Hello everyone,
My wife, my daughter, and I are looking to build our own home (single-family house). We might have a second child in the future. The house will be built in the postal code area 77XXX. Since I have a very time-consuming job and I’m not very skilled with DIY work, I want to have the whole project delivered as move-in ready as possible, without too much coordination effort. What is the best way to achieve this?
Our requirements:
- 5 rooms with two bathrooms that have showers (children’s bathroom)
- This summer showed me that I don’t want to build a house without cooling. I’m open regarding the cooling concept, but I have heard good things about heat pumps including a cooling function plus a photovoltaic system. What are sensible options? Underfloor heating / wall heating / ceiling cooling?
- A complicated/individual ground floor layout because I want to integrate a home cinema (my hobby) into the living room. Cooperation with the home cinema installer will also be necessary. If anyone has experience with how to manage this, I would appreciate any advice.
- Lighting and roller shutters should be smart. Here the question arises whether to go for retrofit solutions (Philips Hue) or a bus system like KNX combined with home automation such as RTI or Control4?
- No specific requirements regarding the exterior design. I would also consider a mono-pitched roof to install a full photovoltaic system facing south and keep the rest of the building simple, square, and practical.
- Avoid sloped ceilings upstairs, which also speaks in favor of a mono-pitched or hipped roof (urban villa style).
How should all this be financed?
He: net income 5,500 € (tendency rising)
She: net income 800 € (we don’t count on this, since a second child might be coming)
Equity: 30,000 € saved within one year. Within the next few years, there might also be an inheritance of 250,000 €. I would consider buying a suitable plot now even without much equity and use the remaining money/inheritance for additional loan repayments. What do you think about that?
Best regards!
My wife, my daughter, and I are looking to build our own home (single-family house). We might have a second child in the future. The house will be built in the postal code area 77XXX. Since I have a very time-consuming job and I’m not very skilled with DIY work, I want to have the whole project delivered as move-in ready as possible, without too much coordination effort. What is the best way to achieve this?
Our requirements:
- 5 rooms with two bathrooms that have showers (children’s bathroom)
- This summer showed me that I don’t want to build a house without cooling. I’m open regarding the cooling concept, but I have heard good things about heat pumps including a cooling function plus a photovoltaic system. What are sensible options? Underfloor heating / wall heating / ceiling cooling?
- A complicated/individual ground floor layout because I want to integrate a home cinema (my hobby) into the living room. Cooperation with the home cinema installer will also be necessary. If anyone has experience with how to manage this, I would appreciate any advice.
- Lighting and roller shutters should be smart. Here the question arises whether to go for retrofit solutions (Philips Hue) or a bus system like KNX combined with home automation such as RTI or Control4?
- No specific requirements regarding the exterior design. I would also consider a mono-pitched roof to install a full photovoltaic system facing south and keep the rest of the building simple, square, and practical.
- Avoid sloped ceilings upstairs, which also speaks in favor of a mono-pitched or hipped roof (urban villa style).
How should all this be financed?
He: net income 5,500 € (tendency rising)
She: net income 800 € (we don’t count on this, since a second child might be coming)
Equity: 30,000 € saved within one year. Within the next few years, there might also be an inheritance of 250,000 €. I would consider buying a suitable plot now even without much equity and use the remaining money/inheritance for additional loan repayments. What do you think about that?
Best regards!
I think, on one hand, you are underestimating the coordination required between the cinema contractor and the standard building contractor; on the other hand, also your household income: Your salary looks decent nominally but basically just balances out the fact that you are almost (or soon entirely) the sole earner. In this situation, I would expect a house without extravagant extras.
The question itself is not silly; it’s just that the public tends to lump these different roles together. A general contractor builds a house on your land on your behalf under a fixed-price contract. A property developer builds a house on their own land and sells it to you as a package. It is quite common in the market that construction only starts after the purchase agreement and that the buyer can request certain specifications. This leads many buyers to feel like the builders themselves, and many forum participants mistakenly believe that “property developer” is the technical term for a general contractor.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Nikless schrieb:
Silly question: What is the difference between a general contractor (GC) and a property developer?
