Hello everyone,
As the topic suggests, I would like to consider how to build a private home as cost-effectively as possible while staying up to current "technology" standards and without compromising on size. The focus is initially on relatively inexpensive construction, with further modifications planned from the start but intended to be implemented only after several years (more on this later).
Perhaps you can confirm or refute my ideas or share your own.
I have given the following thoughts:
- Square and practical design (without bay windows, curves, overhangs, or other extras)
- Raised basement (full basement) to reduce earth excavation
- Use excavated earth to raise the plot or parts of it (saves on removal)
- Plan the raised basement partly as living space (e.g., bedrooms, full bathroom, utility room, additional rooms) to reduce the building footprint
- Flat roof (likely the most economical option)
- Open floor plan to reduce interior walls (living room, dining room, hallway, and kitchen)
- Central installation shaft (for water, heating, ventilation, wastewater, electricity)
- Heating, bathrooms, and kitchen located directly adjacent to the installation shaft
- Electrical installation integrated into baseboards except for kitchen and bathroom (if permitted), ceiling lighting omitted
- Underfloor heating in all inhabited rooms, provision for later installation in others
- Use standard dimensions for windows and doors, possibly allow for lintels for larger sizes
In addition, the following wishes should be planned but implemented at a later stage:
- Structural design of masonry to allow adding a second floor
- Prepare garage in basement by installing a lintel
- Reserve staircase or at least space for it to the second floor
- Provision for external basement stairs lintel
Self-performed work could include:
- Kit house, for example using calcium silicate bricks or aerated concrete with expert guidance
- Installation of heating pipes, water supply and drainage (apprenticeship/professional experience)
- Electrical installation (family support)
- Site drainage / foundation drainage (apprenticeship/professional experience)
- Complete interior finishing (partially professional experience)
As the topic suggests, I would like to consider how to build a private home as cost-effectively as possible while staying up to current "technology" standards and without compromising on size. The focus is initially on relatively inexpensive construction, with further modifications planned from the start but intended to be implemented only after several years (more on this later).
Perhaps you can confirm or refute my ideas or share your own.
I have given the following thoughts:
- Square and practical design (without bay windows, curves, overhangs, or other extras)
- Raised basement (full basement) to reduce earth excavation
- Use excavated earth to raise the plot or parts of it (saves on removal)
- Plan the raised basement partly as living space (e.g., bedrooms, full bathroom, utility room, additional rooms) to reduce the building footprint
- Flat roof (likely the most economical option)
- Open floor plan to reduce interior walls (living room, dining room, hallway, and kitchen)
- Central installation shaft (for water, heating, ventilation, wastewater, electricity)
- Heating, bathrooms, and kitchen located directly adjacent to the installation shaft
- Electrical installation integrated into baseboards except for kitchen and bathroom (if permitted), ceiling lighting omitted
- Underfloor heating in all inhabited rooms, provision for later installation in others
- Use standard dimensions for windows and doors, possibly allow for lintels for larger sizes
In addition, the following wishes should be planned but implemented at a later stage:
- Structural design of masonry to allow adding a second floor
- Prepare garage in basement by installing a lintel
- Reserve staircase or at least space for it to the second floor
- Provision for external basement stairs lintel
Self-performed work could include:
- Kit house, for example using calcium silicate bricks or aerated concrete with expert guidance
- Installation of heating pipes, water supply and drainage (apprenticeship/professional experience)
- Electrical installation (family support)
- Site drainage / foundation drainage (apprenticeship/professional experience)
- Complete interior finishing (partially professional experience)
Hello, a flat roof is among the most expensive because it is very challenging to waterproof, and managing water drainage is quite complex. The structural design also needs to be appropriate since water or snow loads can potentially accumulate.
A rafter roof with a central beam and a roof pitch of about 30-35 degrees (30-35°), plus two masonry gable walls, is probably the most cost-effective option.
Removing a flat roof waterproofing system and disposing of it after 10-15 years will burn through your valuable money...
A bedroom in the basement has the disadvantage that, due to ground conditions, you have to build a waterproof concrete basement (WU basement), which has the worst possible building physics properties.
Regarding the electrical system, you underestimate how many cables you need to fit into the baseboard. This is not comparable to cutting grooves into the raw structure.
The external stair lintel is not expensive; only the consequences are… waterproofing, insulation at the connection between the stairs and the exterior wall, waterproofing the door, etc.
A rafter roof with a central beam and a roof pitch of about 30-35 degrees (30-35°), plus two masonry gable walls, is probably the most cost-effective option.
Removing a flat roof waterproofing system and disposing of it after 10-15 years will burn through your valuable money...
A bedroom in the basement has the disadvantage that, due to ground conditions, you have to build a waterproof concrete basement (WU basement), which has the worst possible building physics properties.
Regarding the electrical system, you underestimate how many cables you need to fit into the baseboard. This is not comparable to cutting grooves into the raw structure.
The external stair lintel is not expensive; only the consequences are… waterproofing, insulation at the connection between the stairs and the exterior wall, waterproofing the door, etc.
@Bratac explained it quite well.
As a layperson, I can understand this and hope to convey it to you: The most important aspect in building a house is protection against water—both from above and below.
From above, it means the roof. Sealing a flat roof properly so that water flows exactly where planned is already very expensive.
What makes your roof costly, you will want to remove after about 10 years to use it as a base for an additional floor. This means double the roofing costs. Moreover, I can imagine that a planned flat roof may not meet the structural requirements. In other words, a flat roof does not need to support much weight—so if you design the flat roof now like an intermediate floor, the roof will cost even more. What about the stairwell opening? Either you cut a hole in the ceiling now or create an opening during the addition... Just writing this makes me cringe...
