ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction Project: Assessment, Feasibility, and Costs

Created on: 18 Jan 2026 15:41

Hello everyone,

My partner and I have purchased a plot of land and would like to build a single-family house with a garage on it. We are currently looking for potential partners for the construction project. We have each had an initial introductory meeting with a general contractor, a construction management company, and an architect. Preliminary floor plan proposals will follow in the coming weeks.

We are posting in this forum to get helpful tips, opinions, and an assessment (feasibility, costs, etc.) for our building project. This forum has already been very helpful regarding basement regulations, slope assessment, and more.

Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 650m2 (7000ft2)
Slope: Yes, approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet) incline from south to north, see plan
Site coverage ratio: 0.4
Floor area ratio: N/A
Building envelope, building line and boundary: see plan
Adjacent development: N/A
Number of parking spaces: 2 or more
Number of floors: 3
Roof type: mono-/shed roof or gable roof 30–45°; or half-hipped/gable/hipped roof 15–30°; flat roof 0–5°
Architectural style: open construction style, single and semi-detached houses
Orientation: garden facing west
Maximum building height/limits: ridge height max. 7m (23 feet)
Further requirements: see plan

Client requirements
Style: modern and linear
Roof type: shed roof or shallow pitched gable roof (30°)
Building type: detached single-family house
Stories: 2 full floors + optional basement
Basement: if practical/necessary: waterproof concrete shell (white tank) with hobby room, underfloor heating, 1 window per room, ceiling height ≥ 2.2m (7.2 feet), power outlets + lighting
Number of occupants, age: 2 persons; both 35+
Space requirement on ground floor and upper floor: approximately 150m2 (1600ft2)
Office: 2 home offices for family use
Finishes: parquet flooring in living and sleeping areas, tiles (preferably 120 x 120mm (5 x 5 inches)) in entrance area and bathrooms, one exposed concrete (plastered) wall in the living room and staircase to upper floor, aluminum windows including electric shutters and insect screens
Overnight guests per year: none or very few
Open or closed architecture: open
Conservative or modern design: modern
Open kitchen, cooking island: yes
Number of dining seats: 6–8
Fireplace: desired, possibly for later installation
Music/sound wall: no
Balcony, roof terrace: no
Garage, carport: double garage; width at least 6.5m (21 feet), length at least 7m (23 feet) with direct access to the house (pantry)
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
Other wishes/special features/daily routine, including reasons for specific choices:
- Solid construction, monolithic according to building energy regulations
- Lots of glass facing west (field) – beautiful view
- Gallery in entrance area
- Open living kitchen with access to pantry (with access to garage)
- Ground-level/barrier-free access to house, living area, and terrace
- Bedroom facing west with direct access to walk-in closet
- Ceiling height on ground floor ≥ 2.9m (9.5 feet)
- Photovoltaic system with battery + electric vehicle charging station

House design
Planner: currently none
What do you particularly like? Why? N/A
What do you dislike? Why? N/A
Cost estimate from architect/planner: about €600,000 without basement and landscaping (one general contractor, one construction management, one architect after initial meeting)
Personal price limit for house, including finishes: €700,000
Preferred heating system: air-to-water heat pump + underfloor heating

If you have to give up anything, which details/extensions
- can you do without:
fireplace
garage with house access
basement, if practical?
- cannot do without:
living area ground and upper floors ≥ 145m2 (1560ft2)

Why is the design as it is now?
No floor plan available yet. Here is an excerpt from the development plan, cross-section, and two initial ideas for the placement of the house and garage.

Papierturm20 Jan 2026 17:15

Agreed, with 225m2 (2,422 sq ft) the maximum budget of 700,000€ will likely be significantly exceeded. Ultimately, we would prefer at least 200m2 (2,153 sq ft), but would that significantly reduce the price?

Hmm. Difficult:

1st post:

Floors: 2 full floors + possibly a basement
Basement: if practical/necessary: waterproof concrete shell with hobby room, underfloor heating, 1 window per room, ceiling height ≥ 2.2m (7.2 ft), power outlets + lighting
Number of occupants, age: 2 persons; both over 35
Space requirements on ground floor and upper floor: ~150m2 (1,615 sq ft)
Office: (family use or home office): 2 home offices
Finishings: flooring in living and bedrooms in hardwood, entrance area and bathrooms with tiles (preferably 120 x 120mm (4.7 x 4.7 inches)), exposed concrete (plaster) on one wall in the living room + staircase to upper floor, aluminum windows including electric shutters + insect screens

This is partly a clearly upscale finish. Standard would be PVC windows, no insect screens, tiles up to a maximum of 60 x 60cm (24 x 24 inches), vinyl or laminate instead of hardwood, and so on.

This is relevant here because it impacts estimating construction costs.

Depending on the region (I have not looked this up against the local development plan), approximately 3,000€/m2 (about $280 per sq ft) can be expected for standard finishes. There are areas in northern Germany where costs are lower, but usually it’s around 3,000€/m2.
Here, the price is more likely in the range of 3,300€ - 3,500€/m2 (about $310–$330 per sq ft), depending on how much of the requested finishing level is included—given the requests, I doubt the standard electrical setup per room will suffice.

