ᐅ Next Steps in Home Construction After Purchasing a Plot of Land
Created on: 17 Aug 2020 07:24
L
Lepanic
Hello,
I just registered here... After a long search, we finally found and purchased a building plot where a terraced middle house can be built.
We want to build with solid construction.
The initial talks with architects have already taken place but so far they haven’t been very successful, and we feel we haven’t received good advice yet.
One architect offered us a package covering all phases from preliminary design (phase 2) to construction supervision (phase 8), which of course is very expensive.
Another architect offered a plan including the building permit (planning permission) application. After that, we would handle everything ourselves, such as selecting and hiring contractors.
It all needs to be affordable for us... We would like to install some systems ourselves, for example laying cables and pipes, following instructions.
It is "only" a terraced middle house. What would make sense? Do I even need an architect, or would it be better to go with a developer?
What would be the next sensible steps?
I just registered here... After a long search, we finally found and purchased a building plot where a terraced middle house can be built.
We want to build with solid construction.
The initial talks with architects have already taken place but so far they haven’t been very successful, and we feel we haven’t received good advice yet.
One architect offered us a package covering all phases from preliminary design (phase 2) to construction supervision (phase 8), which of course is very expensive.
Another architect offered a plan including the building permit (planning permission) application. After that, we would handle everything ourselves, such as selecting and hiring contractors.
It all needs to be affordable for us... We would like to install some systems ourselves, for example laying cables and pipes, following instructions.
It is "only" a terraced middle house. What would make sense? Do I even need an architect, or would it be better to go with a developer?
What would be the next sensible steps?
If you are complete beginners, I would recommend having an architect design the plan and then take it to a general contractor (building company). This contractor will build the house according to the plan and, depending on the standards (which KfW level are you aiming for?), can also involve an energy consultant. If the building company designs the plan themselves, this is called a design-build contractor, which is also an option. However, a separately hired architect is usually much more motivated than someone who works unenthusiastically for someone else.
Typically, as beginners, you can handle trades like walls and floors yourselves, or the outdoor landscaping. That already amounts to several hundred hours!
I wouldn’t recommend taking on larger trades during the build if you want to stick to warranty conditions and the schedule. Maybe you could do roof insulation, install underfloor heating, or chase electrical conduits—these are typical helper tasks with a short learning curve. This way, you might save around 100 hours, which at a rate of 40 euros per hour equals roughly 4,000 euros.
Typically, as beginners, you can handle trades like walls and floors yourselves, or the outdoor landscaping. That already amounts to several hundred hours!
I wouldn’t recommend taking on larger trades during the build if you want to stick to warranty conditions and the schedule. Maybe you could do roof insulation, install underfloor heating, or chase electrical conduits—these are typical helper tasks with a short learning curve. This way, you might save around 100 hours, which at a rate of 40 euros per hour equals roughly 4,000 euros.
Lepanic schrieb:
So, there is already a house standing. It is about 15 years old. The other plot is still unknown and is likely to remain that way for now. Therefore, we will start building on our own first... Lepanic schrieb:
Which phases of the architect’s work could we handle ourselves as laypeople? If I understand correctly, you are not the last builders on the site, but there is an existing building on one side, so you are currently building only on one side and still waiting for the neighbor on the other side. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to read through the Goalkeeper thread linked by @Scout. In particular, you should consider the advice to coordinate the planning with the neighbor who has yet to build (or ideally even use the same architect). Pay close attention in the Goalkeeper thread to the posts about foundations, especially if you want to build without a basement and there is a risk that the future neighbor will build with a basement or deeper foundations. At the very least, if the plot is not perfectly level, I would recommend hiring an independent architect. Whether that architect then contracts a general contractor (GC) or a construction manager (CM) is up to you. As laypeople, you cannot really take over the architect’s inspection duties—the fee won’t be reduced if you come with “finished” drawings anyway (an architect is not just a simple house painter; the work is somewhat more demanding).
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