ᐅ Single-family house, estimated costs, and layout suggestions

May I ask about the maximum height of the occupants?

You already mentioned the height in the upper floor yourself. In the walk-in closet, only very short people can stand upright.

The basement stairs are even worse. After 4 steps, there is already a wall from the office. Four steps cover about 70cm to 80cm (28 to 31.5 inches) of height difference. Subtracting about 20cm (8 inches) for the floor construction, your tallest occupant would be at most 50 to 60cm (20 to 24 inches) tall.

Since the shortest adult in the world is around 60cm (24 inches), I doubt the usability of the basement level.

On the bright side, you could save around 50,000€ on the basement living area and pellet heating system.

By the way, your house doesn't fit on the plot at all.
The authorities would probably stamp "rejected" on the building permit / planning permission application.

With 15.5 m (51 feet), you have to keep a 3 m (10 feet) building setback both at the front and back. That leaves a maximum house size of about 9.5 m (31 feet).
Where I am, for example, you also need at least 5 m (16 feet) of space in front of garages.
I probably don't even need to ask about the floor area ratio.

With 341 m² (3,670 sq ft), most likely only a semi-detached house would be possible.

Dreaming on paper doesn’t cost anything yet. It only gets expensive when you go to the bank and they make you sign. They don’t always check everything there.

@Musketier: Why do you think I’m even considering all this? Quite simply: to estimate costs, space issues, and more. This way, I can first find out whether the whole thing is even feasible for me! Only then can I possibly proceed with an architect, etc. It’s only after that that you approach the house bank or wherever else. It’s pretty bad to get rejected for a loan.

Regarding the walk-in closet: Did anyone say you actually have to change clothes in there? You can simply use it as a large wardrobe or storage system, which makes sense given the lack of space (I’ve even seen this work perfectly in the attic apartment right above me!). And those who can read are clearly at an advantage. I mentioned that I need to raise the wall on the south side a bit since it’s extremely low! Unfortunately, I haven’t fully figured out yet how to do that best with this little program.

Musketier schrieb:

One good thing, of course, is that you can save the 50,000€ on the basement living area and pellet system.

And what should I heat with then? Electricity? Oil (where would the oil tanks go)? Why do you think I want to install a pellet system? --> efficient, easily combinable, reasonably affordable, consumes a long-available raw material (called wood). Ever heard of that? Combined, for example, with a solar system for domestic hot water, photovoltaics for electricity, geothermal heat exchangers. Depending on the overall capacity, that would make you more independent. Sounds desirable, doesn’t it?

As for the plot: Do you maybe see an official site plan? NO! This is a sketch I drew. This could be what a plot with my house might look like. Your 3m and 5m setbacks to the boundary and street are only partially correct. If you look into the building regulations, it already states in §2 that existing development plans (e.g., new development area in our town) are not affected. That means the respective development plan applies! §5 says you can also apply for exceptions at the district office (LRA), which are then processed by the LRA and the city. So this plan would be feasible!

The ~350m² (~3,767 sq ft) is the absolute MINIMUM with a floor area ratio of 0.4 (standard in our area). You can calculate that yourself...

@Schdin: Nice to see someone bringing a comparison. You live between Ulm and Biberach. That’s pretty close to me. Just about 80 km (50 miles)… Which building contractor are you with? Feel free to send me a private message, if that’s possible here.

I’ve sent you a private message. There should be a button at the top where you can access your messages.

From my experience, everyone told us that we would never manage to do it. I have to say, it was the same for my dad back then because he planned his entire salary for the financing, and my mom handled everything else. Even with three children, they managed to pay off the house within 15 years. We have the notary appointment on Monday, and I am confident that it is achievable. Tightening the belt is definitely necessary, but it is doable.

Zeiti schrieb:
@Musketier: Why do you think I’m even worrying about these things? Quite simply: To estimate costs, space issues, and more. That way, I can first find out whether this is even realistically achievable for me! Only then can I possibly continue with an architect, etc. Only after that do you go to the mortgage lender or wherever. It’s really unpleasant to be rejected for a loan.

