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April201323 Oct 2012 12:39Hello dear forum community,
Construction will start in spring. The financing is secured and the plot is suitable, but I’m a bit worried that the house might end up being too large...
A few general details: The plot is about 800 square meters (approximately 8600 square feet), and according to the development plan, we are only allowed to build 1.5 floors with a pitched roof at a 45–50 degree angle. This results in a living area of 160 square meters (about 970 square feet) — roughly 90 on the ground floor and 70 on the upper floor. That would be perfect for me. But here’s the catch... We have a double garage next to the house, and since we have two cars and two motorcycles, it’s effectively one and a half garages. The garage is 9 meters (about 30 feet) wide, and we have to put a pitched roof on this garage as well (according to the development plan). As a result, we get an additional 30 square meters (about 320 square feet) of living space from the attic above the garage. This attic space will be accessible from the upper floor of the house. I’m honestly not sure if all of this will be too big. In total, the house has a volume of 1200 cubic meters (not sure how to write that here in cubic units).
We will move in as three people, and we are planning two more children...
What do you think? Should we maybe skip one garage, or should I inquire with the local authority whether we might be allowed to put a flat roof on the garage instead? We would be the only ones in the village doing that, so I don’t think it would be approved... But who knows?
Our architect estimated the turnkey price for the house at 320,000. This does not include any work we do ourselves. We plan to handle the interior finishing and electrical work on our own. Is 320,000 a reasonable estimate? How much can you save if you skip a garage — is it significant or hardly noticeable?
My husband isn’t too worried about the size (he doesn’t have to do the cleaning anyway — just kidding). But he says that once we have three kids running around, the house will feel full. Until then???
Sigh... No contract is signed yet, so the plans can still be changed...
Good luck, and thanks for your answers!
Construction will start in spring. The financing is secured and the plot is suitable, but I’m a bit worried that the house might end up being too large...
A few general details: The plot is about 800 square meters (approximately 8600 square feet), and according to the development plan, we are only allowed to build 1.5 floors with a pitched roof at a 45–50 degree angle. This results in a living area of 160 square meters (about 970 square feet) — roughly 90 on the ground floor and 70 on the upper floor. That would be perfect for me. But here’s the catch... We have a double garage next to the house, and since we have two cars and two motorcycles, it’s effectively one and a half garages. The garage is 9 meters (about 30 feet) wide, and we have to put a pitched roof on this garage as well (according to the development plan). As a result, we get an additional 30 square meters (about 320 square feet) of living space from the attic above the garage. This attic space will be accessible from the upper floor of the house. I’m honestly not sure if all of this will be too big. In total, the house has a volume of 1200 cubic meters (not sure how to write that here in cubic units).
We will move in as three people, and we are planning two more children...
What do you think? Should we maybe skip one garage, or should I inquire with the local authority whether we might be allowed to put a flat roof on the garage instead? We would be the only ones in the village doing that, so I don’t think it would be approved... But who knows?
Our architect estimated the turnkey price for the house at 320,000. This does not include any work we do ourselves. We plan to handle the interior finishing and electrical work on our own. Is 320,000 a reasonable estimate? How much can you save if you skip a garage — is it significant or hardly noticeable?
My husband isn’t too worried about the size (he doesn’t have to do the cleaning anyway — just kidding). But he says that once we have three kids running around, the house will feel full. Until then???
Sigh... No contract is signed yet, so the plans can still be changed...
Good luck, and thanks for your answers!
B
Bauexperte23 Oct 2012 13:57Hello,
With electrical work done by yourselves, you probably won’t save all that much; materials still cost money. But are you sure you want to take on the entire interior fit-out yourselves? Do you have enough expertise and, above all, enough time?
From what I see, you might be looking for arguments against the size of the currently planned single-family house. I assume you’ll get plenty of input here – but ultimately, you and your husband have to decide on the size the house should be planned and built. If your budget allows for this size, that’s a good starting point.
However, I sense between the lines that you might disagree with this. Then I suggest proposing a compromise to your husband: keep the garage but without access from the attic. Leave the garage roof open upwards and use the resulting space for hanging bicycles or similar. Another option: when the kids are older, create a retreat area for them to hang out and celebrate, as a family project.
