ᐅ Looking for local building insurance for a single-family home in the Oberberg district (postal code area 51...).

Hello everyone.

My wife and I own a 929 sqm (10,000 sq ft) flat building plot in a new development area (planned in 2019, construction possible since early 2021) in the Oberbergischer Kreis. We want to build a solid single-family home on it without a basement. In my opinion, one of the main challenges is always the question: How do you actually get started? Our first thought was to hire a home building company. Acquaintances immediately mentioned well-known big names, and even Google provided an extensive list. House catalogs were quickly ordered. We currently have four of them: Kern-Haus, Town & Country, Helma, and Heinz von Heiden. By chance, I then discovered this forum. I quickly read wildly through the subforums about home builders. After that, I was quite overwhelmed and uneasy, as my idealistic view of building a house broke into many small pieces. However, what stuck with me from the countless comments was one piece of advice: a local builder! Until then, we hadn’t really considered that. But why not? Of course, Google can help me with the search again. However, I trust that some of you here might already have experiences to share with us?

In the development area, there is already a completed house from Bohn Massivhaus (Odenthal). The homeowner happened to be outside at the trash bins and seemed satisfied, partly because of the construction time of 7 months. There are also shell structures from Heinz von Heiden and other big players. I am also familiar with Korthaus Gruppe (Bergisch Gladbach) through many regional construction projects. I also found Mundt (Bensberg) appealing through Google. Other results include Oelsner (Leverkusen), Hütte (Olpe), and Koch (Olpe).

I look forward to your comments and am eager to hear about your experiences. If anyone can recommend a source that provides a clear timeline and planning framework for homebuilding, I would appreciate a tip.

In advance, I would like to thank everyone who actively contributes to my post to help achieve the best possible outcome for us.

Best regards

Rhyem86 schrieb:

However, I trust that some of the home builders here might be willing to share their experiences with us?

In the section "Experiences with Home Building Companies" you might find some of those:

Rhyem86 schrieb:

In the new development area, there is already a completed house by Bohn Massivhaus (Odenthal). [...] I am also familiar with Korthaus Group (Bergisch Gladbach) through many local projects. Another company that caught my attention via Google is Mundt (Bensberg). Other results include Oelsner (Leverkusen), Hütte (Olpe), and Koch (Olpe).

I briefly checked all of those and at first glance didn’t find any unsuitable ones among them. With this half dozen of local providers (and the previously mentioned major players, whose partner companies are not all bad either), you definitely have more than enough options to create a shortlist and narrow down further.

Rhyem86 schrieb:

My wife and I own a 929 sqm (10,000 sq ft) flat building plot in a new development area.

The size should be sufficient even with a relatively low floor area ratio. Regarding flatness, I would always verify that more thoroughly—there are simply too many plots that appear "flat" to a layperson’s eye here.

Rhyem86 schrieb:

How do you actually start? Our first thought was to hire a home building company.

My much earlier thought would have been to consult an architect first, and initially proceed with service phases 1 and 2, then module B, and possibly beyond. But if you already have some catalogs, you can of course review them to see which house models might serve as a suitable and appealing starting point.
We can actually do that together: you open a thread with the completed questionnaire from the top of the floor plan category, show the plot as well as the catalogue models you are considering.
If you’ve been reading here actively, you probably have also come across my advice that a “freelance architect” and a “tender process” complement each other (and do not exclude contracting a general contractor).
When looking through catalogs, don’t just focus on the houses but also the homeowners who are often pictured there: do they look like you or your friends, or more like people from different backgrounds (or a different generation or with different family situations)? — because even the “average” person, like Germany’s Thomas Müller, is actually quite rare. The more precisely you can “qualify” and describe yourselves, the more useful that will be.

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Rhyem86 schrieb:

In the new development area, there is already a completed house by the company Bohn Massivhaus (Odenthal). The homeowner happened to be outside by the trash bins and seemed satisfied, among other things due to the construction time of 7 months. There are also shell structures from Heinz von Heiden and other major players. From many regional projects, I am also familiar with the company Korthaus Gruppe (Bergisch Gladbach). Another company that caught my attention through a quick online search is Mundt (Bensberg). Further results include Oelsner (Leverkusen), Hütte (Olpe), and Koch (Olpe).

