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!
H
hanghaus202320 Jan 2023 15:40@ypg When I wrote that, it wasn’t clear whether there is also a basement. 😉
It’s best to take a screenshot from Google Maps and label it. You can redact all the names, etc. What’s important are the adjacent streets, neighboring buildings, and plots of land.
Usually, you contact each utility provider. They all have a department responsible for site development. There, you can usually see plans of all existing connection points near your location.
Building a 60m (197 ft) long road is quite a challenge. There will probably be additional requirements from the fire department. Is the plot actually zoned for building? Is there a development plan or zoning permit / planning permission?
Usually, you contact each utility provider. They all have a department responsible for site development. There, you can usually see plans of all existing connection points near your location.
Building a 60m (197 ft) long road is quite a challenge. There will probably be additional requirements from the fire department. Is the plot actually zoned for building? Is there a development plan or zoning permit / planning permission?
schmeissrein21 Jan 2023 10:45@11ant
Thanks a lot for the link! As for us Vokuhila-Schnuffies (Hello, these are my role models and tough guys :p?!): we are a family with a baby, both in our early 30s, currently with a net income of around 4300€ (about 4600 USD), which will increase after parental leave, although the question of full-time/part-time work still needs to be decided.
Here is the questionnaire:
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1800m² (about 0.44 acres)
Slope: no
No zoning plan available
Homeowners’ requirements
Style: regional typical Northern German architecture, e.g., Frisian house or captain’s house; gable roof house only with some imagination
No basement, two floors
3 people: 2x 32 years old, 1 baby
Space requirement on ground and upper floors: about 60-70m² (about 645-750 sq ft)
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: 10
Open or closed architecture: open to all options
Traditional or modern style: open to all options
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 8 (excluding additional kitchen seating)
Wood stove optional
No music or stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: possibly carport later, parking space is sufficient for now
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
The ground floor should be at least temporarily usable independently in case of old age, broken leg, disability, etc., so it needs a shower and an extra room downstairs
House design
Designed by: general contractor modified / do it yourself. No price estimate yet. What we like: laundry/utility room accessible from garden/parking area, so groceries can be easily distributed to laundry room/kitchen. The staircase in the living room feels cozy but might be a noise issue? We think
What we don’t like: guest toilet “welcomes” you as soon as you enter. Overall floor plan seems too large and therefore expensive.
Heating system: heat pump.
Would like walk-in shower upstairs. Also want skylight windows in sloping roof areas, but these are details…
If you have to give up something, which features/add-ons
- Could give up: basement, walk-in closet, guest room in emergencies
- Cannot give up:
Why is the design like it is now? For example,
Good gut feeling and a lot of back and forth…
What is the main / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Where could we still save costs to keep the total development budget below 550k?
@ypg and @hanghaus2023
Floor plan attached. For the reasons you mentioned, ypg, we mostly stuck to the design of a general contractor and only made adjustments. The calculated room sizes shouldn’t be taken literally because the quick sketch platform doesn’t account for sloped ceilings. I’m not an expert drawer, but I think you get the idea and a professional would check it for feasibility. Windows and doors are roughly marked for now.
@K a t j a
I already have site plans from the utilities, but they cannot be shared with third parties. I will try to create a sketch myself and then upload it.
Thanks a lot for the link! As for us Vokuhila-Schnuffies (Hello, these are my role models and tough guys :p?!): we are a family with a baby, both in our early 30s, currently with a net income of around 4300€ (about 4600 USD), which will increase after parental leave, although the question of full-time/part-time work still needs to be decided.
Here is the questionnaire:
Zoning plan / Restrictions
Plot size: 1800m² (about 0.44 acres)
Slope: no
No zoning plan available
Homeowners’ requirements
Style: regional typical Northern German architecture, e.g., Frisian house or captain’s house; gable roof house only with some imagination
No basement, two floors
3 people: 2x 32 years old, 1 baby
Space requirement on ground and upper floors: about 60-70m² (about 645-750 sq ft)
Office: home office
Overnight guests per year: 10
Open or closed architecture: open to all options
Traditional or modern style: open to all options
Open kitchen
Number of dining seats: 8 (excluding additional kitchen seating)
Wood stove optional
No music or stereo wall
Balcony, roof terrace: not necessary
Garage, carport: possibly carport later, parking space is sufficient for now
Utility garden, greenhouse: no
The ground floor should be at least temporarily usable independently in case of old age, broken leg, disability, etc., so it needs a shower and an extra room downstairs
House design
Designed by: general contractor modified / do it yourself. No price estimate yet. What we like: laundry/utility room accessible from garden/parking area, so groceries can be easily distributed to laundry room/kitchen. The staircase in the living room feels cozy but might be a noise issue? We think
What we don’t like: guest toilet “welcomes” you as soon as you enter. Overall floor plan seems too large and therefore expensive.
Heating system: heat pump.
Would like walk-in shower upstairs. Also want skylight windows in sloping roof areas, but these are details…
If you have to give up something, which features/add-ons
- Could give up: basement, walk-in closet, guest room in emergencies
- Cannot give up:
Why is the design like it is now? For example,
Good gut feeling and a lot of back and forth…
What is the main / fundamental question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Where could we still save costs to keep the total development budget below 550k?
@ypg and @hanghaus2023
Floor plan attached. For the reasons you mentioned, ypg, we mostly stuck to the design of a general contractor and only made adjustments. The calculated room sizes shouldn’t be taken literally because the quick sketch platform doesn’t account for sloped ceilings. I’m not an expert drawer, but I think you get the idea and a professional would check it for feasibility. Windows and doors are roughly marked for now.
@K a t j a
I already have site plans from the utilities, but they cannot be shared with third parties. I will try to create a sketch myself and then upload it.
H
hanghaus202321 Jan 2023 10:55Your floor plans are quite unusual. A staircase in the middle of the open-plan living area that ends in the open space above?
And a kitchen with seating doesn’t fit there either.
The dining table would be cramped.
The sofa would be tight, especially with the fireplace.
Master bedroom... depending on the roof slope, the left side of the bed can only be accessed by bending down, overall the space for the bed is very narrow.
Overall, the floor plan wastes a lot of space on hallways, yet there is no proper cloakroom area on the ground floor.
A site plan with a north arrow and the fitted floor plan would be very useful.
The dining table would be cramped.
The sofa would be tight, especially with the fireplace.
Master bedroom... depending on the roof slope, the left side of the bed can only be accessed by bending down, overall the space for the bed is very narrow.
Overall, the floor plan wastes a lot of space on hallways, yet there is no proper cloakroom area on the ground floor.
A site plan with a north arrow and the fitted floor plan would be very useful.
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