Hello everyone,
Theoretically, we know exactly what we want in and on our new build – but in practice, a lot will only become clear during the planning phase (and some even after living in it for a lifetime).
But how does one plan correctly? Should you already design your dream home before you even find a plot of land (which is difficult enough) and then later adapt it to the site? Or should you focus all your energy first on finding the right plot, and then plan accordingly?
I tend to go with the second option, because what’s the point of a fully planned dream house if I then have to redesign it from 2 full floors + attic + basement plus garage extension to 1 full floor + loft without a basement and with a carport (without storage room) just because of zoning regulations / building permit / planning permission, neighbors, and budget?
On the other hand: How do I organize our dreams without endlessly gathering inspiration, taking screenshots, and saving photos that all need to be reviewed and incorporated later on?
Social advice welcome – this is probably more of a feeling than a technical thread here...
Looking forward to your thoughts,
b.
Theoretically, we know exactly what we want in and on our new build – but in practice, a lot will only become clear during the planning phase (and some even after living in it for a lifetime).
But how does one plan correctly? Should you already design your dream home before you even find a plot of land (which is difficult enough) and then later adapt it to the site? Or should you focus all your energy first on finding the right plot, and then plan accordingly?
I tend to go with the second option, because what’s the point of a fully planned dream house if I then have to redesign it from 2 full floors + attic + basement plus garage extension to 1 full floor + loft without a basement and with a carport (without storage room) just because of zoning regulations / building permit / planning permission, neighbors, and budget?
On the other hand: How do I organize our dreams without endlessly gathering inspiration, taking screenshots, and saving photos that all need to be reviewed and incorporated later on?
Social advice welcome – this is probably more of a feeling than a technical thread here...
Looking forward to your thoughts,
b.
We are in a similar situation and probably won’t start building before 2017. We can only start looking for plots from this winter, more likely spring 2016.
Until then, of course, we are roughly planning the house, but I keep realizing that very detailed planning doesn’t help much. As you mentioned, without a plot, you reach a point where you can’t go any further.
However, you can think about what you definitely want to have, how big the individual rooms should be at a minimum, and so on.
You can also have an initial design of your dream home created, so you know if you can even afford it. 😉
Moppetüte *12.12.12
Until then, of course, we are roughly planning the house, but I keep realizing that very detailed planning doesn’t help much. As you mentioned, without a plot, you reach a point where you can’t go any further.
However, you can think about what you definitely want to have, how big the individual rooms should be at a minimum, and so on.
You can also have an initial design of your dream home created, so you know if you can even afford it. 😉
Moppetüte *12.12.12
Häuslebau3r27 Aug 2015 09:00Hello to both of you,
I’m currently at almost the same point, so I can only share how I imagine it or what we have planned, to avoid getting completely overwhelmed 😉
For us, the top priority was finding a plot of land, since, as you also mentioned, that is often challenging enough. Similarly, we visited new development areas and some show homes to get a rough idea of the kind of house we wanted. There are so many different options like roof styles, bungalows, one-and-a-half stories, or two full floors, etc.
Once the type of house was clear and we had a suitable plot in mind, we submitted a preliminary building inquiry with the city planning office (only the city, not the district authority). This is because, depending on the shape of the plot and possibly the house design, you want to get the best possible outcome and potentially deviate from the zoning plan. In our case, the city approved everything in writing except for a flat-roof garage, so the plot and the space work for us.
Like you, we now have wishes, ideas, and hopes. But we don’t yet know if these fit within our intended budget. Questions arise such as whether we can afford a basement, how many square meters we actually need on the ground floor or first floor, and so on. We’ve already had initial talks with the bank, not for building financing yet, but to get an opinion on financing options and, especially, maximum loan amounts.
In this context, we tried to calculate the “worst-case” scenario regarding the monthly repayment rate for the mortgage. With the help of this forum, we also tried to create an income/expense calculation using the example of a working husband, a stay-at-home wife, and a newly born second child. Of course, these costs are mostly estimates because we have no experience with the expenses related to children yet. From that, we decided how long we want to repay and what total amount we can afford.
Now we are about to purchase the plot, and once that is done (we just had that topic in the family yesterday), the detailed planning will begin.
