How much house can we afford?

Of course my information about the salaries concerns a 40h week, I have not claimed otherwise.

No, but you have to factor it in (not us)

An extra 10,000 for flooring seems a bit much to me, but I’m happy to look into it again here.

100sqm x €30 + 100sqm x €10
4000€
Or parquet? .... total 6000€
We don’t know how you think. We also don’t know if by the end of the construction you’ll even have the leisure to paint the house yourself. Maybe it should be the painter for 5-7000€ after all?!

For the garden, we are lucky to only need privacy protection/fence on one side. At the back is farmland, a neighbor already has a privacy screen which you can practically "share".

Some parents like to see their children fenced in before they run off into the farmland.

all good

We have some willing helpers on hand. I know you shouldn’t rely on that either, but friends and family have readily offered help (for wallpaper and flooring)

Baukindergeld... the budget is limited, if everyone, then everyone, and that becomes more and more likely the closer the end of 2020 approaches.

I have the most expensive covering (click cork parquet) in the living room, about 45€/m². Otherwise rather 30€/m². Although you really have to say, baseboards and co also add up. I also find 6000€ tight for flooring and painting (materials), but that is also a position where you can eventually see what is "left over"... maybe it won’t be the super fancy desired covering, but there is a wide variety, so you can find something in the appropriate price range. I would round up to 10k€.

A buffer is needed nonetheless, I have painfully had to learn that. 10% is at least appropriate... just add it on flatly, somewhere you will need it.

Overall, I find the sum (please update after the hints here!) to be in a bearable relation to the income. I think you also have a healthy attitude towards what is possible (good standard, not golden faucets).

So I find your calculation of the costs more than optimistic. I think it will be difficult to build the house for that money. And nothing is given away in SA either. If a second child comes along, it will get even tighter. The topic of a buffer has already been mentioned. Own work is of course good, but it doesn't work miracles either – you won't move around €50,000 or so. Baukindergeld is not certain. Price increases until the start of construction are likely. Unexpected things almost always happen. Your salaries are okay, you have saved diligently and you apparently have a good handle on your finances, which is a big plus.

Could you please explain again in more detail what you have in mind? What kind of house should it be, what level of equipment?

So I find your cost calculation more than optimistic. I think it will be difficult to build the house for that money. And nothing is given away in SA either. If a second child comes, it will get even tighter. The topic of buffer has already been mentioned. Do-it-yourself work is of course good, but it doesn’t work miracles either - you won’t move around €50,000 or so there. Baukindergeld is not certain. Price increases until the start of construction are likely. Unforeseen events almost always happen. Your salaries are okay, you have saved diligently and you apparently have your finances well under control, that is a big plus. Could you please explain again in more detail what you have in mind? What kind of house should it be, what kind of equipment?

That’s exactly why I created this thread. It’s understandable that there are still gaps somewhere, we are basically just starting. I am all the more grateful for every opinion here. We have in mind (and this is how it was initially calculated by the general contractor) a city villa with 130 sqm. A classic gable roof with a high knee wall would also be an option – but here I don’t know how much the price difference is (I’m happy to receive information on this). In terms of equipment, I think we are quite "modest". Sure, it should please us, it should have a certain quality, but I like to pay attention to the price and compare – what makes sense, what doesn’t. We are not used to luxury, so we are actually satisfied with decent standard. I have nothing against an Ikea kitchen. We like the furniture too. So it doesn’t have to be anything special here. We want to equip the floors with vinyl. I think you can also get quite good prices online there. I hope that was what you wanted to know, Winniefred?

A classic gable roof with a high knee wall would also be an option - but I don’t know how much that costs (I’m happy to receive info on this).

A gable roof should actually always be cheaper than, for example, a hip or pyramid roof. I estimate that makes a difference of €5,000–10,000. Even cheaper would be a shed roof (but no storage space).