Hello everyone,
we plan to start building our house within the next 2-3 years.
The location is about 20km (12 miles) west of Innsbruck in Tyrol. The plot is on a gentle slope. The house is planned for 2 adults and 2 children.
I apologize in advance. This is the very first step towards building our house. Of course, we have already researched and have some ideas, but we are not professionals. Our thoughts are still in the early stages and certainly have room for improvement, which is exactly why I’m here: I want to receive both positive and negative feedback as early as possible to design the best possible home for us.
A brief explanation of the attached image: Based on the initial information about the room layout and legal requirements, the sketch below is a first draft of the initial ideas. It was drawn with the limited tools I have available. The street side is north and the garden faces south. Due to the slope, the garage is accessed by car through the basement level, which is at the same height as the street.
The house will mainly be constructed using prefabricated steel segments. The east, south, and west walls of the basement will serve as retaining walls appropriate for the slope. The steel frame should already be in place on the north side. The entire house should be well insulated, although we are still unsure about the exact level or “class” of insulation.
A decentralized ventilation system should be installed in the basement, living/dining area, restroom, bathrooms, and bedrooms. The reason for a decentralized system is the desire to control the temperature in each room individually, as well as to accommodate different daily routines, etc.
The bathrooms will be heated with electric underfloor heating directly beneath the tiles, so the screed does not need to be heated. All other rooms will be heated with infrared heaters.
Regarding flooring: All rooms will have “warm” floor coverings, such as hardwood floors, linoleum, or cork. Naturally, the bathrooms will be tiled, which is why underfloor heating will be installed there.
Shading is planned for the living/dining area and bedrooms.
The entire building will have home automation (heating, shading, lighting, security system, etc.). Before anyone objects: I will try to do as much of this myself as possible. I have experience from my training with home automation and am a certified KNX installer. However, I plan to use Z-Wave as the standard in the house. The idea is to only heat rooms that are in occasional use minimally, for example, the multi-purpose/hobby room. Bathrooms will only be heated in the morning or evening, and only when someone is at home, etc., thereby saving energy.
Because a planned electric car and the heating system will result in significant electricity consumption, a 15kWp photovoltaic system is planned. The energy consumption will also benefit from a lighting concept using 100% LEDs. The current electricity price is about 14 cents/kWh, which is relatively low. For higher energy demands, there are alternative providers offering a higher fixed fee but a lower price per kWh. The plan is to switch providers if needed.
Please be patient with me. I’m not inventing these ideas myself; I have picked them up somewhere and they seemed logical and useful to me. In our region, these topics are quite unusual, so there is little local experience. That’s why I’m turning to the forum.
I hope you will help me develop our ideas.
we plan to start building our house within the next 2-3 years.
The location is about 20km (12 miles) west of Innsbruck in Tyrol. The plot is on a gentle slope. The house is planned for 2 adults and 2 children.
I apologize in advance. This is the very first step towards building our house. Of course, we have already researched and have some ideas, but we are not professionals. Our thoughts are still in the early stages and certainly have room for improvement, which is exactly why I’m here: I want to receive both positive and negative feedback as early as possible to design the best possible home for us.
A brief explanation of the attached image: Based on the initial information about the room layout and legal requirements, the sketch below is a first draft of the initial ideas. It was drawn with the limited tools I have available. The street side is north and the garden faces south. Due to the slope, the garage is accessed by car through the basement level, which is at the same height as the street.
The house will mainly be constructed using prefabricated steel segments. The east, south, and west walls of the basement will serve as retaining walls appropriate for the slope. The steel frame should already be in place on the north side. The entire house should be well insulated, although we are still unsure about the exact level or “class” of insulation.
A decentralized ventilation system should be installed in the basement, living/dining area, restroom, bathrooms, and bedrooms. The reason for a decentralized system is the desire to control the temperature in each room individually, as well as to accommodate different daily routines, etc.
The bathrooms will be heated with electric underfloor heating directly beneath the tiles, so the screed does not need to be heated. All other rooms will be heated with infrared heaters.
Regarding flooring: All rooms will have “warm” floor coverings, such as hardwood floors, linoleum, or cork. Naturally, the bathrooms will be tiled, which is why underfloor heating will be installed there.
Shading is planned for the living/dining area and bedrooms.
The entire building will have home automation (heating, shading, lighting, security system, etc.). Before anyone objects: I will try to do as much of this myself as possible. I have experience from my training with home automation and am a certified KNX installer. However, I plan to use Z-Wave as the standard in the house. The idea is to only heat rooms that are in occasional use minimally, for example, the multi-purpose/hobby room. Bathrooms will only be heated in the morning or evening, and only when someone is at home, etc., thereby saving energy.
Because a planned electric car and the heating system will result in significant electricity consumption, a 15kWp photovoltaic system is planned. The energy consumption will also benefit from a lighting concept using 100% LEDs. The current electricity price is about 14 cents/kWh, which is relatively low. For higher energy demands, there are alternative providers offering a higher fixed fee but a lower price per kWh. The plan is to switch providers if needed.
Please be patient with me. I’m not inventing these ideas myself; I have picked them up somewhere and they seemed logical and useful to me. In our region, these topics are quite unusual, so there is little local experience. That’s why I’m turning to the forum.
I hope you will help me develop our ideas.
I am very curious to hear what your complete steel construction provider, whom you contacted, will say about the costs. Be sure to also ask about additional construction-related expenses and their estimate of the total cost.
So far, I don’t see where you plan to save costs.
Regarding the Passive House again: If the garage is part of the house, it also needs to be very well insulated. Would it even be accessible from the terrace without several steps? There would have to be at least 30 cm (12 inches) of insulation on top. This applies to all other surfaces as well.
The proposed construction method is absolutely not suitable for a Passive House.
So far, I don’t see where you plan to save costs.
Regarding the Passive House again: If the garage is part of the house, it also needs to be very well insulated. Would it even be accessible from the terrace without several steps? There would have to be at least 30 cm (12 inches) of insulation on top. This applies to all other surfaces as well.
The proposed construction method is absolutely not suitable for a Passive House.
MuHaha202 schrieb:
Regarding the concept of a pipe dream:
It was really a concept where I was fully aware that it wouldn’t be feasible for me. And probably the archive folder P will get quite full. I had noticed that you were aware of the unusual nature of the design, but you didn’t consider it a joke or a trial balloon, rather a concept for developing a real plot of land.
Have a look at @rick2018, @ivenh0, and @matte1987; their projects or houses will help you gauge the possibilities and costs as reference points.
MuHaha202 schrieb:
Do I understand you correctly that the "collaboration" with the neighbor is meant here? No, “neighbor integration” refers to how different your house will appear compared to the surrounding buildings—not necessarily alien, but for example, a pitched roof and cubism are quite different styles, and you won’t find Chicago-style avant-garde architecture on every corner in Tirol.
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
We once visited an Elk prefab house. Air-to-air heat pump and ceiling IR panels everywhere. It was terribly uncomfortable... Anyone planning to build should keep this in mind if they want to step off the beaten track environmentally: you need to experience the desired technology yourself to say whether it suits you—no number of opinions or scientific papers can replace that. Feelings are subjective, and what is “right” for one person may be “wrong” (or at least “not liked”) by another.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/