ᐅ Which companies offer affordable interior finishing services for shell homes?
Created on: 13 Dec 2015 14:35
C
Cappchen
Hey, since I have a relatively limited budget, I’m really trying to consider all options. One of my ideas: prefabricated house kits as a shell construction are usually quite affordable. If you order a kit and hire an external company to complete the work (many kits are also offered as turnkey solutions), the price could probably be a bit lower, right? Has anyone done this before? Does anyone know companies in the Berlin area that offer this?
Saruss schrieb:
3 months is a short time. For something like this, you usually think in terms of years.For something like this, you usually think in terms of (lost) years.
Currently, the resale market is equally risky. So, you need to look closely and inspect carefully. Often, properties in need of renovation are offered at overpriced values. You really need a solid equity cushion; otherwise, financing can quickly become tight. So, weigh everything carefully.
Do you already have a plot of land? What does the supply look like there?
B
Bauexperte14 Dec 2015 00:08Good evening,
You’re welcome. I think you are a dreamer – which in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing; often it’s the opposite… just not when it comes to building a house.
If it were that easy to build a house with little capital, you wouldn’t need to ask in a forum. The media would be full of it; you would come across information everywhere—even on a billboard in the middle of nowhere. But since you’re asking, don’t be surprised if you receive answers that aren’t completely serious.
Why should a kit house, which still needs to be assembled and finished by professionals, be significantly cheaper than the usual "turnkey" solution? Kit houses are mainly designed for very skilled craftsmen who want to build their dream home with their own hands. Outsourcing the trades to professionals is rather counterproductive in this case.
You don’t have land, you have equity of about 10,000 euros (approx. 11,000 USD) and a bank that would finance 180,000 euros (approx. 198,000 USD). That won’t get you far, not even in Berlin and especially not in eastern Germany. After deducting expected additional building costs, you’re left with only around 150,000 euros (approx. 165,000 USD) for the land and the house.
So what’s left is the expert-advised purchase of an existing property, buying a condominium, buying a small weekend cottage and hoping the land can be rezoned as building land in the medium term, regularly attending auctions… or saving more equity and accepting that building a house will probably never get cheaper… or searching online for “single-family house,” “mini house,” “micro house,” “small house,” or “tiny houses” and deciding if the growing information available there might offer a suitable alternative.
You will still need land, and in some cases even some kind of trailer; but it can be much smaller and, if you are happy with less space, this may bring your dream of homeownership within reach.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Cappchen schrieb:
Thanks for this helpful answer^^
You’re welcome. I think you are a dreamer – which in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing; often it’s the opposite… just not when it comes to building a house.
If it were that easy to build a house with little capital, you wouldn’t need to ask in a forum. The media would be full of it; you would come across information everywhere—even on a billboard in the middle of nowhere. But since you’re asking, don’t be surprised if you receive answers that aren’t completely serious.
Why should a kit house, which still needs to be assembled and finished by professionals, be significantly cheaper than the usual "turnkey" solution? Kit houses are mainly designed for very skilled craftsmen who want to build their dream home with their own hands. Outsourcing the trades to professionals is rather counterproductive in this case.
You don’t have land, you have equity of about 10,000 euros (approx. 11,000 USD) and a bank that would finance 180,000 euros (approx. 198,000 USD). That won’t get you far, not even in Berlin and especially not in eastern Germany. After deducting expected additional building costs, you’re left with only around 150,000 euros (approx. 165,000 USD) for the land and the house.
So what’s left is the expert-advised purchase of an existing property, buying a condominium, buying a small weekend cottage and hoping the land can be rezoned as building land in the medium term, regularly attending auctions… or saving more equity and accepting that building a house will probably never get cheaper… or searching online for “single-family house,” “mini house,” “micro house,” “small house,” or “tiny houses” and deciding if the growing information available there might offer a suitable alternative.
You will still need land, and in some cases even some kind of trailer; but it can be much smaller and, if you are happy with less space, this may bring your dream of homeownership within reach.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Thanks, I haven’t tried the tiny house or micro home options yet, but I’ll definitely take a look. Yes, I’m a dreamer and tell myself every day that with each dream, I get a little closer to owning a house and learn something new. I already have another plot of land in mind that’s a bit cheaper, and this week or by Monday I’ll be receiving two price estimates for prefabricated houses. I’m really excited and happy to keep you updated if you’re interested.
matthias8417 Dec 2015 15:00If you want to build new with a limited budget, you have to make many compromises.
