ᐅ Realistic Cost Estimate: Single-Family Home with Challenging Site Access
Created on: 20 Jan 2023 10:50
S
schmeissrein
Hello everyone,
I have been following this forum for a while and first of all, a big thank you to everyone who shares their advice here and sometimes also speaks hard truths. I didn’t originally want to create a new thread but intended to form an opinion based on other discussions. However, you convinced me that this building project is too individual for that. So here is our plan:
- Building a new single-family house in the far north of Germany (Schleswig-Flensburg region).
- Plot size is over 1000sqm (10,764 sq ft).
- Total square meters are not so important as long as the layout works.
- Basement is not planned.
What we would like:
- Open-plan kitchen-living area of at least 36m² (388 sq ft).
- Guest room (at least 10m² / 108 sq ft) and small guest bathroom with shower on the ground floor, so that in old age, with disability, or a broken leg, the ground floor can be used independently and possibly serve as a bedroom.
- Utility room / storage room / pantry with heat pump of at least 8m² (86 sq ft) (KfW 40 standard would be great, of course).
- Upper floor with three rooms (1 office, 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s room) each at least 14m² (151 sq ft) and one bathroom. Our dream would be a “walk-in” (what a silly word – aren’t all showers walk-in?) shower to avoid having to clean those limescale-rusty, annoying shower enclosures.
- We could contribute labor for garden landscaping and painting/wallpapering; otherwise, we would prefer a turnkey build.
As for the house style, regionally typical Frisian houses or captain’s houses (with all the “cute” features like small gables, etc.) are in consideration, or also not completely unimaginative “normal” single-family houses. We are not afraid of Bauhaus-style concrete marvels either, but those tend to be more expensive. In terms of fittings, no “gold-plated faucets” and no smart home – but decent and presentable.
The big BUT: the plot is not connected to utilities, and the distance to the street is about 65m (213 ft), of which 50m (164 ft) is a paved driveway and paved parking area that would have to be dug up (across another property). The connection costs and incidental construction costs worry us quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with such a “mammoth connection” for a relatively small building project? What realistic costs should we expect for both?
We would greatly appreciate any thoughts on this project, thank you very much in advance!
I have been following this forum for a while and first of all, a big thank you to everyone who shares their advice here and sometimes also speaks hard truths. I didn’t originally want to create a new thread but intended to form an opinion based on other discussions. However, you convinced me that this building project is too individual for that. So here is our plan:
- Building a new single-family house in the far north of Germany (Schleswig-Flensburg region).
- Plot size is over 1000sqm (10,764 sq ft).
- Total square meters are not so important as long as the layout works.
- Basement is not planned.
What we would like:
- Open-plan kitchen-living area of at least 36m² (388 sq ft).
- Guest room (at least 10m² / 108 sq ft) and small guest bathroom with shower on the ground floor, so that in old age, with disability, or a broken leg, the ground floor can be used independently and possibly serve as a bedroom.
- Utility room / storage room / pantry with heat pump of at least 8m² (86 sq ft) (KfW 40 standard would be great, of course).
- Upper floor with three rooms (1 office, 1 master bedroom, 1 child’s room) each at least 14m² (151 sq ft) and one bathroom. Our dream would be a “walk-in” (what a silly word – aren’t all showers walk-in?) shower to avoid having to clean those limescale-rusty, annoying shower enclosures.
- We could contribute labor for garden landscaping and painting/wallpapering; otherwise, we would prefer a turnkey build.
As for the house style, regionally typical Frisian houses or captain’s houses (with all the “cute” features like small gables, etc.) are in consideration, or also not completely unimaginative “normal” single-family houses. We are not afraid of Bauhaus-style concrete marvels either, but those tend to be more expensive. In terms of fittings, no “gold-plated faucets” and no smart home – but decent and presentable.
The big BUT: the plot is not connected to utilities, and the distance to the street is about 65m (213 ft), of which 50m (164 ft) is a paved driveway and paved parking area that would have to be dug up (across another property). The connection costs and incidental construction costs worry us quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with such a “mammoth connection” for a relatively small building project? What realistic costs should we expect for both?
We would greatly appreciate any thoughts on this project, thank you very much in advance!
schmeissrein1 Feb 2023 13:31I never said that we would only build once; as I mentioned, we might build again in Australia in 20 years. But it’s still worth thinking about the future and the situation where, “oops, we’ve lived here for 40 years already, and now the stairs are no longer manageable,” which is actually quite common.
