Living in a log house year-round

Okay, so electricity and water lines wouldn't be a problem; they are already on the property since my father had planned to build a guest house there anyway.

Of course, there will still be costs for sanitary facilities.

I had read something about insulation, but you would have to add extra insulation, otherwise it will get cold in winter.

Do you also need a building permit for such a "garden house"? It is not supposed to get a separate address, but rather function as a guest house.

What budget do you have available?

About 35,000

We could do the foundation ourselves, as my father has already completely renovated and expanded an old farmhouse and has done that several times himself.

In general, we imagined that only the construction of the garden house, connection of electrical and water lines would be carried out by external contractors.

How does it actually look with building permits in the Thuringia area? I heard that anything over 40 m² needs to be applied for.

With TEUR 35 you should rather settle in a hotel or an apartment for a long time. You will never get the house ready to live in with that. Calculate the total costs (assuming you get the building permit). Do you think the connection to the sewer, the structure, complete electrical wiring, floors, insulation, roofing, wood treatment, bathroom, etc. will cost you almost nothing? Why do you think normal houses cost many times your planned budget?

Basically, it only depends on how high your expectations are. A good friend of mine also has a somewhat larger garden shed (also additionally insulated). I have even spent a night in it during winter. No problem at all. With 35,000 euros, you just shouldn’t expect any luxury. If you don’t officially live in it, the energy saving regulation doesn’t apply. If you don’t put in too much effort, it will be a bit uncomfortable in winter and very hot in summer. Possibly something a bit smaller and build it yourself, and choose the double-walled version with insulation. For electrical and sanitary installations, it would of course be advantageous if you have someone who can help you under supervision. Because that could quickly go beyond the scope, you also have to leave space for the connections.

The question is whether it wouldn’t be more sensible to buy a condominium. Then you would also have a countervalue; you will hardly be able to sell your garden shed.

So we are currently living in a 70m² apartment with a child and a dog... unbearable... Better to have the 70m² in the 7700m² large garden.. if needed - door open, dog out

Our demands are by no means high. It should just not be a deterioration ... which means for us ... it is always warm in summer anyway, only in winter it should also be warm ... electricity and internet via cable should not be a problem ... hot water supply via cable certainly not either (comes from the house's own wood heating stove).

And a condominium with 70m² in the worst neighborhood costs at least €150,000 ...

Okay so a double-walled variant would help or insulate it yourself.

The fact that the garden house cannot be sold is not a big deal. In case of doubt, the parents could rent it out (guesthouse with pension) or we use it later as a guesthouse when we visit.