Is buying a house for a maximum of €350,000 realistic?

The plans were based on a "pre-planned" house that can only be adapted to a limited extent. The plans looked good, but they do not quite fit us, as our wishes would be associated with compromises. We were told that a completely custom-designed house would not have the price advantages of this house. At first, we could not assess whether this was a sales tactic.

They probably showed you the "Jedermann", right?

After the first discussions, we would like to make another selection round so that we have 3-4 offers in the end. For this, we want to bring in expert advice and have a comparison of offers carried out.

Why do you want to spend money on that with your already tight budget? They will hardly do that for free.

Settle on two to three providers with whom you have the best gut feeling and have each offer you a layout as identical as possible. Then write down the most important points from the construction service description and compare them. Also compare the additional costs for special equipment/upgrades.

Usually, there are only a few thousand euros difference between the providers...

We have now reached the point where we essentially have our floor plan in rough form and only need to change details. (Yes, the door to the bathroom is still missing). Built-in cupboards are to be placed in the lower part of the hallway in the attic. That is why there is so much space here.

With this floor plan, we are now having offers made by various providers.

We have a similar staircase, just without a landing. It feels great to walk on and looks good. If you skip the landing, you would have a reasonably wide passage to the open-plan living area and could probably create another small room upstairs. So, for example, a utility room/storage room instead of built-in wardrobes.

Alternatively, you could also place the entrance of Child 2 at the bottom of the plan on the staircase side (the staircase can also be built over by 1-2 steps). This would eliminate the small hallway between the children's rooms.

But for obtaining quotes, the floor plan is of course sufficient.

With this floor plan, we will now have various providers create an offer for us.

I hope you never want to get a sofa or similarly bulky furniture into the children's rooms. With the current layout, that could become quite complicated.