36 years old) and I (31 years old), with one daughter, want to make our dream of building a house come true. The rough planning details are as follows:
Since neither of us, as IT professionals, is really skilled in handiwork, the house will be delivered turnkey. It will be built by a local construction company acting as the general contractor, who will manage and subcontract all trades in-house.
Where are we now? As you can see, not very far yet. We have viewed the plot several times and agreed that it will be the one. We have inquired with the local authority, confirmed it is still available, and have submitted a reservation request.
A first appointment with the bank has been arranged.
What will the next steps be? Regarding the plot, terms like soil survey and land surveying come to mind.
As for the house, should we just contact the construction company and ask if they have a planner on staff or if we should look for an architect ourselves?
As you can see, we still feel quite helpless and somewhat overwhelmed by the whole situation.
Looking forward to some helpful advice.
Thank you very much in advance!
Until a few weeks ago, building a house was something we thought about in the back of our minds but was never really a current topic. That changed when we recently came across "our" plot of land.
Now, as beginners, we are faced with a mountain of technical terms, processes, and uncertainties that we first need to clarify. Starting with questions like "What exactly is a hip roof?" or "What does knee wall mean?" and moving on to more complex issues such as how to calculate the possible building area.
As you can see, we are really just at the very beginning. Therefore, we are trying to read as much as possible on the subject, which is how I found this forum. Hopefully, some of the users here will be willing to help us with advice on our project.
The situation: My husband (36 years old) and I (31 years old), with one daughter, want to make our dream of building a house come true. The rough planning details are as follows:
- Land cost: approximately €50,000 (reservation request already submitted)
- House, solid construction, turnkey, budgeted at €250,000
Since neither of us, as IT professionals, is really skilled in handiwork, the house will be delivered turnkey. It will be built by a local construction company acting as the general contractor, who will manage and subcontract all trades in-house.
Where are we now? As you can see, not very far yet. We have viewed the plot several times and agreed that it will be the one. We have inquired with the local authority, confirmed it is still available, and have submitted a reservation request.
A first appointment with the bank has been arranged.
What will the next steps be? Regarding the plot, terms like soil survey and land surveying come to mind.
As for the house, should we just contact the construction company and ask if they have a planner on staff or if we should look for an architect ourselves?
As you can see, we still feel quite helpless and somewhat overwhelmed by the whole situation.
Looking forward to some helpful advice.
Thank you very much in advance!
and my two tips for now:
take a look at the development plan (development plan) to see what you are actually allowed to build.
and: "turnkey" usually isn’t really turnkey. Most construction companies exclude painting work as well as floor coverings in the living and bedrooms from the scope of work (scope of work). This means you will have additional costs and extra time needed to complete the house.
There is a discussion here about additional costs (those not included on the construction company’s invoice) called "additional construction costs," but unfortunately I don’t have the link at the moment.
Request house brochures... that way you will know what you don’t want 🙂
take a look at the development plan (development plan) to see what you are actually allowed to build.
and: "turnkey" usually isn’t really turnkey. Most construction companies exclude painting work as well as floor coverings in the living and bedrooms from the scope of work (scope of work). This means you will have additional costs and extra time needed to complete the house.
There is a discussion here about additional costs (those not included on the construction company’s invoice) called "additional construction costs," but unfortunately I don’t have the link at the moment.
Request house brochures... that way you will know what you don’t want 🙂
MissFilou schrieb:
What will the next steps be? Regarding the plot, terms like soil survey and surveying are coming to mind.
Hello MissFilou,
The architect or developer can arrange for a soil survey and land surveying. If the plot has been recently surveyed, the boundary markers should still be present and have up-to-date coordinate information. If the plot has an irregular shape (multiple boundary corners and no right angles, etc.), a steep slope, is planned to be used to its full extent, and/or if the development plan includes strict regulations concerning building heights, it is advisable to involve a surveyor early on (before designing the house) to update the planning data.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
Before purchasing the property, it should be clarified whether
a) there are any soil contaminants (soil investigation report)
b) according to the zoning plan, or if not available, the neighborhood context, your desired house can be built there
For example: If you buy a property contaminated with mercury, you will face very high soil disposal costs.
You are only allowed to build a 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) bungalow on the property but want to build a townhouse...
You can always inquire about the approximate financing range. In the past, there was a rough rule of thumb: monthly payments up to 40-50% of net income. For example, if 1,500 € is available, you can currently estimate about 100,000 € per 500 € monthly payment.
a) there are any soil contaminants (soil investigation report)
b) according to the zoning plan, or if not available, the neighborhood context, your desired house can be built there
For example: If you buy a property contaminated with mercury, you will face very high soil disposal costs.
You are only allowed to build a 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) bungalow on the property but want to build a townhouse...
You can always inquire about the approximate financing range. In the past, there was a rough rule of thumb: monthly payments up to 40-50% of net income. For example, if 1,500 € is available, you can currently estimate about 100,000 € per 500 € monthly payment.
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