ᐅ How do you get started? When should you hire which professionals for which tasks?

Prices have risen sharply in recent years because interest rates have dropped drastically. However, they cannot go much lower than they are now.

danixf schrieb:

Some acquaintances wanted to take the same approach. In the end, the property prices in their desired location increased more over the years than they were able to save.

In other words: income is too low for the region

Living with your parents.

Nordlys schrieb:

That was a lot of useless stuff nobody really needs.

That’s not useless at all. Smart home features might be optional, but the wiring for them is not. Installing a star wiring system to all lights, switches, doors, etc., with power plus data bus cables, is definitely not something you can just add later on.
I’m thinking long-term. For example, I don’t want to rely on fluctuating gas prices for heating, plus I find burning things outdated. When it comes to renewable energy, I’ve admired solar panels since school. Considering electricity prices here in Germany and climate change, I think it’s simply crazy to build houses without solar installations. Besides, the panels pay for themselves. My father has had panels on his roof for 15 years, and for about the last 5 years they’ve been generating profit every month. Before that, they just covered the loan payments. They still work like on day one, never needed maintenance or repairs. Nowadays, panel prices have dropped significantly and efficiency has improved.
The same goes for cars. I once drove a Tesla, and since then I’ve seen my gasoline car as a junker. I’ll keep driving the old car as long as it’s financially feasible, but after that, I want an electric vehicle. I’m not planning to buy another combustion engine car. Accordingly, I want a charging point at home. And since we're experiencing hotter summers due to climate change, I also want an option for cooling. The 35°C (95°F) inside the house this year was no fun, and who knows how the next 50 years I plan to live here will be.

Climbee schrieb:

why build right now? Is there a solid reason for it?

It doesn’t have to be exactly now, but at 29 you want to move out and live on your own eventually. Renting is just not for me. I grew up in a house and have gotten used to the freedom to play loud music anytime, lie in the garden with the cat, or just climb onto the roof. Also, I see rent as money thrown away. I’d rather invest every euro into my own property than someone else’s.

dr2okevin schrieb:

I’m thinking long-term. For example, I don’t want to be tied to the fluctuating prices of gas for heating, and besides, I find it outdated to burn things. When it comes to renewable energy, I’ve considered photovoltaic systems fantastic ever since school. Given the current electricity prices here in Germany and climate change, I think it’s simply crazy to build houses without photovoltaic panels. Especially since the modules basically pay for themselves. My father has had modules on his roof for 15 years; for about the last 5 years, they generate profit every month, and before that, they covered their loan payments. They still work like on day one, never needed maintenance or repairs. Meanwhile, module prices have dropped significantly and efficiency has improved.
The same goes for cars. I once drove a Tesla, and since then, I’ve considered my gasoline car a junker. I’ll keep driving my old one as long as it’s financially feasible, but after that, I’ll switch to an electric car; I don’t plan to buy another combustion engine. Accordingly, I want to have a charging option at home. And since climate change brings increasingly hot summers, I’d also like to have cooling capabilities. I didn’t enjoy the 35°C (95°F) inside the house this year, and who knows what the next 50 years living there will be like.

Your thinking really excites the construction industry. You want to build a) generously, b) modern, and c) with high quality. That leads to significant costs (with comments like "That’s expensive!") and won’t be achievable within your budget.
Maybe you should start with a small “fixer-upper” property that you can gradually bring up to the standard you want. Alternatively, a modern condominium unit could also work.

The prices mentioned in other posts are initial guidelines based on practical experience, not from catalogs (where it often says “starting at base construction cost” without additional construction-related expenses, max. three power outlets per room, gas boiler, no flooring or painting, etc.).

dr2okevin schrieb:

This isn’t trivial. Smart home features might be postponed, but the wiring for them definitely cannot. You don’t just add star wiring with power and data bus to all lights, switches, doors, etc. afterwards.

That’s your opinion, but basically it’s just expensive extras. I invested a bit more in electrical work myself, but if I hadn’t had the budget, I would have left it out. It’s not a must-have.

dr2okevin schrieb:

I’m thinking long term. For example, I don’t want to be tied to fluctuating gas prices for heating, and to me, burning things is outdated. Regarding renewable energy, I have admired photovoltaic systems since school. Considering electricity prices here in Germany and climate change, I think it’s simply crazy to build houses without solar panels. Especially since the modules pay for themselves. Especially since the modules pay for themselves.

Electricity prices fluctuate as well. I share your view, but it’s not the most economical choice. No one knows what things will look like in 15-20 years. That’s roughly when such a system pays off. The idea that the panels pay for themselves is incorrect. Your father did everything right, but there have been some changes in recent years, and it’s not as attractive now as it was 15 years ago.

dr2okevin schrieb:

Accordingly, I want to have a charging point at the house. And since we are experiencing hotter summers due to climate change, I also want the option to cool the house. The 35°C (95°F) inside this year was not fun, and who knows what the next 50 years I plan to live there will bring.

Having a charging point is actually one of the more affordable items on your list. I haven’t experienced 35 degrees inside at any friends’ new builds. They simply ventilated properly. In the evenings, it was comfortable except for a few days.

dr2okevin schrieb:

It doesn’t have to be immediately, but at 29 you want to move out and live on your own. Renting is not for me at all. I grew up in a house and got used to the freedom of playing loud music anytime, lying with the cat in the garden, or just climbing on the roof. Plus, I see rent as money thrown away. I’d rather invest every dollar into my own property, not someone else’s.

That’s understandable, but when you enter the real world, you have to pay what’s asked. The amounts nowadays are different than what you might expect. Have you considered the costs after building a house? There are many rent vs. buy discussions here. From what I gather, it’s definitely more comfortable when the property is yours, but financially, renting combined with appropriate investment opportunities might leave you better off.

By the way, I’m impressed by your commitment to the environment—even if not everything is as perfect as it seems. Electric cars have plenty of downsides too. But these are not standard features and companies charge well for them. The fact is, you’ll need more money for your wishes or you will have to make compromises.