I don’t want to cover the entire 980m² (11,000 sq ft) with construction, but rather reasonably fit around 100m² (1,100 sq ft) and 70–80m² (750–860 sq ft) of living space on it. That should be possible, right, or am I missing something?
I don’t want to cover the entire 980m² (11,000 sq ft) with construction, but rather reasonably fit around 100m² (1,100 sq ft) and 70–80m² (750–860 sq ft) of living space on it. That should be possible, right, or am I missing something?
schmeissrein schrieb:
I don’t want to build on the full 980m² (11,000 sq ft), but rather fit one building of about 100m² (1,075 sq ft) and another around 70–80m² (750–860 sq ft) on the plot. That should be possible, right, or am I missing something? It’s important to find out the municipality’s planning intentions. §34 does not mean "carte blanche."
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
K
karl.jonas1 Feb 2023 15:04schmeissrein schrieb:
But you can still think about the futureI completely agree. It doesn’t have to be your own future specifically; it’s just as valid to consider that a senior-friendly house might be easier to sell later on (for example, if you want to start fresh in Australia). What exactly that means is important too. A door width of 100cm (40 inches) instead of 80cm (32 inches) probably works for everyone, but a wheelchair turning space that meets strict standards is often too much.11ant schrieb:
Finding out the planning intentions of the municipality.Yes. Still, it’s not a mistake to give the municipality a rough idea of what you want early on. Again: two or three planning rounds are usually better than missing out on an opportunity.karl.jonas schrieb:
Yes. However, it is not a mistake to give the local municipality a rough idea of what you would like from the start.If the local municipality is unsure on a case-by-case basis because there are too few building applications to develop general policies in advance, there are usually standard approaches at the collective municipality or district level. These typically include guidelines such as aligning with the effective floor area ratio of the neighborhood and actual building plot sizes. With three-story neighboring houses—there are no so-called building line restrictions like those in zoning plans in §34 areas—you already have a fairly generous building height framework. However, you generally will not have a completely "free choice of location" when observing setback requirements. As mentioned, in small municipalities, the mayor will usually call a counterpart in a neighboring town to find out what the current practice is regarding "where to place the house." Or is the municipality so small that the town hall just stamps whatever was agreed upon at the local fair?karl.jonas schrieb:
What exactly that means also plays a role. A 100cm (39 inches) door instead of 80cm (31 inches) probably fits most people, but a maneuvering space for a wheelchair according to standards is often excessive.Standard-compliant accessibility mainly matters for apartment building developers. In private situations, users with walkers are generally more difficult to maneuver for than those using (at least manually operated) wheelchairs. In addition, today’s elderly often suffer significantly more from dementia and balance disorders than from arthritis, gout, venous diseases, and swollen legs combined. Wide doors don’t solve every problem.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
K
karl.jonas1 Feb 2023 17:27A bit off-topic:
Wide doors can help older adults remain safer and more independent in their homes. Studies (e.g., Hughes, J. et al., 2002) have shown that increased mobility and autonomy in older adults can lead to a longer time spent living in their own homes. This may also slow the progression of dementia (e.g., Forsell, Y. et al., 1997).
11ant schrieb:
Wide doors don’t solve everything.
Wide doors can help older adults remain safer and more independent in their homes. Studies (e.g., Hughes, J. et al., 2002) have shown that increased mobility and autonomy in older adults can lead to a longer time spent living in their own homes. This may also slow the progression of dementia (e.g., Forsell, Y. et al., 1997).
schmeissrein schrieb:
Both of them own the entire group of plots and are looking for a long-term solution suitable for aging. They had originally planned to build there themselves, and we just thought it might make sense to handle everything "in one go," since the site would be disturbed anyway 😀 Nothing is to be divided or sold; only the owners of the front plot would move from that house to a new one at the back. This kind of question belongs in the introduction thread. Also, an open question about what would be best for one or two households. That’s something the forum can help with.
karl.jonas schrieb:
For me, it’s a matter of constantly considering different alternatives. Yes, that’s good too. But then showing a bunch of time-and-material floor plans without leaving room for alternatives doesn’t make things easier for the forum or yourself and doesn’t lead to a solution.
schmeissrein schrieb:
I’m posting here precisely because I’m open to implementing such suggestions 🙂 It’s best to present options openly from the start and ask for input. There are quite a few here who like to voluntarily and thoughtfully improve floor plans, sometimes spending hours or even weekends on them. If the effort becomes pointless because completely different conditions suddenly arise, it could waste the forum’s potential.
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