ᐅ Single-Family Home – New Construction Project from Day One – And the Planning Begins

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.

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What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?