Now I’m unclear what the following refers to:

Personal price limit for the house including finishes: 700,000€

What exactly is meant by finishes? (Kitchen? External landscaping?)

These are very rough estimates:
- Usable basement including ancillary building costs: 75,000€
- Additional ancillary building costs: 50,000€
- Finishes (kitchen, some new furniture): 35,000€ (this can obviously be limited or increased extensively)
- External landscaping: theoretically open-ended, but if limited to the minimum I would estimate 40,000€

This already accounts for 200,000€, even before one living space or wall above ground exists.
(In cheaper areas in Germany you might manage with 150,000€, in the most expensive easily exceeding 250,000€.)

If that roughly fits and no contingency is included, about 500,000€ remain.
This remaining 500,000€ can be roughly allocated as follows:
- Per m2 of finished basement: 2,250€ (The basement is generally more expensive than above-ground space; however, the base cost for a usable basement is already included in the above figures and has been subtracted here). Furthermore, certain rooms don’t require full finishing in the basement, e.g., technical rooms. Areas that are “simple” (utility, storage rooms, etc.) are cheaper in a basement if you need to have one anyway. With a slope, a slab foundation is about equally expensive; but then utility rooms and the like can increase costs again.
- Per m2 above ground: 3,000€/m2 (standard finish)

If we scale this to the desired finish level, it would be about 2,750€/m2 (basement) and 3,500€/m2 (above ground).

With standard finishes and some contingency, about 160m2 (1,722 sq ft) can be achieved, and less with upscale finishes (around 145m2 / 1,561 sq ft). Three stories (basement + ground + upper floor) are not practical here since each floor would only be about 50m2 (540 sq ft). Depending on the finishing level, about 70–80m2 (750–860 sq ft) per floor would be possible otherwise.

This would result in a nice house – but is far from 200m2 or even 225m2.
(225m2, calculated with the above numbers at upscale finish and equal floor sizes, would be about 900,000€ just for the house and ancillary building costs.)

Sorry, construction prices are brutal.

(We are currently doing interior finishing ourselves, and looking at my spreadsheet tracking expenses... it’s not pretty...)

Regarding reference height, the following is stated in the development plan:

“Reference height (§ 9 para. 3 Building Code and § 18 para. 1 Land Use Ordinance)
The reference heights for the fixed building heights are the adjacent street heights (elevations of public traffic areas). If the property borders several public traffic areas, the traffic area marked on the plan is decisive. Street heights are recorded in meters above sea level on the plan and interpolated if necessary. The building center point is decisive.”
Does this mean that a possible house placed in the north, depending on the width, may have the ground floor at approximately 184m (604 ft) elevation?
184m corresponds roughly to the street height in this area.

As far as I interpret the plan, I would assume: The building may have a maximum eave height of 7 meters (23 ft) above the level of the east street (marked on the plan) relative to the building center point.

Schwalbe1222 Jan 2026 07:29

Thank you again for this detailed assessment and the effort you put into it. We are curious to see how this will align with future quotes and evaluations from the building inspector/architect. We will keep you updated on how things progress. There will probably be some additional questions as well.

ypg22 Jan 2026 10:34

Schwalbe12 schrieb:
Price estimate according to the architect/planner: about 600,000€ without basement and landscaping (1x general contractor, 1x subcontractor, 1x architect after the initial consultation)

The plot clearly calls for an architect, as do your requirements.

Papierturm schrieb:
For an effective three-story house of that size, I’m afraid it will be too tight.

Especially since it’s not really necessary for just two people.

Schwalbe12 schrieb:
We currently find it difficult to accept a bungalow with a basement/lower ground floor.

Try to avoid labeling floors or houses. There is no legal definition of "bungalow," "town villa," or "architect-designed house."
The house is determined by the plot and your needs. Preconceived ideas won’t fit if the budget is limited and the building site is challenging.

Papierturm schrieb:
Sorry. Construction costs are brutal.

The requirements are just as demanding.

Over 200sqm (2,150 sq ft) need to be effectively used by two people, so an additional basement makes little sense. Features like aluminum windows, large window fronts, and anything above standard size won’t fit the desired size and budget of 700,000€ (about $750,000).
However, I see a nice slope on the plot that could allow for a nice lower level.
If I were you, I would move away from standard house types and fixed square meters, and instead focus on spaciousness and quality.
For the slope, you should set aside about 100,000€ (about $107,000) just for foundation and earthworks. Personal preferences tend to be around 3,500€-3,800€/sqm (about $325-$355/sq ft). From that, you can calculate how many square meters are possible—and how many levels—making for a quick decision.

hanghaus202322 Jan 2026 16:40

#10

What do the arrows mean?

ypg22 Jan 2026 17:48

#11

hanghaus2023 schrieb:
What do the arrows mean?

They should indicate the access sides where vehicles are allowed to enter the property, especially if it borders two streets.

hanghaus202323 Jan 2026 12:07

#12

ypg schrieb:
These should be the access sides from where the property can be entered if it borders two streets.
Report

Thanks, that could be. Is this specified anywhere in the zoning plan / building permit? I haven't come across it in this form before.

ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction Project: Assessment, Feasibility, and Costs

Reaktionen