Hello everyone,
My wife and I urgently need to consider a new place to live due to a child on the way. Since rental apartments with enough rooms are scarce and we are not flexible about moving to another location, we are thinking about a plot of land that is still owned by the family.
I will be submitting a building inquiry soon.
What is important to us:
- It is intended to be a temporary residence, maybe about 10 years.
- There must be 4 "rooms" (2 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, 1 office) plus the usual spaces needed (building services/utility areas, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, etc.)
- It should be built as cheaply as possible since the plot is already expensive (850 sqm (9,150 sqft), 350 €/sqm)
- The house should be around 120 sqm (e.g., Danwood Family 119 with basement or Danwood Family 134 with or without basement).
Now to the specific questions:
With a slope of 4-5 degrees (about 60 centimeters (24 inches) slope from right to left over 8.5 meters (28 feet)), would a basement or a slab-on-grade foundation be more appropriate?
Are there similarly affordable suppliers like Danwood?
I have estimated the Family 119 at €130,000 and the Family 134 at €139,000. Both include underfloor heating.
Massa visited us, but their shell house is already more expensive than the Danwood turnkey house (even when factoring in wallpaper, interior doors, laminate flooring, etc.). Not to mention the additional work involved.
Scanhaus Marlow turned out to be too expensive.
One last question:
Because the plot will be inherited by future heirs, I want to have it appraised legally, especially considering local specifics (plot too large for standard land value, back of the property borders the A3 motorway, neighboring plot has refugee accommodations). Two publicly appointed and sworn experts both estimated around €2,000 for the appraisal fee. Is this a realistic cost?
Thank you very much for your suggestions.
(Attached is a sketch of the house and garage on the plot)
My wife and I urgently need to consider a new place to live due to a child on the way. Since rental apartments with enough rooms are scarce and we are not flexible about moving to another location, we are thinking about a plot of land that is still owned by the family.
I will be submitting a building inquiry soon.
What is important to us:
- It is intended to be a temporary residence, maybe about 10 years.
- There must be 4 "rooms" (2 children’s bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, 1 office) plus the usual spaces needed (building services/utility areas, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, etc.)
- It should be built as cheaply as possible since the plot is already expensive (850 sqm (9,150 sqft), 350 €/sqm)
- The house should be around 120 sqm (e.g., Danwood Family 119 with basement or Danwood Family 134 with or without basement).
Now to the specific questions:
With a slope of 4-5 degrees (about 60 centimeters (24 inches) slope from right to left over 8.5 meters (28 feet)), would a basement or a slab-on-grade foundation be more appropriate?
Are there similarly affordable suppliers like Danwood?
I have estimated the Family 119 at €130,000 and the Family 134 at €139,000. Both include underfloor heating.
Massa visited us, but their shell house is already more expensive than the Danwood turnkey house (even when factoring in wallpaper, interior doors, laminate flooring, etc.). Not to mention the additional work involved.
Scanhaus Marlow turned out to be too expensive.
One last question:
Because the plot will be inherited by future heirs, I want to have it appraised legally, especially considering local specifics (plot too large for standard land value, back of the property borders the A3 motorway, neighboring plot has refugee accommodations). Two publicly appointed and sworn experts both estimated around €2,000 for the appraisal fee. Is this a realistic cost?
Thank you very much for your suggestions.
(Attached is a sketch of the house and garage on the plot)
querys_ schrieb:
Are there similarly affordable providers to Danwood?
I have estimated the Family 119 at 130,000 Euro.
The Family 134 is at 139,000 Euro. Both include underfloor heating.... without the foundation slab... with EL.
querys_ schrieb:
With the slope of 4-5 degrees (over 8.5m it is about 60 centimeters (24 inches) from right to left slope), is a basement or a slab-on-grade more worthwhile?No.
querys_ schrieb:
Scanhaus Marlow Unfortunately, Marlow is too expensive.... but it comes with a foundation slab and is modifiable, Danwood Family is not, otherwise choose Danwood.
Nordlys schrieb:
Danwood is a bit deceptive, since as far as I know the foundation slab is missing.No, everywhere it states: without foundation slab. That is not deceptive but transparent. Danwood is one of the few who publishes their construction service description online (quality of this aside).
