ᐅ Overview of Cost-Effective Building Styles

alex280 schrieb:
Do you have a link to this here in the forum?

No, because I haven’t made the drawing public yet. Since no one can know where to find the building permit / planning permission, I’m attaching the plans here. Designed for 5 people, but now 6 live in the house; further children—not unlikely due to a shortage of girls.

In reality, we played a bit with the colors and used masonry as well as windows as eye-catchers; for example, see the window next to the garage.

Regards, Bauexperte

Bauexperte schrieb:
We actually played a bit with the color and used masonry as well as windows as eye-catchers; for example, you can see the window next to the garage

First of all, thanks for sharing! Very efficient floor plan (which my better half would have rejected because of living on 3 stories).

Two questions about the photo:
- The floor plans look like a semi-detached house. Where is the garage located? I can’t make out the photo.
- Is the glass mirrored, or does it just appear that way in the photo?

Bieber0815 schrieb:

First of all, thanks for sharing! Very efficient floor plan (which my better half would have rejected because of living on 3 floors ).

You're welcome.

With so many people and a usable building area for the semi-detached house, our clients had no choice but to accept walking all the time.

Bieber0815 schrieb:

Two questions about the photo:
- The floor plans look like a semi-detached house. Where is the garage? I can’t tell from the photo.
- Is the glass mirrored, or does it just look that way in the photo?

The living room window on the left side of the ground floor plan was later removed in favor of the garage. And no, the glass is not mirrored; even with so many children, the homeowner apparently still has time to keep everything spotless.

Edit: Yesterday I wasn’t in the mood to upload another photo via phone; it’s still quite a hassle—from the phone to the office Mac and then back again to upload. Now you should be able to see it clearly without a doubt.

Regards, Bauexperte

I’m going to be a bit blunt, though I don’t mean to be, but since it comes across that way anyway, I’ll give a warning!

Quote: "Since 2010, we have been living with my parents-in-law and my brother-in-law in a multi-generational house (3 households) and for various reasons we urgently want to move out again and start our own project... "

No response to this quote:

Kisska86 schrieb:
Then I obviously understand the desire for a new build.

Dear Alex, I don’t fully agree with that.
I can imagine that living together with both older and younger family members, such as siblings or in-laws, is not easy.
Personally, I would generally reject it. Still, one must understand that circumstances and relationships within families change. Six years ago, no serious problems must have been seen and the multi-generational house was agreed upon?
Even recently (the mentioned investments) everything seemed fine?! Only now something must have come up that pushes you away from the multi-generational house.
You should reflect on whether a change of location is really the right solution for you. Usually, that is a good path. But with a multi-generational house, everything might be arranged around family living — what will happen with the vacant unit if you don’t want to live there anymore? Could a “third party” move in? Are you simply tenants? How will this affect your family relationships going forward?

alex280 schrieb:
As I said, we already built new with the parents-in-law in 2009 and currently live in a modern property with upscale features. (Solid construction, heat pump, electric roller shutters, upscale sanitary fittings, home theater, etc.)

alex280 schrieb:
I should add that we recently purchased a nearly new vehicle with savings and also paid for all our furniture including the home theater from savings.

Everything has its price!!!
If you can’t handle living together, that’s one thing.
On the other hand, there are advantages to paying rent: saved capital that you can use to afford, for example, a new car or new furniture.
You’ll probably keep your electric roller shutters in mind, but new furnishings will age... if you orient yourself independently.

alex280 schrieb:
It’s understandable that you don’t want to downgrade now, which is basically why the demands including a double garage exist...

…reminds me of a conversation with an intern a few weeks ago:
Me: Are you planning to travel?
Intern: Yes, it’s just not so easy. Everything costs more, the Caribbean is unaffordable, basic Mallorca is out of the question, blah blah, everything over 1100 €. Me, swallowing and amazed: How much do you want to spend? What’s your limit? (I travel for a fraction…)
Intern: You know, my girlfriend and I are spoiled, parent status... Riu and at least 4 stars... that shapes you!

I just thought: wow, I myself had a high status but never felt like I had to take that from my parents; rather, I always aimed to find my own status.
That’s why at first it was “only” a used townhouse, and 15 years later the own detached house.

So I really can’t understand the idea that you always have to maintain the same status/extras/luxury as you rent or as the older generation shows you. The journey is still the goal — that value remains. You have to work for it yourself.

That means: Your lifestyle, whether it’s a double garage or underfloor heating, you have to earn yourself. If you’re not up for it, then just continue living in the fancy multi-generational house.

alex280 schrieb:
The 300,000 EUR loan amount is more like a “threshold” in my head; maybe we can stretch it a bit more, but then the equity ratio gets worse. But that will be determined in appointments with various banks, which will take place after meetings with the builder.

I have no idea whether a difference still really matters with 10% equity or less. I doubt it.

alex280 schrieb:
That would leave 205,000 EUR for the actual construction costs. We’re aware that with this budget we’ll need to do a lot of work ourselves and handle some things like landscaping gradually. We plan 1.5 to 2 full floors with about 150 m² (1600 sq ft) of living space plus a double garage.

Leave out the last part and the basement. I would be interested in how much you pay for additional costs?

Please don’t take this post the wrong way: I’m always for independence. Still, it’s clear you enjoy the rented luxury and also happily spend the savings gained from it.

Best regards, Yvonne

We built a townhouse with 128 sqm (1,376 sq ft) for 330,000 euros. However, this is in the far north, where prices are somewhat lower (but salaries are significantly lower as well!). Our plot of land cost 63,000 euros net. A garage or carport is not included, nor is a basement or any landscaping. We still have 700 to 1,000 euros per month left over, so we plan to start the landscaping, including the carport, after moving in (33 days to go) in spring. We estimate the landscaping will cost around 20,000 euros, and we already have 13,000 euros saved (or still available as a reserve).

You simply must not underestimate the extras that should be included during construction. A bare house without extras can sometimes be worse than renting. You don’t need a fancy deluxe front door costing 4,000 euros extra or motorized roller shutters, but having no roller shutters at all will eventually become frustrating. No underfloor heating? Please... and so on.

I would say that roughly 50,000 euros are missing here without any major customizations.

Bauexperte schrieb:
The living room window on the left side of the ground floor plan was later removed to make room for the garage.

Ah, I see, so we’re looking at the kitchen window. We had the same discussion (garage attached to the house vs. window), and it’s not that easy to resolve. In this example, the dining area might not get a lot of natural light, but the patio doors still bring plenty of light into the house. It’s also nice to see that color was used thoughtfully, including the garage in the design.