ᐅ Spacious Villa: Recommendations & Cost Estimates

Dear Homebuilding Community,

I have already read some exciting discussions here. However, I can’t help but share our building project with you to get your opinions. Perhaps our situation might also help other readers.

We already have a beautiful plot of land in southern Schleswig-Holstein (near Hamburg), where we want to build a spacious single-family home for a family of four, possibly five, with the option for Grandma to move in later. And by spacious, I really mean spacious: We approached the architect with a concept of about 300 m² (3,229 sq ft) of living space plus a basement and brought our dream home to paper. Including terraces, the total area is now an impressive 360 m² (3,875 sq ft). It’s large, and we know that. We’re currently in the planning approval phase.

First, some details about the house and property:
- 2,700 m² (29,063 sq ft) plot
- 360 m² (3,875 sq ft) living space plus basement
- Ground source heat pump with probes
- Photovoltaic system ~10 kWp
- Battery storage
- Central ventilation system
- Underfloor heating
- KNX smart home system for lighting, heating, ventilation, security
- Detached double garage
- Sauna house with whirlpool in the garden
- Meets KfW55 energy standard
- Watertight concrete shell (“white bathtub”)
- Built-in wardrobes

Everything falls into the category of high-end equipment.

Now our dilemma:
We started with a planning budget for cost groups 300 + 400 (shell + interior work and technical equipment) of €1.25 million (approximately $1.35 million; €3,500/m² or about $325/sq ft). This was the budget we planned with. Now the architect suddenly says the planned costs have almost doubled to about €2.1 million (approximately $2.27 million). The reason given: the square meters increased (the architect included some rooms in the basement as living space), and our wishes have continuously evolved along the way (dormers, double garage, outdoor kitchen, casemates, etc.). We’ve received a cost breakdown, but I have no way to evaluate whether the painter’s costs overall, or the price for a window or door, are reasonable.

Well – that’s clearly way over our budget, and we’re now cutting costs significantly. We’ve already removed the casemates, blinds, many built-in wardrobes, and still aren’t close to the budget we originally set. Apparently, we’ll have to downgrade from “high-end” to “standard” finishes and possibly shrink some rooms considerably.

The electrical planning has been the biggest surprise: After an initial quotation with very crazy prices, I now have a new “basis for discussion” on electrical costs. For electrical work (materials + installation), €220,000 (around $238,000) has been estimated so far—still excluding the photovoltaic system, battery storage, server, blind motors, KNX programming! Attached is a small excerpt from the planned costs. I can’t imagine these costs being realistic.

I know the square meters are extreme, and large areas like the entrance hall are not efficiently used. However, we started from the assumption that with a budget of about €1.5 million (planning + construction) we could build the absolute dream house.

Are we that far off? Is it not possible to realize such a project with this budget?

Thank you very much for your opinions and assessments! I’m also curious about your suggestions on what you would do or where you would cut costs.

Best regards!

Trockentest schrieb:

Are we that far off? Is it not possible to realize such a project within the budget?

Unfortunately, I need to write more than just one word here, so here is my introduction to the answer:

Yes! No!

Your architect’s estimate for a very high-end finish of a large villa with all the extras is actually not far off.

And what the electrician quoted (at least from the screenshot) is quite normal. Your requests are definitely not standard 😉

Based on my professional experience, I would have roughly guessed around €2 million for building costs 300/400 including the massive basement. The basement alone, with about 180sqm (approx. 1,940 sq ft) and partially built to residential standards, will likely cost you the first half million. Probably even more.

Trockentest schrieb:

I’m also curious about your suggestions on what you would do or where you would make cuts.

Oh, that’s quite simple. Turn the monster villa into a spacious single-family home. In other words, reset the entire design to zero and start over. I wouldn’t adjust anything here because that would only lead to a mess and won’t work.

How is the construction being managed? Owner-managed (through an architect) or with a general contractor / design-build contractor?

I find the electrical costs ambitious… in 2020, I paid 25€ or 35€ for an additional (Gira) outlet when it was controllable via KNX (without an actuator). Yes, everything is more expensive now, but 110€ per outlet is quite steep.

We are currently planning a semi-detached house with a bit more total floor area, and I find the 2.1 million for shell construction plus fit-out (KG 300+400) based on your floor plans absolutely realistic. You won’t reach 1.5 million just by removing a few cabinets; a significant reduction in area is necessary. I fully agree with @SaniererNRW123: it’s better to build new than to ruin a good floor plan—or you try to make the budget work…

Obermuh schrieb:

I think the electrical costs are quite ambitious…

Well, it’s 540 sqm (5,813 sq ft) of area plus a garden house/sauna/whirlpool, an attic space, a double garage, and garden electricity, all implemented to very high standards using KNX. Definitely not with the cheapest switches and sockets. That’s quite a serious project in terms of effort and costs.