All the dirt ruins everything—permanently. You won’t be happy, and you will curse yourselves: we should have planned a proper roof from the start. Living space under a necessary but affordable roof is still the cheapest living space.
From below, there is the foundation slab. You want a basement, which means waterproofing again—costly waterproofing for living space that, due to the concrete walls, does not provide a good living climate, at least not as good as a timber frame or masonry room. Then, having a garage integrated on this floor means additional insulation work, since the garage is open to the outside, but the house must be built according to energy-saving regulations.
Regarding the electrical installation: there are rules for safety. Horizontal installation is only allowed in exceptional cases; otherwise, the cables run directly on the floor to where they go vertically up. In a new building, installation at baseboard height is prohibited... guess what...
Whether it is prohibited or should be avoided... I don’t know.
I’m starting over and won’t delete this. I just know that certain distances must be observed at the top and bottom. And what does common sense say? Mine tells me that cables should always be installed so that they cannot be directly touched later. A small nail in a baseboard could easily cause a smoldering fire and destroy a family.
We are also talking about cable bundles that have more volume than a single cable hidden behind a baseboard.
The lintel of the exterior basement stairs—that brings us back to waterproofing.
You are planning a house with brute force, which will never feel like a home, but an endless construction site full of dirt, mess, and constant unrest.
For me, a financing plan that is supposed to be repaid within 10 years without a solid foundation is a harsh financing burden.
I would also be surprised if the zoning plan allows flat roofs as well as pitched roofs, one- and two-story houses, and house heights from/to approximately 5 meters (16 feet). Usually, zoning plans specify one direction and exclude the other!
Best regards, Yvonne
As a layperson, I can understand this and hope to convey it to you: The most important aspect in building a house is protection against water—both from above and below.
From above, it means the roof. Sealing a flat roof properly so that water flows exactly where planned is already very expensive.
What makes your roof costly, you will want to remove after about 10 years to use it as a base for an additional floor. This means double the roofing costs. Moreover, I can imagine that a planned flat roof may not meet the structural requirements. In other words, a flat roof does not need to support much weight—so if you design the flat roof now like an intermediate floor, the roof will cost even more. What about the stairwell opening? Either you cut a hole in the ceiling now or create an opening during the addition... Just writing this makes me cringe...
All the dirt ruins everything—permanently. You won’t be happy, and you will curse yourselves: we should have planned a proper roof from the start. Living space under a necessary but affordable roof is still the cheapest living space.
From below, there is the foundation slab. You want a basement, which means waterproofing again—costly waterproofing for living space that, due to the concrete walls, does not provide a good living climate, at least not as good as a timber frame or masonry room. Then, having a garage integrated on this floor means additional insulation work, since the garage is open to the outside, but the house must be built according to energy-saving regulations.
Regarding the electrical installation: there are rules for safety. Horizontal installation is only allowed in exceptional cases; otherwise, the cables run directly on the floor to where they go vertically up. In a new building, installation at baseboard height is prohibited... guess what...
Whether it is prohibited or should be avoided... I don’t know.
I’m starting over and won’t delete this. I just know that certain distances must be observed at the top and bottom. And what does common sense say? Mine tells me that cables should always be installed so that they cannot be directly touched later. A small nail in a baseboard could easily cause a smoldering fire and destroy a family.
We are also talking about cable bundles that have more volume than a single cable hidden behind a baseboard.
The lintel of the exterior basement stairs—that brings us back to waterproofing.
You are planning a house with brute force, which will never feel like a home, but an endless construction site full of dirt, mess, and constant unrest.
For me, a financing plan that is supposed to be repaid within 10 years without a solid foundation is a harsh financing burden.
I would also be surprised if the zoning plan allows flat roofs as well as pitched roofs, one- and two-story houses, and house heights from/to approximately 5 meters (16 feet). Usually, zoning plans specify one direction and exclude the other!
Best regards, Yvonne
B
Bauexperte26 Nov 2014 01:02Good evening,
BratacDD and Yvonne have already provided you with very good answers.
Regards, Bauexperte
BratacDD and Yvonne have already provided you with very good answers.
Mr.Magou schrieb:It can’t be entirely "hypothetical," since you still refer further below to a cellar with a raised base.
By the way, my assumptions are based on a hypothetical house construction; whether it is a raised or basement cellar, ridge height, soil survey/clay soil is initially undecided and of course must be taken into account.
Mr.Magou schrieb:A basement with concrete walls "could" be an important consideration; I clearly pointed out the absence of a soil survey so far.
- Nobody has mentioned concrete walls (there are also other materials). I assume you mean living in concrete walls when referring to the basement floor.
Mr.Magou schrieb:Probably nothing different from what other people do there... sometimes children are also conceived there.
I don’t know what you do in the bedroom
Mr.Magou schrieb:I would have a problem if it "had" to be a concrete cellar. Moreover, the basement is the most expensive room to create as living space. In addition to the enormous costs for the cellar itself, further costs arise for the interior finishing. If a full bathroom is planned, you "may" also need to include the cost for a lifting station with double chopper pump in your estimate (drainage above backflow prevention level) "must" be considered.
but for me, it’s completely fine to have this in the basement, especially if it is a raised cellar with sufficient daylight. The same goes for the full bathroom, utility room, and garage in the basement.
Mr.Magou schrieb:DIN 18015...?
- Electrical wiring in baseboards, why not? What speaks against it? Please clarify.
Regards, Bauexperte
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