ᐅ Timeline for Home Design Planning

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
Have any of you read either of these two books?

No, neither. That would be very unlikely anyway: home building is a popular and emotional topic. Everyone who is building wants to inform themselves. There is a lot to know, and many things can be done wrong. That’s why there are literally thousands of authors promising clarification in their “handbooks sealed seven times.” Even on the topic of “50 tips for choosing guidebooks” you can find several titles. I don’t know of any “standard works” (for example, the “Neufert” is intended for architects).

Heinze publishes a homeowner handbook – but it is a mix of technical explanations and product catalog – which has been widely used among homeowners for a long time.

Overall, the ocean of guidebooks is becoming increasingly overwhelming. The more you read, the more overlap there is – but still no guarantee that collectively they cover everything.

You cannot know everything. Actively set your priorities there. Then inform yourselves about those aspects (or suppliers, etc.). It makes little sense, for example, if you are not yet clear about the type of construction, to specifically research prefab homes when you intend to build with solid construction later on. Or if you plan to plaster, you can skip the knowledge about brick slips and facing panels.

For laypeople building for the first time (and planning to build only once), the most “useful” guides are those by people who are in the same situation. So look for building blogs online. See which of these homeowners fit your profile (i.e. in terms of age, number of children, house size and quality, lifestyle). This way you filter out the countless pieces of information that are not relevant to your situation. Personally, when browsing building blogs, I would also consider whether you can view the finished house in person at some point. For example, not the house by Karsten (Nordlys): at the opposite end of the country and built in a different life phase. Unless you know you want a bungalow of 120 sqm (1300 sq ft approximately). Then the trip might be worth it. But his contractor doesn’t build in Bavaria, for example. So take it only as inspiration.

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
On the other hand, I’m a bit worried that we’ll get bogged down in details.

That is guaranteed to happen if you empty the bookstore and read all that stuff thoroughly.

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Thanks for the text, 11ant! I just checked today at the library because the construction books were located near the travel guides.

I would be cautious with architects unless you have a very large budget.

Marvinius schrieb:
I would be cautious with architects unless you have a very large budget

Could you please explain that in more detail?

We deliberately decided to create a combination of floor plans from model home catalogs. For this, you don’t need an architect. You should develop a usage concept and try to anticipate the most frequently used routes within the house, for example, a short distance from the entrance to the kitchen/pantry. Of course, the orientation of the house and rooms is also important. And don’t forget the natural light and the appropriate placement of windows. Architects are necessary for very custom designs, difficult building sites, or strict building permits/planning permissions, and that can all get expensive.

We recently tried an experiment and hired a landscape architect for the design of the outdoor area. For a rather mediocre concept sketch (prominent placement of the trash bins, inadequate consideration of the elevation levels), he charged us a nice four-figure sum. If that had happened during the house planning, I would have been stuck with ten times that amount…

Marvinius schrieb:
I would be cautious with architects unless you have a very large budget

I don’t think you can generalize like that. Yes, there are certainly architects who plan beyond the budget, just as there are non-transparent home builders who do not disclose additional costs and/or charge exorbitantly for every little upgrade. But you can’t just lump them all together.

We are building with an architect and managing separate trade contracts. Based on the cost breakdown reflecting actual offers from the contractors we have mostly already spoken to, including some “special requests” we’ve incorporated, this approach is quite a bit cheaper for us than building with a general contractor (GC) / main contractor. Currently, the roofer is on site, and we have already received several invoices, all at or below the amount specified by the architect; some are even slightly lower and, after early payment discounts, are thousands below the cost estimate. With upgrades, you always have to be aware that they cost money, whether through an architect or a GC/main contractor. You have to control yourself and keep your requests within a realistic budget—if you want too much for your money, the architect can’t be blamed. We will still have upgrades, especially in electrical and plumbing. We planned for this from the start, and the architect also advised us to expect higher costs in these areas. We will pay a reasonable amount to the electrician/plumber we choose, not the inflated upgrade prices often charged by a GC/main contractor.

Our architect received a low to mid four-figure fee for planning, covering the entire preliminary design up to the approved building permit / planning permission. For construction supervision, trade contract management, coordination, etc., he will receive another four-figure amount, this time somewhat higher, so that overall (planning + supervision) we will just reach a five-figure sum. I think that is absolutely fair considering how much work he puts in and how committed he is to us. Even with these costs, we are coming out cheaper than if we had built with a GC/main contractor, since all their offers exceeded the architect’s cost estimate (including his fee) by a significant margin—and that did not even include minor special requests like certain types of blinds. A GC/main contractor also expects a fee for planning and construction supervision, but this fee is not openly visible and is hidden in the total house price.

I’m not saying that building with an architect is necessarily better or cheaper. I’m just saying that’s our experience. Things might be very different elsewhere, especially in urban areas. But I reject broad generalizations.