ᐅ New Single-Family Home Construction – Join Us on Our Journey!
Created on: 4 Aug 2022 16:13
G
gregman22
Dear community,
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
First floor:
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
Basement:
Additional plans:
Now to my first questions for you:
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
We are finally getting a step closer to realizing our dream of building a single-family home.
The plot has been purchased, building plans have been reviewed, construction method decided, and so on. We have now commissioned the architect of the general contractor (GC) of our choice with the planning task and are currently fine-tuning the house design. I would love to take you along on this journey and incorporate your valuable feedback.
At this stage, the focus is on the house design.
Basic data:
Plot: 1062m2 (11,433 sq ft); approx. 25.5m x 41.64m (84 ft x 137 ft)
Orientation: Northwest -> The arrow in the screenshot of the 3D view points south
Desired room layout:
Ground floor:
- Large living/dining area with adjacent (but separable) kitchen at the bottom left, plus a gallery overlooking the first floor
- Utility room
- Guest toilet
- Garage
- Separate apartment at the top right with its own entrance for parents-in-law
First floor:
- Gallery overlooking the ground floor
- 2 children’s bedrooms with a shared bathroom
- 1 playroom (initially a home cinema room, later to be repurposed) above the garage
- Master wing with main bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom
Attic:
Note: I am still discussing this with the architect. Due to the hipped roof shape, the actual living area has shrunk too much. Therefore, further discussion is needed to accommodate the other rooms. I had underestimated the ratio of gross floor area to usable living space.
- 2 separate offices
- 1 guest bedroom
- 1 small guest bathroom
Basement:
- 1 technical room
- 1 laundry room
- 1 storage room
- Large fitness room
- Wellness room with sauna
Additional plans:
- Air-to-air heat pump or air-to-water heat pump
- Photovoltaic system with/without battery storage
- Possible pool (3.5/4m x 8m or 3.5/4m x 12m) with heat pump (and countercurrent system)
- Sauna in the basement room
- Air conditioning for various rooms
- Smart home system – most likely via KNX
- Garden: Currently planning 2 terraces – one to the left, slightly more to the south, and one facing the main part of the plot further north
Now to my first questions for you:
- How do the floor plans strike you? Do they make sense in terms of the dynamics of family life?
- The location of the separate apartment was chosen based on our wish. We wanted a strict, clearly defined spatial separation with a separate entrance. Do you have any comments on this?
- Do you consider the utility rooms in the basement to be adequately sized (considering KNX, heat pump, etc.)?
My biggest construction challenge at the moment is the layout of the attic. There are two alternatives:
- Change the roof type, which would increase costs but provide more usable living space in the attic
- Give up the playroom on the first floor, convert it into a guest room, and build only the two offices in the attic (no guest room or bathroom)
Thank you in advance for your comments.
G
gregman2216 Aug 2022 15:59Since I’m a bit under time pressure and need to complete my total cost calculation by next Monday, I’m being bold and sharing my assumptions.
I would appreciate your expert opinions—both agreeing and disagreeing.
General Construction Costs
For the general construction costs, the architect and I agreed on benchmark figures. He uses the total net living area (NLA) and calculates costs per square meter. Based on current construction costs, he mentions €3,500 per m² (3,500€/m2) for mid-range to upscale standards. He would prefer to raise that to €4,000 per m² (4,000€/m2) considering our requirements, which corresponds to an upscale standard. From now on, I am calculating construction costs based on this figure.
Additional Cost Components:
That adds up to quite a bit.
Thank you very much for your input. Please let me know if you think I have missed any important costs.
I would appreciate your expert opinions—both agreeing and disagreeing.
General Construction Costs
For the general construction costs, the architect and I agreed on benchmark figures. He uses the total net living area (NLA) and calculates costs per square meter. Based on current construction costs, he mentions €3,500 per m² (3,500€/m2) for mid-range to upscale standards. He would prefer to raise that to €4,000 per m² (4,000€/m2) considering our requirements, which corresponds to an upscale standard. From now on, I am calculating construction costs based on this figure.
Additional Cost Components:
- Services
- Soil survey: €2,500
- Energy consultant: Energy Saving Ordinance certificate €1,000 plus KfW 55 certification about €1,500
- Fire protection consultant: €500
- Surveying: possibly not necessary; otherwise €1,000
- Architect (planning): not relevant, already negotiated and signed
- Drainage plan: €2,500
- Demolition and clearing costs: €80,000
- 2–3 quotes will be requested soon
- Kitchen with island – main house: €40,000
- Kitchen unit for granny flat: €10,000
- Photovoltaic system: €20,000
- Additional photovoltaic storage: €8,000
- Ground-source heat pump: The lump-sum construction costs already include installation of an air-to-air or air-to-water heat pump. Therefore, I was advised to budget a €20,000 buffer for upgrading to a ground-source heat pump.
- General ventilation system (optional) with air conditioning: €30,000
- Additional KNX costs: €40,000 extra compared to conventional electrical installation—I will be starting discussions on this soon as well
- Sauna: a quote of €11,000 is available, so I’m estimating €14,000 including installation
- Furniture: complicated topic. We will bring furniture worth about €20,000 with us. I am currently budgeting an additional €90,000 based on a rough component list I prepared
- Garden (including terraces and driveway): €90,000
- Double garage: I was given €50,000 as a good estimate for a double garage. If additional space for bikes, etc., is needed, I should add 50% more area, resulting in €75,000.
- Optional: Pool (either 3.5 x 8 meters (11.5 x 26 feet), or 3.5 x 10–12 meters (11.5 x 33–39 feet)) including heat pump and counter-current system: €100,000
That adds up to quite a bit.
Thank you very much for your input. Please let me know if you think I have missed any important costs.
M
Myrna_Loy16 Aug 2022 16:21So, 1.5 million plus architect fees? That makes building fun. 🙂
G
gregman2216 Aug 2022 16:34ypg schrieb:
Furniture is not financed. At least most banks don’t cover that. So keep this money in liquid assets.I should have mentioned this earlier: my focus here is not on the source of financing (bank loan vs. own funds). Many of the items will be covered from personal funds.What’s important to me is to verify the individual cost items—based on your experience, am I overestimating, underestimating, or roughly on target?
Thank you!
M
Myrna_Loy16 Aug 2022 16:35You need to ask rick. In this price range, building is also very rare on this forum.
G
gregman2216 Aug 2022 16:49Regarding the price range, I have a question: Are you referring to the price range in terms of the cost level of 4,000 euros per m2 (approximately 372 USD per ft2) for the upscale standard, or the total volume (due to the size of the project)?
The 4,000 euros per m2 (approximately 372 USD per ft2) cost level does not excite me either. I have only heard from several sources that in the Bavarian region, 3,500 euros per m2 (approximately 326 USD per ft2) is considered medium to upscale standard. If that is true (ouch), then the jump to 4,000 euros per m2 (approximately 372 USD per ft2) would be realistic.
The 4,000 euros per m2 (approximately 372 USD per ft2) cost level does not excite me either. I have only heard from several sources that in the Bavarian region, 3,500 euros per m2 (approximately 326 USD per ft2) is considered medium to upscale standard. If that is true (ouch), then the jump to 4,000 euros per m2 (approximately 372 USD per ft2) would be realistic.
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