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
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
Where are you from? I’m also from that area, and if the house isn’t going to be around 90m² (970 sq ft), I would expect to budget at least €250,000 just for the house itself, excluding additional construction-related costs. Building in the south is extremely expensive.
And why not go with a local supplier? Take a look at Favorit Massivhaus. In my opinion, Favorit Massivhaus offers pretty good options for a tight budget. They provide a lot of “extras,” but the actual construction is done by local companies. Otherwise, Allkauf (which uses timber frame construction) could also be interesting for you... also very attractive in terms of price. I would avoid Scanhaus Marlow Marlow, though—I’ve read some negative things about them.
As others have mentioned here: €25,000 (about $27,000) for additional construction costs is very tight. You should expect €35,000 to €40,000 (approximately $38,000 to $44,000), and depending on the plot (keyword: soil survey), even that might be tight.
And why not go with a local supplier? Take a look at Favorit Massivhaus. In my opinion, Favorit Massivhaus offers pretty good options for a tight budget. They provide a lot of “extras,” but the actual construction is done by local companies. Otherwise, Allkauf (which uses timber frame construction) could also be interesting for you... also very attractive in terms of price. I would avoid Scanhaus Marlow Marlow, though—I’ve read some negative things about them.
As others have mentioned here: €25,000 (about $27,000) for additional construction costs is very tight. You should expect €35,000 to €40,000 (approximately $38,000 to $44,000), and depending on the plot (keyword: soil survey), even that might be tight.
In addition to the thread recommended by Yvonne (@ypg), you might also want to take a look here:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/heinz-von-Heiden-2015-2016-Bungalow-baden-wuertt-kr-boeblingen-bb.14986/
If you are planning to build with one of the seemingly cheaper (I deliberately don’t say more affordable) providers, I have a clear piece of advice for you: insist on a sample inspection before signing the contract and a calculation of the foundation costs based on a soil report (which you will probably have to commission yourself).
This will help you limit two major cost traps, but you will likely end up with a different house price.
Your additional construction costs are definitely underestimated.
What often comes up has also been mentioned many times here in the forum:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/heinz-von-Heiden-2015-2016-Bungalow-baden-wuertt-kr-boeblingen-bb.14986/
If you are planning to build with one of the seemingly cheaper (I deliberately don’t say more affordable) providers, I have a clear piece of advice for you: insist on a sample inspection before signing the contract and a calculation of the foundation costs based on a soil report (which you will probably have to commission yourself).
This will help you limit two major cost traps, but you will likely end up with a different house price.
Your additional construction costs are definitely underestimated.
What often comes up has also been mentioned many times here in the forum:
- Disposal of construction debris
- Portable toilet
- Painting of roof overhangs
- Applications / permits, etc. (building permit / planning permission)
- Furniture
- Costs for registering mortgages
- Roof drainage
- ...
In addition to what has already been mentioned here, I would definitely pay attention to the standard electrical installations included. Often, this means 30 outlets and 3 circuit breakers for the entire house... No network wiring, only one satellite connection... I would make sure to define all of this in advance and have it included in the build scope description/contract before signing. You might also want to consider hiring a construction supervisor who can give you important advice BEFORE you sign the contract.
H
HilfeHilfe11 Aug 2016 08:44The Swabians again
I’m always surprised that people buy the plot of land first and only then look for the builder.
And when the soil turns out to be poor again, they complain about how expensive the earthworks are.
You’re 27, so how are your income and equity looking? Especially if you’re already expecting the cheapest house?
I’m always surprised that people buy the plot of land first and only then look for the builder.
And when the soil turns out to be poor again, they complain about how expensive the earthworks are.
You’re 27, so how are your income and equity looking? Especially if you’re already expecting the cheapest house?
Addendum to your questions from the first thread:
Regarding 1:
I would start by researching providers online and visiting model home parks to get a general idea of what you want—construction method, house size, number of rooms, etc. Then, perhaps select 3-5 providers to have consultation meetings with. I wouldn’t recommend going to 10 providers because it can get overwhelming, and you might lose track. So really focus on speaking with potential providers, not just “anyone.”
Regarding 2:
A lot has already been mentioned. Reading through threads or homebuilding blogs can also be very helpful.
Regarding 3:
See point 2. It really depends on what you want. I would pay attention to the following: proper insulation/building materials, in the case of a timber frame house a separate installation layer, sufficient power outlets, switches, and circuit breakers for each floor or possibly each room, insulation values and security of the windows, good room layout and efficient use of space, orientation of the house on the plot regarding the cardinal directions, enough windows to ensure natural brightness, and so on.
Regarding 1:
I would start by researching providers online and visiting model home parks to get a general idea of what you want—construction method, house size, number of rooms, etc. Then, perhaps select 3-5 providers to have consultation meetings with. I wouldn’t recommend going to 10 providers because it can get overwhelming, and you might lose track. So really focus on speaking with potential providers, not just “anyone.”
Regarding 2:
A lot has already been mentioned. Reading through threads or homebuilding blogs can also be very helpful.
Regarding 3:
See point 2. It really depends on what you want. I would pay attention to the following: proper insulation/building materials, in the case of a timber frame house a separate installation layer, sufficient power outlets, switches, and circuit breakers for each floor or possibly each room, insulation values and security of the windows, good room layout and efficient use of space, orientation of the house on the plot regarding the cardinal directions, enough windows to ensure natural brightness, and so on.
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
I always find it surprising that people buy the land first and only then look for the builder.This is quite common here in Bavaria as well... you can consider yourself lucky if you manage to get a plot of land, especially one in your preferred location and of the desired size. Things like soil surveys usually come afterwards, and in the worst case, there can be some unpleasant surprises.