How long did it take for you from the dream to buying the house?

Hello, I don't know if I am in the right place with my topic.

I would be interested to know how long it took for you from the desire to buy a house to the actual purchase? How many properties did you look at? How much time should one allow? How many compromises did you make (e.g. plot smaller than originally wanted, location, etc.)?

I would appreciate feedback.

From the initial considerations - larger apartment, viewing houses first because of rent. Then because of purchase - decision to build - to the probable move-in about 1.5 years.
At the beginning, people usually plan bigger with more extras. You have incredibly many people around you who all have to say what you absolutely must do when building.
You have to get through that phase. At some point, we said: "Whoever has a good suggestion must pay for it."
One should take time to become clear about the individual points and read up on the necessary knowledge. Always use as many sources as possible. When financing, it's better to plan large buffers rather than pushing it right to the limit.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I have to say that this was not the normal case for us.
That is probably partly due to my profession and partly because I am somewhat of a perfectionist.

So the search for a plot of land took about a good year. I absolutely wanted a larger plot. For financial reasons, only a commercial plot was an option for us, ours is just under 3,000m², and it should be located in a reasonably nice environment.

The planning took about 2 years. At first, I considered an atrium house. But this would have left me too little space on the south side of the property. So it could only be a house in the Mediterranean style, as we have spent most of our vacations in France, since the attic could now also be used.
In this process, it was precisely calculated that the sun shines through the terrace doors and windows at the right angle in every season, to warm the rooms during the cold season and not shine too far inside in summer.
A warm air circulation heating system is used to distribute the gained solar heat throughout the whole house.

The execution took about 1.5 years, because I worked on almost every trade myself.

The garden area is still not completely finished to this day, but I am already very satisfied with the interim result. Most plants we received from friends who had some that became too big or too cramped.

But as I said, this is not the normal case. For a completely normal building family, the whole thing does not take nearly 4 years.

Oh, my post is now a quarter of a year old and we are still searching. Sure, there are houses up to 10 years old (as we have looked), but none really appeal to us. First, there are few, and then there is always something that does not fit or leads to high costs.

Now we are once again at the point of considering new construction. Pros, cons.

Why is it so difficult to estimate the costs for a solid house?? I don’t think prefab houses are bad, but to think they are just as expensive as solid houses??!! I don’t know. What is the advantage of prefab houses (I haven’t quite figured that out yet). I definitely don’t want a plastered house but brick.
If you already have a plot of land, you are clearly at an advantage. We are saving diligently so that we might be able to start in 1-2 years.

A prefabricated house does not have to be run-of-the-mill. Actually, all the major prefabricated house companies also build according to their own design ideas. We basically drew the basic plans ourselves and did not have to adhere to any grid or anything else.

The only thing that can be problematic in a prefabricated house is if you want a concrete staircase. This is a structural challenge in wooden prefabricated houses (but can also be solved).

What is better is a matter of belief and cannot be answered definitively. Tending to say, in solid construction, an individual solution is more often sought on the construction site (I don’t want to say botched).

Why should a prefabricated house not be just as expensive as a solid house? In the end, it is the same. A prefabricated house would only be cheaper if you choose a manufacturer that strongly adheres to standard house types. Massa Haus does that, I believe. For that, the shell houses are also quite cheap.

Overall, building is becoming more and more expensive because the measures for energy savings are becoming increasingly intensive. The problem is that those carrying out the work are not always fully up to date.