ᐅ New single-family house with basement (on a sloped site)

wiltshire schrieb:

If you want to build on a slope in a financially optimized way, invest in a competent planning partner. They save more than they cost.

haydee schrieb:

You have to consider the entire plot. How do I position the house? How do I design the outdoor area with as little earthwork as possible? How do I use the basement? If it is empty space, it is expensive; if you fill it with necessary living areas, the additional cost is somewhat justified.

I fully agree.

dragonheart100 schrieb:

Has anyone had experience with this?
What budget should you generally plan for? Is about 400,000 (house + additional costs) realistic?
The following work is planned as DIY: drywall, electrical, interior doors, sanitary / tiling, interior plaster, painting, flooring.

A hillside location can mean anything, possibly even rock. Therefore, there is no universal advice here. How steep is your specific slope typical for Stuttgart?

dragonheart100 schrieb:

As a family with a child, we want to build a single-family home south of Stuttgart. We have a plot in sight. We looked at the Flair 113 from Town & Country because the plot is on a slope with a basement. [...] Which other building companies should we consider, also with regard to the DIY work?

Considering the planned DIY work, this company is not recommended at all. They are only suitable as a full general contractor for people who do not want to customize. This house model is also not suitable: it has a nearly square footprint and is designed as a slab-on-grade house. The same applies to their "Raumwunder 90," which at least is somewhat smaller. On a slope, you should make use of the terrain, meaning building a residential basement instead of an almost empty cellar. This reduces part of the space requirement above ground and prevents the house from becoming unnecessarily expensive if you don’t reduce its size above ground accordingly. Also, on a slope, you should ideally orient the house axis along the contour lines, which is more efficient with a shallow building depth and a longer ridge length.

A proven catalog model is basically a good option if you are a standard family and do not require a custom design. However, all standard models will likely be too large for you if you are looking for classic one-and-a-half stories, which would definitely be more cost-effective than a "town villa" style for this overall size. Given the size reduction that a living basement allows, house designs around 90 or even 80 square meters (approximately) would be more appropriate; these would usually be bungalows without a planned full staircase. Therefore, look for a one-and-a-half story house about the size of the Flair 113 but with a more elongated floor plan and move the attic floor down into the basement. For example — just as a rough orientation, since Town & Country is not the right general contractor for you — the Aura 125, possibly in the version with a single-run staircase. This is actually a two-story house and hence not larger in total footprint.

Also, check here in the "Experiences with Building Companies" section and search specifically for threads that mention your nearest medium-sized town (county town or similar). That is the best way to find building companies. Don’t forget that you explicitly need a shell construction general contractor: a “weather-tight shell” is cheaper than “ready to move in minus.” But feel free to use my signature and/or read my construction schedule on "Bauen jetzt."

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Thank you all very much for your numerous responses!

Perhaps I should try to provide a few more details about the plot and the house.
Within the entire building area, the elevation difference is about 1.5 meters (5 feet). The plot measures approximately 420 square meters (4520 square feet).
The street is located on the south side, and the land slopes down toward the north (away from the street). In the basement, which is planned to be converted into living space, 1-2 rooms (children’s room or office) with daylight windows are planned. These will therefore be on the north side. The remaining space is intended for technical use and storage. On the ground floor, there will be a living room/dining area, kitchen, small WC (possibly with a shower), hallway, and a small storage room including a pantry. On the upper floor, bedrooms, a bathroom, and two rooms (children’s rooms/office) are planned. An office is needed due to a lot of home office work, and a second child is planned (hence two children’s rooms). The terrace is currently planned facing south (toward the street) with privacy screening.

We also looked at the Flair 113 as a show house with a basement that had been converted to living space. However, that house was not situated on a slope. From our point of view, the layout was sensible and would generally fit the plot well.

