ᐅ Opinions on a Single-Family House of Approximately 180 m²

Myrna_Loy schrieb:

All homeowners lie when it comes to the price 🙂

What exactly does that mean? Mine was cheaper, mine was more expensive? People tend to project their own experience. 😉

Back then, I even recorded the workers’ meals. A 13-page Excel spreadsheet.

Additionally, very few people already have furniture for a 180 sqm (1,940 sq ft) home in their current apartment. You often only hear about the kitchen. But what about the rest? Plus lamps/curtains...

Overall, you can’t accurately determine the house price purely based on the square meters; it’s only a rough guideline. The fittings and the surrounding factors have a major impact.

But it should be clear that 300,000 EUR isn’t enough here.

driver55 schrieb:

What does that mean exactly? Mine was cheaper, mine was more expensive? People usually assume based on their own experience. 😉

Prices tend to be adjusted downwards. Firstly, to avoid provoking envy among others, and secondly because people like to rationalize the costs to themselves: last-minute additions, for example, are often forgotten, as well as features added later like a brick wall, garden shed, landscaping, and so on.

driver55 schrieb:

Besides, very few people already have furniture for a 180 sq m (1,940 sq ft) home in their current apartment. You often only hear about + kitchen. And the rest? + lamps/curtains...

I can only speak for ourselves, but many things we didn’t want to buy right after moving in; we preferred to take our time thinking things through and searching. Even after two years, we still have some bare lightbulbs hanging from certain ceilings 😉

And since our sofa was much too small, we found a nice one through classified ads: a Koinor sofa (always with a protective cover, retail price over 5,000 euros), which would pass as new for a few hundred bucks. That style would have been among our choices anyway. But if our absolute dream sofa ever appears, we don’t worry about having to replace the old one and the value loss involved, especially since now a toddler wants to play on that sofa. Damage like that would hurt much more with a $10,000 sofa...

Scout schrieb:

The price tends to be adjusted downward. First, to avoid causing envy among outsiders, and second because people like to justify it to themselves.

...and people like to present externally that they obviously managed everything cheaply and perfectly. This phenomenon is also known from hunters or anglers. During my first build, this often unsettled me because I had absolutely no knowledge of the subject and thought others were doing it better and always much cheaper. Only after adopting some of these clever suggestions did I realize that, from my perspective, it wasn’t that great after all. People tend to rationalize construction and planning flaws, as well as costs; eventually, this gave me the confidence to make my own decisions more boldly, so at least I can only be upset with myself afterward 😀
I have visited many of those houses since, and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable there—not because mine was better, but for me/us it was simply more pleasant and fitting.
For this reason, I personally prefer critical reports about one’s own (house) and find them more helpful than accounts of personal best achievements.

Scout schrieb:

I can only speak for us, but after moving in, we didn’t want to buy many things right away—we preferred to think it through and look for something nice first. Even after two years, some bare lightbulbs are still hanging from a few ceilings.

In my opinion, the gradual growth of a house also has its quality because you always look forward to adding a small new element. It’s like being in a bathtub; especially the moment of immersing yourself in warm water is wonderful, then you quickly get used to it. Things are allowed to develop or mature. However, in the age of Pinterest and the like, this has probably diminished. I find your approach very appealing.

Scout schrieb:

And since our sofa was way too small, we found a nice one through classifieds: a Koinor sofa (always covered with a protective slipcover, RRP over 5,000 Euro), which could pass as new for a few hundred bucks. We would have considered that style anyway. But when our absolute dream sofa eventually appears, there’s no need to regret the old sofa and its loss of value, especially since a toddler wants to romp on it now. Such wear and tear would hurt a $10,000 sofa much more...

