ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction in Southern Germany
Created on: 18 Nov 2020 00:43
W
WilderSueden
Hello everyone,
after jumping straight into the basement discussion thread, I want to use this one as an introduction and idea-sharing thread. Some things might seem a bit chaotic at first, but that will surely clear up.
We are expecting our first child in February. Since two rooms are obviously too few for the long term, we need something larger. The housing market here in Konstanz is notoriously difficult, so we didn’t spend much time searching here. Thanks to Corona home office, we focused on areas a bit further away right from the start. Initially, we looked mostly at existing properties, but due to the poor condition of what’s on offer, we unexpectedly ended up deciding to build. We were actually lucky to get a plot in a new development area around Stockach-Pfullendorf. The site started being developed this week and will probably be buildable from summer onward.
Here are some key details:
- He/I am 33, work in the software industry, based in Konstanz, from a rural area
- She is 41, a teacher in the Hegau region, from a city that basically doesn’t exist
- One child on the way, no further children planned and unlikely due to her age
- Currently living in about 65sqm (700 sq ft) with 2.5 rooms in a lovely apartment building…
- Basically, we don’t want anything too fancy—no extensive smart home automation, no luxury mansion with marble and so on. Just something solid and nice. We are not building to fulfill a lifelong dream but to avoid renovating an old house worth half a million euros. Plain wallpaper texture and laminate flooring would be fine for us if the quality is good.
- Accordingly, we don’t mind using a “standard” floor plan from a prefabricated house builder or a typical model home.
- That said, since we are building, it should be energy efficient and we don’t want to use concepts that might soon be politically outdated or unsupported.
- Do-it-yourself work only to a limited extent, as we are neither professionals nor do we have relevant contacts. Also, the new house is a bit further away, so working on it in the evening is unlikely. A weekend of painting before moving in is no problem, and after moving in, doing the carport, terrace, and garden ourselves is also fine.
- The construction partner must be reliable.
Plot and financials:
- Plot roughly 700sqm (7,535 sq ft) at 98€ per sqm → 70,000€, fairly rectangular
- 120,000€ equity (with some reserve left)
- Financing and ownership entirely in my name (unmarried and no joint assets intended)
- Planned overall budget about 500,000€
- Target monthly payment 1,500€
- Accordingly, loan to be repaid in 25 years with that rate, with some extra repayments planned mid-term aiming for about 20 years total
Budget breakdown:
- Plot 70,000€
- Ancillary plot costs 5,000€
- Other construction-related fees 60,000€
- Basement 50,000€
- Kitchen 10,000€
- Driveway, carport, terrace as DIY 15,000€
-----
210,000€
Leaves about 290,000€ in the budget for the house itself, which is probably quite tight for what we have planned. The budget still needs to be adjusted with a buffer.
So far, our wishlist looks roughly like this:
- Not excessively large, more like 120–130sqm (1,290–1,400 sq ft)
- Efficient, modern house
- Photovoltaic system (possibly with battery storage)
- Underfloor heating with heat pump
- Home office for me on the ground floor (makes sense since I mostly work from home)
- Bedroom upstairs, one office for her that also serves as a guest room and reserve nursery
- Large open-plan kitchen/living area
- Basement
- Cistern
- Carport for two cars and one trailer
Our first contact about building was through an ad from the local Town & Country partner. The consultant was friendly, and the show house in Geisingen looked quite nice, but somehow it all felt a bit too conservative. Built according to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016, standard gas heating. Sure, upgrades are possible, but I’m not sure if a heat pump makes sense under that regulation anymore. The fact that the show house had cracks in the plaster here and there isn’t exactly reassuring either. But the base price is lower. Current status: two meetings, visited the show house, haven’t requested the scope of services yet.
Then we looked a bit into prefab houses. Most offer KfW55 standard, which is closer to what we want and would be a good base for going to KfW40+ since a photovoltaic system is already planned (probably just with battery preparation though). Visited the park in Villingen-Schwenningen. Had a long chat with Schwabenhaus; the consultant seemed to want to downplay costs and was very keen to sell a ground-source heat pump with boreholes. The upgrade options for the promotional houses looked likely to increase costs significantly. Visited Heldhaus, liked it quite a lot but their cost outline overshoots the budget by roughly 100,000€.
Today we had an appointment with Schwörerhaus. The floor plan of one of their promotional houses fits pretty well. Basement plus KfW40+ seems somewhat challenging in combination. Otherwise, a generally good impression; the briefly reviewed scope of services doesn’t give the impression the house would be unpleasant to live in. Let’s see what the first offer will look like. I don’t get the feeling there’s much that could go wrong there.
