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?
kaho67426 May 2020 09:23
DaSch17 schrieb:

Currently, more than 10 million people in Germany are on short-time work. Some will become unemployed after this phase. Others will reconsider making such a large investment three times over.

Well, who can predict the future? I’m rather skeptical that the situation will ease. I would actually welcome it—we still want to add a few decorative touches to the house and would be happy about that. But so far, demand has actually increased here at least. It’s not only that demand is declining, but also the supply. Customers tend to forget that.

The main reason for my skepticism is the large amounts of money being printed and handed out right now. You can’t print real estate, and its value tends to be quite stable. So where should all that money go? ...
E
Einradbrot
27 May 2020 23:22
Our house. Similar to the bungalow model 131 by Town & Country, which can be found on YouTube, but significantly expanded to 16.2 x 10.4 m (53.1 x 34.1 ft) with 168 m² (1,808 sq ft) per floor and 336 m² (3,616 sq ft) in total. Solid construction using 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) aerated concrete blocks, bathroom and shower room fully equipped with an oversized bathtub included, heat pump and underfloor heating throughout, floor-to-ceiling windows with manual roller shutters, later retrofitted with electric belt drives from Rademacher. 35-degree studio truss with 4 large brand-name Velux windows, all doors with triple glazing, some sliding doors, etc. Delivered at a fixed price from the largest solid house builder in Germany for €231,000. I would never pay the extortionate prices of prefab house manufacturers. Their lower-quality houses start at €300,000. Normal prices for these are €120,000–150,000.
S
saralina87
28 May 2020 07:31
Poor quality... Hmm.
face2628 May 2020 07:39
...do we have a new forum troll?
kaho67428 May 2020 08:14
Einradbrot schrieb:

336m2 (3616 sq ft) total. Solid construction ... for 231,000€.
That comes to 687.50€ (about $740) per m² (about $69 per sq ft).
M
Muc1985
28 May 2020 08:21
700 sqm (7,535 sq ft) is definitely doable, @kaho674