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?
face26 schrieb:
That is hard to use. That’s always the problem with floor plans that have a straight staircase. A straight staircase is unfortunately fixed. We have already tried all other types of stairs. However, then we can’t fit the required rooms within the given external dimensions (limited by the budget).
face26 schrieb:
If it were my house, I would try to position the panoramic fireplace on the lower outer wall according to the plan. It would then act as a divider between the living area and the kitchen/dining area. We had that at the very beginning. It doesn’t work with this floor plan. It looks very unsettling and destroys the original idea of spaciousness.
face26 schrieb:
Then you would have to arrange the furniture and the windows or patio door differently. At the moment, you mostly see the fireplace from the side or almost from behind when sitting on the sofa. That would be suboptimal for me. That really won’t work. See the sketch of the site plan in #89. The patio doors should actually be positioned in front of the terraces or the garden.
DaSch17 schrieb:
We had that at the very beginning. It doesn’t work with this floor plan. It feels very chaotic and ruins the overall idea of spaciousness.
That really won’t work. See the sketch of the site plan in #89. The patio doors should be located in front of the terraces or the garden.What do you consider spacious?
At the moment, I see a living room that effectively has a depth of 3.8m (12.5 ft) by 2.8m (9 ft). I wouldn’t call that spacious.
If you consider unused open space as spacious, then you can do it that way. But if I were to enter your "open plan" area, I would wonder why the living room is so cramped into the corner when there is so much free space here. A floor lamp won’t solve the problem.
Edit: I just looked at your plot. I don’t understand why you’re arranging it this way. If I were you, I would mirror the living area and kitchen/dining space.
You’ll be walking back and forth from the kitchen to the terrace unnecessarily. By the way, you won’t get any evening sun in the living room since the sun sets in the northwest during summer.
face26 schrieb:
What do you consider spacious?
At the moment, I see a living room that effectively measures 3.8m (12.5 ft) deep by 2.8m (9.2 ft) wide. I wouldn’t call that spacious.
If you consider unused open space as spacious, then that’s your choice. But if I walked into your “all-purpose room,” I would wonder why the living area is squeezed into a corner when there’s so much free space elsewhere. A floor lamp won’t solve that issue.
Edit: I just looked at your plot. I don’t understand why you arranged it like that.
If I were you, I would mirror the living area and the kitchen/dining space.
You’ll be walking back and forth a lot between the kitchen and the terrace. By the way, the living room doesn’t get the evening sun because in summer the sun sets in the northwest. Great that you’re so critical! To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it that way before!
Your suggestions, combined with the floor plan and the picture from @Alessandro, have given me a completely new idea. I’ll try to sketch it out this evening and then post it again.
Thank you!
Alessandro schrieb:
The stove was recessed about 3cm (1.2 inches) towards the living room here to prevent cracks caused by the expansion of the two different materials.Otherwise, a recess as a shadow gap would also be recommended.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A
Alessandro30 Jul 2020 16:09DaSch17 schrieb:
I also have a question about the gallery: Do you have children? How is the sound transmission through the gallery into the bedrooms? Does it bother you if someone is sitting downstairs, for example, watching TV while another person is sleeping upstairs, or if you have guests and the kids are sleeping upstairs?
We currently have a 3-year-old son, and a second child is expected soon. Of course, there is a lot of sound transmission between upstairs and downstairs. That’s why we chose special doors with specific seals. When these doors are closed, you can no longer hear anything from downstairs.
During the pandemic, I often trained in the bedroom with the music turned up loud. It was hardly audible downstairs.
Of course, there are pros and cons, and it’s not for everyone. For us, however, this small gallery creates a wonderful living atmosphere. Just the natural light in the morning is amazing.
So, I took another look at it.
Based on your suggestions, I swapped the living room and kitchen and included the staircase (position as in #115). However, the fireplace no longer works with this layout, and the living room still feels cramped. My wife didn’t like this at all and definitely does not want to change the position of the kitchen and living room. No matter how you look at it, given the conditions (which are also specified for the upper floor), this is currently the best design for the ground floor.
Personally, I don’t think the living room looks cramped (it’s still 3.80m (12.5 feet) wide), and the hallway leading to the living area doesn’t feel narrow. Maybe it just looks that way because of the awkward furniture... Unfortunately, the program only offers these furniture patterns.
The living room is intentionally planned in the corner to separate it from the rest and make it cozy... Maybe it just comes down to personal taste.
Also, I don’t think there’s so much wasted space. The planned chaise lounge uses the left third well, a large plant or Christmas tree will go into the right third during the holidays, and the fireplace extends into the middle third.
Regarding the evening sun in the living room: I wouldn’t have that either if I placed the living room on the other side. Currently, we get full evening sun in the living room, which personally annoys me so much that the shutters are always down in the evenings.
Based on your suggestions, I swapped the living room and kitchen and included the staircase (position as in #115). However, the fireplace no longer works with this layout, and the living room still feels cramped. My wife didn’t like this at all and definitely does not want to change the position of the kitchen and living room. No matter how you look at it, given the conditions (which are also specified for the upper floor), this is currently the best design for the ground floor.
Personally, I don’t think the living room looks cramped (it’s still 3.80m (12.5 feet) wide), and the hallway leading to the living area doesn’t feel narrow. Maybe it just looks that way because of the awkward furniture... Unfortunately, the program only offers these furniture patterns.
The living room is intentionally planned in the corner to separate it from the rest and make it cozy... Maybe it just comes down to personal taste.
Also, I don’t think there’s so much wasted space. The planned chaise lounge uses the left third well, a large plant or Christmas tree will go into the right third during the holidays, and the fireplace extends into the middle third.
Regarding the evening sun in the living room: I wouldn’t have that either if I placed the living room on the other side. Currently, we get full evening sun in the living room, which personally annoys me so much that the shutters are always down in the evenings.
Similar topics