ᐅ Which type of house suits you best? Prefabricated house, solid brick house, or architect-designed home?
Created on: 15 Oct 2011 10:25
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nk2101This is my first post on this site. We are currently starting to explore the topic of property purchase more seriously. Over the past two weeks, I have already read a lot, searched property listings to get a sense of the market, and looked into financing options for construction...
At first, we were completely open regarding the type of house purchase – anything from renovating an old semi-detached house to buying a turnkey single-family home, close to the city with a small plot of land to rural with a larger plot, everything was possible.
I have progressed a bit since then. Renovations or DIY work are definitely out of the question. Even buying a turnkey prefabricated house seems to involve a lot of effort. Since we have three small children, my husband works a lot, and we are generally not very skilled with DIY (plus I would like to return to part-time work next year), we have already ruled out this option. Purchasing an older property and completely renovating it also doesn’t seem sensible to us, as the overall costs would be so high that buying a new build directly would be more convenient. Our current preference is therefore for a new build.
After reading several building diaries, the thought of buying a plot of land and then hiring a company is quite intimidating. It seems there are still many issues even with large companies. Also, I find the total cost calculation very complicated and unclear. At the moment, I consider offers where the house with the plot is sold turnkey and includes a basement to be the “safest.” I would really like to hear your opinions on this.
Regarding the plot, I have already noticed that we don’t really want or need a very large plot. I wonder how families manage the maintenance of huge gardens? I can hardly keep up with my laundry. We have now set a potential plot size between 300 square meters and 800 square meters (about 3,200 to 8,600 square feet). We have ruled out rural locations due to high fuel costs, the two cars we would need, and... I don’t want to be chauffeur for my kids later. We would prefer to live close to the city so that the children can take public transport to school, the city, etc.
How did you start if you also wanted to build or buy a new home? Did you rely on your intuition when deciding whether to go with a prefab house, solid construction, an architect, or a turn-key construction company? It seems there are pros and cons to everything. Where did you start? Thanks in advance.
At first, we were completely open regarding the type of house purchase – anything from renovating an old semi-detached house to buying a turnkey single-family home, close to the city with a small plot of land to rural with a larger plot, everything was possible.
I have progressed a bit since then. Renovations or DIY work are definitely out of the question. Even buying a turnkey prefabricated house seems to involve a lot of effort. Since we have three small children, my husband works a lot, and we are generally not very skilled with DIY (plus I would like to return to part-time work next year), we have already ruled out this option. Purchasing an older property and completely renovating it also doesn’t seem sensible to us, as the overall costs would be so high that buying a new build directly would be more convenient. Our current preference is therefore for a new build.
After reading several building diaries, the thought of buying a plot of land and then hiring a company is quite intimidating. It seems there are still many issues even with large companies. Also, I find the total cost calculation very complicated and unclear. At the moment, I consider offers where the house with the plot is sold turnkey and includes a basement to be the “safest.” I would really like to hear your opinions on this.
Regarding the plot, I have already noticed that we don’t really want or need a very large plot. I wonder how families manage the maintenance of huge gardens? I can hardly keep up with my laundry. We have now set a potential plot size between 300 square meters and 800 square meters (about 3,200 to 8,600 square feet). We have ruled out rural locations due to high fuel costs, the two cars we would need, and... I don’t want to be chauffeur for my kids later. We would prefer to live close to the city so that the children can take public transport to school, the city, etc.
How did you start if you also wanted to build or buy a new home? Did you rely on your intuition when deciding whether to go with a prefab house, solid construction, an architect, or a turn-key construction company? It seems there are pros and cons to everything. Where did you start? Thanks in advance.
S
steffen7716 Oct 2011 00:03Hello,
I can’t really give you any advice, just share my approach.
At first, I wanted/we wanted to buy a "used house," but now we prefer to build. We weren’t able to find a "used" one that matched our expectations. This is probably due to concerns about an economic crisis, which I’ve heard from various people.
A plot between 300 and 800 square meters (about 3,230 to 8,600 square feet)? That’s quite a range. But here, it really depends on personal preferences and ideas. Some have huge gardens and would almost like to pave them over and paint the pavement green…
We are from Hannover and currently live close to the city (about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) outside), and we don’t want to move much farther away to settle.
I hope I could help you a little…
Best regards
I can’t really give you any advice, just share my approach.
At first, I wanted/we wanted to buy a "used house," but now we prefer to build. We weren’t able to find a "used" one that matched our expectations. This is probably due to concerns about an economic crisis, which I’ve heard from various people.
A plot between 300 and 800 square meters (about 3,230 to 8,600 square feet)? That’s quite a range. But here, it really depends on personal preferences and ideas. Some have huge gardens and would almost like to pave them over and paint the pavement green…
We are from Hannover and currently live close to the city (about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) outside), and we don’t want to move much farther away to settle.
