ᐅ Questions from beginners about how to find the right home construction company and more?
Created on: 22 Jun 2016 21:44
K
Katdreas
Hello dear forum,
First of all, I hope I placed this post in the right section!
A bit about us: we (37 and 32 years old) without children have been thinking about our dream of owning a house for several months now.
Unfortunately, we don’t really have a clear plan on how exactly to proceed or where to start.
The main points are:
- Finances
- Land
- House
My problem is that one depends on the other, and I don’t know exactly how to begin.
We started by getting an overview of our personal finances:
- Income
- Expenses
- Savings
- Available equity
So we know roughly how much monthly repayment we could/want to afford and how much equity we have. We talked to someone from a building savings institution, but they mostly tried to sell us something like a government home savings plan. We haven’t had proper bank meetings yet, but still, we believe we can roughly estimate our maximum budget for the entire project. HOWEVER, whether that will be enough to fulfill our dream house or “how much house” we can get for it still needs to be clarified. But how???
Regarding the land, we had to accept that we will have to move quite far out into the countryside (Nuremberg region) to afford the prices. But even here, we have hopefully a realistic idea of what costs to expect.
Additional construction costs—well, I have no idea. People talk about anything from 10,000 to 50,000 (euros) as extra costs.
The same goes for the garden and a carport/garage.
The biggest unknown is the house itself. It’s obvious you can build anything from “cheap” to “luxury,” depending on what you want, but how do I get REAL prices and not just the advertised starting prices from house providers?
We have already visited a prefabricated house exhibition and talked to various providers. They gave us prices, and now they want to calculate something based on our wishes, but how do you really plan without having the land?
And what also unsettles me: why does everyone say the house always ends up costing more in the end? Where do these additional costs come from? The house is planned beforehand, right? It can’t just be that many more costs only because you want something better than the standard during the final selection process?
And how am I supposed to choose a provider? There are so many just in prefabricated house construction. We already spent almost three hours each with Allkauf Haus and Danhaus, only roughly planning so far, and need to have further appointments once they have turned our ideas/wishes into plans and can give us approximate prices.
You really can only plan properly once you have land.
Some people only plan once they have the land, but I don’t want to buy land before I know I also have the money to build on it.
I don’t even know how to choose which providers to talk to. Evaluating who is reliable is obviously the most important. We won’t sign anything without having it reviewed independently, but I can’t have ten offers reviewed.
Banks can only properly calculate everything once you have the house and the land...
We are really going in circles here and are grateful for any helpful answers!
And if anyone has information about Danhaus, I would also appreciate it. So far, I find this provider likeable. We like the slightly Scandinavian style and the idea of ecological building and energy saving. The 114 sqm (1,225 sq ft) Malmö house is an option for us.
Thank you very much in advance, and sorry for the long post, but all this is still driving me to despair.
Best regards,
Katdreas
First of all, I hope I placed this post in the right section!
A bit about us: we (37 and 32 years old) without children have been thinking about our dream of owning a house for several months now.
Unfortunately, we don’t really have a clear plan on how exactly to proceed or where to start.
The main points are:
- Finances
- Land
- House
My problem is that one depends on the other, and I don’t know exactly how to begin.
We started by getting an overview of our personal finances:
- Income
- Expenses
- Savings
- Available equity
So we know roughly how much monthly repayment we could/want to afford and how much equity we have. We talked to someone from a building savings institution, but they mostly tried to sell us something like a government home savings plan. We haven’t had proper bank meetings yet, but still, we believe we can roughly estimate our maximum budget for the entire project. HOWEVER, whether that will be enough to fulfill our dream house or “how much house” we can get for it still needs to be clarified. But how???
Regarding the land, we had to accept that we will have to move quite far out into the countryside (Nuremberg region) to afford the prices. But even here, we have hopefully a realistic idea of what costs to expect.
Additional construction costs—well, I have no idea. People talk about anything from 10,000 to 50,000 (euros) as extra costs.
The same goes for the garden and a carport/garage.
The biggest unknown is the house itself. It’s obvious you can build anything from “cheap” to “luxury,” depending on what you want, but how do I get REAL prices and not just the advertised starting prices from house providers?
We have already visited a prefabricated house exhibition and talked to various providers. They gave us prices, and now they want to calculate something based on our wishes, but how do you really plan without having the land?