This is exactly how we have furnished our home here and we will probably keep these pieces for our entire lives, so they have been accounted for in the new house as well. When I see their original prices, I get dizzy, and I agree with you about the wear and tear (if any appears at all). For example, our living room table is practically priceless when new, but with a small flaw, it was almost a take-it-or-leave-it item; the flaw is not visible because it is on the underside. The leather sofas, the stylish recliner, etc., are like new, but we would never have bought them new at that retail price. You have to be willing to engage with this, and then you find the right way. Buying quality is worth it.
A few weeks ago, in the same way, we bought a beautiful, lightweight desk; our special living room lamp is already being watched 😀... fortunately, not many people do this.

driver55 schrieb:

Hardly anyone already has furniture for a 180 sqm (1940 sq ft) home in their current apartment.

You don’t usually opt for more square meters just to fill them up with furniture until the extra space is effectively used up again...

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driver55 schrieb:

People usually assume their own perspective as a starting point.

Not necessarily.
When I calculate here—and often the feedback later confirms that the estimate was quite close—there is a benchmark which can be generally increased depending on the construction method and additional features.
Back in 2013, I also built for around 1600 per square meter (about 150 per square foot). However, there were no costs for fancy extras or technical gadgets. At the time, I was even mocked for wanting to skip roller shutters—but a small inheritance led us to opt for just a few extras that raised the equipment cost by less than 10,000 euros. So the roller shutters are manually operated and do not disturb our peace of mind. The lack of comfort that many miss simply does not affect us because we live comfortably in our own way. Perhaps I misunderstood you.

driver55 schrieb:

Overall, you can’t determine the exact house price solely based on square meters; it’s only a guideline. The fittings and everything else around the house have a major impact.

If someone dreams of a six-room house with a third gable, an elaborate carport, wood cladding, and a fireplace, they must be prepared to pay an appropriate price.
If their desired budget does not fit because they didn’t do proper research, then logically the floor plan won’t work either.

driver55 schrieb:

I even documented the workers’ meals back then. A 13-page Excel spreadsheet.

I didn’t... I stopped adding up at some point :p

driver55 schrieb:

Plus, very few people already have furniture for an 180 square meter (about 1,940 square foot) home in their current apartment. You only hear + kitchen. But the rest? + lamps/curtains...

The rest doesn’t need to come all at once. But I agree with you: if repayments and living expenses are already tight, there won’t be a budget left for shopping later. We noticed this with our terrace covering: what you don’t include in the initial calculation is hard to manage afterward. At least not in the price range where you have to save a few hundred euros monthly. Anyone who has been to Ikea knows how expensive shopping can be—even if the individual lamp isn’t expensive.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

... and people like to publicly claim that they obviously handled everything affordably and perfectly themselves.

Here, when I read about cost-effective house building, I mostly see “perfect compromises.”
I don’t mind at all if someone wants to create a space miracle for their family on a tight budget. I find those people more likeable than those who think a house doesn’t work without a 10-foot island, pantry, and panoramic windows. And if in their space miracle they want to include some dreams—at least a pantry, at least a nice wellness bathtub, at least a little corner for a walk-in closet instead of a dressing room—then they should allow themselves that dream and include it in the plan.
But a dream house with many little dreams won’t be built if the budget doesn’t fit and the financing doesn’t work out later. You don’t do yourself any favors by giving the dream dimensions and then being unable to realize it.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

Exactly like that, we have furnished ourselves here currently, and we will probably keep this furniture our whole lives, so it’s planned to fit the new house as well.

I can’t say the same for us. With our first house, there was a country-style design. We had a table 220 by 110 centimeters (87 by 43 inches). Then we bought our first house: space was important, with a kitchen pass-through. Our current house belongs to a completely different “era.” Our taste is also evolving—I wouldn’t buy the same furniture now that I bought 20 years ago. Ikea and system furniture are gradually disappearing here. There’s too little individuality in them. Also, focusing on brands feels restricting to me… so there is always change and happiness in acquiring something new.

But back to this house!
Back to square one or increase the budget by 150,000 euros (about 160,000 USD)? What do you decide, @JPewete?

Honestly, I didn’t even keep track of things like catering. From demolition to moving in, quite a lot added up. Meanwhile, the neighbor was busy handing out pots of coffee for the masons.