ᐅ Single-Family Home – New Construction Project from Day One – And the Planning Begins
Created on: 7 Feb 2020 22:54
D
DaSch17
Hello dear community,
For the past few weeks, I have been following this forum and have already gathered some valuable tips for our own planning.
I would like to use this thread to keep you updated from the very first day of planning until moving in. I hope to receive some valuable advice from the community and that this thread can also serve as a guide for other first-time homebuilders.
Now, a bit about our building project:
As mentioned, we are still quite early in the process...
It all started, as it probably does for most, with requesting a catalog from a prefabricated house company. In our case, it was FingerHaus around mid-December.
This was followed by a phone call with a sales representative from the mentioned company and arranging a first consultation. This appointment is scheduled for Sunday, 09.02.2020.
Since then, we have been intensively working on budget planning, possible floor plans and building plots, as well as ideal typical living space layouts.
So far, we have not purchased a plot yet. However, we are in contact with a municipality that is currently planning an expansion of a new residential area. Fortunately, this allowed us to help decide the size, location, and shape of our future plot. Our desired plot is reserved for us.
Key details of our planned single-family home:
– Location: Southwestphalia, Siegen-Wittgenstein district
– Living area: 179 sqm (1,925 sq ft)
– Concrete slab foundation
– Gable roof
– 1.5 stories with gable roof
– Single garage with extended length for tools/storage room
Our budget:
– Plot including property transfer tax: 70,000 EUR
– Construction costs: 470,000 EUR
– Additional construction costs including earthworks: 70,000 EUR
Our schedule:
– By May 2021: Selection of the construction company
– By July 2021: Contract signing, building permit / planning permission application
– By July 2023: Completion of construction work
– By October 2023: Completion of owner-performed work (painting and flooring) and move-in
We understand that the start of construction depends on the delivery time of the prefab house company, which can vary between 6 and 24 months.
We have now selected 8 different companies with whom we want to conduct initial meetings:
– FingerHaus
– Hanse Haus
– SchwörerHaus
– Bien-Zenker
– Schäfer Haus (contact via family)
– Büdenbender Haus
– WeberHaus
– a local developer
After these initial talks, we want to proceed with more detailed discussions with 4 of these providers.
–––––––––––––––––––
What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?
For the past few weeks, I have been following this forum and have already gathered some valuable tips for our own planning.
I would like to use this thread to keep you updated from the very first day of planning until moving in. I hope to receive some valuable advice from the community and that this thread can also serve as a guide for other first-time homebuilders.
Now, a bit about our building project:
As mentioned, we are still quite early in the process...
It all started, as it probably does for most, with requesting a catalog from a prefabricated house company. In our case, it was FingerHaus around mid-December.
This was followed by a phone call with a sales representative from the mentioned company and arranging a first consultation. This appointment is scheduled for Sunday, 09.02.2020.
Since then, we have been intensively working on budget planning, possible floor plans and building plots, as well as ideal typical living space layouts.
So far, we have not purchased a plot yet. However, we are in contact with a municipality that is currently planning an expansion of a new residential area. Fortunately, this allowed us to help decide the size, location, and shape of our future plot. Our desired plot is reserved for us.
Key details of our planned single-family home:
– Location: Southwestphalia, Siegen-Wittgenstein district
– Living area: 179 sqm (1,925 sq ft)
– Concrete slab foundation
– Gable roof
– 1.5 stories with gable roof
– Single garage with extended length for tools/storage room
Our budget:
– Plot including property transfer tax: 70,000 EUR
– Construction costs: 470,000 EUR
– Additional construction costs including earthworks: 70,000 EUR
Our schedule:
– By May 2021: Selection of the construction company
– By July 2021: Contract signing, building permit / planning permission application
– By July 2023: Completion of construction work
– By October 2023: Completion of owner-performed work (painting and flooring) and move-in
We understand that the start of construction depends on the delivery time of the prefab house company, which can vary between 6 and 24 months.
We have now selected 8 different companies with whom we want to conduct initial meetings:
– FingerHaus
– Hanse Haus
– SchwörerHaus
– Bien-Zenker
– Schäfer Haus (contact via family)
– Büdenbender Haus
– WeberHaus
– a local developer
After these initial talks, we want to proceed with more detailed discussions with 4 of these providers.
–––––––––––––––––––
What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?
DaSch17 schrieb:
Attached is the revised ground floor plan.Not just revised, but ready for vacation, I would say: The second car is parked only on the driver's side up to about the windshield under the carport corner of the garage building? ? ?https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Not just worn out, but ready for a holiday, I would say: the second car is parked only with the driver's side under the carport corner of the garage building, up to about the windshield ? ? ?I think it's quite good. The furniture in the living room seems a bit small to me. The entrance area feels too tight. The upper floor should work.
The garage concept seems nonsense to me. I see no reason not to attach it to the house and make it bigger. The passage is pointless and only creates a wind tunnel effect.
Hello everyone,
With this post, I would like to keep you updated...
We have now had initial meetings with a total of nine companies. In addition to the major prefab house suppliers (Fingerhaus, Schwörerhaus, Bien-Zenker, Hanse), there are also two regional mid-sized prefab house providers (Büdenbender Haus and Zimmermann Haus), a small regional company (Quasthaus), and two regional architectural firms (solid construction) involved. On April 3rd, we will continue with Büdenbender Haus. We haven’t heard anything from FingerHaus since our initial meeting in early February...
