Building a house compared to buying a house

Thank you very much for the nice and constructive feedback

Well... we also hear the neighbors in our single-family house when they have their old phases. Not to mention car doors. Mostly it comes through the windows. And yes, you can't completely exclude noises from next door through the partition wall. But other noises from outside might possibly be more disturbing.

Is it really the case that most of the noise comes through the windows? Even with triple glazing?
Last year we were interested in a KFW 55 condominium and, in our opinion, apart from the church right next door, we did not hear anything, not even from the tenants below or above.

The noise level and the smaller garden are currently still our biggest concerns regarding the semi-detached house.
The garden is somewhat smaller than that of the old/new building and also not as "green".
Currently, almost everything is paved or covered with stones, and the current landlords said that grass wouldn't really grow and they had tried several times. We know from our childhood with a "larger" garden and would like to offer that to our children as well.
However, there would be a dead-end street in front of the semi-detached house, which you only enter by car if you really want to.

I live in a semi-detached house and hear nothing at all from our neighbors. They have dogs. And we have children who used to play piano and drums. The garden is naturally small, which also means that none of us spend hours in the garden or do anything there (I wouldn't even know what?!).

And otherwise: I was very relieved to have been able to buy our house with only a few years on the clock. Everything inside and outside the house is finished, garden finished, driveway finished, building defects could probably have been noticed, and otherwise no cost risk. I was then able to use my time for other things ...

I agree with . The building from the 90s is easy to calculate. Of course, renovations will also be necessary here in the next years/decades, but that is basically always the case – even a new building is no longer new after a few years. I wouldn't build on an old vaulted cellar; if anything, new from the start. I wouldn't start such a mess. It's a good thing and still very close to the family, but not so close that you can't avoid each other at all.

Option 1 makes sense insofar as you give up the basement, larger living space, and the outdoor facilities are created a few years later. Building is of course a strenuous effort; it is important to maintain the balance between job, family, and house construction.

Your concerns regarding noise transmission are justified.

An acquaintance had a semi-detached house from 2001; you could hear his dogs, children arguing at night, or at night when the neighbors were on vacation and opened the shutters. You will find many examples in the forum: it can go well, like the post above, or like the example with the acquaintance. In the end, he sold the semi-detached house, bought a plot of land, built a detached single-family house with soundproof windows and 24 cm KS blocks, and is now satisfied.

Noise transmission can have many causes: no KS partition wall to the neighbor, mortar in the joint – also called a sound bridge, no separate foundation…

There are people who can block this out well, while others are very sensitive to sound and are bothered by every crack. What kind of audiophile type are YOU? The worst thing that could happen is that you become so involved with it that you cannot relax.

Not much can be done afterwards; there used to be a company in Leipzig that could cut through this joint (mortar residue) with a technique, the cost at the time was around 10,000 euros.

Be pragmatic and don’t hesitate: take a sound box or ask the neighbor in the semi-detached house to play loud music, of course in graduated levels. Then go into the semi-detached house and listen carefully. Do you hear anything, and if so, does it bother you?

In one post, it was mentioned that you can also hear something in a single-family house, like a car door. In a semi-detached house, you can directly assign and personalize the noise and over time develop a grudge against your neighbor.

In a single-family house, it might be the car door of a car that just happens to be parked there temporarily. In relation, that is a significant difference.

Is it really the case that most of the noise comes through the windows? Even with triple glazing?

Yes. Even with our Ytong masonry, which has a correspondingly bad reputation, most of the noise comes through the windows.

The garden is a bit smaller than that of the old/new building and also not as "green". Currently, almost everything is paved or covered with stones, and the current landlords said that grass wouldn't really grow and they tried several times. We know from our childhood with a "larger" garden and would also like to offer that to our children.

Right now, almost everything is growing and there are still enough other plants that, for example, cope well with the Franconian dryness. Some of them grow directly in the gravel. Detach yourself from the pure square meter numbers when it comes to the garden. With a detached house, you have to maintain boundary distances. At best, that space is still used as a pathway; a truly used garden is rather rare in the strip between house and boundary. With the semi-detached house, this is not the case on one side. That is definitely worth the 50 sqm less you have with the semi-detached house. Neither garden is really large. If that is important to you, you have to look for detached houses with 1000 sqm. But new development areas with plots of that size hardly exist anymore today.

Our first option would be a demolition with new construction on a family plot.
The plot is approximately 420 sqm and is located on a street with a bus line. It is right next to the family, and the gardens could be connected.

Family plot, next to the family, connect gardens... Hopefully, family peace will hold!

Our financial calculation was as follows:
Payout to family for plot / house: €30,000
Demolition costs: €25,000
Notary costs: €5,000
House 150 sqm * €3000/sqm = €450,000
Additional construction costs 10% = €45,000
Basement (hard to estimate) 70 sqm * €500/sqm = €35,000
Kitchen: €15,000
Outdoor area (terrace, driveway, gate): €20,000
Buffer for special requests: €20,000

Do you have concrete offers?
Example outdoor area: We also went into budgeting for the outdoor area with terrace, driveway, gate, and fence with €20k (or was it €25k? I don't have the plan in front of me at the moment). So far it has turned out to be about €46,000 for driveway and terrace. For gate and fence, I have an offer of €13,500 from which one can surely cut costs. I don't even want to start talking about lawn and plants.
Example demolition: Have you checked whether asbestos or similar substances were installed?

I would only recommend a basement if the plot calls for it.

We built massively KfW55 and are at about €3,200 all-in with still incomplete outdoor facilities in the Rhein-Main area.

At 3.5% interest, 2% repayment, and €100,000 equity, we would currently be at €2,681 monthly without KfW funding.
However, we would like to build KfW 40.

What do you expect from KfW40? Please calculate the additional investment against the subsidy or the amortization period.
Personally (!) the monthly loan burden would be too high for me with your income, especially if children are still planned. Please inform yourself about any daycare fees. Depending on the municipality, they will really knock your socks off here.

The second option would be to buy a semi-detached house.
This is located in a somewhat quieter traffic area, about 300m further away from the family.
However, the plot is only 304 sqm.
The semi-detached house is 20 years old but in very well-maintained condition, fully basemented, and has 140 sqm living space excluding basement.
The kitchen is included and was only recently renewed. Energy efficiency C with average consumption.
Two children's rooms are available, as well as an expanded full-height attic.
The garden is currently mostly paved or covered with stones.
You could theoretically move in immediately.

Total sum: €475,000 including purchase incidental costs and without renovations
At 3.5% interest, 2% repayment, and €100,000 equity, we would currently be at €1,851 monthly.

In my opinion, the better option for you.
You can always design the garden according to your taste. And believe me, with children you will be happy for every minute of free time. A small garden "helps" you there.

Look at the house carefully. Talk to the residents of the other semi-detached house. If you are still convinced, then invest in an expert and have him inspect/evaluate the house.