At a presentation about house building, I was told that after these points, a fundamental assessment (Grundlagenermittlung) and preliminary planning can take place. It is advisable to do this early if there is enough time.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the fundamental assessment is the first architectural or builder consultation, if already involved. It includes discussing financial options and inspecting the plot. This is essentially a consultation about the overall project requirements.
Following that, a preliminary plan can be created, including floor plans, cross sections, and sketches—putting the initial ideas on paper. In my view, this also covers room sizes, the design of the house, and plans for the technical equipment to be used. This is followed by a rough cost estimate and checking the feasibility of obtaining building permits with the district authority and other relevant offices.
How it continues from there should become more self-explanatory step by step.
What I wrote above is how I have it in mind or how it has partly worked out for me so far. So please don’t take it as set in stone—same goes for others.
I am grateful for any further tips, just like the thread creator 🙂
Best regards, Andreas
I’m currently at almost the same point, so I can only share how I imagine it or what we have planned, to avoid getting completely overwhelmed 😉
For us, the top priority was finding a plot of land, since, as you also mentioned, that is often challenging enough. Similarly, we visited new development areas and some show homes to get a rough idea of the kind of house we wanted. There are so many different options like roof styles, bungalows, one-and-a-half stories, or two full floors, etc.
Once the type of house was clear and we had a suitable plot in mind, we submitted a preliminary building inquiry with the city planning office (only the city, not the district authority). This is because, depending on the shape of the plot and possibly the house design, you want to get the best possible outcome and potentially deviate from the zoning plan. In our case, the city approved everything in writing except for a flat-roof garage, so the plot and the space work for us.
Like you, we now have wishes, ideas, and hopes. But we don’t yet know if these fit within our intended budget. Questions arise such as whether we can afford a basement, how many square meters we actually need on the ground floor or first floor, and so on. We’ve already had initial talks with the bank, not for building financing yet, but to get an opinion on financing options and, especially, maximum loan amounts.
In this context, we tried to calculate the “worst-case” scenario regarding the monthly repayment rate for the mortgage. With the help of this forum, we also tried to create an income/expense calculation using the example of a working husband, a stay-at-home wife, and a newly born second child. Of course, these costs are mostly estimates because we have no experience with the expenses related to children yet. From that, we decided how long we want to repay and what total amount we can afford.
Now we are about to purchase the plot, and once that is done (we just had that topic in the family yesterday), the detailed planning will begin.
At a presentation about house building, I was told that after these points, a fundamental assessment (Grundlagenermittlung) and preliminary planning can take place. It is advisable to do this early if there is enough time.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the fundamental assessment is the first architectural or builder consultation, if already involved. It includes discussing financial options and inspecting the plot. This is essentially a consultation about the overall project requirements.
Following that, a preliminary plan can be created, including floor plans, cross sections, and sketches—putting the initial ideas on paper. In my view, this also covers room sizes, the design of the house, and plans for the technical equipment to be used. This is followed by a rough cost estimate and checking the feasibility of obtaining building permits with the district authority and other relevant offices.
How it continues from there should become more self-explanatory step by step.
What I wrote above is how I have it in mind or how it has partly worked out for me so far. So please don’t take it as set in stone—same goes for others.
I am grateful for any further tips, just like the thread creator 🙂
Best regards, Andreas
Yes, the basic shape of the house should be clear when looking for a plot of land. However, you should also be willing to make compromises. Only once you have the plot can you plan the house in detail. At that point, you need to consider the cardinal directions, the building envelope, access routes, and building regulations, all of which "limit" you and set the direction for the planning.
Häuslebau3r27 Aug 2015 10:14Koempy schrieb:
Yes, the basic shape of the house should be clear when looking for a plot. But you also need to be willing to make compromises. Because only once you have the land can you plan the house in detail. You have to consider the cardinal directions, the building lines (building envelope), access roads, and building regulations, all of which "restrict" you and guide the direction of the planning.Exactly, that’s why we took the step to contact the city in advance to clarify these essential points. We requested building plans, checked the building lines (building envelope), then submitted a preliminary building inquiry to determine what is possible and whether our ideas can be realized.
Of course, in our case, we also made a compromise because a flat roof on the garage was not approved, but that’s manageable.
On the other hand, we are now allowed to build beyond the specified building envelope and with two full floors, which was actually not indicated in the development plan.
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