ᐅ Looking for affordable and reliable prefab home builders (lower budget).
Created on: 21 Aug 2019 04:59
W
Wooden-Heart
Hello everyone,
We (from the beautiful and expensive Baden-Württemberg region) would like to realize our dream of owning our own home. We are planning a small single-family house with 2 children's rooms.
Now we are looking for the "affordable/good and common" prefabricated house suppliers.
Based on a suitable cost calculation, we have a budget of about 300,000 to 320,000 euros.
This includes the plot and all other costs, such as notary fees, utility connections, land transfer taxes, outdoor landscaping, concrete slab (if necessary), etc. (in other words, everything from site fencing to missing toilet brushes)—all costs included.
Since we are at the borderline of “almost impossible,” we are aware of the challenge.
Now it is our task to see whether the “almost impossible is actually possible.”
Roughly speaking, we can say: a plot without a slope (400 m² (4306 sq ft)) can be purchased here for around 100,000 euros.
--> This means a remaining budget of 200,000 to 220,000 euros for the house (including everything).
Who can simply name the “common prefabricated house suppliers” for us?
Danwood, Massa Haus, Town & Country, Heinz von Heiden, … what else is there that might fit into “our” price range?
Many thanks in advance, I’m curious to see if our wish is achievable or if we will have to look more towards resale properties.
Best regards,
Dominik
We (from the beautiful and expensive Baden-Württemberg region) would like to realize our dream of owning our own home. We are planning a small single-family house with 2 children's rooms.
Now we are looking for the "affordable/good and common" prefabricated house suppliers.
Based on a suitable cost calculation, we have a budget of about 300,000 to 320,000 euros.
This includes the plot and all other costs, such as notary fees, utility connections, land transfer taxes, outdoor landscaping, concrete slab (if necessary), etc. (in other words, everything from site fencing to missing toilet brushes)—all costs included.
Since we are at the borderline of “almost impossible,” we are aware of the challenge.
Now it is our task to see whether the “almost impossible is actually possible.”
Roughly speaking, we can say: a plot without a slope (400 m² (4306 sq ft)) can be purchased here for around 100,000 euros.
--> This means a remaining budget of 200,000 to 220,000 euros for the house (including everything).
Who can simply name the “common prefabricated house suppliers” for us?
Danwood, Massa Haus, Town & Country, Heinz von Heiden, … what else is there that might fit into “our” price range?
Many thanks in advance, I’m curious to see if our wish is achievable or if we will have to look more towards resale properties.
Best regards,
Dominik
Wooden-Heart schrieb:
starting at around €100,000What does this "starting at" mean exactly?How about existing properties?
I’m afraid it won’t be enough. This year, I built a 130 sqm (1,400 sq ft) house without a basement in Baden-Württemberg. I already owned the (small) plot, and despite working with a local construction company and doing a lot of the work myself or with the help of skilled friends and family (plumbing, underfloor heating, heat pump, screed insulation, painting, flooring), I still ended up over your budget.
Wooden-Heart21 Aug 2019 15:45Lanini schrieb:
I usually belong to the "budget fits" camp because we built quite affordably ourselves and got relatively a lot for our money (we also live in a very rural area where prices are noticeably lower compared to the city!). But even I would say that it is very unlikely to build a finished house including everything with little own labor in a fairly expensive region within that budget. We built our house including the garage for under 350,000 euros including the plot, all additional costs, and the necessary landscaping (lawn planted, terrace laid), with a good amount of own work. But our plot only cost 35,000 euros including all additional costs. And the kitchen at 13,000 euros plus furniture, etc. was extra! In addition, we built with an architect and subcontracted individual trades, because it is regionally cheaper here than using a turnkey builder/general contractor; but in the cities, the situation is different... And one should not underestimate that building a house in the countryside is really significantly cheaper.
A budget of about 220,000 euros (after deducting the plot) for the house, all additional costs, landscaping, and also kitchen and so on, I consider not feasible. Of course, it depends on your own expectations, but I fear that even if you stick to the absolute minimum specification (meaning 120 m² (1290 sq ft) of living space, no garage/carport, no underfloor heating but radiators, cheapest heating system, no electric shutters, no walk-in shower, cheapest sanitary fittings, minimal electrical installations, no ventilation system, etc.), it could still be tight. And then there is the question of whether you actually want to live like that in your own new house...
