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!
X
xMisterDx17 Apr 2023 15:20You want something from us here, not the other way around.
schmeissrein17 Apr 2023 15:25@xMisterDx
Yes, help with the construction, but definitely not with family planning 😀
Yes, help with the construction, but definitely not with family planning 😀
X
xMisterDx17 Apr 2023 15:31It might sound strange to you. But if you want to plan a house properly so that all family members can live in it comfortably, you need to know for sure whether there will be only one child or not. Otherwise, you end up with a lazy compromise like the one you made with your 10.5m² (113 sq ft) children's rooms.
And if you don’t realize this after three months, then there’s nothing anyone can do to help you.
And if you don’t realize this after three months, then there’s nothing anyone can do to help you.
Winniefred17 Apr 2023 16:07It’s completely normal to plan for an additional child’s bedroom. That’s definitely better than ending up with one room too few later on. They don’t want a fourth child’s bedroom, but a second one. The chances of having a second child are pretty good, and a small room can always be put to use. By the way, one of our children also has only 12.6 m² (135.6 sq ft), and that’s plenty. The oldest child has a room of 15.7 m² (169 sq ft), which I find quite spacious. We wouldn’t have planned that large in a new build, but it was available in the old building.
I can’t really comment on the floor plan itself, or rather I don’t want to, since floor plans always get discussed way too harshly here in the forum.
I can’t really comment on the floor plan itself, or rather I don’t want to, since floor plans always get discussed way too harshly here in the forum.
X
xMisterDx17 Apr 2023 16:39My father grew up in the 1950s with seven people in 100m² (1,076 sq ft). You can always find a frame of reference that makes your own situation seem luxurious.
You can build however you want, right?
But when I come to a forum seeking advice because I don’t have enough gravel (or funds) for what I want to build and therefore need to optimize,
I can’t just be told, "Well, you dummy, I want it that way!"
Really? Then go ahead and do it.
Sure, you can design a 10m² (108 sq ft) walk-in closet and plan children’s rooms at 12m² (129 sq ft) raw floor area—effectively 10.5m² (113 sq ft) usable space with sloped ceilings—and say, “Kids in Africa don’t even have rooms.”
But I just think that’s inappropriate because it’s simply too small by today’s standards.
If I go to a car dealer and say, “Please advise me,” and he asks, “How many people will be riding in the car?”
And I answer, “Most of the time three, but in two years it could be four,”
What else should he recommend? A car with three seats and a jump seat?
You can build however you want, right?
But when I come to a forum seeking advice because I don’t have enough gravel (or funds) for what I want to build and therefore need to optimize,
I can’t just be told, "Well, you dummy, I want it that way!"
Really? Then go ahead and do it.
Sure, you can design a 10m² (108 sq ft) walk-in closet and plan children’s rooms at 12m² (129 sq ft) raw floor area—effectively 10.5m² (113 sq ft) usable space with sloped ceilings—and say, “Kids in Africa don’t even have rooms.”
But I just think that’s inappropriate because it’s simply too small by today’s standards.
If I go to a car dealer and say, “Please advise me,” and he asks, “How many people will be riding in the car?”
And I answer, “Most of the time three, but in two years it could be four,”
What else should he recommend? A car with three seats and a jump seat?
schmeissrein17 Apr 2023 17:19@Winniefred
Thank you for this perspective. Until now, I didn’t think our project was nearly as crazy as it’s being treated here 😀
@xMisterDx
Sorry, but what’s up with all the complaining? No one forced you to help me here. I shared the reasoning behind our plans and asked for tips on how to improve them. Instead, there were mostly lists of what’s supposedly wrong, without any constructive suggestions on how to do it better. And I have to say, the comments about children in Africa struck me as quite disrespectful. You don’t know us, but you can assume that, like any other parents, we want the best for our child and they certainly won’t suffer if they have a total of 20cm (8 inches) of space available, even if it’s divided by a wall. Your car analogy falls short because an extra room can always be put to use somehow. If you want to stick with the car dealer comparison, I’m more the type to go in and ask for a van, mentioning that we probably don’t need the extra seat, but just in case, we can take a couple of friends to school or be happy to have some additional trunk space. Instead of badmouthing the van, a good salesperson might suggest a different vehicle.
I think that “approach” is exactly what Winniefred means. I appreciate any helpful advice, but instructions about our family plans or assumptions about the importance of my children feel intrusive to me, regardless of whether “I want something from you.” Besides, there’s often outrage here about the sometimes pretty rude tone, so it’s fair to consider whether that might be somewhat justified.
Thank you for this perspective. Until now, I didn’t think our project was nearly as crazy as it’s being treated here 😀
@xMisterDx
Sorry, but what’s up with all the complaining? No one forced you to help me here. I shared the reasoning behind our plans and asked for tips on how to improve them. Instead, there were mostly lists of what’s supposedly wrong, without any constructive suggestions on how to do it better. And I have to say, the comments about children in Africa struck me as quite disrespectful. You don’t know us, but you can assume that, like any other parents, we want the best for our child and they certainly won’t suffer if they have a total of 20cm (8 inches) of space available, even if it’s divided by a wall. Your car analogy falls short because an extra room can always be put to use somehow. If you want to stick with the car dealer comparison, I’m more the type to go in and ask for a van, mentioning that we probably don’t need the extra seat, but just in case, we can take a couple of friends to school or be happy to have some additional trunk space. Instead of badmouthing the van, a good salesperson might suggest a different vehicle.
I think that “approach” is exactly what Winniefred means. I appreciate any helpful advice, but instructions about our family plans or assumptions about the importance of my children feel intrusive to me, regardless of whether “I want something from you.” Besides, there’s often outrage here about the sometimes pretty rude tone, so it’s fair to consider whether that might be somewhat justified.
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