Affordable house construction? Seeking expert help

Such a modest and small thread from 2018, but with so many truths in it (except Duran)

Funny how the answers range from “solid/doable” to almost “impossible.”

… and everyone was right, wasn’t they?

There was also the note that the buffer for an architect’s house should be much larger than when building with a general contractor.

I’m glad you gave feedback again, even though you had to finance a lot more.
Unfortunately, those currently affected read such posts less…

Yes, the amount sounds like a lot to me too, but it doesn't bother me at all. We have our dream. Currently, it is manageable without compromises and there are also some safeguards. I'll mention the original amounts. 50,000 run at 0.9% for another 9 years, 265,000 at 1.45% for another 13 years, 200,000 run for another 8 years at 1.1%, and the last 50,000 from 3-4 weeks ago at 2.65%. We have a home savings contract [Bausparvertrag] with a savings amount of 165,000 [Bausparsumme] that stands at about 1.5% on the loan interest rate [Darlehenszins]. Of course, it first needs to be ready for allocation [zuteilungsreif] or saved up. I wouldn't like 3% or more interest in 8-13 years, but that wouldn't be existentially threatening, just annoying. Until then, there are still some salary increases possible and we are still in our early 30s.

Just wanted to leave a note that I think it's great that you gave feedback again after everything is done :) As someone currently in planning/financing, I find it super helpful to see where planning and reality diverged. In a positive way (more salary) as well as negative (additional costs/refinancing) or simply changed life plans (I mean, in 2018 the child planning still sounded like "maybe in 5 years," but that turned out differently and apparently still worked out :))

Although I still see us running into some things anyway, despite theoretically better knowledge (aka, "then the outdoor facilities are just terrible at first" (although with the BT project we're currently favoring, part of the paving work is included, that helps)) In the end, I guess you have to make some mistakes yourself ;) But I still find the experience reports always helpful, so thanks!

Always include outdoor facilities. The driveway and terrace must be done quickly, otherwise frustration will be great. Having all the dirt inside the house, especially with children, and no nice outdoor seating area for grilling in the summer really spoils the enjoyment.

It's true, not having a finished terrace and a finished driveway is stressful, but since we have gravel and also a concrete slab (terrace), it was bearable. What stressed me more was the missing garage in winter and shoveling snow on gravel is a disaster. On the other hand, we preferred to indulge in things that weren't really in the budget (fireplace, window seat, ceiling-high cabinets) and then need 2-3 years longer. You just have to be aware of what that means.

Shoveling snow onto gravel is also a disaster.

That's why you don't do it. We also have gravel and have experienced that the snow disappears relatively quickly there. Where to, I don't know ;)