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
Familiarize yourself with the Homeowners’ Protection Association. They offer all kinds of affordable advice on house building.
Do you also have to keep a 3m (10 feet) distance for the garage? Often, garages can be built right on the property line.
We don’t have a basement either, but we do have a huge attic and a storage room for regularly used items. Our garage is 7m (23 feet) long, so there’s plenty of space in the back. We will also add a small shed for garden tools later. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what is.
150sqm (1,615 sqft) is sufficient. It also depends on your preferences. For us, a very spacious living area was important. That’s why the children’s rooms are smaller, around 11/12sqm (118/129 sqft). I believe the kids don’t need 15sqm (161 sqft). We also don’t have a guest or utility room. The bathroom is modest as well.
Do you also have to keep a 3m (10 feet) distance for the garage? Often, garages can be built right on the property line.
We don’t have a basement either, but we do have a huge attic and a storage room for regularly used items. Our garage is 7m (23 feet) long, so there’s plenty of space in the back. We will also add a small shed for garden tools later. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what is.
150sqm (1,615 sqft) is sufficient. It also depends on your preferences. For us, a very spacious living area was important. That’s why the children’s rooms are smaller, around 11/12sqm (118/129 sqft). I believe the kids don’t need 15sqm (161 sqft). We also don’t have a guest or utility room. The bathroom is modest as well.
P
Peanuts7412 Aug 2016 06:44Evolith schrieb:
Familiarize yourself with the Building Owners and Tenants Association (Bauherren-Schutzbund). They offer affordable advice on house construction.
Do you also have to keep a 3m (10 feet) distance for the garage? Often, garages can be built right on the property line.
We don’t have a basement either. But we do have a huge attic and an additional storage room for items we need regularly.
Our garage is 7m (23 feet) long, so there’s plenty of space in the back. We’re planning to add a small shed later for garden tools.
If that’s not enough, I don’t know what is.
150sqm (1,615 sq ft) is sufficient. It really depends on your needs. Having a very spacious living area was important to us. That’s why the children’s rooms are smaller, about 11 to 12sqm (120 to 130 sq ft). I believe the kids don’t need 15sqm (160 sq ft).
We don’t have a guest or utility room. The bathroom is also modest in size.
I do find the children’s rooms quite small; our guest room is about the same size and layout.
With a bed, wardrobe, desk, etc., half the space is quickly taken up. Kids also want space to play, and you might not want building blocks scattered all over the living room because there’s no room in their bedroom.
But then again, in earlier times, four kids might have shared one room.
Regarding your original question, if I remember correctly and interpret it right, there should be about 10m (33 feet) distance between the house and the street.
You might want to check if and how far you can build the garage outside the building envelope (baufenster/planning boundary) so that the full area inside is available for the house.
@Schwabenland
First, plan the house, including size and cost. Of course, the location of the garage/carport should be included in the planning, but your question refers to a section of the site plan that _you_ have read, but we have not, and that image certainly comes with a legend and explanation. Therefore, we cannot assist you here. A good building engineer or architect will also understand the significance of the 2.59.
Regarding your last question: among others, a construction expert handles such matters professionally.
First, plan the house, including size and cost. Of course, the location of the garage/carport should be included in the planning, but your question refers to a section of the site plan that _you_ have read, but we have not, and that image certainly comes with a legend and explanation. Therefore, we cannot assist you here. A good building engineer or architect will also understand the significance of the 2.59.
Regarding your last question: among others, a construction expert handles such matters professionally.
@Peanuts74: The children are still very young. Our older child has an 8 m² (86 sq ft) room now, and that’s more than enough. Most of the time, he plays in the living room anyway (hence the size). That’s fine. It’s meant to be a large family room where playing is allowed. And as teenagers, they don’t play with Lego or dolls on the floor anymore but rather sit in front of the PC or TV. For that, I don’t need to pay for 15 m² (161 sq ft). I grew up with rooms of 10 and 11 m² (108 and 118 sq ft). My brother had 9 m² (97 sq ft). That was more than enough space for all of us to play.
Hey @Schwabenland,
At the Association of Private Homeowners, you can purchase comprehensive services that help you review construction contracts and specifications. At the same time, you can also book some appointments with an independent expert.
Whether this is always necessary is a bit of a controversial topic. Do you need a builder’s risk insurance? You usually only know afterward if you actually needed it.
There are certainly several threads here discussing legal reviews and construction inspections. How much you want to pay for them and whether you want them at all is a personal decision.
About the property/house.
We are also building without a basement. When we received the quote for that, we were really surprised. We solved it by having an attic (for things like Christmas decorations or similar) and especially a large garage (6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)). Two prefabricated garages side by side form a double garage (of course without an interior wall), and a third garage is placed at the back, perpendicular to those. This setup means you have an entire garage for stuff that doesn’t fit in the house and isn’t too sensitive (tools, tires, etc.).
At the Association of Private Homeowners, you can purchase comprehensive services that help you review construction contracts and specifications. At the same time, you can also book some appointments with an independent expert.
Whether this is always necessary is a bit of a controversial topic. Do you need a builder’s risk insurance? You usually only know afterward if you actually needed it.
There are certainly several threads here discussing legal reviews and construction inspections. How much you want to pay for them and whether you want them at all is a personal decision.
About the property/house.
We are also building without a basement. When we received the quote for that, we were really surprised. We solved it by having an attic (for things like Christmas decorations or similar) and especially a large garage (6 x 9 m (20 x 30 ft)). Two prefabricated garages side by side form a double garage (of course without an interior wall), and a third garage is placed at the back, perpendicular to those. This setup means you have an entire garage for stuff that doesn’t fit in the house and isn’t too sensitive (tools, tires, etc.).
P
Peanuts7412 Aug 2016 08:41Evolith schrieb:
@Peanuts74: The children are still very young. Our older one now has 8 sqm (86 sq ft), and that’s completely enough for him. Most of the time, he plays in the living room anyway (hence the size). That’s fine too. It’s designed as a large family room where playing is allowed. And as teenagers, they don’t play with Lego or dolls on the floor anymore; they hang out in front of the PC or TV. I don’t need to pay for 15 sqm (161 sq ft) for that. I grew up with 10 and 11 sqm (108 and 118 sq ft) rooms. My brother had 9 sqm (97 sq ft). That was more than enough space for playing for all of us.
As I said, in the past several children would share such a room. But especially during the teenage years, they might want a bigger bed eventually, a couch with a table, and a somewhat larger wardrobe. Depending on what they study, they also need some additional space during their training or education. At times, I had only about a 10 sqm (108 sq ft) room, and it was awful — the tennis bag was in the way, hardly any room to move around, and everything piled up. Cleaning such a room is dreadful... When children are small and have friends visiting, you might not want them all crowding the living room, and later it might be the other way around when the kids want some privacy. That’s why I would rather take the 5 to 10 sqm (54 to 108 sq ft) for two children’s rooms from the living room space, even though I also like the living area to be generous...
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