ᐅ Single-family home of 170-180 sqm – which home builders do you recommend?
Created on: 30 Jun 2025 17:24
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gtown1994
Hello everyone,
We (31m, 30f) are currently planning to build a single-family house in Hesse with about 175-185 sqm (3 (children’s) bedrooms + office planned, on a slab foundation). We will soon visit an architect to have a floor plan drawn up, which we will use to request quotes from home builders.
At the moment, we prefer a prefabricated house, where part of the trades (mainly flooring, painting, and plumbing installation) will be subcontracted to local craftsmen.
Current net monthly income:
M: ~4000€ net
F: ~4000€ net
We have one child so far; parental leave is planned for one year only, after which both will return to full-time work (family lives nearby).
The plot will be fully financed from our own equity (about 200,000€ all in). Additional equity amounting to about 60,000€ is invested in stocks/ETFs and will not be touched initially.
Our budget for the pure house price without additional costs, landscaping, land, etc., is approximately 550,000-600,000€ with a monthly payment of about 3000€.
Two couples we know have built with Büdenbender and Keitel-Haus, so we definitely want to check those out. Are there any other recommendations within our desired budget?
Best regards,
Dennis
We (31m, 30f) are currently planning to build a single-family house in Hesse with about 175-185 sqm (3 (children’s) bedrooms + office planned, on a slab foundation). We will soon visit an architect to have a floor plan drawn up, which we will use to request quotes from home builders.
At the moment, we prefer a prefabricated house, where part of the trades (mainly flooring, painting, and plumbing installation) will be subcontracted to local craftsmen.
Current net monthly income:
M: ~4000€ net
F: ~4000€ net
We have one child so far; parental leave is planned for one year only, after which both will return to full-time work (family lives nearby).
The plot will be fully financed from our own equity (about 200,000€ all in). Additional equity amounting to about 60,000€ is invested in stocks/ETFs and will not be touched initially.
Our budget for the pure house price without additional costs, landscaping, land, etc., is approximately 550,000-600,000€ with a monthly payment of about 3000€.
Two couples we know have built with Büdenbender and Keitel-Haus, so we definitely want to check those out. Are there any other recommendations within our desired budget?
Best regards,
Dennis
gtown1994 schrieb:
We selected an architect through the website of a prefabricated house expert. We are currently in the design planning phase, and so far we are very satisfied with the process and communication.
We plan to submit the design for quotes to Keitel-Haus, Isowood, and two local prefabricated house companies recommended by the architect. As far as I know, there is an architect who also represents Isowood. @roteweste planned with Ms. Forster and is satisfied (I wasn’t convinced by their performance – and even less so by the likely architect you will work with). Friendly "chemistry," yes – but that’s only half the battle. I currently have a project underway designed by someone from this group. Afterwards, Yvonne significantly revised it, so the clients only had to make minor modifications before it was ready for a final decision.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
HuppelHuppel14 Aug 2025 08:39Gänseblümchen7 schrieb:
Could you share an update on your current situation? We have similar conditions and initially approached it the other way around – we had some production house models suggested and then adapted them. By now, I’m wondering if it might be better to start with an architect first…We received a design from our architect, which we will use to "confront" the home builders we are considering. They will then submit a quote, and we will see how to proceed from there.
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wiltshire14 Aug 2025 10:5511ant schrieb:
If wishes are not to turn into defects, those carrying them out should be familiar with them. I see it differently. Of course, there is a potentially higher risk when wishes lead to something being done "for the first time." In risk assessment, I place the highest priority on the attitude of the contractor toward their profession, trade, employees, and clients, as well as the identification they have with the results of their work. If that is in place, things usually turn out well, even if problems arise along the way. Sometimes even especially well, because the challenge can inspire ambition and drive. We have experienced this several times.
The ultimate way to fail when implementing special requests is to chase the cheapest offer.
The more unusual a special request is, the less the cost of high quality fits into the common perception of a price-performance ratio.
wiltshire schrieb:
the attitude that the contractor has toward their profession, trade, colleagues, and clients, as well as the identification they feel with the results of their work. Now … let me put it this way: "Your" S&K has not yet established itself as the benchmark in the scene of general contractors (GCs) or even just carpentry companies.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
HuppelHuppel schrieb:
We received a design from our architect, which we use to "challenge" the home builders we are considering. They can then submit an offer, and we'll take it from there. Do you also approach it the way I do, with two parallel questions: Question 1 about the realization of the requested custom design, and Question 2 about the alternative of the closest possible proven standard design—regardless of whether it is called a model home, catalog home, or promotional home?
Also make sure to list a garage separately (since it is usually outsourced rather than built in-house), and above all: include the basement or slab (at least the site supervision and responsibility for the outcome) within the contractor’s scope of work in the house building contract!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
W
wiltshire14 Aug 2025 15:0111ant schrieb:
Well ... let me put it this way: "Your" S&K has not yet established itself as the benchmark among general contractors (GCs) or even carpentry companies.Of course not, and that is not the expectation for a regional provider. Based on my professional experience, I have worked directly with approximately 75 carpentry companies in Germany and Austria. Some of them have a corresponding attitude toward their craft and take pride in the quality of their work.
You can trust that I have developed a deep understanding of construction trades companies of all types, both from a business perspective and in terms of management challenges, through six years of professional experience between 2010 and 2016. This experience was, of course, very valuable during our building project in 2018/19.
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