Hello
We want to build a house in a rural area (in my hometown). The plot is already available, and there is an old house on it that we are allowed to demolish. Now, I would like to ask how to generally approach this process.
We have some ideas about how the house should look in terms of the floor plan (about 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) over 2 full floors). We have looked at various prefabricated house providers, and we liked their floor plans and layouts, so we saved some for reference.
I prefer a solid (masonry) house over a timber frame or wood construction.
We can handle some trades ourselves, such as electrical and plumbing work. Roofing is also possible since my uncle runs a carpentry business. However, other trades are not our strong suit—for example, laying tiles or heating would be left to professionals (air-source heat pump with photovoltaics since there is no gas connection available—or possibly trench collectors for geothermal energy if feasible).
My approach now, since we want to build with solid construction, would be to consult one or several architects with references in the area instead of building a prefabricated house. We feel more flexible with an architect regarding the selection of work we want to do ourselves versus what needs to be contracted out (as well as the choice of equipment in heating, cooling, and ventilation systems).
For the construction phase, we still want to involve an independent expert (from a home builder protection association or similar) who can occasionally check that everything is on track, since it’s impossible to have knowledge of everything.
We also plan to have the construction contract reviewed before signing to ensure everything is legally sound.
Is this a good approach to minimize mistakes during house construction?
We are completely at the beginning, apart from having a serviced plot with water and electricity available.
Thank you for your feedback.
We want to build a house in a rural area (in my hometown). The plot is already available, and there is an old house on it that we are allowed to demolish. Now, I would like to ask how to generally approach this process.
We have some ideas about how the house should look in terms of the floor plan (about 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) over 2 full floors). We have looked at various prefabricated house providers, and we liked their floor plans and layouts, so we saved some for reference.
I prefer a solid (masonry) house over a timber frame or wood construction.
We can handle some trades ourselves, such as electrical and plumbing work. Roofing is also possible since my uncle runs a carpentry business. However, other trades are not our strong suit—for example, laying tiles or heating would be left to professionals (air-source heat pump with photovoltaics since there is no gas connection available—or possibly trench collectors for geothermal energy if feasible).
My approach now, since we want to build with solid construction, would be to consult one or several architects with references in the area instead of building a prefabricated house. We feel more flexible with an architect regarding the selection of work we want to do ourselves versus what needs to be contracted out (as well as the choice of equipment in heating, cooling, and ventilation systems).
For the construction phase, we still want to involve an independent expert (from a home builder protection association or similar) who can occasionally check that everything is on track, since it’s impossible to have knowledge of everything.
We also plan to have the construction contract reviewed before signing to ensure everything is legally sound.
Is this a good approach to minimize mistakes during house construction?
We are completely at the beginning, apart from having a serviced plot with water and electricity available.
Thank you for your feedback.
D
DragonyxXL11 Nov 2016 09:43Elnino schrieb:
Or do you simply go there and say you have an x-y building footprint, want xy living space in style Z, and then let them get started? It probably depends somewhat on the architect. In our case, it went something like this:
1. Analyze the plot and surroundings (Where are the neighbors? What are the views like? How could the cardinal directions be taken into account? What does the zoning plan or building permit / planning permission require? …)
2. Discuss ideas about future life in the house (Who will live in the house? What are the habits? What style do you like? Very open floor plan? Which rooms do you want? …)
3. Discuss approximate living space size and budget
4. Architect creates the first draft and ideally some perspective sketches so you don’t just see a floor plan.
5. The first draft is discussed, leading to a second draft and finally a third draft.
6. Based on the approved design, the planning for the building permit is carried out.
From my point of view, you should focus on your wishes and needs rather than solutions. That’s the architect’s job. The more you prescribe to the architect, the less freedom they have to harmonize your wishes into an individual design. Those who decide on a catalog home from the start will, of course, never know what architectural details they missed out on. Without an architect, we would have chosen a fairly standard one-and-a-half-story house with a pitched roof and are now very glad we didn’t.
I can only agree. We started our building journey considering a "Swedish house." When it became clear that this was definitely impossible on our plot, we eventually settled on a lovely bungalow with a wooden facade. Without an architect, we would never have considered this option, and his experience was a huge help during the building permit / planning permission process.
We would also love to build a bungalow, so everything on one level, but the plot does not allow for that. We won’t have a garden either, but we don’t want one anyway. There is about 3 meters (10 feet) of space all around the current house... that’s it. You can then sit nicely in front of it. The old house will be demolished. The old basement, where you have to bend down to enter and which has a clay floor, will be leveled. Then the slab foundation and the new house will be built on top. That’s the current plan.
Our neighbor has a meadow about 20 by 10 meters (65 by 33 feet) behind his parking area, which we are allowed to use as long as we mow it. Any children can play there a bit. The neighbor no longer has any use for it since his mother passed away. It used to be her garden.
Our neighbor has a meadow about 20 by 10 meters (65 by 33 feet) behind his parking area, which we are allowed to use as long as we mow it. Any children can play there a bit. The neighbor no longer has any use for it since his mother passed away. It used to be her garden.
Yes, it’s definitely an old earth cellar. There are still wooden racks for the potatoes inside. But you really have to bend down, bend down low... Right now, the house connection for the building is also located there. I’ll ask the architect what they think. There are also spiders down there, haha...
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