The opinions that Town & Country is not optimal for this case seem to be shared. Is this mainly due to the amount of self-performed work required, or to better optimize the hillside location?
We have also been in contact with a local general contractor, but the initial price offer discouraged us a bit. However, our plans were somewhat different (with a granny flat, ceiling height in the basement, etc.). We have reached out again for further discussion.

Yes, there are several self-performed tasks planned, but some of this might also be subcontracted (contacts are available).

@ypg
Hiring an architect sounds much more expensive upfront compared to a general contractor or similar, or am I mistaken?

@11ant
Rock is not expected on the slope, as there are already several houses built there.
So you would recommend a bungalow-like design (such as the Aura 125), where the attic serves as the basement? That would mean that one full floor above the ground floor would be eliminated entirely, correct? And the attic would then be used as storage?

dragonheart100 schrieb:

An architect sounds much more expensive than a general contractor or something similar at first, or am I mistaken?

Yes! That may be true and, in my opinion, it is. However, a sloped lot is simply not suitable for building a slab-on-grade house.
Anyone buying or planning to build on a sloped lot must inevitably expect additional costs if they want to make proper use of the property. Just the basics!
No use otherwise!

dragonheart100 schrieb:

From our perspective, the layout made sense

dragonheart100 schrieb:

We also visited the Flair 113 as a show home with a usable basement, which was finished as living space.

Honestly? For a sloped lot where you push a basement under the Flair, you will never get a practical design because you end up with one floor too many.
And I think you underestimate the costs of that added floor (a basement finished to living standards with insulation).

dragonheart100 schrieb:

For what exact reason, due to own work or to optimize the slope?

Both, and generally.
You are planning three floors when you only need and can afford two.

dragonheart100 schrieb:

We already had contact with a local general contractor, but the first price offer put us off a bit.

That really depends on what is included. The scope of work from Town & Country is quite basic and generally considered “cheap” by many, as has been discussed recently in this forum. Certainly, the scope from Town & Country does not include a finished living basement, let alone one insulated from the outside.
If you want to build an additional living floor under the Flair 113, you are looking at about 170 sqm (1,828 sq ft) of living space. That costs approximately €500,000 (without ancillary building costs) for a basic version and standard finishes.
If you need the 170 sqm, you can probably be happy with this if you don’t require a high standard.
If you actually only need 130-140 sqm (1,399-1,507 sq ft), you pay quite a premium. But that is simply the price for building on a slope.
If you decide on an architect instead, they will sensibly design a house specifically tailored to this plot, avoiding unnecessary slab-base rooms you don’t need.
The result is a house optimized to fit your budget and the lot. All of this happens through coordination. In the end, it can cost the same or even less!

Is the financing secured? With construction costs of 400,000 (about 400k) for a hillside and timber frame house near Stuttgart, I have my doubts.

dragonheart100 schrieb:

The opinions that Town & Country is not optimal for this case seem to align. Is that mainly because of self-performed work or to better adapt to the sloping site?

Both reasons. This is a basic provider in the budget segment. Of course, you can live in their houses – but they also want to make a profit. So everything is a) planned cheaply, b) additional costs are added, c) the house is fully costed – if you remove an item, you reduce Town & Country’s profit margin (and disrupt the construction process), meaning you might get reimbursed around €1,000 and then pay €5,000 for the same work to your own tradesperson, d) this is not a provider to simply add a living level as a basement on a slope.

dragonheart100 schrieb:

with a usable basement, which was developed as a living basement.

Correct, living basement. That means living space, which costs the same as “normal” above-ground living area because you must equip it similarly (heating, insulation, building energy code requirements, electrical installations, etc.). Therefore, the advice from all sides is NOT to simply add a standard basement, but to design a house that fits the slope. This might be more expensive per square meter of living space, but if you end up needing 140 m² (1500 sq ft) instead of 170 m² (1830 sq ft), you will likely be much better off.

What does the plot look like? Dimensions of the plot and the building envelope are helpful. It is best to provide an excerpt from the zoning plan.