Best regards
April2013 schrieb:The single-family house should cost around EUR 260,000 on a concrete slab foundation and built as a KfW 70 energy-efficient house; if you want to build near a big city, unfortunately more. Bavaria is always a bit more expensive than the rest of the world :-(
Construction will start in spring. Financing is secured and the plot is suitable, but I’m a bit worried the house might be too big...
The house has a living area of 160sqm (approx. 90 in the ground floor and 70 in the upper floor). That would be perfect for me so far.
April2013 schrieb:Hmm – that could add roughly another EUR 60,000 to the cost.
But here’s the thing... We have a double garage next door and since we have 2 cars and 2 motorcycles, it’s actually half a garage more. It’s 9m (30 feet) wide in the end, and we have to build a gable roof over this garage (development plan requirement). As a result, we will gain over 30sqm (320 square feet) of extra living space from the attic above it... The attic will be accessible from the upper floor...
April2013 schrieb:The architect seems reliable! Yes, the figure looks quite accurate and matches my numbers.
Our architect estimated the turnkey price of the house at 320,000. This does not include any work we do ourselves. We plan to handle the interior finishing and the electrical installation on our own... Is 320,000 a good estimation?
With electrical work done by yourselves, you probably won’t save all that much; materials still cost money. But are you sure you want to take on the entire interior fit-out yourselves? Do you have enough expertise and, above all, enough time?
April2013 schrieb:The garage is a significant cost factor, as I roughly estimated.
How much do you save by leaving out the garage? Is that really a lot or hardly noticeable...
My husband is not too worried about that (he doesn’t have to clean it ) just kidding – he says the house will be full when three kids are running around, but until then???
From what I see, you might be looking for arguments against the size of the currently planned single-family house. I assume you’ll get plenty of input here – but ultimately, you and your husband have to decide on the size the house should be planned and built. If your budget allows for this size, that’s a good starting point.
However, I sense between the lines that you might disagree with this. Then I suggest proposing a compromise to your husband: keep the garage but without access from the attic. Leave the garage roof open upwards and use the resulting space for hanging bicycles or similar. Another option: when the kids are older, create a retreat area for them to hang out and celebrate, as a family project.
Best regards
A
April201323 Oct 2012 17:27Thanks in advance for the answers...
So, money shouldn’t be an issue. Of course, it would be nice if we had to finance maybe 20,000 or 30,000 less, but if we decide on this size, the budget will be okay.
Most of the interior work will be done by ourselves. We will have plastering and screeding done, but floors, doors, covering stairs with wood, painting, and so on, we will do ourselves.
As for the attic, the plan is to install screed with underfloor heating and leave the space unused for now... Maybe we’ll need to accommodate my or his mother, or the kids might want a small apartment there later on. Then the room will be fully finished, but not at the moment.
Here in Bavaria, the big home and craft fair is coming up soon, and we plan to get some offers from building companies there, etc.
For example, we will excavate the basement ourselves, as we have the machinery and know-how.
I’m really looking forward to your further responses...
So, money shouldn’t be an issue. Of course, it would be nice if we had to finance maybe 20,000 or 30,000 less, but if we decide on this size, the budget will be okay.
Most of the interior work will be done by ourselves. We will have plastering and screeding done, but floors, doors, covering stairs with wood, painting, and so on, we will do ourselves.
As for the attic, the plan is to install screed with underfloor heating and leave the space unused for now... Maybe we’ll need to accommodate my or his mother, or the kids might want a small apartment there later on. Then the room will be fully finished, but not at the moment.
Here in Bavaria, the big home and craft fair is coming up soon, and we plan to get some offers from building companies there, etc.
For example, we will excavate the basement ourselves, as we have the machinery and know-how.
I’m really looking forward to your further responses...
Hello! We are currently in the early stages of planning, so I don't have much experience yet. However, I think that if the budget allows, I would build it this way. With three children, I believe you appreciate every bit of space, which might also be useful later for caring for your own parents. But don’t forget: the children will eventually move out, and then you shouldn’t feel lost in a house that’s too big.
Best regards, and hopefully see you soon at the Home and Craft Fair!
Motte
Best regards, and hopefully see you soon at the Home and Craft Fair!
Motte
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