ᐅ How to Plan the Process for Building Your Own Single-Family Home?
Created on: 15 May 2011 16:27
B
BubbHello everyone,
As a complete beginner, I need your help with a rough outline of the process for building a single-family house.
Until about three weeks ago, I hadn’t even considered building a house in my wildest dreams, until my wife, during a business trip one evening in her hotel room, was browsing “Immoscout” again.
This had happened quite often over the years, but until now, there had been a natural barrier in and around Munich that kept me from such adventures as buying real estate: THE PRICE LEVEL.
What was new this time was that my wife was looking for plots of land – and, strangely enough, a plot was offered just one town over from us, right in a quiet, pleasant residential area.
It was part of the garden area of an older single-family house. The land was split due to generational reasons and put up for sale.
Building permission (building permit / planning permission) was already granted, fully serviced, etc. Before I even realized what was happening, I found myself standing with my wife and the real estate agent on a meadow that somehow had the ability to pull my savings out of my pocket.
I never intended to go into debt for a house or limit myself for 30 years like my parents did.
My condition was that we could pay for the plot “in cash,” and when the seller learned that we didn’t need financing for the land, he reduced the price by almost €25,000, and just like that, I lost – the plot was bought a few days later.
The seller was interested in a very quick closing.
The current status: money gone (a little over €300,000), plot secured.
I have since become convinced that, in our case, ownership is better than renting, especially since our rent is almost €1,900 per month including utilities.
The very next day, I went to a house exhibition to gather information.
My first impressions were rather unpleasant. As soon as some salespeople found out that we already had a plot, the hard-selling tactics started: appointments, intensive talks, and I felt extremely pressured, which I made very clear to them.
Everyone claimed to be the best, everyone had the best product, everything was individual, and so on.
With other providers, I encountered a lot of arrogance because I was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Four days later, when I came straight from the office in a suit, they were suddenly very polite, offering drinks and snacks (same salespeople).
What is clear for us is that we need a general contractor (builder).
The house should be built with solid construction and a basement (about 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) excluding basement area) and must be completed with as little personal contribution as possible since we lack experience in construction work.
For us, one option would be to have the basement and ground floor fully finished, with the upper floor left for later completion.
Now, our questions are: How should one proceed?
Should we secure financing first (about €350,000) and then look for a general contractor?
(Problem: banks require information about the house, which doesn’t even exist in planning yet, e.g., gross volume, sqm according to “DIN something” etc.)
Or should we plan the house first and then arrange financing?
We already have quite specific ideas regarding the house, floor plan, and room layout (pitched roof 35° - 38°, knee wall height 70 cm (28 inches), and building envelope legally fixed).
How should one approach general contractors? Do they already design a complete house without any contractual basis? (All plans, development plans, etc., are available.)
Are the salespeople specialists or just “salespeople”?
Does one take a single plan and present it to several general contractors, or does each one create their own plan/layout?
Will you receive the floor plans?
Can you take the construction specification documents before signing and compare them?
(Selection of materials before signing — I want to know in advance what we are buying.)
How many meetings are typical? How transparent are the cost breakdowns for individual items? (Basement, architectural services, plumbing, electrical, etc.)
What is usual and what is not? (Receiving plans, cost transparency, which subcontractors are used, etc.)
What should you agree to and what absolutely not?
When should alarm bells ring, or what are signs that you should end a conversation and walk away? (For example, “sign first, you can cancel later free of charge” — *shaking head)
Most providers mention a price per square meter, e.g., €1,700 (about $1,900) with everything included, but I find that too general, even if it’s just an average.
I am very grateful for your advice.
Best regards,
Bubb
As a complete beginner, I need your help with a rough outline of the process for building a single-family house.
Until about three weeks ago, I hadn’t even considered building a house in my wildest dreams, until my wife, during a business trip one evening in her hotel room, was browsing “Immoscout” again.
This had happened quite often over the years, but until now, there had been a natural barrier in and around Munich that kept me from such adventures as buying real estate: THE PRICE LEVEL.
What was new this time was that my wife was looking for plots of land – and, strangely enough, a plot was offered just one town over from us, right in a quiet, pleasant residential area.
It was part of the garden area of an older single-family house. The land was split due to generational reasons and put up for sale.
Building permission (building permit / planning permission) was already granted, fully serviced, etc. Before I even realized what was happening, I found myself standing with my wife and the real estate agent on a meadow that somehow had the ability to pull my savings out of my pocket.
I never intended to go into debt for a house or limit myself for 30 years like my parents did.
My condition was that we could pay for the plot “in cash,” and when the seller learned that we didn’t need financing for the land, he reduced the price by almost €25,000, and just like that, I lost – the plot was bought a few days later.
The seller was interested in a very quick closing.
The current status: money gone (a little over €300,000), plot secured.
I have since become convinced that, in our case, ownership is better than renting, especially since our rent is almost €1,900 per month including utilities.
The very next day, I went to a house exhibition to gather information.
My first impressions were rather unpleasant. As soon as some salespeople found out that we already had a plot, the hard-selling tactics started: appointments, intensive talks, and I felt extremely pressured, which I made very clear to them.
