Construction costs in BW for a single-family house with a 200m2 basement and double garage

Thanks for the quick reply. Plot (approx. 1250m2 / VW approx. 250k€) is available; the only thing to finance would be the house.

- Currently childless dual earners (M28/F27)
- He 4,000 €
- She 2,100 € (excluding special payments amounting to 3 monthly salaries p.a.)
- Equity 60,000 €

Given the size of the plot, the cellar excavation will probably be distributed on the premises and not hauled away. Then the additional costs could work out. What do you plan for additional costs for the outdoor area? If you have stated your monthly net income, then you really have no problems with this house construction. But then I am curious: In which profession does one earn 4,000€ net at 28?

Regarding the plot size, the cellar excavation is probably going to be distributed on the site rather than hauled away. Then the additional costs might work out. What additional costs are you planning for the outdoor area? If you have stated your monthly net income, then you really have no problems with this house construction. But then I am curious: in which profession does one earn 4000€ net at 28?

Thanks for your hint regarding the excavation Marvinius. I hadn’t heard of that so far, but it sounds plausible and if you can really save something with it, all the better. Approximately how much does that bring?

Regarding the 4000€ net, I have to say that this is due to the fact that I work in Switzerland (cross-border commuter). I am a lawyer and work as a corporate tax consultant. Because of the income in Swiss francs, we are exposed to a certain currency risk (the franc is currently very strong), but we also have options for foreign currency financing, which usually comes with better terms (lower interest rates). This way, we can also secure the currently favorable exchange rate.

I must also mention that I will take the tax advisor exam next autumn. If I succeed, my gross salary will increase by at least 50% starting in 2019 (net about 1 to 1.5k€ monthly and 1-2 salaries as bonuses).

But I am not including that in my calculations for safety’s sake (the failure rates are around 50%). The construction is basically planned immediately after the exam (2018). Ideally, then, there probably won’t be any financing problems.

What is especially important to me is that my construction cost calculation roughly works out. But of course financing is equally crucial. Without money, nothing works.

Civil engineering costs for a basement are difficult to assess without information about the property (soil survey, flat or sloping terrain). For a house with 150 m2 of living space and 70 m2 of basement area, for example, we moved almost 1000 m3 of soil on sloping terrain, whereas on flat land we might have managed with 600 m3. Can you use the excavation material for backfilling? This is not possible with clay soil, for example; in that case, you will have to buy fill sand from your civil engineer. If you store the excavation material on your property, you will probably need retaining walls or similar quite quickly, meaning investments in outdoor landscaping. If you have to dispose of the excavation material, additional soil analysis will be required. If the soil is contaminated, it will quickly become very expensive. One of the reasons why basements are becoming less common... Ideally, you should enter discussions with construction companies armed with the soil survey and analysis and obtain an offer for the necessary additional civil engineering work before signing a contract with the house provider. But you will probably build with an architect anyway. You should also consider the corresponding fees as well as a kitchen costing around €40,000 and the outdoor landscaping at a minimum of €60,000. Thanks for the information about the profession. That fits well with the FAZ article from some time ago, stating that lawyers with top grades as career starters in Frankfurt am Main now earn over €140,000 a year at the peak. And now I also better understand why we want to build a reliable energy supply with wind turbines or the hype around electric cars.[emoji6]

Regarding the top salaries for lawyers, one must keep in mind that the 140k p.a. is only possible with 60-hour weeks. That corresponds to a salary of about 90k with "normal" working hours. So everything is relative.

I basically think electromobility is great! However, that should not mean that I ignore any energy standards during construction!

On the actual topic:

Unfortunately, we are not yet at the point where we can say much about the civil engineering work. The plot is definitely completely level.

As far as construction costs are concerned, I am starting to feel a bit uneasy when I hear that we apparently have to add another good 100k on top of the generous 570k.

Based on our information, it is already clear that we will have to finance at least 500k.

Actually, we had planned to limit the outdoor facilities to the bare minimum for now. The same applies, for example, to the basement expansion.

So if we really want to build by the end of 2018, our plan probably won’t work... 670k is not feasible.

You can also consider whether it must be 300 sqm including the basement.

Now I really wonder what the flat construction costs of 1800-2000€ are still worth...