And what also unsettles me: why does everyone say the house always ends up costing more in the end? Where do these additional costs come from? The house is planned beforehand, right? It can’t just be that many more costs only because you want something better than the standard during the final selection process?
And how am I supposed to choose a provider? There are so many just in prefabricated house construction. We already spent almost three hours each with Allkauf Haus and Danhaus, only roughly planning so far, and need to have further appointments once they have turned our ideas/wishes into plans and can give us approximate prices.
You really can only plan properly once you have land.
Some people only plan once they have the land, but I don’t want to buy land before I know I also have the money to build on it.
I don’t even know how to choose which providers to talk to. Evaluating who is reliable is obviously the most important. We won’t sign anything without having it reviewed independently, but I can’t have ten offers reviewed.
Banks can only properly calculate everything once you have the house and the land...
We are really going in circles here and are grateful for any helpful answers!
And if anyone has information about Danhaus, I would also appreciate it. So far, I find this provider likeable. We like the slightly Scandinavian style and the idea of ecological building and energy saving. The 114 sqm (1,225 sq ft) Malmö house is an option for us.
Thank you very much in advance, and sorry for the long post, but all this is still driving me to despair.
Best regards,
Katdreas
I
Irgendwoabaier26 Jun 2016 09:36Good morning,
among other things, to get a realistic view and price orientation, we visited Poing, Frankfurt, and Erlangen (convenient since we are occasionally in the area anyway). We also spoke with the local Town & Country representative and another homebuilder from the region. In the Town & Country program, we found only one model we could relate to, so we ran some calculations on it as an example, since prices are usually only given as “starting from.” The representative was honest and pointed out several additional costs that were not included. And it wasn’t just “flooring by owner”—both material and labor costs there are significant.
When the plot was finally available, it became clear: the house would not fit.
The other traditional builder was the type who expected flooring and interior painting to be done by the owner. He couldn’t do a visible wood ceiling. He was also working as a real estate agent, and he helped us get the plot. He provided a reasonable and detailed estimate (with individual items listed) for the long driveway, utility connections, and earthworks.
When talking with prefab house suppliers, the topic of costs came up, of course. Most of them always quoted an “inclusive” price but didn’t specify the individual items. They usually used lower-cost variants than those seen in the show homes—for example, tile or laminate flooring up to €20/m² (about $22/sq ft) in the living areas, and basement/utility rooms up to €10/m² (about $11/sq ft). Often, the offers were for shell homes with many items not included. I was always skeptical when someone spoke negatively about their neighbor (which happened several times) or sounded credible but made statements easily disproven by internet research, especially on heat pump topics. Exterior landscaping and connection costs were always estimated with lump sums that were far too low—these amounts would never have been enough.
More important was the impression of usable space—especially in smaller houses or rooms—and the indoor climate. However, when visiting show home parks, keep in mind: the house on display isn’t always from the company currently offering it.
In the end, the prices of the potential suppliers didn’t differ much. Painting, flooring, and such were included but always from the lowest-priced options and labeled as “inclusive.”
We ended up going with a local prefab house builder who was also priced at a similar level.
Another difference was that we first signed a planning contract up to the building permit stage. During this phase, costs were estimated more accurately, but we had not yet signed a construction contract or similar. The risk was therefore manageable, and until this point, everything was covered from our own equity. When the financing was finalized, all planning was already completed and calculated in more detail, the building permit was approved, sanitary fixtures were selected, electrical installations were discussed with the electrician, and most contractor quotes had already been obtained. Only then was the final contract signed. Remaining open costs included exterior work (driveway—thanks to the traditional builder, we had a very clear idea of those costs—terrace), lighting, kitchen, and interior painting—with the estimated amount for the latter being significantly too low.
Best regards
among other things, to get a realistic view and price orientation, we visited Poing, Frankfurt, and Erlangen (convenient since we are occasionally in the area anyway). We also spoke with the local Town & Country representative and another homebuilder from the region. In the Town & Country program, we found only one model we could relate to, so we ran some calculations on it as an example, since prices are usually only given as “starting from.” The representative was honest and pointed out several additional costs that were not included. And it wasn’t just “flooring by owner”—both material and labor costs there are significant.
When the plot was finally available, it became clear: the house would not fit.