Everyone claimed to be the best, everyone had the best product, everything was individual, and so on.
With other providers, I encountered a lot of arrogance because I was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Four days later, when I came straight from the office in a suit, they were suddenly very polite, offering drinks and snacks (same salespeople).
What is clear for us is that we need a general contractor (builder).
The house should be built with solid construction and a basement (about 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) excluding basement area) and must be completed with as little personal contribution as possible since we lack experience in construction work.
For us, one option would be to have the basement and ground floor fully finished, with the upper floor left for later completion.
Now, our questions are: How should one proceed?
Should we secure financing first (about €350,000) and then look for a general contractor?
(Problem: banks require information about the house, which doesn’t even exist in planning yet, e.g., gross volume, sqm according to “DIN something” etc.)
Or should we plan the house first and then arrange financing?
We already have quite specific ideas regarding the house, floor plan, and room layout (pitched roof 35° - 38°, knee wall height 70 cm (28 inches), and building envelope legally fixed).
How should one approach general contractors? Do they already design a complete house without any contractual basis? (All plans, development plans, etc., are available.)
Are the salespeople specialists or just “salespeople”?
Does one take a single plan and present it to several general contractors, or does each one create their own plan/layout?
Will you receive the floor plans?
Can you take the construction specification documents before signing and compare them?
(Selection of materials before signing — I want to know in advance what we are buying.)
How many meetings are typical? How transparent are the cost breakdowns for individual items? (Basement, architectural services, plumbing, electrical, etc.)
What is usual and what is not? (Receiving plans, cost transparency, which subcontractors are used, etc.)
What should you agree to and what absolutely not?
When should alarm bells ring, or what are signs that you should end a conversation and walk away? (For example, “sign first, you can cancel later free of charge” — *shaking head)
Most providers mention a price per square meter, e.g., €1,700 (about $1,900) with everything included, but I find that too general, even if it’s just an average.
I am very grateful for your advice.
Best regards,
Bubb
P
perlenmann15 May 2011 16:59Hello Bubb,
First of all, respect—$300,000 for a plot of land? Well, that’s Munich for you.
I did something similar. About 13 months ago, we found the plot, reserved it, and started checking out several companies based on our requirements. Tomorrow, the excavator will begin work!
In the meantime, you should use this forum to learn what really matters and decide what you want. A few months’ wait doesn’t make a difference before you rush into something. If you know someone who has built a house, ask them about the companies they worked with. I don’t find the reference customers provided by companies very reliable. Also, many critical posts tend to be removed online.
First of all, respect—$300,000 for a plot of land? Well, that’s Munich for you.
I did something similar. About 13 months ago, we found the plot, reserved it, and started checking out several companies based on our requirements. Tomorrow, the excavator will begin work!
In the meantime, you should use this forum to learn what really matters and decide what you want. A few months’ wait doesn’t make a difference before you rush into something. If you know someone who has built a house, ask them about the companies they worked with. I don’t find the reference customers provided by companies very reliable. Also, many critical posts tend to be removed online.
Hello,
a few months ago, we also purchased a plot of land and are now planning to build our house.
We have an appointment scheduled soon with an architect to design our home.
The initial discussions have been very positive, and we have arranged a meeting at the site for mid-July. By then, we need to have given some thought to the room layout so he knows what we want.
The builder also does design work, but we are not entirely sure if that will really meet our requirements. Or, put another way: Will the builder disagree with me if I want a layout that might not be practical? Maybe the company just takes an existing plan out of the drawer and only adjusts it slightly?
Once we have the design, we plan to approach local builders. Since all companies will prepare an offer based on the same plan, the prices should be comparable. If each company is allowed to create their own design, I would be comparing apples with oranges and pears, right?
Based on our experience so far, we cannot answer all your questions yet, but our plan is:
- Appointment with an architect to get a design that precisely matches our wishes and also has a sensible room concept
- Take the design to builders to request offers that can then be compared
- Have an independent construction engineer or similar review the offer to make sure the builders actually included everything you asked for (we have heard from acquaintances that sometimes, for example, the requested basement was accidentally left out of the offer...)
- Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate...
We hope this is helpful.
Best regards,
dastef
a few months ago, we also purchased a plot of land and are now planning to build our house.
We have an appointment scheduled soon with an architect to design our home.
The initial discussions have been very positive, and we have arranged a meeting at the site for mid-July. By then, we need to have given some thought to the room layout so he knows what we want.
The builder also does design work, but we are not entirely sure if that will really meet our requirements. Or, put another way: Will the builder disagree with me if I want a layout that might not be practical? Maybe the company just takes an existing plan out of the drawer and only adjusts it slightly?
Once we have the design, we plan to approach local builders. Since all companies will prepare an offer based on the same plan, the prices should be comparable. If each company is allowed to create their own design, I would be comparing apples with oranges and pears, right?
Based on our experience so far, we cannot answer all your questions yet, but our plan is:
- Appointment with an architect to get a design that precisely matches our wishes and also has a sensible room concept
- Take the design to builders to request offers that can then be compared
- Have an independent construction engineer or similar review the offer to make sure the builders actually included everything you asked for (we have heard from acquaintances that sometimes, for example, the requested basement was accidentally left out of the offer...)
- Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate...
We hope this is helpful.
Best regards,
dastef
Hello, thank you very much for the replies,
@Perlenmann
especially that you answered today, even though the excavator is arriving tomorrow (or rather today) and your project is starting.
At the moment, I am learning day and night. It all started with me having to familiarize myself with basic terms like dormers, cross gables, knee walls, etc., so that I could somewhat understand the specified development plan. (Before, these were just skylights, sloping roofs, and so on to me.)
However, I notice that I am reaching limits because I still cannot imagine what a room with a pitched roof at a 35° - 38° roof pitch (what is actually better or more practical?) with a roof overhang of 50 cm (20 inches) looks like, or which areas are included in calculations (floor area ratio 0.3) and which are not.
We have a building envelope of 14.50 m x 9.5 m (48 feet x 31 feet)
How was it for you? Did they give you the plans before you signed?
Good luck and success on your big day today
@dastef
Did I understand that correctly?
You went to an architect and had a plan drawn up taking into account the legal requirements at your location, in order to request offers from various builders or general contractors based on that plan?
I have a few more questions about that.
Do you have everything planned, from the floor plan to sockets, switches, wiring, etc.?
How do you handle permits (does your architect take care of this or is it up to the construction company you hire)?
How detailed does the architect get to ensure that the offers can be properly compared? (Is there a detailed construction specification included along with the floor plan?)
Offers can really only be compared if the materials (quantities, brand names, etc.) and the "quality levels of construction methods" (e.g., internal or external roller shutter boxes) are precisely specified.
Is that even possible for a house build? (For our meticulously planned fitted kitchen three years ago, the comparability was already extremely challenging.)
The architect charges according to the legally required fee schedule. What is the approximate cost if you have a plan created like you did?
Best regards
Bubb
@Perlenmann
especially that you answered today, even though the excavator is arriving tomorrow (or rather today) and your project is starting.
At the moment, I am learning day and night. It all started with me having to familiarize myself with basic terms like dormers, cross gables, knee walls, etc., so that I could somewhat understand the specified development plan. (Before, these were just skylights, sloping roofs, and so on to me.)
However, I notice that I am reaching limits because I still cannot imagine what a room with a pitched roof at a 35° - 38° roof pitch (what is actually better or more practical?) with a roof overhang of 50 cm (20 inches) looks like, or which areas are included in calculations (floor area ratio 0.3) and which are not.
We have a building envelope of 14.50 m x 9.5 m (48 feet x 31 feet)
How was it for you? Did they give you the plans before you signed?
Good luck and success on your big day today
@dastef
Did I understand that correctly?
You went to an architect and had a plan drawn up taking into account the legal requirements at your location, in order to request offers from various builders or general contractors based on that plan?
I have a few more questions about that.
Do you have everything planned, from the floor plan to sockets, switches, wiring, etc.?
How do you handle permits (does your architect take care of this or is it up to the construction company you hire)?
How detailed does the architect get to ensure that the offers can be properly compared? (Is there a detailed construction specification included along with the floor plan?)
Offers can really only be compared if the materials (quantities, brand names, etc.) and the "quality levels of construction methods" (e.g., internal or external roller shutter boxes) are precisely specified.
Is that even possible for a house build? (For our meticulously planned fitted kitchen three years ago, the comparability was already extremely challenging.)
The architect charges according to the legally required fee schedule. What is the approximate cost if you have a plan created like you did?
Best regards
Bubb
P
perlenmann16 May 2011 08:57I hope it gets started soon, that was the statement.
The initial learning phase is the problem. You want to know everything in a short time, but you can never fully understand it all that quickly. You would need several studies and training for that...
We have created and received all the plans, which then made the price calculation possible. After that, we signed.
One tip for finding a company, if you don't know anyone: visit a newly built housing area and ask around there.
The initial learning phase is the problem. You want to know everything in a short time, but you can never fully understand it all that quickly. You would need several studies and training for that...
We have created and received all the plans, which then made the price calculation possible. After that, we signed.
One tip for finding a company, if you don't know anyone: visit a newly built housing area and ask around there.
First of all, if I were you, I would spend some time reading up on the topic. You are not in a rush, and this is the biggest investment of your life – so take your time and don’t rush.
The warning bells should already be ringing for you because you want to take on a project like this without even having read a basic book on the subject – that makes you an easy target. A certain level of fundamental knowledge cannot be replaced by just a few posts in a forum. You’ve already made the first mistake by paying for the land in full upfront and not including it in the overall financing plan.
Oh, and by the way: No, you definitely do NOT want a developer!
Best regards,
Peter
The warning bells should already be ringing for you because you want to take on a project like this without even having read a basic book on the subject – that makes you an easy target. A certain level of fundamental knowledge cannot be replaced by just a few posts in a forum. You’ve already made the first mistake by paying for the land in full upfront and not including it in the overall financing plan.
Oh, and by the way: No, you definitely do NOT want a developer!
Best regards,
Peter
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