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Michael198431 Jan 2015 21:57Hello everyone,
We have been gathering ideas for our future home for some time now but are starting to go in circles with our thoughts, so I would like to open the topic for discussion here:
We already own a plot of land. The plan is to build a detached single-family house of decent quality (so no cheap materials but also no luxury). We do not value bay windows, dormers, a conservatory, balconies, or other “extras.”
Our budget is around 250,000 EUR, which we do not want to go into debt for (and won’t).
Our original idea was this: 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) with a basement, 6 rooms (living room, bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, 2 home offices), and a garage. However, this doesn’t seem feasible within our budget—except if using low quality materials. So we considered where we could save and rethought our requirements more carefully. We realized that 6 rooms are rather the maximum we might ever need. We don’t have children yet, maybe there will be only one. Later on, perhaps only one office room will be necessary. So maybe 4 rooms would be enough for us. And if 6 rooms are needed, it would be earliest in about 8–10 years, when any children by then have reached a certain age.
That is why we came up with this idea: to build a house with 4 rooms and about 120 sqm (1,292 sq ft), but plan a future extension at the same time that could be built in a few years with savings accumulated by then. Our idea is to lay heating pipes, electrical cables, etc., up to just before the relevant wall and to have full-height windows in places where the future doors to the new rooms would be. Then, a few years later, when the need is clear, either one room with a balcony on top or two rooms stacked could be added.
Currently, we are also considering leaving out the basement and instead adding more space upstairs for a hobby room as well as a heating and storage room. That means our current plan is a house again with about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft), but without a basement, with a pre-planned extension, plus a garage. From what I have read here so far, this should be possible within 250,000 EUR.
What do you think about this idea? We like it more than adding a developable second floor later. Do you see any major disadvantages?
Thanks in advance for your replies and best regards,
Michael
We have been gathering ideas for our future home for some time now but are starting to go in circles with our thoughts, so I would like to open the topic for discussion here:
We already own a plot of land. The plan is to build a detached single-family house of decent quality (so no cheap materials but also no luxury). We do not value bay windows, dormers, a conservatory, balconies, or other “extras.”
Our budget is around 250,000 EUR, which we do not want to go into debt for (and won’t).
Our original idea was this: 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) with a basement, 6 rooms (living room, bedroom, 2 children’s rooms, 2 home offices), and a garage. However, this doesn’t seem feasible within our budget—except if using low quality materials. So we considered where we could save and rethought our requirements more carefully. We realized that 6 rooms are rather the maximum we might ever need. We don’t have children yet, maybe there will be only one. Later on, perhaps only one office room will be necessary. So maybe 4 rooms would be enough for us. And if 6 rooms are needed, it would be earliest in about 8–10 years, when any children by then have reached a certain age.
That is why we came up with this idea: to build a house with 4 rooms and about 120 sqm (1,292 sq ft), but plan a future extension at the same time that could be built in a few years with savings accumulated by then. Our idea is to lay heating pipes, electrical cables, etc., up to just before the relevant wall and to have full-height windows in places where the future doors to the new rooms would be. Then, a few years later, when the need is clear, either one room with a balcony on top or two rooms stacked could be added.
Currently, we are also considering leaving out the basement and instead adding more space upstairs for a hobby room as well as a heating and storage room. That means our current plan is a house again with about 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft), but without a basement, with a pre-planned extension, plus a garage. From what I have read here so far, this should be possible within 250,000 EUR.
What do you think about this idea? We like it more than adding a developable second floor later. Do you see any major disadvantages?
Thanks in advance for your replies and best regards,
Michael
Including additional costs, even 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) can become challenging – depending on the circumstances, of course. You should carefully consider incorporating an extension into your planning now – the catalog home builder probably won’t manage that (they often already struggle when the staircase needs just one extra step).
Why don’t you take out a “small” loan? That is certainly more affordable and less stressful than adding an extension in a second phase...
Why don’t you take out a “small” loan? That is certainly more affordable and less stressful than adding an extension in a second phase...
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