ᐅ New Construction on a New Plot Without Children – How Should We Approach It?
Created on: 9 Sep 2015 09:05
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Baujulchen
Hello,
first, a brief introduction.
We (my better half and main breadwinner^^, 52, and I, 44) are facing a new challenge.
Due to an expected job change (within the same company, so no new probation period, etc.), we expect to move again in about 3 years.
Our child will almost be finished with university by then and will be independent. He will probably stay in our region at first, as he studies in a practical training network and already has a job opportunity lined up.
We built once before in 1996/1997—a small prefabricated house at a fantastic price. There was a great offer for families with a major bank and a regional prefab manufacturer. We were able to buy the land quite cheaply from the municipality back then. Due to relatively high interest rates (compared to now^^), we are now close to paying off the mortgage.
We will be finished with the “new start” almost exactly by then.
The current house has a great layout, and with 107m2 (1150 sq ft) of living space, with little hallway and good room distribution, it was more than enough space for a family with one child.
There were few defects back then, and overall, we were very satisfied with the decision to build a prefab house. We were also a bit lucky because the company went bankrupt three years after we moved in.
About our plans now:
Plot prices in the region we expect to move to are around 40-45€/m2 (about $4.50-$5.00 per sq ft), fully serviced. We do NOT want a huge garden, as we see with our parents that, at a certain age, you just can’t maintain everything as you’d like. 600m2 (about 6500 sq ft), if the layout fits a bungalow on it, will be more than enough for our needs.
We plan about 110-115m2 (1180-1240 sq ft) of living space, all on one level (we’re not getting any younger ;-) ) with a partly covered terrace, possibly a garage or carport, and if the price works out, maybe a partial basement. A basement is not absolutely necessary—we don’t have one now and manage with a crawl space. You learn not to keep everything ;-)
We want a bedroom, possibly with a walk-in closet, a bathroom with bathtub AND shower, a guest room/office, and possibly an additional guest toilet with a shower. Depending on whether there is a basement or not, maybe the option for a sauna (sigh... I've always wanted one^^).
An open space plan (living room, dining room, kitchen) is under consideration.
Of course, I’ve started researching... and it was almost overwhelming... at our time, there were just a handful of well-known prefab companies, some of which actually still exist.
How should we best approach this? I have absolutely no idea about current energy standards, what is possible, what is necessary, and how that might affect related financing (we are calculating about 150,000€ (about $160,000) of own capital, partly from the sale of the current house, if all goes well).
KfW 40/55/70?? Passive house, geothermal energy... until last week, these were all completely new “words” for me, and now I’m starting to read up on them. But how deeply do I need to get into this?
The planned move would possibly be around mid-2018, so there is plenty of time to plan and gather information.
Many things that we added to the current house over time we would like to have again, for example, a large covered terrace with automatic sun protection, solar panels for hot water, a walk-in shower, electric roller shutters, possibly with sun sensors, etc.
Ideally, we would like everything from a single source, as we don’t have much time. Because we cannot be on site all the time (about 300km (190 miles) between current home and new location), we need someone we can 100% rely on (I know, that’s utopia ;-) ).
How would you approach this situation?
Thanks in advance—I’m hoping for one or two tips regarding planning and implementation.
dat Baujulchen :-)
first, a brief introduction.
We (my better half and main breadwinner^^, 52, and I, 44) are facing a new challenge.
Due to an expected job change (within the same company, so no new probation period, etc.), we expect to move again in about 3 years.
Our child will almost be finished with university by then and will be independent. He will probably stay in our region at first, as he studies in a practical training network and already has a job opportunity lined up.
We built once before in 1996/1997—a small prefabricated house at a fantastic price. There was a great offer for families with a major bank and a regional prefab manufacturer. We were able to buy the land quite cheaply from the municipality back then. Due to relatively high interest rates (compared to now^^), we are now close to paying off the mortgage.
We will be finished with the “new start” almost exactly by then.
The current house has a great layout, and with 107m2 (1150 sq ft) of living space, with little hallway and good room distribution, it was more than enough space for a family with one child.
There were few defects back then, and overall, we were very satisfied with the decision to build a prefab house. We were also a bit lucky because the company went bankrupt three years after we moved in.
About our plans now:
Plot prices in the region we expect to move to are around 40-45€/m2 (about $4.50-$5.00 per sq ft), fully serviced. We do NOT want a huge garden, as we see with our parents that, at a certain age, you just can’t maintain everything as you’d like. 600m2 (about 6500 sq ft), if the layout fits a bungalow on it, will be more than enough for our needs.
We plan about 110-115m2 (1180-1240 sq ft) of living space, all on one level (we’re not getting any younger ;-) ) with a partly covered terrace, possibly a garage or carport, and if the price works out, maybe a partial basement. A basement is not absolutely necessary—we don’t have one now and manage with a crawl space. You learn not to keep everything ;-)
We want a bedroom, possibly with a walk-in closet, a bathroom with bathtub AND shower, a guest room/office, and possibly an additional guest toilet with a shower. Depending on whether there is a basement or not, maybe the option for a sauna (sigh... I've always wanted one^^).