If in doubt, the only option is to check with companies and providers and get 1-2 quotes, such as the usual suspects Town & Country, Heinz von Heiden, etc. Also look at regional smaller providers, whether prefabricated house or solid construction initially comes second (the rumor that prefab houses are cheaper is very persistent). How skilled are you at DIY work? Would it be possible to do some of the work yourselves? And I don’t mean just laying floors and painting walls. Could you have a shell or basic house built and then complete the interior yourself bit by bit, or subcontract only the trades you cannot do yourself? That saves money but comes with a lot of (organizational) effort, time, and nerves and can also seriously go wrong; it’s a question of whether you want to take that risk...
What about your income? Is increasing the budget by about 50,000 euros really not an option? Hello Lanini,
thank you very much for your detailed and direct answer...
We now have two appointments with Town & Country and Heinz von Heiden. We just have to see what comes out as "standard"... With those "starting prices," I think nobody can really make sense of it.
Our budget is "carefully calculated." We also have a small business that currently generates about 10,000 euros per year, I haven’t factored in profit shares, holiday pay, orChristmas bonuses, and I can still afford a 5,000-euro vacation per year...
But that was exactly the last place I wanted to save... You can’t have everything, and that’s more than understandable, but of course, I have to look carefully if something is not possible... where compromises can be made, and whether it will then be enough or not.
Definitely not unskilled in craftsmanship, but as you said, "that can really go wrong." I definitely consider myself an organizational talent, but we are the first in the family circle who are "actually building."
We earn together (my wife is currently on parental leave), so when she returns to part-time work, about 3,300 euros net... The plan is a repayment over 35 years of about 1,100 euros/month...
Best regards and many thanks!
Dominik
Wooden-Heart21 Aug 2019 15:47Winniefred schrieb:
Well, I share your concerns. I would rather avoid it. Something can always go wrong, and then you have no buffer. If land is still reasonably affordable in your area, there are probably existing properties available as well, and since you’re looking for something small anyway, you will likely find a suitable one for your budget sooner or later.Thanks, Winnie! That’s exactly the problem... We also initially considered existing properties, but strangely enough, the prices don’t really work out for us there either. The average house in our price range of 300,000 to 350,000 Euros (approximately $320,000 to $375,000) was built in 1940, with renovations completed in 1990—that’s about it.
If we spend 300,000 to 350,000 Euros on such a house, there’s no money left to fully renovate it after 1990 standards.
But we’re still keeping an eye out. We’re not exclusively focused on new construction—if a great existing property comes up, we will definitely consider it as well.
Wooden-Heart21 Aug 2019 15:49Mottenhausen schrieb:
Try Town & Country, for example the house type "Raumwunder 100". That should be achievable as a standard turnkey solution for about 180,000€ (around $190,000). No underfloor heating, manual plastic roller shutters, plastic front door, etc. Turnkey means painter work (always including filling) and floors to be done by yourself, then install laminate flooring from a home improvement store at about €7/m² (around $0.65/sq ft). That works. But of course, it’s not going to look “nice.”Thank you very much! We primarily want to check if it's even possible... If Town & Country then tells us "Raumwunder 100 without underfloor heating, manual shutters, etc.," then we’ll be within budget... THEN we have to decide if that’s enough for us or not.
The post was mainly about which prefab house suppliers we can still check out, maybe some hidden affordable ones that aren’t initially on the list.
Wooden-Heart21 Aug 2019 15:51Tassimat schrieb:
What does this "from" mean exactly?
What about existing properties?The cheapest building plots currently are available "from" around 90,000-100,000 euros (approx. $98,000-$109,000) directly from the municipalities (of course, you have to apply first, etc.)...
Existing properties with a teardown house are even priced higher (from 130,000 euros (approx. $142,000)).
An existing property is also an option; price-wise, we are at about the same level here... built in 1940, renovated in 1990, for 300,000-350,000 euros (approx. $327,000-$381,000)... which mainly means: no budget left for further renovations and renewals... but we are keeping an eye out here as well.