You’re going about this the wrong way. First, roughly check your finances, then see what scale is possible, find a suitable plot of land, and only then start the floor plan. It should be clear that final financing is not arranged at the beginning.
You got the price for your initial idea of a house from Bauexperte. I don’t understand why you continue planning with 150m² (1,615 sq ft) plus garage and basement. Saving 10,000€ (about $11,000) through personal work might be possible, but Bauexperte quoted you twice what you are planning for.

There are rough price guidelines you can repeatedly find online:
- About 1,500€/m² (approximately $165 per sq ft) of living space
- If you want something other than a gas condensing boiler, I’d budget at least 10,000€ (about $11,000) more for pellets or a heat pump with deep drilling — probably even more
- Basement 30,000–50,000€ (about $33,000–55,000) (a liveable basement like yours is rather at the higher end)
- Exterior landscaping 10,000–15,000€ (about $11,000–17,000)
- Additional construction costs, as Bauexperte has often posted, around 30,000–35,000€ (about $33,000–38,000)
- Garages around 8,000–10,000€ (about $8,800–11,000) each

Our plan looks like this:
Budget about 280,000€ (around $308,000)
Plot 47,000€ (about $52,000) (525m² (5,650 sq ft))
Additional costs 25,000€ (about $28,000) (since some utility connections are already on the plot and the land is completely level)
Solid house 125m² (1,345 sq ft) 164,000€ (about $180,000)
Sample selections 10,000€ (about $11,000)
Floor coverings / wallpaper 8,000€ (about $8,800)
Ground collector 10,000€ (about $11,000)
Exterior landscaping 10,000€ (about $11,000)
Construction supervisor 3,000€ (about $3,300)
However, one must say that prices here are quite low compared to Bavaria.

Zeiti schrieb:
Regarding the dressing room: Did anyone say you actually have to dress in there? You can simply use it as a large closet or storage system, which would be sensible given the lack of space (I’ve seen this work perfectly in the attic apartment directly above me!).

If you call it a dressing room, I assume you want to go inside. If not, and you want to make it just a closet, the bed will be in the way of the door. The planning problem is certainly quite easy to solve by raising the knee wall or by making the upper floor a full story, but that also costs money.
You’d better not even mention the stairs. A functioning staircase is the most important element in a floor plan. If you change that, the entire upstairs and downstairs layout changes.

Zeiti schrieb:
So what should I heat with then? Electricity? Oil (where would the oil tanks be)? Why do you think I want to install a pellet system? --> Efficient, well combinable, reasonably affordable, uses a long-lasting natural resource (wood). Ever heard of that? Combine it with, for example, solar thermal for domestic hot water, photovoltaics for electricity, ground heat exchangers. That way, depending on the total output, you’d be more independent. That’s certainly desirable!

Being environmentally friendly is always desirable. If money were no object, I would also have a deep geothermal borehole and photovoltaics on the roof. Unfortunately, my budget doesn’t allow for that. But again, we’re back to the same point: first check finances, then see what’s possible, then plan. With the finances you mentioned, you will have to make many compromises. Heating is probably one of the first things you’ll need to cut in this form.

Zeiti schrieb:
And as for the plot: Do you perhaps see an official site plan? NO! This is a sketch from me. This could be what a plot with my house looks like. Your 3m and 5m distances to the property line or road only partly apply. According to the building regulations, §2 already states that existing zoning plans (e.g., new development areas in our town) are not affected. That means the zoning plan applies!

Planning a house without an existing or prospective plot of land is pointless. Only then does the room orientation make sense.
Also, only then do you know what remains available from your budget.
By the way, the 3m (about 10 feet) setback is probably difficult to undercut since building codes must comply with state law.
I once read that at least 400m² (about 4,300 sq ft) should be available for a detached house.