ᐅ Questions About Building a House – Tips from Experienced Homeowners
Created on: 12 May 2016 14:43
C
Canca42
Hello everyone,
I’m new to the forum and hoping for some helpful tips. We are currently planning a single-family house and have already purchased the plot. At the moment, we have several offers from prefabricated house suppliers as well as one from a solid construction company (in this case, the prices don’t differ much). The crucial question is that the listed price usually isn’t the final price.
So my question is: how much additional cost can one expect for the house alone? Our current budget looks like this: house 230,000 € (approximately $250,000), land 70,000 € (fully serviced), incidental building costs 30,000 € — is this calculation sufficient?
Single-family house, 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), 1.5 stories with knee walls 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), footprint 9 x 10 m (29.5 x 32.8 ft) — does this even make sense on a plot measuring 22 x 22 m (72 x 72 ft)? We want to build without a basement, so we need storage space. Ground floor: living room, dining room, kitchen, utility room, guest room, WC/shower. Upper floor: 2-bedroom layout, children’s room, master bedroom, bathroom with quarter-turn staircase (any alternative ideas here?). How large should a utility room be? The system will be gas with a heat water tank, ventilation system, and solar heating support... (I’ve read the various opinions on heating systems; for us, it’s also a financial decision. Please no fundamental debates on this topic). The subsidies for heat pumps are really overrated; we are building in Bavaria, where there is the “10,000 houses program,” which was already scaled back a week after the new kfW subsidies came into effect because of overlapping programs... (facepalm)
What else needs to be considered already in the planning phase, aside from surveyors, soil reports, and house connections?
I would appreciate some suggestions on what to think about or what is often overlooked early on but still comes up later.
Thanks in advance. Charly
I’m new to the forum and hoping for some helpful tips. We are currently planning a single-family house and have already purchased the plot. At the moment, we have several offers from prefabricated house suppliers as well as one from a solid construction company (in this case, the prices don’t differ much). The crucial question is that the listed price usually isn’t the final price.
So my question is: how much additional cost can one expect for the house alone? Our current budget looks like this: house 230,000 € (approximately $250,000), land 70,000 € (fully serviced), incidental building costs 30,000 € — is this calculation sufficient?
Single-family house, 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), 1.5 stories with knee walls 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), footprint 9 x 10 m (29.5 x 32.8 ft) — does this even make sense on a plot measuring 22 x 22 m (72 x 72 ft)? We want to build without a basement, so we need storage space. Ground floor: living room, dining room, kitchen, utility room, guest room, WC/shower. Upper floor: 2-bedroom layout, children’s room, master bedroom, bathroom with quarter-turn staircase (any alternative ideas here?). How large should a utility room be? The system will be gas with a heat water tank, ventilation system, and solar heating support... (I’ve read the various opinions on heating systems; for us, it’s also a financial decision. Please no fundamental debates on this topic). The subsidies for heat pumps are really overrated; we are building in Bavaria, where there is the “10,000 houses program,” which was already scaled back a week after the new kfW subsidies came into effect because of overlapping programs... (facepalm)
What else needs to be considered already in the planning phase, aside from surveyors, soil reports, and house connections?
I would appreciate some suggestions on what to think about or what is often overlooked early on but still comes up later.
Thanks in advance. Charly
Thank you for the initial assessments. Unfortunately, I don’t have a site plan with orientation, only this drawing, which was created by a sales representative and not the architect (it was only for the purpose of preparing the offer). Alternatively, we have another similar floor plan proposal from a different general contractor.
By the way, the finished ceiling height is 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), and the window planning has not been properly considered. As mentioned, this was only for the offer preparation.
The entrance is on the gable end on the east side; maybe this helps with the site evaluation.
What did you mean by the kitchen being too far away? By the way, I don’t want a kitchen island or an open kitchen, but rather a very traditional, functional kitchen with a sliding door to allow the option of closing it off. That’s my rather basic idea so far...
Best regards, Charly
By the way, the finished ceiling height is 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), and the window planning has not been properly considered. As mentioned, this was only for the offer preparation.
The entrance is on the gable end on the east side; maybe this helps with the site evaluation.
What did you mean by the kitchen being too far away? By the way, I don’t want a kitchen island or an open kitchen, but rather a very traditional, functional kitchen with a sliding door to allow the option of closing it off. That’s my rather basic idea so far...
Best regards, Charly
The idea with the kitchen is good – nothing else really fits there.
From experience: you come home with loaded bags and in your case, you have to go through all the rooms... if you’re unlucky, wearing dirty shoes. We only have to go through the hallway and part of the dining room, and we have tile floors everywhere, which sometimes annoys me a little.
Even with a ceiling height of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), the windows don’t really fit – especially once you add a roller shutter box on top (although you would probably need cuts for that).
Good grief... this one is even (much) worse...
I don’t think the first floor plan is fundamentally bad, but you can tell there was no enthusiasm in making it – the second one is basically awful.
Either find better general contractors or perhaps consider a freelance planner right away. You can also plan with a freelance planner and then have the construction done by a general contractor or main contractor.
From experience: you come home with loaded bags and in your case, you have to go through all the rooms... if you’re unlucky, wearing dirty shoes. We only have to go through the hallway and part of the dining room, and we have tile floors everywhere, which sometimes annoys me a little.
Even with a ceiling height of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), the windows don’t really fit – especially once you add a roller shutter box on top (although you would probably need cuts for that).
Good grief... this one is even (much) worse...
I don’t think the first floor plan is fundamentally bad, but you can tell there was no enthusiasm in making it – the second one is basically awful.
Either find better general contractors or perhaps consider a freelance planner right away. You can also plan with a freelance planner and then have the construction done by a general contractor or main contractor.
Looks like we crossed wires 😉
If you take a closer look (sorry, but during the day I only skim and scan)
then the guest bathroom is impossible, and the window positions don’t look good either.
Surely you can draw the 22 x 22 with the house and the street, or at least you should have done that for your own planning.
If you take a closer look (sorry, but during the day I only skim and scan)
then the guest bathroom is impossible, and the window positions don’t look good either.
Surely you can draw the 22 x 22 with the house and the street, or at least you should have done that for your own planning.
BeHaElJa schrieb:
The idea with the kitchen is good – nothing else really fits there.
From experience: you come home with loaded bags and in your case you have to carry them through all the rooms... if you’re unlucky, with dirty shoes. We only have to go through the hallway and part of the dining room, and we have tiles everywhere, which sometimes annoys me a bit.
Even with a ceiling height of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), the windows don’t really fit – especially if a roller shutter box is added (in that case, you’d probably need custom cuts).
My goodness... that one is even (much) worse...
I don’t find the first floor plan fundamentally bad, but it’s obvious that no one was really motivated. The second one is fundamentally bad.
Either find better general contractors or maybe a freelance planner right away. You can also plan with a freelance planner and then do the construction with a general contractor/building contractor.I’m only seeing the second one now and I find it a better starting point than the first.
Similar topics