Is financing for house purchase / house construction feasible?

120 sqm with a basement ... no problem, the technology is already out, the basement provides storage space, etc. But, pure 120 sqm is not that much more compared to, for example, the 80 sqm apartment I quoted with common areas, whose capacity is often not considered when making a simple comparison.

We do not use the attic at all for this. And in the basement, we use 2 out of a total of 4 rooms. One for technology, one for Christmas decorations, etc. Excluding the basement and halving the office, we come to just under 120 sqm. That would be enough in the house if the attic were used. But with a really small bathroom and no large kitchen with an island, etc. Today, sensible living space is often wasted on luxury (please don't take the word too literally). The large bathroom even costs twice as much since tiles, double sinks, a large bathtub, and a large rain shower are all additional items. You can do well with 120 sqm. Especially if the budget is very limited.

The common rooms can also be well replaced. Carport with a tool shed and a roof towards the back, for example. A separate small house from the special offer for tools. A weatherproof pavilion as a permanent shelter also for garden furniture. All items that can be wonderfully built step by step by oneself and do not cost 2200€/sqm.

For me, the rule applies: rethink expectations when the budget is tight.

Thank you very much for the feedback.

> I wasn't really aware of that. But they can't really go down any further, can they?

Why shouldn't interest rates be able to go down further? We are still far from zero and through government subsidies and repayment grants, interest rates can easily be pushed further into negative territory, as is already the case with some KfW products.

And if construction costs continue to rise, then there will simply be a new child construction allowance or a second Bavarian home ownership grant...

I claim that without a basement, with the technical room on the ground floor, and 120-130m², one will not be happy in the long run with 2 children... even the attic does not really help as storage space.

I claim the opposite, I know plenty of examples in my environment. It has simply developed so that people build bigger and want more square meters per person. You really don’t need that. It depends on the layout of the apartment/house.

We lived for 4 years as four people in 125m² + attic and never had the feeling that there was not enough space. The attic was mainly used for things you don’t really need anyway and were disposed of or sold when moving. With more space, you just accumulate more things you no longer need. The only exception I can think of is a hobby that requires a lot of space or storage for paperwork, if you are self-employed.

Less space simply makes you part with things more easily. Of course, it’s nice if the rooms are a bit bigger and you naturally have to worry less about storage space. But whether there is enough space per person depends more on consumption behavior than on it actually being too cramped. For example, my wife and I have had an agreement for years that when we buy new clothes, old clothes must be disposed of or sold. Of course not for every single shirt. But when several items are bought at once, sorting out happens promptly. This works well without having to enlarge the wardrobe every few years.

My mother-in-law firmly claims that she alone needs a 120m² house, which she actually can’t really afford anymore. But for example, she also has 60 jeans in the wardrobe... Maybe four people would have that many when children are just between two sizes and the old clothes haven’t been sorted out yet.

I claim that without a basement, with a utility room on the ground floor and 120-130m², you won't be happy in the long run with 2 children... the attic doesn't really help as storage space either.

So you claim that all normal homebuyers from developers (semi-detached houses/terraced houses) are unhappy in the long run? Well planned, they are completely sufficient. The rooms won't be ballroom size, but that's not necessary to be happy. And additionally. How unhappy are the tens of thousands (or even more) of renters with 2 children who also only have 100sqm for a 4-room apartment - but have to do without a garden?

I claim the opposite; I know plenty of examples in my surroundings. It has simply developed in such a way that people build bigger and want more square meters per person. You don't really need that. It depends on the layout of the apartment/house.

We lived for 4 years as four people in 125m² + attic and never felt that it might be too little space. The attic was mainly used for things you don't really need and were disposed of or sold when moving. With more space, you just accumulate more things you no longer need. The only exception I can think of is a hobby that requires a lot of space or storage for paperwork, if you are self-employed.

Less space just makes you part with things more easily.
Of course, it's nice if the rooms are a bit bigger and you have to worry less about storage.
But whether there is enough space per person depends more on consumption habits than on the space really being too tight.
For example, my wife and I have had an agreement for years that when we buy new clothes, old clothes must be disposed of or sold. Of course, not with every single t-shirt. But if several items are bought at once, sorting out happens shortly after.
That works well without having to expand the wardrobe every few years.

My mother-in-law firmly claims that she needs a 120m² house just for herself, although she actually can’t afford it anymore. But she also has, for example, 60 pairs of jeans in her wardrobe... Maybe that’s what four people have when children are between sizes and old clothes haven’t been sorted out yet.

It may be that space needs have shifted somewhat in a different direction. Also due to construction prices, plot sizes, etc., houses like those our parents/grandparents built are hardly feasible anymore. Nevertheless, people’s expectations will not decrease in the long run, quite the opposite. With 2 children (rooms perhaps 13m²) and one bathroom for 4 people of maybe 9m², I simply see difficulties. Of course, it always depends on individual priorities, but I don’t know if everyone will be happy with that in the long run. Therefore, the OP has to decide that for themselves.

Because of the technical room on the ground floor, there is no longer an office at all, so there is only the living/dining/kitchen area and a small guest WC. That makes me wonder where the space for food/drinks will be? Buying things in stock is often very difficult then. If hobbies are also pursued, I wonder where space is created for that? There is simply no real storage room, if at all only in a very small size for vacuum cleaners or similar. Storing things in the attic is also semi-optimal... You don’t really like going up there anyway.

For my personal preferences, that would definitely not be sufficient. I would rather give up other things that make the house cheaper than the space. Usually, you only build once, and if the place eventually becomes too small and you have to store various things at your parents’/in-laws’ place, it becomes a hassle... I see that all too often among acquaintances. Usually, the space of such a single-family home with 120m² is enough for very few.

You are right... We currently still live temporarily as two people in 60m²... It works, but don’t ask me how... I’m already counting the days until the house is ready xD