The other traditional builder was the type who expected flooring and interior painting to be done by the owner. He couldn’t do a visible wood ceiling. He was also working as a real estate agent, and he helped us get the plot. He provided a reasonable and detailed estimate (with individual items listed) for the long driveway, utility connections, and earthworks.
When talking with prefab house suppliers, the topic of costs came up, of course. Most of them always quoted an “inclusive” price but didn’t specify the individual items. They usually used lower-cost variants than those seen in the show homes—for example, tile or laminate flooring up to €20/m² (about $22/sq ft) in the living areas, and basement/utility rooms up to €10/m² (about $11/sq ft). Often, the offers were for shell homes with many items not included. I was always skeptical when someone spoke negatively about their neighbor (which happened several times) or sounded credible but made statements easily disproven by internet research, especially on heat pump topics. Exterior landscaping and connection costs were always estimated with lump sums that were far too low—these amounts would never have been enough.
More important was the impression of usable space—especially in smaller houses or rooms—and the indoor climate. However, when visiting show home parks, keep in mind: the house on display isn’t always from the company currently offering it.
In the end, the prices of the potential suppliers didn’t differ much. Painting, flooring, and such were included but always from the lowest-priced options and labeled as “inclusive.”
We ended up going with a local prefab house builder who was also priced at a similar level.
Another difference was that we first signed a planning contract up to the building permit stage. During this phase, costs were estimated more accurately, but we had not yet signed a construction contract or similar. The risk was therefore manageable, and until this point, everything was covered from our own equity. When the financing was finalized, all planning was already completed and calculated in more detail, the building permit was approved, sanitary fixtures were selected, electrical installations were discussed with the electrician, and most contractor quotes had already been obtained. Only then was the final contract signed. Remaining open costs included exterior work (driveway—thanks to the traditional builder, we had a very clear idea of those costs—terrace), lighting, kitchen, and interior painting—with the estimated amount for the latter being significantly too low.
Best regards
Katdreas schrieb:
For us, any house that is prefabricated and selected from a “catalog” is considered a prefab house, regardless of the material used.This is only partially correct; many people also plan fully custom homes. Basically, the comparison "solid construction <> prefab house" is colloquial and actually inaccurate, because most people use it to contrast "solid / brick-and-mortar" with "wood." Both can be, but do not have to be, built using prefabrication.
Please distinguish between a prefabricated house (a term I really dislike) and a shell house. This is a very important difference.
Why do I dislike the term prefabricated house? Simply because it’s misleading.
These houses, as people commonly call them, are basically structures built using timber frame construction. Essentially, half-timbered.
This building method has both advantages and disadvantages. That’s why I always say: you should build your house the way you want. Whether stone or timber frame, neither is categorically better or worse in every respect.
We built a timber frame shell house. Not with Allkauf Haus, but the manufacturer is the same. Overall, we were very satisfied, but it is a lot of work. So I know how it goes because I’ve successfully been through it. Besides — I wanted a half-timbered house made of wood. Vapor barriers are included. We’re still alive.
Friends of ours had extremely good experiences with Danwood (almost turnkey, you could say). Just as a side note.
I’m happy to answer any further questions you have via private message—about problems, costs, additional building expenses, and much more. I’ve been through the entire process from A to Z. A crazy time. A wild phase of life.
Best regards,
Thorsten
Why do I dislike the term prefabricated house? Simply because it’s misleading.
These houses, as people commonly call them, are basically structures built using timber frame construction. Essentially, half-timbered.
This building method has both advantages and disadvantages. That’s why I always say: you should build your house the way you want. Whether stone or timber frame, neither is categorically better or worse in every respect.
We built a timber frame shell house. Not with Allkauf Haus, but the manufacturer is the same. Overall, we were very satisfied, but it is a lot of work. So I know how it goes because I’ve successfully been through it. Besides — I wanted a half-timbered house made of wood. Vapor barriers are included. We’re still alive.
Friends of ours had extremely good experiences with Danwood (almost turnkey, you could say). Just as a side note.
I’m happy to answer any further questions you have via private message—about problems, costs, additional building expenses, and much more. I’ve been through the entire process from A to Z. A crazy time. A wild phase of life.
Best regards,
Thorsten
Katdreas schrieb:
And I still couldn’t figure out why I often read online that construction ended up much more expensive than initially calculated and people had to significantly finance additional costs.I have put together some reasons here
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/warum-ein-Hausbau-fast-immer-teurer-kommt-als-kalkuliert.16237/