Hello everyone,
I’ve already read some interesting threads here and now I’d like to ask a question myself:
About me: I’m 28 years old and married—no children yet, but we do want some in the future. My husband and I have been searching for properties, plots of land, etc., for about 2.5 months. We are quite open to options like condominiums, building a new home on a lot, or an existing property.
We are both industrial engineers and currently earn a combined gross annual income of 120,000 EUR. Our current savings amount to 120,000 EUR. We only finished our master’s degrees 3 and 4 years ago. Right now, we live in 60 sq m (645 sq ft) for 1,000 EUR (about 1,000 USD) all-inclusive rent. It’s hardly possible to find cheaper here without significantly increasing the commute to work. Currently, we can bike to work.
At the moment, we are looking at a 1,200 sq m (12,917 sq ft) plot with a new build. The prefabricated house provider would be Bien-Zenker. Our meeting with them left a solid impression compared to two other manufacturers.
We have received an offer that includes almost everything: a 165 sq m (1,776 sq ft) house without a basement, a double garage, the land, and utility connections for just under 670,000 EUR. Something like the kitchen is, of course, not included. So we’re assuming about 700,000 EUR in total.
I am extremely uncertain whether we should proceed with this. Also, whether the financing will work out. Our main bank said it should be possible... but they would prefer us to have a guarantor. My in-laws would support us with about 30,000 EUR, but my parents wouldn’t help financially. My uncle could assist with a low-interest loan. Since all this came up so quickly, we still need to schedule more appointments to clarify the financing. Our decision deadline is about four weeks.
I wanted to ask if there are people here who have been in a similar situation or could offer an assessment.
Thank you very much!
I’ve already read some interesting threads here and now I’d like to ask a question myself:
About me: I’m 28 years old and married—no children yet, but we do want some in the future. My husband and I have been searching for properties, plots of land, etc., for about 2.5 months. We are quite open to options like condominiums, building a new home on a lot, or an existing property.
We are both industrial engineers and currently earn a combined gross annual income of 120,000 EUR. Our current savings amount to 120,000 EUR. We only finished our master’s degrees 3 and 4 years ago. Right now, we live in 60 sq m (645 sq ft) for 1,000 EUR (about 1,000 USD) all-inclusive rent. It’s hardly possible to find cheaper here without significantly increasing the commute to work. Currently, we can bike to work.
At the moment, we are looking at a 1,200 sq m (12,917 sq ft) plot with a new build. The prefabricated house provider would be Bien-Zenker. Our meeting with them left a solid impression compared to two other manufacturers.
We have received an offer that includes almost everything: a 165 sq m (1,776 sq ft) house without a basement, a double garage, the land, and utility connections for just under 670,000 EUR. Something like the kitchen is, of course, not included. So we’re assuming about 700,000 EUR in total.
I am extremely uncertain whether we should proceed with this. Also, whether the financing will work out. Our main bank said it should be possible... but they would prefer us to have a guarantor. My in-laws would support us with about 30,000 EUR, but my parents wouldn’t help financially. My uncle could assist with a low-interest loan. Since all this came up so quickly, we still need to schedule more appointments to clarify the financing. Our decision deadline is about four weeks.
I wanted to ask if there are people here who have been in a similar situation or could offer an assessment.
Thank you very much!
M
MachsSelbst13 Jan 2025 22:05It says "should" or "ought to" because it’s only a partial view of the soil and ultimately just a recommendation.
Two meters (about 6.5 feet) away, conditions could be better or even worse. The exact situation only becomes clear to the excavator operator once the foundation pit is dug.
In the end, the inspector cannot force you to follow their recommendations. We also have poor soil here and had to replace a lot of it or significantly add gravel. Some people found that too expensive and actually found a structural engineer or builder who simply spread and compacted 50cm (20 inches) of sand without major replacement.
By the way, I haven’t seen any recycled gravel used in the foundation here. I’ve heard that it’s not allowed or advised against because its properties are not well-defined and it doesn’t compact that well. Looking at the “fresh” 0/45 gravel from the foundation, it’s quite angular. The recycled gravel the groundworks contractor dumped for my driveway is much more rounded since it had been under railway tracks or somewhere else for many years.
Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. But it’s not much cheaper than fresh gravel anyway. It’s fine for a driveway or garden shed, but for a house, I would rather avoid it.
Two meters (about 6.5 feet) away, conditions could be better or even worse. The exact situation only becomes clear to the excavator operator once the foundation pit is dug.
In the end, the inspector cannot force you to follow their recommendations. We also have poor soil here and had to replace a lot of it or significantly add gravel. Some people found that too expensive and actually found a structural engineer or builder who simply spread and compacted 50cm (20 inches) of sand without major replacement.
By the way, I haven’t seen any recycled gravel used in the foundation here. I’ve heard that it’s not allowed or advised against because its properties are not well-defined and it doesn’t compact that well. Looking at the “fresh” 0/45 gravel from the foundation, it’s quite angular. The recycled gravel the groundworks contractor dumped for my driveway is much more rounded since it had been under railway tracks or somewhere else for many years.
Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. But it’s not much cheaper than fresh gravel anyway. It’s fine for a driveway or garden shed, but for a house, I would rather avoid it.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
By the way, I haven’t seen any recycled gravel used in the foundation here. I’ve heard that it’s not allowed or recommended because it doesn’t have consistent properties and is harder to compact properly. Looking at the “fresh” 0/45 gravel used for the foundation, it’s quite angular. The recycled gravel that the contractor dumped in the driveway is much more rounded, probably because it has been under railway tracks or somewhere else for many years.
Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. But recycled gravel isn’t that much cheaper than fresh gravel. It’s fine for a driveway or garden shed, but I wouldn’t use it for a house. We had to get approval for using recycled gravel, including certificates and all the necessary documentation. So from an environmental perspective, it needs to be properly managed. Since there is a well-known plant near us, getting the approval was relatively straightforward.
T
Teimo198817 Jan 2025 09:09I paid €11 net for one ton of crushed concrete (recycled gravel) at the beginning of 2024. I think that was a very good price. This is just the material cost, excluding any expenses for delivery, spreading, or compaction. Geographically, I’m located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of you, so prices are probably similar in your area.
For one square meter, you need about 1.3 to 1.5 tons of material. You can calculate the amount if you know the dimensions of your excavation.
For one square meter, you need about 1.3 to 1.5 tons of material. You can calculate the amount if you know the dimensions of your excavation.
T
Teimo198817 Jan 2025 09:40Sorry, typo: cubic meters (m³), not square meters (m²).
Addition:
Then of course you still have costs for excavation. You might be able to spread the excavated material at least partially on the property since the lot is quite large. Disposing of excavation material is quite expensive; in 2024, I was quoted 28.50 € per cubic meter (m³) net. The volume of excavation is also considerably larger than the actual pit volume because it is no longer compacted. We spread our excavation material on a private field.
Addition:
Then of course you still have costs for excavation. You might be able to spread the excavated material at least partially on the property since the lot is quite large. Disposing of excavation material is quite expensive; in 2024, I was quoted 28.50 € per cubic meter (m³) net. The volume of excavation is also considerably larger than the actual pit volume because it is no longer compacted. We spread our excavation material on a private field.
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