I would say: with so much passion to read in your posts, my advice is to stay away from building a house/purchasing land or to reconsider your basic attitude towards living, life, and family. There is nothing positive at all in your approach, rather the opposite. You do not have to respond to this. I just wanted to remind you what you don’t want in life.
H
hampshire21 Apr 2019 08:02From an economic perspective, the expected resale value is important when planning to use the property for around 10 years.
A driveway running through the entire lot can reduce resale value. Choosing a very cheap builder can also have a negative impact. Build (if at all) a commonly sought-after, well-optimized standard rather than the cheapest option, as long as your liquidity allows it.
The price trend in the area is upwards.
A few kilometers (miles) east, towards rural areas, prices drop quickly and interesting properties can be found. Of course, I don’t know the reason for your local restriction.
A basement adds to the cost.
By the way, there are affordable offers in your postal code area, including from prefabricated house suppliers with land. So you don’t necessarily have to build from scratch.
A driveway running through the entire lot can reduce resale value. Choosing a very cheap builder can also have a negative impact. Build (if at all) a commonly sought-after, well-optimized standard rather than the cheapest option, as long as your liquidity allows it.
The price trend in the area is upwards.
A few kilometers (miles) east, towards rural areas, prices drop quickly and interesting properties can be found. Of course, I don’t know the reason for your local restriction.
A basement adds to the cost.
By the way, there are affordable offers in your postal code area, including from prefabricated house suppliers with land. So you don’t necessarily have to build from scratch.
Good morning and happy Easter!
Sorry if my enthusiasm doesn’t come across clearly, but I’m taking a practical approach. Besides, you don’t write much with a child in your arms.
Thanks already for the interesting tips.
I really like being at home, especially a large open living, dining, and kitchen area is very important to my wife and me. Also, a study room is necessary since I need to prove it for my home office.
However, I don't need turrets, bright colors, or wood paneling on the exterior just to please the neighbors. Nor do I need a representative hallway of 20 square meters (215 square feet), but rather practical storage space for vacuum cleaners, supplies, and cat litter boxes. I want it to be nice on the inside. And I would like a large garage for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and whatever else comes along.
Depending on additional costs / the price situation, I would rather build with a basement than go for the next larger house. For example, for €10,000 (about $10,800), I could get 50 square meters (540 square feet) of basement instead of 10 square meters (110 square feet) of expensive insulated storage space upstairs (just an example, I don’t know if that number is accurate).
The €440,000 (about $475,000) house I mentioned above is nearby in a similar location on a similar plot, so I certainly have to buy it. And yes, I am convinced that an older house from 1975 will easily need an additional €100,000 (about $108,000) to make it nice (for example, you just can’t accept bathrooms from 1975).
Buying the plot from grandma has the advantage that we don’t have to pay property transfer tax at 6.5% nor agent fees. The plot has never been developed, but fees for sewer connections, etc. have been paid. It is also located well in a dead-end street without through traffic. The highway is nearby, of course, but it’s not as loud as you would expect, and my in-laws’ property is 500 meters (550 yards) further up the road, also close to the highway. So my wife is basically used to living near the highway.
We came across Danwood because they provide very clear costing. Even without the foundation slab or basement, you can plan well with their pricing. Also, the construction specification is available online, showing what still requires self-delivery. The Family floor plans are fine, and I don’t need a freely customizable house for €40,000 (about $43,000) more.
It is important to me to build without frills and fuss because I don’t want to strain myself to pay the installments. I also want to enjoy my house and not be annoyed with it.
The "fixed location" is based on the area. My in-laws and sister-in-law live in the town. My wife has to go to work in Cologne (17 km / 10.5 miles) after parental leave, and I work in Bonn (30 km / 18.5 miles). Moving away would unnecessarily increase commute times and reduce overall satisfaction.
@hampshire: Can you name a few affordable offers?
And of course, grandma can do what she wants, but she is actually not mentally competent, although she would never admit it. And I definitely don’t want any later problems with the heirs. Because there will most certainly be claims later that we forcibly took the property from her.
