House construction planning: solid house or prefabricated house? With or without a basement?

Hello dear ones.
We have been researching house building for a year now and have been torn back and forth the whole time.

Basically, we have to watch the money when building.
But we would prefer a brick-by-brick house and ideally with a basement.

However, we really don’t know where to start here to find a clear path for ourselves.
For a year now, we have been fiddling with different information and still don’t really know where the journey is supposed to go.

The house is supposed to become a smart home with everything that belongs to it. ([Auf keinen Fall Funk])
Retrofit options should also remain possible if a socket or something like that was forgotten during construction.
We basically want a basement to move technology, heating, and storage space out of the living area.
We won’t need an attic anymore.
We also wish for a modern open living, dining, and kitchen area on the lower level with a guest room.
On the upper level, the bedroom, a walk-in closet, a large bathroom, and two home offices should find space. ([Kinder wird es keine geben])
The garage should be accessible from inside the house (basement or annex).

The house is to be built in the Saxony-Anhalt area.
The total usable floor space including bathroom and basement should be between 200-300 sqm.

We have many wishes, but we absolutely don’t know where to start, and there are basically always more questions than answers at the moment.
We are therefore looking for a place on the internet where we can exchange ideas very well with others.
Are we in the right place with you?
If not, does anyone know where we would be better off?

Best regards Maxi and Romano.

I can only say where we started: with the money. After that, quite a few of the wishes were off the table :-D After that, we looked at a lot, areas, plots, model houses, existing properties... gradually it all became clearer and at some point we snapped up - admittedly also because we were fed up with searching and our apartment. Do you already have a plot?

The range between 200-300sqm is already very wide. Maybe you could be a bit more specific. 100sqm of living and usable space I would estimate to cost about 200,000 more. If the money is there, then of course you can continue planning; otherwise, I would recommend first getting clear on what you really need and want to have. Ideally, look at houses with 120sqm/140sqm/160sqm of living space, then you'll get a feel for it. Even 120sqm, if well laid out, can really offer a lot.

…Basically, we have to watch the money when building…

There are clients who basically build without a budget. But that impression is not created with the above introductory sentence. It stands in stark contrast to the rest (wishes). Set the budget and state it, describe your family situation, room requirements by function (e.g., office for home office). And also provide more information otherwise. Then the advice will work out too ;)

Basically, we have to watch the money when building. But we would prefer a brick-by-brick house and ideally with a basement. However, we really don’t know where to start in order to find a clear direction for ourselves. For a year now, we’ve been muddling through various pieces of information and still don’t really know where the journey is supposed to go.

First of all, congratulations on this special kind of financial worry—to have to make sure the house doesn’t cost too little under any circumstances. You can already get rid of part of this worry simply by muddling along for a few more years; then the price increase will help you. From my extensive forum experience, I can tell you that it’s not easy to build 300 sqm of living and usable space so clumsily that it feels like only 200 sqm. For a 130 sqm house, managing to make it feel like only 100 sqm would be a feat, and there are more worst practices than I could link: square floor plan, straight staircase, and symmetry would already be sufficient ingredients for this coup. But with 300 sqm, even with a lot of experience, it’s still really hard work. Maybe you should kindly reconsider possibly foregoing childlessness. Gucci rompers, plus a polyphonically neighing rocking horse with five rodeo programs, Segways instead of dull scooters—that way you can blow the money. If that’s not enough to shrink the budget suitably for a Flair 113, just hide some Fabergé eggs at Easter. With a bit of goodwill, you’ll manage, keep your chin up!

A good place to start is with the plot: If it has a slope, then the decision "basement/living basement" can already be crossed off. The house should also fit the plot. Not only because of the floor area ratio but also so that there is still "space" around the house. I recommend checking out Hausbauhelden on YT. If you then have more concrete ideas and a budget, just fill out the questionnaire here again.