Thank you very much for the many constructive answers!
I will try to respond to all contributions collectively so that the overview is not lost.
On the topic of budget:
Ok, in hindsight it was probably a mistake to state a budget of 350,000 here.
It is primarily a "desired budget" with the goal of being done with financing in 20 years.
A house with a basement and garage is the maximum version.
We indicated the budget here to clarify that the budget plays a bigger role for us than ultimately having a house in this form. That means we are willing, for example, to replace the basement with a larger living area or the garage with a carport plus an adjoining storage room (for bicycles, etc.).
Nevertheless, I believe that Lower Franconia cannot be compared with Upper Bavaria.
Especially if you build with solid construction and rely on regional construction companies, the price level should still differ significantly here (even though it is basically high).
Of course, a basement is very expensive and can be ruled out right away if we decide on a prefabricated house. However, in the case of solid construction, the situation looks different in my opinion and may make sense (a smaller living area + basement probably does not cost much more than increasing the base area).
-> Conclusion on the budget:
Please disregard it for now - there is still room for upward adjustment. It's more about the
basic idea of planning the house as efficiently as possible while considering the costs.
On the topic of the bathtub:
Our entire extended family covers ages from 6 months to 89 years.
Those under 70 still hardly bathe, those over 80 no longer get into the tub. I was mostly showered as a child, and our 6-month-old baby has been showered for some time now - although not alone yet.
-> Conclusion on the bathtub:
Everyone has at least one, but no one bathes. It serves at most as a place to put clothes and gather dust. Of course, there are enough people who like to bathe and do not want to do without it (then it makes sense). However, we do not belong to that group and prefer to relax by going to the thermal baths occasionally.
So, still no.
On the topic of the floor plan:
Based on our sketch, we yesterday received a first proposal from a general contractor (see pictures).
I have to say that we have received two offers, one with a basement and one without. For more precise planning before the offer, we will have a planning meeting soon.
Without basement:
- As an alternative, we would have the extension with a utility room (actually a technical room) + windbreak. However, we are not completely happy with this yet since the overhang might restrict the view from the study.
- We want to avoid having to pave a large driveway to the property, so the direct attachment of the garage will not be viable anyway. Possibly the garage/carport could be placed directly in front of the house.
- In the upper floor, it would be ideal if we could somehow still fit in a utility room.
- The cloakroom can be omitted due to the windbreak.
With basement:
- The extension or transition to the garage is eliminated, and the technical and utility rooms move to the basement.
With this, I think the floor plan is basically quite usable.
Regarding previous comments:
- The dressing room probably makes little sense due to its size. It is probably better to remove the wall to create a better feeling of space or leave only a recess for the wardrobe.
- The pantry is actually not placed "in the middle" but closes off with the cabinets from the kitchen side. We are taking kitchen appliances from our current apartment, including a refrigerator (with freezer compartments), which will be placed directly in the kitchen.
We got the idea for the pantry from a Hanse show house and also visited the show house to get a feeling for the size and found it good.
- The half-landing staircase takes up a lot of space. Could it perhaps be replaced by another kind to gain more space for the living area?
- In the "with basement" variant, the basement stairs still need to be accommodated somewhere.
In summary:
The most important things for us now are
a) to find out how best to position house + garage. Ideally with a relatively small driveway to gain a lot of space to the south. It is not a must that the garage is directly attached to the house.
b) to find the right floor plan. That means with or without basement and optimal utilization of living space.
Of course, a certain sense of space should be retained; we don’t want to sit in a tiny room 1 meter in front of the TV in the evening.