@rick2018: In the case of inheritance, there is another option for my wife and me, but if we have to buy the plot from the community of heirs, 6.5% tax applies again, because acquisition from uncles/aunts is not tax-free.
@Nordlys thanks for Town & Country, I had forgotten about that, I will order a brochure!
Sorry for the long text, this time the baby is with mom.
Sorry if my enthusiasm doesn’t come across clearly, but I’m taking a practical approach. Besides, you don’t write much with a child in your arms.
Thanks already for the interesting tips.
I really like being at home, especially a large open living, dining, and kitchen area is very important to my wife and me. Also, a study room is necessary since I need to prove it for my home office.
However, I don't need turrets, bright colors, or wood paneling on the exterior just to please the neighbors. Nor do I need a representative hallway of 20 square meters (215 square feet), but rather practical storage space for vacuum cleaners, supplies, and cat litter boxes. I want it to be nice on the inside. And I would like a large garage for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and whatever else comes along.
Depending on additional costs / the price situation, I would rather build with a basement than go for the next larger house. For example, for €10,000 (about $10,800), I could get 50 square meters (540 square feet) of basement instead of 10 square meters (110 square feet) of expensive insulated storage space upstairs (just an example, I don’t know if that number is accurate).
The €440,000 (about $475,000) house I mentioned above is nearby in a similar location on a similar plot, so I certainly have to buy it. And yes, I am convinced that an older house from 1975 will easily need an additional €100,000 (about $108,000) to make it nice (for example, you just can’t accept bathrooms from 1975).
Buying the plot from grandma has the advantage that we don’t have to pay property transfer tax at 6.5% nor agent fees. The plot has never been developed, but fees for sewer connections, etc. have been paid. It is also located well in a dead-end street without through traffic. The highway is nearby, of course, but it’s not as loud as you would expect, and my in-laws’ property is 500 meters (550 yards) further up the road, also close to the highway. So my wife is basically used to living near the highway.
We came across Danwood because they provide very clear costing. Even without the foundation slab or basement, you can plan well with their pricing. Also, the construction specification is available online, showing what still requires self-delivery. The Family floor plans are fine, and I don’t need a freely customizable house for €40,000 (about $43,000) more.
It is important to me to build without frills and fuss because I don’t want to strain myself to pay the installments. I also want to enjoy my house and not be annoyed with it.
The "fixed location" is based on the area. My in-laws and sister-in-law live in the town. My wife has to go to work in Cologne (17 km / 10.5 miles) after parental leave, and I work in Bonn (30 km / 18.5 miles). Moving away would unnecessarily increase commute times and reduce overall satisfaction.
@hampshire: Can you name a few affordable offers?
And of course, grandma can do what she wants, but she is actually not mentally competent, although she would never admit it. And I definitely don’t want any later problems with the heirs. Because there will most certainly be claims later that we forcibly took the property from her.
@rick2018: In the case of inheritance, there is another option for my wife and me, but if we have to buy the plot from the community of heirs, 6.5% tax applies again, because acquisition from uncles/aunts is not tax-free.
@Nordlys thanks for Town & Country, I had forgotten about that, I will order a brochure!
Sorry for the long text, this time the baby is with mom.
H
hampshire21 Apr 2019 12:16@querys_ I just checked some major websites for listings and found quite a few with 4 bedrooms or more. Now I see that you’re looking not only for accommodation for the next 10 years but also have expectations regarding the quality of living. So you really have to take a close look.
To avoid a possible inheritance dispute, a purchase with subsequent usufruct rights shared equally among all parties works well.
Who to build with? Try contacting architect Stephan in Wiehl. We had an excellent experience with him – not only did he perfectly translate our wishes into architecture, but he also listens very well and thinks both straightforwardly and creatively.
To avoid a possible inheritance dispute, a purchase with subsequent usufruct rights shared equally among all parties works well.
Who to build with? Try contacting architect Stephan in Wiehl. We had an excellent experience with him – not only did he perfectly translate our wishes into architecture, but he also listens very well and thinks both straightforwardly and creatively.
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