New single-family house with basement (on a slope)

Hang costs money and Hang is not equal to Hang.

100% agreement.

For us, the "basement" is a living floor and has become the ground floor.

We did not build a basement. As a result, the price per square meter shot up.

Those who want to build on a slope optimized financially invest in a competent planning partner. He saves more than he costs.

Anyone who wants to build financially optimized on a slope invests in a competent planning partner. They save more than they cost.

You have to consider the entire property. How do I position the house, how do I design the outdoor area with as little earthmoving as possible? How do I use the basement? If it is empty space it is expensive, if you fill it with necessary living spaces the extra cost is somewhat offset.

Full agreement.

Does anyone have experience with this?
What budget should one generally calculate? Is approximately 400k (house + additional costs) realistic for this?
The following should be realized as self-performed work (drywall), electrical, interior doors, sanitary / tiling, interior plaster, painting work, floor coverings.

A hillside location can mean anything, possibly even rock. Therefore, there is no general tip drawer here. How typical for Stuttgart is your slope exactly?

As a family with a child, we want to build a single-family home south of Stuttgart. We have a plot in sight. We looked at the Flair 113 from , as the plot is on a slope with a basement. [...] Which other construction companies should we look at, also considering the self-performed work?

Given the self-performance, not this construction company at all. It is only recommended as a full general contractor for non-self-builders. And not this house model either: it has a near-square floor plan and is designed as a slab-on-ground house. Both also apply to their "Raumwunder 90," which at least is a bit smaller. On a slope, you should use the slope, i.e. build a livable basement instead of an almost empty one. This takes care of part of the space requirement there and the house becomes unnecessarily expensive if you do not reduce it above ground accordingly. And on a slope, the house axis should be rotated as much as possible into the contour lines, which is more efficient with less building depth and more ridge length. A proven catalog model is basically good if you are a normal family and therefore usually do not need a custom design. However, all templates will be too large for you if you look classically for one-and-a-half-story houses (which would definitely be cheaper overall than a "city villa"). Considering the reduced size possible due to the livable basement, house designs of 90 or even 80 sqm would be more suitable; these are usually bungalows without a planned full staircase. So it’s best to look for a one-and-a-half-story house of about the size of the Flair 113, but with a more elongated floor plan, and move the upper floor into the basement. For example—as said, just for orientation, because Town & Country is not the right general contractor for you—the Aura 125, possibly in the "single-flight staircase" variant. This is actually a two-story house and therefore not larger when converted. Then look around here in the category "Experiences with construction companies," and specifically search for threads that carry the name of your nearest mid-sized center town (district capital or similar). That’s the best way to find construction companies. Don’t forget that you explicitly need a shell-and-core general contractor: "weather-tight shell" is cheaper than "move-in ready minus." But you are also welcome to use my signature and/or read my house building roadmap on "Bauen jetzt."

Thank you first of all for your numerous feedback!

Maybe I should try to give a few more details about the plot / house.
In the entire building plot, the height difference is about 1.5 m. The plot is about 420 sqm.
The street is on the south side, the plot slopes downward to the north (away from the street). In the utility basement, which is to be converted into living space, 1-2 rooms (children’s room or office) are planned with daylight windows. These are therefore located on the north side. The remaining space is planned for technology / storage. On the ground floor are living / dining room, kitchen, small WC (possibly with shower), hallway as well as a small storage room including pantry. On the top floor are bedroom, bathroom, 2 rooms (children / office) planned. An office due to a lot of home office and a second child are planned (therefore 2x children’s rooms). The terrace is currently planned facing south (towards the street) with privacy screening.

We also looked at the Flair 113 as a show house with a utility basement, which was converted into a living basement. However, the house was not located on a slope. From our point of view, the layout made sense and would generally fit well with the plot.

The opinions that Town & Country are not optimal in this case seem to be the same here. For what exact reason, because of own services or to optimize the slope location?
We have already been in contact with a local general contractor, but the first price offer scared us a bit. However, we had planned something a little different then (granny flat, basement height in the basement, ...). But we have contacted them again.

Yes, there are some own services; possibly some of them will also be outsourced (contacts are available).


An architect sounds much more expensive than a general contractor or something similar at first, or am I mistaken?


Rock is not to be expected on that slope, there are already several houses there.
That means you would recommend towards a bungalow (like, for example, Aura 125), where the top floor represents the basement? One floor above the ground floor would therefore be completely omitted, correct? And the attic would serve as storage?

An architect sounds much more expensive than a general contractor or something similar at first, or am I mistaken?

Yes! That may be the case and in my opinion it is so. However, a sloped plot is simply not suitable for putting up a slab-on-grade house.
If someone buys a sloped plot or wants to build on one, they inevitably have to expect additional costs if the plot is to be used as such. That’s the basic principle!
It doesn’t help!

From our point of view, the layout made sense

We also looked at the Flair 113 as a show house with a usable basement, which was converted into a living basement.

Honestly? With a sloped plot, where you tuck a basement under the Flair, there will never be a sensible design outcome because you end up with one floor too many.
And I think you underestimate the costs of the tucked-under floor (basement with living quality including insulation).

For what exact reason, because of own work or to optimize the slope location?

Both and everything in general.
You plan 3 floors, although you only need and can afford 2.

We also already had contact with a local general contractor, but the first price offer put us off somewhat.

That depends on what is included. The construction service description from Town & Country is quite stripped down and “cheap” in many opinions. Also currently seen in this forum. Certainly, an expanded living basement, let alone an externally insulated one, is not calculated in the Town & Country construction service description. If you want to build an additional living floor under the Flair 113, you get about 170 sqm of living quality. That is about €500,000 in the cheap version with standard equipment. Without incidental building costs. Those who need the 170 sqm can certainly be happy with it if they don’t need a high standard. Those who actually only need 130-140 sqm will pay a lot extra. But that’s the “slope”.
On the other hand, if you decide on an architect, they will sensibly plan a house explicitly for this plot, which fits optimally without creating unnecessary slab-on-grade rooms you don’t need. The result is a house optimized to fit into the budget and the plot. All this is in consultation. Ultimately, it comes out at the same price or even cheaper!

Is the financing secured? For 400k construction costs slope and BW near Stuttgart, I have my doubts.

The opinions that Town & Country are not optimal for this case seem to be the same here. For what exact reason, because of self-performed work or to optimize the hillside location?

Both. This is a run-of-the-mill provider in the low-cost segment. Of course, you can live in it – but somehow these guys also want to make money. So everything is a) planned cheaply b) additional costs come up c) the house is fully calculated – if you remove one item, you take away Town & Country’s earning opportunities (and disrupt the construction schedule), so that you might get reimbursed €1,000 and then pay €5,000 for the same work to your craftsman d) this is not a provider to simply add a living floor as a basement on a hillside.

with a utility basement, which was converted into a living basement.

Correct, living basement. Equals living space. Equals the same price as “normal” living space above ground, since you have to equip it the same way (heating, insulation, building energy law requirements, electrical work, etc.). Therefore the tip from all sides is NOT to simply basement a normal house, but to plan a house suitable for the hillside. That might be more expensive per sqm of living space, but if in the end you manage with 140 sqm instead of 170 sqm for that, you will probably be much better off.