Next week we have an appointment with Weberhaus. We found a floor plan we really like. The price is initially the highest, but their examples include KfW40+ standard and smart home automation upfront.
Our goal is to narrow down the number of companies we continue with to a maximum of two by Christmas and then decide on a construction partner early next year. In spring, the baby will take priority, not just house planning.
I’ve already posted some thoughts about the basement and possible basement substitutes. The insulation costs for the basement seem to fully consume the additional subsidies, so the photovoltaic battery would have to be paid out of pocket again. One idea on the drive back from the appointment was whether it makes sense to build the house initially to KfW55 standard without extra insulation. The difference in heating costs is relatively small. Then install just the conduit pipes for photovoltaics with battery preparation. A few years later, add a battery once prices drop. That would also likely bring the house closer to the planned budget than going for KfW40+.
These are my thoughts so far. Have I missed anything important?
after jumping straight into the basement discussion thread, I want to use this one as an introduction and idea-sharing thread. Some things might seem a bit chaotic at first, but that will surely clear up.
We are expecting our first child in February. Since two rooms are obviously too few for the long term, we need something larger. The housing market here in Konstanz is notoriously difficult, so we didn’t spend much time searching here. Thanks to Corona home office, we focused on areas a bit further away right from the start. Initially, we looked mostly at existing properties, but due to the poor condition of what’s on offer, we unexpectedly ended up deciding to build. We were actually lucky to get a plot in a new development area around Stockach-Pfullendorf. The site started being developed this week and will probably be buildable from summer onward.
Here are some key details:
- He/I am 33, work in the software industry, based in Konstanz, from a rural area
- She is 41, a teacher in the Hegau region, from a city that basically doesn’t exist
- One child on the way, no further children planned and unlikely due to her age
- Currently living in about 65sqm (700 sq ft) with 2.5 rooms in a lovely apartment building…
- Basically, we don’t want anything too fancy—no extensive smart home automation, no luxury mansion with marble and so on. Just something solid and nice. We are not building to fulfill a lifelong dream but to avoid renovating an old house worth half a million euros. Plain wallpaper texture and laminate flooring would be fine for us if the quality is good.
- Accordingly, we don’t mind using a “standard” floor plan from a prefabricated house builder or a typical model home.
- That said, since we are building, it should be energy efficient and we don’t want to use concepts that might soon be politically outdated or unsupported.
- Do-it-yourself work only to a limited extent, as we are neither professionals nor do we have relevant contacts. Also, the new house is a bit further away, so working on it in the evening is unlikely. A weekend of painting before moving in is no problem, and after moving in, doing the carport, terrace, and garden ourselves is also fine.
- The construction partner must be reliable.
Plot and financials:
- Plot roughly 700sqm (7,535 sq ft) at 98€ per sqm → 70,000€, fairly rectangular
- 120,000€ equity (with some reserve left)
- Financing and ownership entirely in my name (unmarried and no joint assets intended)
- Planned overall budget about 500,000€
- Target monthly payment 1,500€
- Accordingly, loan to be repaid in 25 years with that rate, with some extra repayments planned mid-term aiming for about 20 years total
Budget breakdown:
- Plot 70,000€
- Ancillary plot costs 5,000€
- Other construction-related fees 60,000€
- Basement 50,000€
- Kitchen 10,000€
- Driveway, carport, terrace as DIY 15,000€
-----
210,000€
Leaves about 290,000€ in the budget for the house itself, which is probably quite tight for what we have planned. The budget still needs to be adjusted with a buffer.
So far, our wishlist looks roughly like this:
- Not excessively large, more like 120–130sqm (1,290–1,400 sq ft)
- Efficient, modern house
- Photovoltaic system (possibly with battery storage)
- Underfloor heating with heat pump
- Home office for me on the ground floor (makes sense since I mostly work from home)
- Bedroom upstairs, one office for her that also serves as a guest room and reserve nursery
- Large open-plan kitchen/living area
- Basement
- Cistern
- Carport for two cars and one trailer
Our first contact about building was through an ad from the local Town & Country partner. The consultant was friendly, and the show house in Geisingen looked quite nice, but somehow it all felt a bit too conservative. Built according to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016, standard gas heating. Sure, upgrades are possible, but I’m not sure if a heat pump makes sense under that regulation anymore. The fact that the show house had cracks in the plaster here and there isn’t exactly reassuring either. But the base price is lower. Current status: two meetings, visited the show house, haven’t requested the scope of services yet.
