ᐅ How long did it take you from the initial dream to purchasing your house?

Hello, I’m not sure if this is the right place for my question.

I’m curious about how long it took you from wanting to buy a house to actually completing the purchase. How many properties did you look at? How much time should you allow for the process? How many compromises did you make (for example, a smaller plot of land than preferred, location, etc.)?

I’d appreciate any feedback.

From the initial considerations—looking for a larger apartment, viewing houses initially due to renting, then due to buying—making the decision to build, up until the probable move-in takes about 1.5 years.

At the beginning, people usually plan bigger with more extras. You have an incredible number of people around you who all feel the need to tell you what you absolutely must do when building. You have to get through this phase. At some point, we said: "Whoever has a good suggestion must pay for it."

You should take your time to become clear about each point and educate yourself to gain the necessary knowledge. Always use as many sources as possible. When it comes to financing, it’s better to plan a large buffer rather than pushing things right up to the limit.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I have to say that our case was not typical. This is probably partly due to my profession and partly because I am a bit of a perfectionist.

The search for a plot took about a year. I really wanted a larger plot. For financial reasons, only a commercial plot was an option for us. Ours is just under 3,000m² (32,300 sq ft) and should be located in a reasonably nice area.

The planning took about 2 years. At first, I considered an atrium house. However, this would have left too little space on the south side of the plot. So it had to be a house in the Mediterranean style—we mostly spent our holidays in France—since the attic could now also be used.
It was carefully planned so that the sun shines through the terrace doors and windows at the right angle in every season, warming the rooms during the cold months and not letting in too much sunlight in summer.
For heating, a warm air circulation system is used to distribute the solar heat throughout the house.

Construction took about 1.5 years because I worked hands-on in almost every trade myself.

The garden landscaping is still not completely finished to this day, but I am already very satisfied with the current result. Most of the plants were given to us by friends who had plants that had become too large or too cramped.

But as I said, this is not the usual case. For an average building family, the whole process does not take anywhere near 4 years.

Oh, my post is now a quarter of a year old and we are still searching. Of course, there are houses up to 10 years old (as we have looked at), but none really appeal to us. First, there are only a few, and then there is always something that doesn’t fit or leads to high costs.

Now we are once again at the point of considering new construction. Pros and cons.

Why is it so difficult to accurately estimate the costs for a solid construction house? I don’t think prefabricated houses are bad, but are they really just as expensive as solid construction houses? I’m not sure. What exactly are the advantages of prefabricated houses (I haven’t quite figured that out yet). I definitely don’t want a plastered house, but rather one with brick cladding.

If you already own a plot of land, you’re clearly at an advantage. We are saving diligently so that we might be able to start in 1-2 years.

A prefabricated house doesn’t have to be standard or basic. Almost all major prefab companies also build according to custom design plans. We actually drew up the basic plans ourselves and didn’t have to follow any fixed grid or anything like that.

The only potential issue with a prefab house is if you want a concrete staircase. This can be a structural challenge for timber prefab houses (but it can be solved).

Which option is better is a matter of personal preference and cannot be clearly answered. Generally, I would say that with solid construction, there is more often a search for an individual solution on site (I don’t mean shoddy work).

Why shouldn’t a prefab house be as expensive as a solid house? In the end, it’s basically the same. A prefab house would only be cheaper if you choose a manufacturer that focuses strongly on standard designs.
I believe Massa Haus works like that. Their shell-and-core houses are quite affordable as a result.

Overall, building is becoming more expensive because energy-saving measures are becoming increasingly stringent. The problem is that those carrying out the work are not always fully up to date.