Hello everyone,
I have many questions and sleepless nights at the moment.
Heating, soil survey, structural engineer, heating load calculations, U-values, KfW, financing, Energy Saving Ordinance 2014/16, etc.
When should what be done, and in which order?
My wife and I want to build a custom house tailored to our needs.
We already own a nice plot of land (own equity) and have commissioned an architect for design phases 1–4. (Rough costs are known and have been approved by our bank.)
I hope the building permit / planning permission can be submitted by the end of April 2016.
Planned start is spring 2017.
Currently, we are trying to pay for as much as possible out of our savings (about €35,000 (approx. $38,000)).
What should the next steps be now?
- Submit the building permit / planning permission application and wait for approval? Can anything else be done in the meantime?
- Hire a structural engineer? Or wait for the building permit / approval? According to our architect, the structural safety certificate (statics) can be submitted later, but before the start of construction.
- Perform heating load calculations? We just want to comply with the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016. Does this heating load calculation specify which U-values the walls, roof, windows, etc. must meet? The plan is a monolithic wall structure with a 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) Ytong wall. Does this calculation need to be submitted to the building authority?
- When is the right time to contact a heating technician?
- When should the soil survey be carried out? We relied on statements from neighbors.
(It is reportedly very stony, and a basement is not planned!)
- Finalize/compare financing? Preferably a loan / one term / fixed interest rate.
- Find a general contractor?
How did you approach your house construction?
I appreciate any advice.
Best regards,
D.Gerner
I have many questions and sleepless nights at the moment.
Heating, soil survey, structural engineer, heating load calculations, U-values, KfW, financing, Energy Saving Ordinance 2014/16, etc.
When should what be done, and in which order?
My wife and I want to build a custom house tailored to our needs.
We already own a nice plot of land (own equity) and have commissioned an architect for design phases 1–4. (Rough costs are known and have been approved by our bank.)
I hope the building permit / planning permission can be submitted by the end of April 2016.
Planned start is spring 2017.
Currently, we are trying to pay for as much as possible out of our savings (about €35,000 (approx. $38,000)).
What should the next steps be now?
- Submit the building permit / planning permission application and wait for approval? Can anything else be done in the meantime?
- Hire a structural engineer? Or wait for the building permit / approval? According to our architect, the structural safety certificate (statics) can be submitted later, but before the start of construction.
- Perform heating load calculations? We just want to comply with the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016. Does this heating load calculation specify which U-values the walls, roof, windows, etc. must meet? The plan is a monolithic wall structure with a 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) Ytong wall. Does this calculation need to be submitted to the building authority?
- When is the right time to contact a heating technician?
- When should the soil survey be carried out? We relied on statements from neighbors.
(It is reportedly very stony, and a basement is not planned!)
- Finalize/compare financing? Preferably a loan / one term / fixed interest rate.
- Find a general contractor?
How did you approach your house construction?
I appreciate any advice.
Best regards,
D.Gerner
Watcher78 schrieb:
You have an architect, right? Wouldn’t it be easiest to just ask them?
That’s a valid point. So what’s the purpose of having an architect? Do they just create nice plans?
Basically, there’s not much you can do before getting the building permit (also known as planning permission). You can choose the simplified approval process and hope it goes through quickly. That still leaves enough time before construction starts, which for you is planned for 2017 anyway.
Before construction begins, additional documents will need to be submitted, such as soundproofing, thermal insulation, or proof of structural stability.
Once you have the building permit, your geotechnical engineer can get started. Before that, everything is theoretical, and if you’re unlucky, you might have to commission them twice. The building permit means you’re allowed to construct the building as applied for. The geotechnical engineer will then perform borehole tests in two corners of the foundation slab.
But as mentioned at the beginning, why use the architect?
We don’t have to worry about these things; our architect has their own network. Of course, we ultimately commission the services ourselves, and you could have your own contacts, but usually, you rely on the established team if they offer market-standard prices. You can hardly arrange this on your own. For us, the building permit arrived by fax on Thursday evening, the geotechnical engineer was emailed on Friday, was on site Monday, and today the report is ready. By the time you found someone yourself and they were available, you could easily be looking at 3-4 weeks.
As you can see, it is difficult to give a definitive answer. However, it definitely helped me to have many conversations so that you can make continuous progress. Everything you sort out or understand now will save you time later, even if you have to repeat some steps.
For example, in our case, they also provide the quote for utility connections once our development area is fully serviced. Every building project is different, though.
What is certain is that the architect must take on more responsibility and provide more advice.
For example, in our case, they also provide the quote for utility connections once our development area is fully serviced. Every building project is different, though.
What is certain is that the architect must take on more responsibility and provide more advice.
B
Bauexperte6 Apr 2016 18:30Hello,
Order a soil survey.
Only after you have the building permit without any conditions; the building authority might still find issues, and paying twice is frustrating. The statics are usually submitted later; standard procedure. If you build with a general contractor (GC), the statics are included in their scope of work.
I would also postpone this until after the building permit; as mentioned, things could still change…
If you plan to contract individual trades: now, along with tendering the other trades. If you go with a GC/general contractor, that’s their responsibility.
Anytime from now on; you already own the land.
Then I hope this initial indication will hold true in reality.
Isn’t it a bit late for that?
As soon as you know your budget; so after financing is clarified. It’s helpful to start exploring model homes and new developments.
Best regards, Bauexperte
D.Gerner schrieb:
I hope the building permit application can be submitted by the end of April/16.
Planned start is spring/17.
What would be the next steps now?
- Submit the building permit application and wait for approval? Can anything else be done in the meantime?
Order a soil survey.
D.Gerner schrieb:
- Commission a structural engineer? Or wait for the building permit? According to our architect, the structural stability certificate (statics) can be submitted afterwards, but before construction starts.
Only after you have the building permit without any conditions; the building authority might still find issues, and paying twice is frustrating. The statics are usually submitted later; standard procedure. If you build with a general contractor (GC), the statics are included in their scope of work.
D.Gerner schrieb:
- Perform a heating load calculation? We just want to comply with the energy saving regulations 16. Does this heating load calculation specify the required U-values for walls, roof, windows, etc.? We plan a monolithic wall structure with a 36.5 Ytong wall. Does this calculation need to be submitted to the building authority?
I would also postpone this until after the building permit; as mentioned, things could still change…
D.Gerner schrieb:
- When should we contact a heating engineer?
If you plan to contract individual trades: now, along with tendering the other trades. If you go with a GC/general contractor, that’s their responsibility.
D.Gerner schrieb:
- When should the soil survey be done?
Anytime from now on; you already own the land.
D.Gerner schrieb:
We relied on the neighbors’ statements.
(Supposedly very rocky, !no basement planned!).
Then I hope this initial indication will hold true in reality.
D.Gerner schrieb:
- Clarify/compare financing? Preferably a loan / one term / fixed interest rate.
Isn’t it a bit late for that?
D.Gerner schrieb:
- Look for a builder?
As soon as you know your budget; so after financing is clarified. It’s helpful to start exploring model homes and new developments.
Best regards, Bauexperte