Then we looked a bit into prefab houses. Most offer KfW55 standard, which is closer to what we want and would be a good base for going to KfW40+ since a photovoltaic system is already planned (probably just with battery preparation though). Visited the park in Villingen-Schwenningen. Had a long chat with Schwabenhaus; the consultant seemed to want to downplay costs and was very keen to sell a ground-source heat pump with boreholes. The upgrade options for the promotional houses looked likely to increase costs significantly. Visited Heldhaus, liked it quite a lot but their cost outline overshoots the budget by roughly 100,000€.
Today we had an appointment with Schwörerhaus. The floor plan of one of their promotional houses fits pretty well. Basement plus KfW40+ seems somewhat challenging in combination. Otherwise, a generally good impression; the briefly reviewed scope of services doesn’t give the impression the house would be unpleasant to live in. Let’s see what the first offer will look like. I don’t get the feeling there’s much that could go wrong there.
Next week we have an appointment with Weberhaus. We found a floor plan we really like. The price is initially the highest, but their examples include KfW40+ standard and smart home automation upfront.
Our goal is to narrow down the number of companies we continue with to a maximum of two by Christmas and then decide on a construction partner early next year. In spring, the baby will take priority, not just house planning.
I’ve already posted some thoughts about the basement and possible basement substitutes. The insulation costs for the basement seem to fully consume the additional subsidies, so the photovoltaic battery would have to be paid out of pocket again. One idea on the drive back from the appointment was whether it makes sense to build the house initially to KfW55 standard without extra insulation. The difference in heating costs is relatively small. Then install just the conduit pipes for photovoltaics with battery preparation. A few years later, add a battery once prices drop. That would also likely bring the house closer to the planned budget than going for KfW40+.
These are my thoughts so far. Have I missed anything important?
haydee schrieb:
Well, there are also small and simple model homes. That’s not the point. You don’t have to pick your house from there. Above all, don’t take model homes at face value and remember that many of them were not built by the company selling their products there. The main purpose of model homes is to create an environment where potential buyers are, first, focused on their dream house and, second, believe they are making a rational decision. Model homes serve the same function for an investment as Christmas markets do for commerce.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
W
WilderSueden2 Dec 2020 17:48I called about the soil report and have now received it. I’m a bit unsure about what it exactly means. My impression as a layperson, combined with a quick online search, suggests that it probably won’t be inexpensive.
What I understand:
- A basement would require a waterproof concrete shell (“white tank”) due to periodically accumulating water
- The soil appears rather soft, with low driving resistance values down to the bottom at test points 4 and 5
Unfortunately, it’s not clear from the report—which is probably obvious for professionals—which measures are needed. Will soil replacement be required, and if so, how much? Can it be improved by compaction alone?
According to the results of the geotechnical investigation, foundations for buildings with or without basements are possible. [...] Depending on the requirements of the planned buildings (loads to be supported, foundation level) or when encountering soft to stiff soils or loose soil density at the foundation level, additional ground improvement measures (e.g., installation of a geogrid-reinforced soil cushion) may be necessary.
For buildings with basements, temporary accumulation of groundwater layers must be expected. The building waterproofing must be carried out accordingly. Groundwater encountered during construction can likely be managed well with open water drainage.
What I understand:
- A basement would require a waterproof concrete shell (“white tank”) due to periodically accumulating water
- The soil appears rather soft, with low driving resistance values down to the bottom at test points 4 and 5
Unfortunately, it’s not clear from the report—which is probably obvious for professionals—which measures are needed. Will soil replacement be required, and if so, how much? Can it be improved by compaction alone?
W
WilderSueden9 Dec 2020 21:17So, a quick update. The planning and decision-making phase is progressing. I reviewed the soil report again, and it doesn’t seem as bad as initially feared. The clay layer relevant to us is rated as having medium load-bearing capacity (whatever that specifically means). I also asked a friend who works as a site manager, and he didn’t think the soil report was that bad either. So a concrete slab seems quite reasonable, although I still sometimes consider whether a basement might be possible after all. On the other hand, the soil samples apparently showed elevated arsenic levels. It’s not yet clear if this affects the entire building area, but if our plot is affected, the basement would become significantly more expensive, which could eventually make the project financially unviable.
