Hello everyone,
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
D
DaGoodness9 Aug 2017 22:25But you only need to take a look at who frequents this forum... just based on the professions and reported incomes here, I would say the majority represented are from the upper middle class. The average tradesperson who works on construction sites every day and earns less than 2,000€ net (about $2,200) rarely appears in this forum... yet they are also building... and often at a much lower cost than winnetou78, nordlys, or myself... because, thanks to a large circle of friends, mostly fellow tradespeople, they manage to construct their entire house on their own.
I believe the expectations of those present here are somewhat higher from time to time... which is completely fine... many participants often say, "If I’m going to build, I’m going to do it properly!" Whether this is for personal satisfaction or to present something impressive externally is another matter... but there are also plenty of people who simply build to own their own place... to feel comfortable within their own four walls, to be able to do whatever they want... just to enjoy the luxury of having a garden... in these cases, the desire for ownership is stronger and more important than the features or the nice extras that might be added to such a house.
And those people will certainly feel just as comfortable in their own home as those with luxury fittings.
I believe the expectations of those present here are somewhat higher from time to time... which is completely fine... many participants often say, "If I’m going to build, I’m going to do it properly!" Whether this is for personal satisfaction or to present something impressive externally is another matter... but there are also plenty of people who simply build to own their own place... to feel comfortable within their own four walls, to be able to do whatever they want... just to enjoy the luxury of having a garden... in these cases, the desire for ownership is stronger and more important than the features or the nice extras that might be added to such a house.
And those people will certainly feel just as comfortable in their own home as those with luxury fittings.
This topic makes me happy. Suddenly, I realize, Karsten, you are completely normal. Not only Winnetou, but others as well, and more and more people are simply building a plain, practical, livable, heated, nice, and affordable house. And they manage to do it for around 200,000 plus the cost of the land. Yes, more Aldi customers, Astra drivers, flower-patterned shorts wearers, canned beer drinkers, and three-legged grill owners need to move into the housing areas. That’s what makes it cozy. Karsten
W
winnetou789 Aug 2017 22:40You're right, everyone should really do things their own way.
For me, if I'm going to build, I want to do it properly.
I try not to cut corners anywhere; this is already my upper price range.
I don't need more than that.
A tile floor of 50 square meters (540 square feet) is nice and more than enough for me.
For me, if I'm going to build, I want to do it properly.
I try not to cut corners anywhere; this is already my upper price range.
I don't need more than that.
A tile floor of 50 square meters (540 square feet) is nice and more than enough for me.
W
winnetou789 Aug 2017 22:41I don’t want Astra or canned beer.
Actually, it’s only here that people keep telling me how cheaply I’m building without gimmicks.
Before, I didn’t even realize that.
Actually, it’s only here that people keep telling me how cheaply I’m building without gimmicks.
Before, I didn’t even realize that.
W
winnetou789 Aug 2017 22:46As I said, I don’t want to keep focusing on regional differences.
But the fact is, our price here is rather on the higher side.
It can be done for 30,000 less.
As I mentioned earlier, I have an addition to the scope of work of 30,000, which means I could have had my house for just under 139,000 (only the house, turnkey), but then with gas heating, concrete roof tiles, no underfloor heating, and so on.
However, it would still have been perfectly livable,
and about 80 percent of the houses here are built that way.
But the fact is, our price here is rather on the higher side.
It can be done for 30,000 less.
As I mentioned earlier, I have an addition to the scope of work of 30,000, which means I could have had my house for just under 139,000 (only the house, turnkey), but then with gas heating, concrete roof tiles, no underfloor heating, and so on.
However, it would still have been perfectly livable,
and about 80 percent of the houses here are built that way.
S
Steffen809 Aug 2017 22:59DaGoodness schrieb:
I completely agree with you... what always bothers me in this forum is that people immediately say "impossible" or "that can’t work." It does work if you stick to your own guidelines... and flooring for €11.99 per square meter (about $12.80 per square foot) doesn’t necessarily have to be worse than flooring costing €50 per square meter (about $47 per square foot) or more. We are definitely very satisfied.It doesn’t have to be... but usually it is. Everyone has their own standards. For me, DIY store products or an IKEA kitchen would definitely not be an option. If the goal is to save money, I’d rather rent a nice apartment instead.