The question itself is not silly; it’s just that the public tends to lump these different roles together. A general contractor builds a house on your land on your behalf under a fixed-price contract. A property developer builds a house on their own land and sells it to you as a package. It is quite common in the market that construction only starts after the purchase agreement and that the buyer can request certain specifications. This leads many buyers to feel like the builders themselves, and many forum participants mistakenly believe that “property developer” is the technical term for a general contractor.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
O
Obstlerbaum10 Sep 2018 19:40I also see the total budget as quite tight. A 600sqm (approx. 6,460 sq ft) plot plus acquisition-related costs comes to 175k, then add about 50k each for a home cinema and additional construction costs. 30k for KNX automation, 15k for a photovoltaic system, 15k for a garage, and conservatively estimated 15k to pave the driveway and install splash protection around the house. That already totals around 350,000 rockets. Building a house for 400k all-inclusive is certainly possible, but it’s unlikely to be large or impressive. This might work best with a prefab house company, but there are no freebies there either. Potential savings: setting up the smart home system yourself, skipping photovoltaics for now, and keeping the home cinema modest. Possibly underestimated cost factor: children.
With this amount of equity, you first need to find a bank willing to finance it. The bonus should have been received for a few years to date to make the bank more inclined to approve.
With this amount of equity, you first need to find a bank willing to finance it. The bonus should have been received for a few years to date to make the bank more inclined to approve.
Hello everyone,
Good tips, and it’s interesting that there are people here with a 760ES and Atmos installations as well. Can anyone recommend an installer? Experiences regarding the communication between the general contractor and the home theater builder would also be appreciated.
Regarding money and inflated demands: I always set my goals at the limit; less is always possible, and I won’t apologize for that. What might not be clear to some of you is that my part of Baden-Württemberg is not comparable to the Stuttgart metropolitan area. Also, my expectations for the exterior of the house are really low. It’s allowed not to look like it reflects the money actually invested. I was already quite sure that I shouldn’t start building immediately. Now, I will calmly look for a plot of land and save 100,000 euros (about 110,000 USD) and then I will check back again. By then, the inheritance will be settled (which only requires selling a house and, fortunately, no one dying). Two years from now, realistically:
Me: 6200 euros net (without promotion, otherwise 7000+ euros)
Her: Parental allowance, I’m not sure how much that is right now. Later, with full-time work, about 2500 euros are expected.
By the way, I forgot to mention the 200 euros child benefit (about 220 USD), which goes toward daycare costs.
So basically, wait and drink tea—and of course, save, save, save.
Best regards
Good tips, and it’s interesting that there are people here with a 760ES and Atmos installations as well. Can anyone recommend an installer? Experiences regarding the communication between the general contractor and the home theater builder would also be appreciated.
Regarding money and inflated demands: I always set my goals at the limit; less is always possible, and I won’t apologize for that. What might not be clear to some of you is that my part of Baden-Württemberg is not comparable to the Stuttgart metropolitan area. Also, my expectations for the exterior of the house are really low. It’s allowed not to look like it reflects the money actually invested. I was already quite sure that I shouldn’t start building immediately. Now, I will calmly look for a plot of land and save 100,000 euros (about 110,000 USD) and then I will check back again. By then, the inheritance will be settled (which only requires selling a house and, fortunately, no one dying). Two years from now, realistically:
Me: 6200 euros net (without promotion, otherwise 7000+ euros)
Her: Parental allowance, I’m not sure how much that is right now. Later, with full-time work, about 2500 euros are expected.
By the way, I forgot to mention the 200 euros child benefit (about 220 USD), which goes toward daycare costs.
So basically, wait and drink tea—and of course, save, save, save.
Best regards
Nikless schrieb:
Experiences regarding the interaction between the general contractor and the cinema builder would also be welcome. These will vary in each case, as the arrangement itself is not standard. The cinema builder is the more specialized of the two and usually deals with the general contractor more often than vice versa; unfortunately, almost everything they specifically need or want to know will be new territory for the general contractor.
Nikless schrieb:
Also, my expectations for the exterior of the house are really modest. I’m happy if it doesn’t look like the value of what’s really inside. It’s fine not to have a conspicuous signal to burglars visible from afar, but the potential resale or reuse value should never be ignored. The exterior appeal of the property should not fall far below the quality of the materials and systems installed inside.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I prefer not to say exactly where I work, as my colleagues might quickly be identified by their boss here. You all know the company anyway. Due to an international assignment, I was able to learn a lot while earning roughly half of today’s local salary for the same job. Now, I am responsible for more than 100 people. Since I am currently at the absolute lower limit for my position (because I’m new), it is quite clear that just belonging to the company and receiving the first performance evaluation will lead to a significant salary increase.
Edit: The point about the sales case is actually a valid argument for somewhat considering the exterior condition. Learned something new, thanks.
Best regards
Edit: The point about the sales case is actually a valid argument for somewhat considering the exterior condition. Learned something new, thanks.
Best regards
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