Accordingly, I spent some time this weekend experimenting with garden shed and garage options. The current favorite is a 3 x 6m (10 x 20 ft) garden shed and a 6m (20 ft) garage with an attached carport—so the garage would be on the boundary, with the carport next to it towards the center of the plot. This should create a more open feel compared to a double garage, while my car would have not only a roof but also walls. This layout would comply with the allowed 9m (30 ft) boundary construction limit next to one neighbor and just about meet the total 15m (50 ft) limit. 😉
The rainwater cistern might be placed centrally, near the boundary between the house, garage, and garden shed.
There are also some updates regarding the building partner. The local general contractor’s planner sent a preliminary draft that avoids the ground floor space issue by adding an extension for the technical room. With the attached carport, it looks quite nice but naturally a bit bulky. Still, I think it’s a good idea, and a first “wish-list” meeting is being arranged.
Today was the second meeting with Schwörerhaus. In preparation, I had already identified quite a few weak points in the construction description. If we build with Schwörerhaus, there will certainly be some extra costs before everything is perfect. Overall, though, it should still fit within the budget.
What annoyed me somewhat was that at the very end of the conversation, the price increase for next year was announced (and not at the earlier opportunities when I mentioned that I didn’t want to make any decisions regarding the building partner before January). Of course, there is the “option” to lock in the old price quickly, but I’m not keen on rushing to sign anything now, and with a wait time of over a year, I’m skeptical whether a 21-month price guarantee will even be sufficient. Our plot is still being developed, and it will likely be a few more months before the surveyor can come out. Honestly, I have plenty of time to decide on a partner.
Accordingly, I spent some time this weekend experimenting with garden shed and garage options. The current favorite is a 3 x 6m (10 x 20 ft) garden shed and a 6m (20 ft) garage with an attached carport—so the garage would be on the boundary, with the carport next to it towards the center of the plot. This should create a more open feel compared to a double garage, while my car would have not only a roof but also walls. This layout would comply with the allowed 9m (30 ft) boundary construction limit next to one neighbor and just about meet the total 15m (50 ft) limit. 😉
The rainwater cistern might be placed centrally, near the boundary between the house, garage, and garden shed.
There are also some updates regarding the building partner. The local general contractor’s planner sent a preliminary draft that avoids the ground floor space issue by adding an extension for the technical room. With the attached carport, it looks quite nice but naturally a bit bulky. Still, I think it’s a good idea, and a first “wish-list” meeting is being arranged.
Today was the second meeting with Schwörerhaus. In preparation, I had already identified quite a few weak points in the construction description. If we build with Schwörerhaus, there will certainly be some extra costs before everything is perfect. Overall, though, it should still fit within the budget.
What annoyed me somewhat was that at the very end of the conversation, the price increase for next year was announced (and not at the earlier opportunities when I mentioned that I didn’t want to make any decisions regarding the building partner before January). Of course, there is the “option” to lock in the old price quickly, but I’m not keen on rushing to sign anything now, and with a wait time of over a year, I’m skeptical whether a 21-month price guarantee will even be sufficient. Our plot is still being developed, and it will likely be a few more months before the surveyor can come out. Honestly, I have plenty of time to decide on a partner.
W
WilderSueden16 Dec 2020 20:46Here is another update. Things are really busy just before Christmas. Yesterday we had a second meeting with Weberhaus, today another one with Town & Country, and on Friday there’s an appointment with a local general contractor (GC).
We really like the Weberhaus, and the salesperson is good at taking detailed notes about what we say and remembered a lot from our first conversation. He also had a pretty good idea of how to cost-neutrally relocate the staircase out of the so-called "dirt area." Basically, I’d be tempted to buy the house if it weren’t so expensive. Although we’ve removed the basement, we’re still maxing out the budget there. With extras like motorized blinds in the office, an air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating, and a photovoltaic upgrade to 9.7 kWp (kilowatt peak), we’re close to €3000 per square meter (approximately $300 per square foot) including painting and flooring (excluding kitchen, including base slab). This is really only manageable with subsidies, and there isn’t much buffer left. I’m not completely comfortable with it—flooring will definitely have to be self-contracted, and painting will probably be done by ourselves. If the price for the house were about €30,000 (roughly $32,000) lower, I think it would work.
The breakdown of additional construction costs came to a total of €58,000 (about $62,000), which is quite high but seems realistic at first glance. They also included landscaping, carport, and garden house in the calculation, which I find quite fair. What’s not so great is that the potential subsidies were deducted right away, and there was a bit of pressure to decide quickly because of the BAFA subsidy.