You don’t need more advice than you can give yourself, and it’s unlikely that a national or international forum can provide you with more.

Hello, almost neighbor. We also built with Schwirten & Klein in Gummersbach using timber-frame construction and are more than satisfied – communication, quality, handling of issues, everything is just right. They build either as a carpentry service (core business) or as a turnkey solution. I am quite familiar with the house featured on the homepage of sk Holzbau. 😉

11ant schrieb:

You might already find some of them in the "Experiences with Home Builders" section:

I will try again using the search function. Thanks.

11ant schrieb:

I quickly checked all of them and didn’t immediately find anyone unsuitable. With these half dozen regional providers (and the mentioned big players, whose partner companies aren’t all bad either), you definitely have more than enough to choose from or to use as a basis for further filtering.

Thanks for the initial feedback on this.

11ant schrieb:

The size should be sufficient even with a low floor space ratio; as for levelness, I always trust that only after a detailed inspection – there are simply too many plots that seem “flat” at first glance from a layperson’s point of view.

The development plan allows one full floor with a floor space index of 0.35 and a roof pitch between 20° and 40°. Yes, I estimated that as a layperson. Here in Oberberg, we have a different idea of that :-D

I put together an elevation profile, I hope it’s clear. In fact, along the longest side of the plot, there is a steeply sloping hill.

11ant schrieb:

My initial thought would have been to work with an architect, starting with design phases 1 and 2, then moving on to module B and possibly further stages. But since you’ve already collected catalogs, you can of course look to see which house model from them might be a suitable and appealing starting point.

Okay, I haven’t dealt with the design phases and modules before, this is the first time I’m hearing about them.

11ant schrieb:

We can already do that together: you start a thread with the completed questionnaire from the top of the floor plan section. Show also the plot and the catalog models you’ve shortlisted.

Sorry, but I couldn’t find any questionnaire. Could you point me in the right direction?

11ant schrieb:
If you’ve been reading here regularly, you’ve probably come across my note that a “freelance architect” and “tendering” complement each other (and don’t exclude awarding a general contractor). Also, when looking at catalogs, don’t just focus on the houses but also on the homeowners often shown there: do they look like you or your friends, or more like people from different backgrounds (or a different generation or with different family situations)? Because even the average Joe is rarely “normal.” The more precisely you can “qualify” and describe yourselves, the better something useful can be made of it.

Got it, thanks for the tips.

Rhyem86 schrieb:

The development plan allows for one full story with a floor area ratio of 0.35 and a roof pitch between 20 and 40 degrees. [...] I’ve created a height profile. I hope it’s clear.

I already expected the low ratio given the size. The height profile is enough to confirm my suspicion that my basement rule will rule out a slab-on-grade house.

Rhyem86 schrieb:

Okay, I’m not familiar with service phases or modules—I’m hearing about those for the first time right now.

The breakdown of an architect’s work into service phases is defined in the fee structure (see "A house-building roadmap for you, too: the HOAI phase model!"). The division of the phases relevant to self-builders, "Service Phases 1 to 8," into Modules A to C is my recommendation. This is because many prospective builders a) are unsure if the architect they found is really the “right” one, and b) may not want to use all phases. Therefore, I suggest the following approach: 1. Commission the architect initially only for Service Phases 1 and 2 (Module A); 2. (IMPORTANT!) take a pause (a "rest period") after completing the preliminary design phase; 3. commission the architect for "Module B," that is, up to and including the detailed design phase (the milestone “building permit stamp” is NOT a suitable point to stop the planning!); 4. either take a risk or continue commissioning the architect. I acknowledge that most prospective builders consider it wise to take the risk of failure—I am willing to learn (as I did before when switching to recommending aluminum windows and doors only for external components).

Rhyem86 schrieb:

Sorry, but I couldn’t find a questionnaire. Could you point me in the right direction?

Regular restructuring keeps users on their toes, having to constantly relearn how to find essential key threads: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-planung-unbedingt-vor-beitrag-erstellung-lesen.11714/

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