Building as a Single Person - Exchange of Experiences

Hello,

I (m/45) am currently considering building again. I am single, have three teenage children (they are often with me, formally with my ex-wife). When the marriage fell apart, I bought the next best house within "bicycle distance" (in a great suburban location of a big city, built in 1995, great features). The house is to be sold if necessary, is free of liabilities, and for this reason, among others, the financial leeway is comfortable. With about 280 sqm of living space and just over 1000 sqm of owned land, however, it is way too big for someone living alone and simply involves a lot of work. Work means time, which I would prefer to invest in my children, traveling, and my job. I have been interested for a long time in houses of the "Bauhaus style" type (more precisely: what is counted as that today, so a cube...), about 140-160 sqm of living space, no basement anymore, 500-600 sqm of owned land.

Through connections, I might possibly have the opportunity to acquire a suitable plot in the coming months.

Has anyone else done something similar? How did you build? Just for yourselves, or rather again a "family house," even if you moved in alone? Eventually decided against a house, for a condo instead?

Thanks!

I have never built anything at all, but prepared our 1970s house as a shell ... and converted it. That was work and many people who build say: that was "intense." I haven’t counted how many (really) funny books there are that deal only with "building" and its side effects ... Of course there are also people who actually like that .... o_O

My note: If you are sure know what your possible partnership(s) will look like (like this, like that, or not at all?), you can of course create good conditions, but I would expect surprises and rather look for a temporary solution. Experience shows that children leave the house faster than you think .... and planning in advance for someone unknown can work out well, but it always has something "definitive" about it. The partnership should fit that.

Or do you want to stay alone anyway? (which I find completely okay), then of course it will be easier ....

Regards ...

Thank you for your reply.

Or do you want to stay alone anyway? (which I find completely okay), then of course it becomes easier ...

I say "never say never," but currently (since I moved out about 2.5 years ago) I am doing very well alone, I can focus on work, kids, and travel. But even with 140-160sqm, there should easily be room/space for a future possibility...

So in terms of planning, I initially plan comfortable space just for myself... whether this is the right way, I wanted to find out exactly with this post ;-)

You have great conditions. Even 140sqm is quite a lot for one person. But 3 teenagers obviously need their space too, and in a few years you'll be happy when they come to visit you along with your grandchildren. I have also been separated for 2 years and built again at 53. However, all my children are grown up and even in my new modest 60sqm, there is accommodation for the grandchildren. I just wanted to free myself from as many burdens as possible and for that reason among others planned very small. Just build YOUR dream house.

I just wanted to free myself from as many burdens as possible and therefore planned very small, among other reasons. Just build YOUR dream house.

For me, the current house is a burden. In fact, I have been wavering for some time between renting an apartment and "building a dream house." Renting is more flexible, but "building a dream house" is of course very appealing and, unlike renting, has a "home" or "arriving" character.

The (positive) pressure now arose with the prospect of a nice plot of land, which I actually had not expected.

I can't contribute much to the actual topic, only one thing comes to mind: We have planned 2 of our rooms as "hybrid rooms" and are very satisfied with them. So we don't have a classic "guest room" that is empty 98% of the time, but rather a hobby/sport room that can be converted for guests. With a simple bunk bed and rolling nightstands, it can be used mostly for ourselves, and when guests are expected, it can be converted into a guest room in 20 minutes. Another room has also received a sofa bed that in extreme emergencies could accommodate 2 additional overnight guests. This way we haven't wasted space on a dedicated guest room, but can still host up to 4 adults overnight. From experience, it gets too tight with larger groups in a single-family house anyway (bathroom/towel capacities etc.), which is why my family rents a holiday apartment when everyone comes. It's better for the mood too. :D I digress. What I wanted to say: with such hybrid rooms you can save a lot of space and still always have a free bed for children/grandchildren. :)