The visit with Town & Country was somewhat like a contrast. With upgrades for a 42 cm (16.5 inches) block for KfW55 standard without external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS), underfloor heating, air-to-water heat pump, we are €100,000 (around $107,000) lower in the total sum, but this is without flooring, painting, and photovoltaics yet. There will certainly be some extras needed, but overall it’s much more down-to-earth and clearly within our budget, so limited upgrades shouldn’t be a problem. Since we had initially planned a basement with Town & Country, which now won’t be built due to probable soil contamination and the corresponding disposal costs, a new floor plan was needed. The “Bodensee 129” fits well in size, allows for an eastern entrance without compromises, and doesn’t appear so massive on the plot due to its somewhat narrower shape. The east-west roof orientation would also be good for increasing self-consumption from the photovoltaic system, allowing the battery to be upgraded later when it really makes sense. Over the next few days, I need to find out where savings can be made and whether those affect us negatively.
On Friday, there is still an appointment with a local independent GC. Let’s see what comes out of that.
We really like the Weberhaus, and the salesperson is good at taking detailed notes about what we say and remembered a lot from our first conversation. He also had a pretty good idea of how to cost-neutrally relocate the staircase out of the so-called "dirt area." Basically, I’d be tempted to buy the house if it weren’t so expensive. Although we’ve removed the basement, we’re still maxing out the budget there. With extras like motorized blinds in the office, an air-to-water heat pump, underfloor heating, and a photovoltaic upgrade to 9.7 kWp (kilowatt peak), we’re close to €3000 per square meter (approximately $300 per square foot) including painting and flooring (excluding kitchen, including base slab). This is really only manageable with subsidies, and there isn’t much buffer left. I’m not completely comfortable with it—flooring will definitely have to be self-contracted, and painting will probably be done by ourselves. If the price for the house were about €30,000 (roughly $32,000) lower, I think it would work.
The breakdown of additional construction costs came to a total of €58,000 (about $62,000), which is quite high but seems realistic at first glance. They also included landscaping, carport, and garden house in the calculation, which I find quite fair. What’s not so great is that the potential subsidies were deducted right away, and there was a bit of pressure to decide quickly because of the BAFA subsidy.
The visit with Town & Country was somewhat like a contrast. With upgrades for a 42 cm (16.5 inches) block for KfW55 standard without external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS), underfloor heating, air-to-water heat pump, we are €100,000 (around $107,000) lower in the total sum, but this is without flooring, painting, and photovoltaics yet. There will certainly be some extras needed, but overall it’s much more down-to-earth and clearly within our budget, so limited upgrades shouldn’t be a problem. Since we had initially planned a basement with Town & Country, which now won’t be built due to probable soil contamination and the corresponding disposal costs, a new floor plan was needed. The “Bodensee 129” fits well in size, allows for an eastern entrance without compromises, and doesn’t appear so massive on the plot due to its somewhat narrower shape. The east-west roof orientation would also be good for increasing self-consumption from the photovoltaic system, allowing the battery to be upgraded later when it really makes sense. Over the next few days, I need to find out where savings can be made and whether those affect us negatively.
On Friday, there is still an appointment with a local independent GC. Let’s see what comes out of that.
W
WilderSueden18 Dec 2020 22:49And here’s another update. Today I had an appointment with the local general contractor. “Down-to-earth” is a good way to describe them; the boss definitely still works hands-on. The basic equipment seems quite decent, and the rough price ranges mentioned appeared to be fairly moderate. I definitely didn’t get the impression that he was eager to sell every possible extra. He is still quite convinced that the government subsidy from BAFA will be extended, and I can only somewhat understand the preference for decentralized ventilation systems. But in the end, we decide what goes into the plan. Their concept is a KfW 55 solid construction with a ground-source heat pump, and the utility room located in the extension. However, the floor plan is probably secondary at this stage, since I didn’t get the impression they aim to make money through deviations from the standard, and from the start we will be working directly with the building planner. Let’s see what the first offer looks like in the end. I think over the holidays we can narrow down the choice of building partners to a maximum of two.
WilderSueden schrieb:
I can only somewhat understand the preference for decentralized ventilation systems.I discussed this topic, among other places, here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/dezentrale-lueftung-nur-in-einzelnen-raeumen-bei-neubau-kfw-55.34123/page-3#post-392353, and a general contractor’s preference for the decentralized solution is usually explained by the lower system complexity (especially regarding the ducts, which run through multiple building components). Where does your understanding end?https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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