I hope I could help you a little…
Best regards
B
Brombadegs17 Oct 2011 11:54Hi,
About eight years ago, we bought an older house and partially renovated it. By now, we’ve grown tired of it and decided to build a new one.
We already own the land, plan to build new, and tear down the old house (possibly sell it?).
Right now, I’m looking for companies to build the house for me. Which one is the right fit for you? I definitely can’t say since we still aren’t exactly sure what we want. However, my kids are older now, and I have more “free time” to research, compare, and so on.
Take your time for sure. Eventually, you’ll find the house that fits you and adjust it to your budget.
Start by determining the space needed per room, then plan the layout of the house, and then look for the “perfect” floor plan. And remember the sloped ceilings and the loss of space in the attic. With a 10m² (108 sq ft) kids’ room and sloping ceilings, the children could quickly end up sitting in a 5m² (54 sq ft) cramped space.
Regards,
Bromi
About eight years ago, we bought an older house and partially renovated it. By now, we’ve grown tired of it and decided to build a new one.
We already own the land, plan to build new, and tear down the old house (possibly sell it?).
Right now, I’m looking for companies to build the house for me. Which one is the right fit for you? I definitely can’t say since we still aren’t exactly sure what we want. However, my kids are older now, and I have more “free time” to research, compare, and so on.
Take your time for sure. Eventually, you’ll find the house that fits you and adjust it to your budget.
Start by determining the space needed per room, then plan the layout of the house, and then look for the “perfect” floor plan. And remember the sloped ceilings and the loss of space in the attic. With a 10m² (108 sq ft) kids’ room and sloping ceilings, the children could quickly end up sitting in a 5m² (54 sq ft) cramped space.
Regards,
Bromi
Thank you all for your responses. It’s true that 300-800 sqm (3,230-8,610 sq ft) is a wide range. This is because my husband prefers a plot of about 800 sqm (8,610 sq ft) in a rural area, while I would rather have a 300-400 sqm (3,230-4,310 sq ft) plot closer to the city.
Are you leaning more towards a prefab home or do you want to build a “proper” house? I was just visiting a friend with a dream house today... they bought an old house, gutted it, expanded it, etc., but had a lot of help. They were even able to do the electrical work themselves. That wouldn’t be an option for us.
Bromi, do you plan to have your house demolished, if I understood correctly? Are you looking at prefab homes? I have a viewing appointment for a plot on Thursday. It’s 900 sqm (9,690 sq ft) in total and can be subdivided… you’ve got to start somewhere…
Are you leaning more towards a prefab home or do you want to build a “proper” house? I was just visiting a friend with a dream house today... they bought an old house, gutted it, expanded it, etc., but had a lot of help. They were even able to do the electrical work themselves. That wouldn’t be an option for us.
Bromi, do you plan to have your house demolished, if I understood correctly? Are you looking at prefab homes? I have a viewing appointment for a plot on Thursday. It’s 900 sqm (9,690 sq ft) in total and can be subdivided… you’ve got to start somewhere…
B
Brombadegs18 Oct 2011 08:10Hi,
We live in a very rural area. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sell the old house. Also, my plot of land would shrink by at least 250 sqm (2,690 sq ft) if I do. So, we’ll see.
At the moment, I’m open to everything. I’ve chosen two companies—one that builds prefabricated wooden houses and another that builds solid masonry houses. I’ve also found “my” floor plan and just need to perfect it.
By the way, our idea to build new is almost three months old now, and I’ve been focusing almost exclusively on it. Still, we haven’t made much progress.
Generally, people only build once. Since you all want to live in the house, you need to come to an agreement. Think carefully about what you want and where your limits are. In these three months, I’ve spoken to about 100 (felt like 100000000) companies and have around 40 catalogs lying around. I’ve gone through them so many times. Take your time—projects like this can’t realistically be finalized within four weeks.
Best regards,
Bromi
We live in a very rural area. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sell the old house. Also, my plot of land would shrink by at least 250 sqm (2,690 sq ft) if I do. So, we’ll see.
At the moment, I’m open to everything. I’ve chosen two companies—one that builds prefabricated wooden houses and another that builds solid masonry houses. I’ve also found “my” floor plan and just need to perfect it.
By the way, our idea to build new is almost three months old now, and I’ve been focusing almost exclusively on it. Still, we haven’t made much progress.
Generally, people only build once. Since you all want to live in the house, you need to come to an agreement. Think carefully about what you want and where your limits are. In these three months, I’ve spoken to about 100 (felt like 100000000) companies and have around 40 catalogs lying around. I’ve gone through them so many times. Take your time—projects like this can’t realistically be finalized within four weeks.
Best regards,
Bromi
S
Schmarkus26 Oct 2011 18:19I can only warmly recommend that all undecided and prospective home builders thoroughly inform themselves before starting their house construction. In any case, to get a rough overview beforehand, one should compare all potential construction companies. The best way to do this is through so-called home building portals where you can obtain free informational material about the respective builders. On most common portals, you simply need to select a building method and your construction region to get started.
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