An open space plan (living room, dining room, kitchen) is under consideration.
Of course, I’ve started researching... and it was almost overwhelming... at our time, there were just a handful of well-known prefab companies, some of which actually still exist.
How should we best approach this? I have absolutely no idea about current energy standards, what is possible, what is necessary, and how that might affect related financing (we are calculating about 150,000€ (about $160,000) of own capital, partly from the sale of the current house, if all goes well).
KfW 40/55/70?? Passive house, geothermal energy... until last week, these were all completely new “words” for me, and now I’m starting to read up on them. But how deeply do I need to get into this?
The planned move would possibly be around mid-2018, so there is plenty of time to plan and gather information.
Many things that we added to the current house over time we would like to have again, for example, a large covered terrace with automatic sun protection, solar panels for hot water, a walk-in shower, electric roller shutters, possibly with sun sensors, etc.
Ideally, we would like everything from a single source, as we don’t have much time. Because we cannot be on site all the time (about 300km (190 miles) between current home and new location), we need someone we can 100% rely on (I know, that’s utopia ;-) ).
How would you approach this situation?
Thanks in advance—I’m hoping for one or two tips regarding planning and implementation.
dat Baujulchen :-)
Catalogs are useful for getting an idea of what’s possible. They rarely include prices. The building specification is the next step for making comparisons.
Do you have a model home park nearby? That’s also a good way to see what’s available and to get catalogs. You can also simply do a rough preliminary plan with a consultant from any company to at least have a price for reference.
We started out quite naively, then filtered providers by comparing wall constructions and building specifications. We also checked construction blogs to learn about others’ experiences.
By now, we have basically settled on one provider that includes brickwork. For all the others, that would have been an additional cost of 20,000 to 45,000 € for our desired house size (~170 m² (1,830 sq ft)).
Do you have a model home park nearby? That’s also a good way to see what’s available and to get catalogs. You can also simply do a rough preliminary plan with a consultant from any company to at least have a price for reference.
We started out quite naively, then filtered providers by comparing wall constructions and building specifications. We also checked construction blogs to learn about others’ experiences.
By now, we have basically settled on one provider that includes brickwork. For all the others, that would have been an additional cost of 20,000 to 45,000 € for our desired house size (~170 m² (1,830 sq ft)).
B
Baujulchen9 Sep 2015 16:55The nearest larger show home park, as far as I know, is in Hannover or towards Magdeburg.
But we have already thought about visiting there once we have a free weekend :-)
Are you going for a prefabricated house or a solid construction @Müllerin??
We are very happy with our current prefabricated house, even though we were strongly advised against it back then, we would definitely choose it again :-)
But we have already thought about visiting there once we have a free weekend :-)
Are you going for a prefabricated house or a solid construction @Müllerin??
We are very happy with our current prefabricated house, even though we were strongly advised against it back then, we would definitely choose it again :-)
How about existing properties in general? In this area (price range based on the official land value), you can usually find affordable existing properties being offered from time to time. Since you tend to move counter-cyclically, I would consider that option.
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
Best regards
Dirk Grafe
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Baujulchen9 Sep 2015 17:49Yes, we have of course already considered that idea as well.
However, over the past 14 days of looking, I have noticed the following:
either the houses are very old and require extensive renovation or restoration,
or they are palatial homes priced beyond reasonable limits.
Since we definitely want a bungalow, the options are quite limited.
There is also a certain appeal to building exactly the way we envision it now.
Since there is still plenty of time, we will certainly keep looking at houses in the area as well, but the idea of doing exactly what we want now is really tempting.
However, over the past 14 days of looking, I have noticed the following:
either the houses are very old and require extensive renovation or restoration,
or they are palatial homes priced beyond reasonable limits.
Since we definitely want a bungalow, the options are quite limited.
There is also a certain appeal to building exactly the way we envision it now.
Since there is still plenty of time, we will certainly keep looking at houses in the area as well, but the idea of doing exactly what we want now is really tempting.
B
Bieber08159 Sep 2015 19:301.) Define your financial framework. Also consider the worst-case scenario regarding the possible sale price of your existing house.
2.) Find a plot of land that you like and where you are allowed to build a bungalow (building permit / planning permission or based on existing buildings). Ideally, it should be free of developer restrictions. Beforehand, you have roughly determined your space requirements and therefore know (floor area ratio) how large the plot needs to be at a minimum.
3.) Build (or have built) the house.
At the same time, once you have a rough idea of your space needs, you can look for suitable bungalows in catalogs. I would focus not on the wall construction, but only on the floor plan (does it offer the rooms you need).
2.) Find a plot of land that you like and where you are allowed to build a bungalow (building permit / planning permission or based on existing buildings). Ideally, it should be free of developer restrictions. Beforehand, you have roughly determined your space requirements and therefore know (floor area ratio) how large the plot needs to be at a minimum.
3.) Build (or have built) the house.
At the same time, once you have a rough idea of your space needs, you can look for suitable bungalows in catalogs. I would focus not on the wall construction, but only on the floor plan (does it offer the rooms you need).
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