How long does it take to build the house? 1 year?!

...and how is it going so far?

Actually great so far. Today the ceiling on the ground floor will be finished. A wastewater pipe (kitchen) in the floor slab would have been almost incorrectly placed despite the kitchen plan. Fortunately, we noticed this before pouring. Well, we are not completely unfamiliar with construction and can therefore think along according to the construction progress. Otherwise, we have already clarified many things before signing the contract. Flooring, tiles, bathroom studio, heating technology, kitchen planning, windows, position of Halox boxes, etc.

But in my opinion, two people on 65 sqm is not too cramped, especially since it’s not permanent. Sure, you want a child, but just do that first. It’s not supposed to work the first time anyway, or push the desire back by half a year... Usually, you’re still a bit pregnant then... So if you start planning now and it takes a year, then it fits, right? You move and the child comes.

Hi,

you're really rushing things....

Short and sweet about your schedule: you can forget it completely. Count on at least 4-6 months of planning and decision time before you sign a contract. Anything less is suicide and will cost you a lot, a lot of money and nerves later on.

Then it takes several months until building applications are prepared and submitted, the building permit is granted, and you have risen high enough on your general contractor's worklist that someone actually starts digging on your construction site. Count on 3 months as a minimum for this step. It can easily take 6 months as well. And then the actual construction time. A solid house will always take at least 6 months, with a basement sometimes 6 weeks more. And that's the minimum if the construction runs perfectly timed. That is currently completely unrealistic. So rather count on 2-3 months more. Weather-related stoppages on the construction site are not even factored in yet.

And that brings us to roughly 13-21 months from today until moving in. I'd guess 16-20 months from now. So somewhere around spring/summer 2021. Twenty-one! So the year after next!!

Prefab houses also aren't really finished much faster. Yes, setting it up on the construction site goes fast, but

a) then you only have a shell standing there. The interior finishing still needs to be done

b) many prefab house companies take more than a year before they even show up on site. By then the solid builder has long since started and has the construction half done.


And on the topic: "we want to have a child"... that's nice, but from personal experience I can urgently advise you to build the house first and then start having children. Building a house can be pretty stressful and exhausting, you don't necessarily have to go through that parallel to a pregnancy. One after the other you can enjoy both, together it can become hell.

Best regards,

Andreas

please do not rush!

Just as a little orientation: we started building with a local GU two weeks ago: initial meeting in January 2019, signing of the construction contract in June, completion around July/August 2020. And we already found that "fast".

then also an orientation from me (massive construction): signed in October 2018 (in the 3rd or 4th meeting), the building application was submitted in January and the approval was then in March. Earthworks began in mid-April and the handover will now be at the end of November (possibly also mid-November) and then we will do the wall and floor coverings ourselves (except tiles in the bathrooms) and plan to move at the end of January. Overall, it could have been about 2 months faster (if I calculate out the downtime between trades), but without breaks, it will hardly be possible in the current situation.