Good evening everyone,
My husband and I are currently considering whether to start building a new house in 2015 or 2016, and I have been reading a lot here to get a better understanding of the process.
The problem is that most people here already have a rough or clear idea of what their desired house will look like... we still don’t really have that yet.
What I’m actually more interested in is: what exactly are the major cost factors in building a house?
Bay window? Special roof design? Or to put it another way: where can I save money?
Our plot of land is already owned through inheritance, 550 m² (5920 ft²), with a building area of 10 m x 13 m (33 ft x 43 ft). It is already serviced, with utility connections on the property. Fence, shrubs, plants, trees, and hedges are also present since it is an old garden plot. The driveway is already paved.
But what should we build on it? That’s the big question here. Basically, we would like to live on one level on the ground floor, and have the children’s small space upstairs—two kids’ rooms, a heating room, and a small bathroom.
I can hardly go to an architect and ask for 10 different drafts... So it would make more sense if I already had a rough idea beforehand.
So, which trades or work areas cause new construction to become expensive?
Best regards,
Anja
My husband and I are currently considering whether to start building a new house in 2015 or 2016, and I have been reading a lot here to get a better understanding of the process.
The problem is that most people here already have a rough or clear idea of what their desired house will look like... we still don’t really have that yet.
What I’m actually more interested in is: what exactly are the major cost factors in building a house?
Bay window? Special roof design? Or to put it another way: where can I save money?
Our plot of land is already owned through inheritance, 550 m² (5920 ft²), with a building area of 10 m x 13 m (33 ft x 43 ft). It is already serviced, with utility connections on the property. Fence, shrubs, plants, trees, and hedges are also present since it is an old garden plot. The driveway is already paved.
But what should we build on it? That’s the big question here. Basically, we would like to live on one level on the ground floor, and have the children’s small space upstairs—two kids’ rooms, a heating room, and a small bathroom.
I can hardly go to an architect and ask for 10 different drafts... So it would make more sense if I already had a rough idea beforehand.
So, which trades or work areas cause new construction to become expensive?
Best regards,
Anja
D
Doc.Schnaggls15 May 2014 14:50Hello Anja,
to get a feel for floor plans, I can only recommend that you visit as many houses as possible.
Model home exhibitions are ideal for this purpose. You can also register as potential buyers with many home builders, and then you will be regularly invited to customer home tours.
This way, we gathered many ideas that are now being implemented in our house (construction start in about 8 weeks).
The opportunity to talk to homeowners about their experiences makes these customer home tours especially valuable.
You probably won’t be able to start building this year, but you should gather as much information and as many experience reports as possible.
The construction diaries here in the forum are also a good source of information.
If you are interested, I can also gladly send you the link to our building blog, where we have so far described the selection process of the builder and the entire planning process.
Best regards,
Dirk
to get a feel for floor plans, I can only recommend that you visit as many houses as possible.
Model home exhibitions are ideal for this purpose. You can also register as potential buyers with many home builders, and then you will be regularly invited to customer home tours.
This way, we gathered many ideas that are now being implemented in our house (construction start in about 8 weeks).
The opportunity to talk to homeowners about their experiences makes these customer home tours especially valuable.
You probably won’t be able to start building this year, but you should gather as much information and as many experience reports as possible.
The construction diaries here in the forum are also a good source of information.
If you are interested, I can also gladly send you the link to our building blog, where we have so far described the selection process of the builder and the entire planning process.
Best regards,
Dirk
Neuland schrieb:
What I really still lack is a feel for floor plans.
I often can’t even visualize most of them.
I don’t think our current ground floor plan is bad at all, though you’ll probably find it awful.
But when the time comes, I’ll boldly post the floor plan here.
Best regards,
AnjaIf floor plans don’t mean much to you, or if you have trouble translating 2D plans into 3D (or vice versa), then do as Dirk (Doc S.) suggests — visit show homes, model houses, and other homes of friends.
See whether your needs can be met in those houses.
Take a look here in this forum’s floor plan discussions, where you will also find many tips in the texts that you might not think of yourself or that model homes don’t show, such as a second utility room on the upper floor for laundry, or the question of whether a shower on the ground floor is useful.
But don’t make the mistake of trying to draft a plan yourself: if you have trouble shifting from 2D to 3D, these “designs” usually don’t work out.
If you choose a standard home from a large builder because you don’t want to use an architect, try to incorporate your needs by modifying the floor plan. Often you can swap rooms around, mirror the layout, or find a corner for a storage room.
If you are working with uninspired (employed) architects, then forum members will have to take on this task.
It seems to me that you may need to plan garage-to-garage positioning on your plot. But that’s just a guess, since I don’t know your zoning plan (building permit / planning permission).
Hello Neuland,
the building area of 10x13 meters (or 13x13 meters if including garage construction) is not small, but in my opinion quite comfortable. That amounts to 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) gross floor area per floor, and if the plot is used according to standard building regulations, you can easily achieve over 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) gross floor area without a basement – which is manageable.
Depending on the requirements in the development plan, it might be possible to squeeze the plot or building area even further, but I don’t think you will need to, especially since that usually involves considerable additional costs.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
the building area of 10x13 meters (or 13x13 meters if including garage construction) is not small, but in my opinion quite comfortable. That amounts to 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) gross floor area per floor, and if the plot is used according to standard building regulations, you can easily achieve over 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) gross floor area without a basement – which is manageable.
Depending on the requirements in the development plan, it might be possible to squeeze the plot or building area even further, but I don’t think you will need to, especially since that usually involves considerable additional costs.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
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