ᐅ Overwhelmed... Is my calculation or knowledge correct?

Created on: 10 Aug 2016 20:15
S
Schwabenland
Good evening!

I come from the Tübingen district and I am 27 years old. My wife and I have now received confirmation for our desired plot, which we will buy in the next few days. Now the planning for the actual house begins.

I am a complete beginner and have browsed this forum a bit, but it’s overwhelming. All the information drives me crazy and discourages me; I don’t even know where to start!

We don’t have a huge budget and want to build with a construction company such as Heinz von Heiden, Town & Country, or Scanhaus Marlow. Some kind of builder that is not the most expensive but still delivers good quality work, preferably solid construction. There are good and bad reviews about every builder online, so I won’t even ask here for recommendations, right?

What I have found out so far are the following hidden costs: (House only, no landscaping)

On top of the “turnkey price,” I have to calculate:
1. About 25,000€ (27,500 USD) additional construction costs
2. Kitchen
3. Lighting fixtures
4. Own work, usually: flooring/wall work + materials
5. Basically add about 20,000€ (22,000 USD) for selections to the stated “turnkey price” because the standard is often too basic

I need to pay attention to the construction description included with “turnkey”:
1. Is triple glazing included?
2. What standard is installed?
3. Heat pump, etc.?
4. What extras do I want + what does all that cost?

I would like to know now:

1. What is the best way to proceed? I want to schedule appointments with the companies mentioned above. How do I best prepare for meetings with these somewhat opaque builders?

2. What other hidden costs should I watch out for that I haven’t mentioned or don’t know yet?

3. What must the house absolutely have in terms of “equipment”/standard?

An example of how I calculate:

House standard turnkey: about 170,000€ (187,000 USD)
Selections:        about 20,000€ (22,000 USD)
Additional construction costs: about 25,000€ (27,500 USD)
Flooring + wall materials: about 6,000€ (6,600 USD)
Kitchen:             about 15,000€ (16,500 USD)
Lighting:            about 3,000€ (3,300 USD)
Financial buffer:      about 5,000€ (5,500 USD)

= 244,000€ (269,000 USD)

Is this correct? Am I missing anything? Do I need to add anything else, if yes, what?

I would really appreciate your help!
Best regards
P
Peanuts74
22 Aug 2016 08:03
I don’t know what changes you want to make. But would building a basement be an option? That way, you could free up the utility room for an office, if it’s at least possible without extra costs (apart from the basement itself, of course) to move the technical equipment to the basement.

Otherwise, that is already a great price for a Schwörer house.

Almost five years ago, they wanted about €20,000 more for a house of this size here.
S
Schwabenland
22 Aug 2016 18:08
At this point, I would like to thank all of you—the feedback in this forum is excellent. It’s not like this everywhere; you are all truly very helpful, which really helps me move forward with the forum. Thanks also to all the moderators and the admin(s). The information database is equally useful—great work!

There are now three building units (BUs) in a close race. As soon as the offers are available, I will share some details and will ask for your advice again when making the decision.

Best regards
tomtom7922 Aug 2016 18:15
Share your decision-making process with us, and after everything is finished, your experiences.
brandt517 Oct 2016 22:29
We are building with Town & Country and so far everything is going great. According to the building permit / planning permission, our house costs 148,000 and we are completely satisfied with that. You shouldn’t build a dream castle after all.
RobsonMKK17 Oct 2016 22:31
So, have you decided to forgo any additional features?
brandt517 Oct 2016 22:43
As you can see, this is the first floor plan. We have an American-style kitchen, 2 additional windows, underfloor heating on both floors, and a house with an energy consumption of 7800 kWh, of which 1300 kWh comes from renewable energy. There is also an extra shower in the guest bathroom. We live near the Polish border in the far east, where the standards are not as high.