Location
You can completely forget about Reinickendorf. You will never find a plot there where you can then build a house. You would probably only be able to spend a maximum of 20,000€ (about 20K) on the land. So you would need to find a plot somewhere 1.5 to 2 hours away from Berlin, for example in the city of Brandenburg, but do you really want to commute that far every day?
House
There are also bungalows with 70-90 m² (750-970 sq ft) that I think you could have built for 120,000-140,000€.
Equipment
Of course, you can save a lot of money on the house’s fittings, for example: no fireplace, only a kitchen costing about 500€ (around $540), used sofa, the cheapest tiles available, and doing a lot of work yourself.
You are right – much is possible, but: you will not be able to build a 120 m² (1,290 sq ft) house near Berlin with this budget. Since existing properties are also very expensive here, I would consider moving far away from Berlin or looking more toward an apartment. Or you could wait a little longer until you find a stable partner… It is usually much easier to pay off a loan together.
Location
You can completely forget about Reinickendorf. You will never find a plot there where you can then build a house. You would probably only be able to spend a maximum of 20,000€ (about 20K) on the land. So you would need to find a plot somewhere 1.5 to 2 hours away from Berlin, for example in the city of Brandenburg, but do you really want to commute that far every day?
House
There are also bungalows with 70-90 m² (750-970 sq ft) that I think you could have built for 120,000-140,000€.
Equipment
Of course, you can save a lot of money on the house’s fittings, for example: no fireplace, only a kitchen costing about 500€ (around $540), used sofa, the cheapest tiles available, and doing a lot of work yourself.
You are right – much is possible, but: you will not be able to build a 120 m² (1,290 sq ft) house near Berlin with this budget. Since existing properties are also very expensive here, I would consider moving far away from Berlin or looking more toward an apartment. Or you could wait a little longer until you find a stable partner… It is usually much easier to pay off a loan together.
Our situation was similar—barely any equity, just an average earner, and no financial help expected from family. We simply got lucky after searching for a year and actually found a nice property in a good location, including renovation costs, for about half the price of a new build. However, prices have increased dramatically since then—both purchase prices and property transfer taxes have roughly doubled in the last four years. It takes patience and luck, but ultimately buying an existing property is probably the only option, because building always requires a certain minimum amount that can’t be avoided. Sometimes you can get lucky when purchasing, for example in a foreclosure auction, but that requires a willingness to take risks. Alternatively, you can look slightly further afield. In my hometown, properties are still readily available, and the area isn’t actually that bad (North Sea coast).
Yes, I am a dreamer and I tell myself every day that with each dream I get a little closer to the house and learn something new.
Then just build a shell-and-core house. As error-free as possible. As perfect as possible.
It’s almost perfect!
When I have time, I will write a small book about it.
I did it (with support from craftsmen) when I was 49 years old. But it would have been just as tough for me at 23 or 30—it really takes a toll.
It was all very “interesting” (some say: a nightmare…). Or in other words: If you approach it with the utmost discipline, after about 10 months you have something standing that is livable. After that, you basically need a break.
Unfortunately, my time is running short, and the book is taking a while. So you will just keep dreaming. I’m not trying to fool you here: I’m just telling you that the story is anything but simple…
A shell-and-core house is for people who have a solid command of several trades and have many helpers (who are skilled in at least some trades). One person alone? It easily takes years, purely hypothetically, because such a building project is almost pointless then….
Thorsten
Then just build a shell-and-core house. As error-free as possible. As perfect as possible.
It’s almost perfect!
When I have time, I will write a small book about it.
I did it (with support from craftsmen) when I was 49 years old. But it would have been just as tough for me at 23 or 30—it really takes a toll.
It was all very “interesting” (some say: a nightmare…). Or in other words: If you approach it with the utmost discipline, after about 10 months you have something standing that is livable. After that, you basically need a break.
Unfortunately, my time is running short, and the book is taking a while. So you will just keep dreaming. I’m not trying to fool you here: I’m just telling you that the story is anything but simple…
A shell-and-core house is for people who have a solid command of several trades and have many helpers (who are skilled in at least some trades). One person alone? It easily takes years, purely hypothetically, because such a building project is almost pointless then….
Thorsten