In the meantime, we also had a meeting with our house bank regarding budget setting. The bank approved our total budget amounting to €610,000 (of which €65,000 is for the plot) and has already made a first indication offer for the bank loan portion. They offered us 10 years at a current rate of 0.99% p.a. (standard conditions with a loan-to-value ratio under 120%).
Regardless of the non-binding confirmation from the bank, my wife and I have decided that we will
a) either build according to the following plan with a construction budget (including ancillary costs) of €545,000 or
b) build a classic (and smaller) catalog prefab house in an upscale version for €150,000 less (= €395,000).
In our view, price and quality simply have to match. So now we are really curious to see what the first meetings starting in April will bring...
We have meanwhile moved away from a knee wall height of 215 cm (85 inches) and two full floors, mainly for aesthetic reasons (we think this just does not create a nice exterior appearance). Instead, we are currently leaning more towards a knee wall height of 140-160 cm (55-63 inches) and 1.5 floors, which should also significantly reduce the construction costs. The pitch of the gable roof will likely increase accordingly, which will provide us with valuable storage space in the attic.
A solar photovoltaic system has been added to our list of special equipment requests.
Your many good ideas have motivated us to revise the floor plan design once again.
For better understanding, here is the planned location of the single-family house on the plot:
Ground floor plan:
First floor plan:
What we don’t like about the first floor plan is that the children’s rooms are not facing the garden side and the children also look out of their (floor-to-ceiling) windows onto the garage. Due to the location of the staircase, unfortunately, it is not possible otherwise—unless anyone of you has an idea?
The long sides serving as roof sides have no windows. We would like to equip every room on those sides with a roof window. There are also current considerations (mainly for aesthetic reasons) to install a dormer on each roof side at the height of the hallway.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions, praise, and criticism!
With this post, I would like to keep you updated...
We have now had initial meetings with a total of nine companies. In addition to the major prefab house suppliers (Fingerhaus, Schwörerhaus, Bien-Zenker, Hanse), there are also two regional mid-sized prefab house providers (Büdenbender Haus and Zimmermann Haus), a small regional company (Quasthaus), and two regional architectural firms (solid construction) involved. On April 3rd, we will continue with Büdenbender Haus. We haven’t heard anything from FingerHaus since our initial meeting in early February...
In the meantime, we also had a meeting with our house bank regarding budget setting. The bank approved our total budget amounting to €610,000 (of which €65,000 is for the plot) and has already made a first indication offer for the bank loan portion. They offered us 10 years at a current rate of 0.99% p.a. (standard conditions with a loan-to-value ratio under 120%).
Regardless of the non-binding confirmation from the bank, my wife and I have decided that we will
a) either build according to the following plan with a construction budget (including ancillary costs) of €545,000 or
b) build a classic (and smaller) catalog prefab house in an upscale version for €150,000 less (= €395,000).
In our view, price and quality simply have to match. So now we are really curious to see what the first meetings starting in April will bring...
We have meanwhile moved away from a knee wall height of 215 cm (85 inches) and two full floors, mainly for aesthetic reasons (we think this just does not create a nice exterior appearance). Instead, we are currently leaning more towards a knee wall height of 140-160 cm (55-63 inches) and 1.5 floors, which should also significantly reduce the construction costs. The pitch of the gable roof will likely increase accordingly, which will provide us with valuable storage space in the attic.
A solar photovoltaic system has been added to our list of special equipment requests.
Your many good ideas have motivated us to revise the floor plan design once again.
For better understanding, here is the planned location of the single-family house on the plot:
Ground floor plan:
First floor plan:
What we don’t like about the first floor plan is that the children’s rooms are not facing the garden side and the children also look out of their (floor-to-ceiling) windows onto the garage. Due to the location of the staircase, unfortunately, it is not possible otherwise—unless anyone of you has an idea?
The long sides serving as roof sides have no windows. We would like to equip every room on those sides with a roof window. There are also current considerations (mainly for aesthetic reasons) to install a dormer on each roof side at the height of the hallway.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions, praise, and criticism!
hausnrplus257 Mar 2020 00:09I find the layout on the plot much better now.
Green the garage for the children?!
Mirror the upper floor including the staircase?!
Dormers from an aesthetic point of view on the outside – that’s possible, but in the hallway, given the costs, you won’t gain any meaningful additional space. That would be much more relevant for the children’s rooms or bathrooms. Also, take a look at this with a knee wall height of 140–160cm (55–63 inches). Maybe a cross gable would be a better option?
Roof windows in bedrooms or children’s rooms provide wonderful natural light (if sized appropriately), but also come with a certain level of noise.
Green the garage for the children?!
Mirror the upper floor including the staircase?!
Dormers from an aesthetic point of view on the outside – that’s possible, but in the hallway, given the costs, you won’t gain any meaningful additional space. That would be much more relevant for the children’s rooms or bathrooms. Also, take a look at this with a knee wall height of 140–160cm (55–63 inches). Maybe a cross gable would be a better option?
Roof windows in bedrooms or children’s rooms provide wonderful natural light (if sized appropriately), but also come with a certain level of noise.
On the topic of "bigger is always better":
Please discuss with the necessary project data in the floor plan thread.
DaSch17 schrieb:
In the meantime, we have used the time to optimize the floor plan a bit more.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the following ground floor plan including a single garage...
Please discuss with the necessary project data in the floor plan thread.