Hello and wow, first of all for the many opinions and contributions.
I can already tell that I have initially withheld some important information. So here is a bit more detailed, especially first about the
budget, financing, and feasibility of the whole thing:
[*]About the budget: the planned 230,000 are of course EXCLUSIVE of pile foundations (and also exclusive of exterior facilities, but including the foundation slab). We are aware that otherwise it would be absolutely unrealistic and also not easy. However, we have based this on current prices from prefab house manufacturers and homebuilders in our circle of friends, where a 163 m² city villa was built solidly for 217,000 € two years ago (without foundation slab). We found similar prices at Eco-System Haus, so we do not think it is impossible. But it does indeed require really good planning, that is completely true, and prices increase every year. Our current calculation (many prices are still not supported by offers, but calculated according to researched market prices with the construction price index) is at 210,000 €.
[*]About the financing: Our incomes are around 70% in the societal cross-section. So not too bad. However, the land prices in Berlin have risen significantly in the last 5 years and we only started searching 1.5 years ago. The plot had a fairly cheap land price (below benchmark), but it is large, so overall it already costs a lot. Added to this are the pile foundation due to unfavorable soil conditions and quite costly development (since it is also a back parcel). The plot including incidentals totals just under 400,000 €. So now the cat is out of the bag, it’s crazy expensive! But also super nice and after thorough consideration with our parents and supporters, we think we can manage it.
[*]Own work: And here exactly our consideration on how to manage it. We first actually looked at ready-made houses from general contractors and could certainly have found things we liked. Now, my father-in-law is a trained plumber and has worked in the building materials trade for years. He almost single-handedly renovated his own house and has a large network of craftsmen. When he told people that his son wants to build a house, everyone asked why we don’t do it ourselves with his support. So: prefab house plan discarded and we’re taking matters into our own hands, hoping for a bit more design freedom at a still good price. We can also mostly get the materials at purchase prices through my father-in-law.
Planned own work includes:
[*]Design (which actually comes from us after reviewing many floor plans... I know it’s not very well received, but we simply have a strong DIY mentality and I love to design myself anyway)
[*]Roof construction (at least my father-in-law thinks we can do this ourselves with beam trusses)
[*]Heating
[*]Sanitary installations
[*]Floor coverings
[*]Painting
[*]Exterior facilities (terrace, carport, shed etc.) later
[*]Possibly façade design (if wood cladding)
As mentioned, of course the budget is still tight and therefore our design freedom is already quite limited. We have therefore taken many basic principles of cost-effective building to heart:
[*]simple building shape without bay windows, dormers, projections or recesses
[*]cheap building materials like Ytong, roofing planned with aluminum sheet
[*]simple floor plan with load-bearing walls in the middle for short spans, bathrooms/pipes stacked
[*]cost-effective cold roof with nail board trusses (expanded roof with dormers is indeed not cheaper, especially if the knee wall is to have a comfortable height of around 1.80 m anyway. Even without dormers, the roof construction with rafters and insulation seems more expensive).
The design is calculated by a planner from my father-in-law’s circle of acquaintances who gives us a pretty good price. He designs all the statics and does the application and execution planning including the energy efficiency stuff.
What do you want? A great house or an inexpensive house? Both cannot be achieved with your wishes.
Conclusion (without knowing the details): It won’t work and if there are no special reasons for a house, then just leave it. You will only bring yourself stress (construction stress if you hire the cheapest (illegal) workers and/or have to do a lot yourself, as well as financial stress because the budget will most likely not be sufficient).
I find that a bit generalized and I do think we can get both together. After various rounds in show houses, leafing through brochures etc., I don’t get the feeling that prefab houses always justify their prices in terms of value. We know where we set our priorities and what is not so important to us, and above all we have the process under control. It will certainly be stressful, but we are willing to endure that for a manageable period – and maybe it’s even a bit of fun sometimes . And to completely abandon the house project now, where we have already bought the land (and not lightly), that would somehow really be crazy.
Now to your individual comments on
design and the plan. I have attached a dimensioned floor plan with the most important measurements. And I’ll try to group some topics:
[*]Country house character: yes, I find the plan so far quite villa-like as well. So you know what I imagine or actually strive for, I have attached example pictures. We’ll leave the façade design aside for now. I know plaster is cheaper than wood or clinker bricks, but maybe something can also be done as own work or later or only partially... we’ll see. Maybe country house is not even the right word. It should also be clearly modern. Like a barn / country house interpreted in a modern way . Definitely without roof overhang and also with rather straight windows without muntins or so. The comment about organic windows is good and worth considering.
[*]That brings me directly to the arrangement of windows: It is certain that each bedroom should have a large window facing the garden. Some might still be slightly movable; for the children’s room on the left you could really think about it, thanks for the hint @Itenzer. It is questionable whether a window to the garden is also necessary in the kitchen below at that spot. We have already planned one on the short side because that faces east and my boyfriend likes to have the morning sun in the kitchen. But completely without a window in the kitchen area looks weird from the outside (south façade), doesn’t it?
[*]Workstations: Yes, upstairs in the hallway there is another desk. That’s my sewing corner. I passionately enjoy sewing; currently in our rental apartment the sewing machines are in the bedroom. But because of the noise, we didn’t want them in the bedroom or right next to the TV, so a sewing corner in the hallway seemed practical (even if I then have to keep it tidier than now ). The desk downstairs is then for PC, office stuff, and so on.
[*]Thin lines: We only inserted those in Roomsketcher to show the square meters of the “rooms” or functional units, even though there are no walls in between.
[*]Bathrooms: Right, a shower is still planned downstairs. At first we thought we might save 1,200 € there, but after consulting some friends and acquaintances we decided to include the shower there again. The upstairs bathroom is not big, but honestly, that is not so important to us. We don’t need a huge bathroom. If it is coherently furnished and includes bathtub and shower, I am happy; it does not have to be a wellness temple. The sewing corner next to it is at least as important, and for that, we needed the space.
[*]Bedroom: Yes, there is a lot of unused space. I also don’t know exactly what to do with it, how to use it more sensibly. On the ground floor, I don’t feel we can save square meters anywhere. Maybe we should also keep it as a reserve in case a third child should come (although that is not planned).
[*]Living room/sofa: More than 2 people can fit on the sofa, no worries. We directly inserted the measurements of our current giant lounge sofa we bought new as a family sofa a year ago ! And yes, you look at a wall: at the TV. Unfortunately, we are series addicts; the TV is important! Also the sound system around it is very important to my boyfriend, so we do need a lot of wall space for that. The only other option would be with the back facing the garden, but that is even worse because you might also want to look outside sometimes. So it’s now with the back facing the dining table. Maybe a bit antisocial when more guests are around, but it works, doesn’t bother us much. This way it forms a nice seating area with the window seat beside the couch. The living room is indeed about 4 m deep. Friends of ours who have a similar floor plan have 4.20 m and there is still plenty of space around the table. I think 20 cm less also works.
[*]Ceiling height: I know, the 2.84 m on the ground floor and the planned flooring (solid wood everywhere except in the bathrooms and utility room) are the biggest little luxury we want to indulge in if possible. If the calculation gets too tight, we will lower the ceiling height, which I could live with quite well (my boyfriend less :rolleyes: ). Since we are building with Ytong, it is most efficient to think in whole stones: 2.84 m, 2.60 m, 2.36 m would be next and already too low. If necessary, both floors will be 2.60 m high.
I like variant 1. The symmetrical view from inside out counts, not how it looks from outside.
What do you mean by that? I’m confused; the view from inside would speak for variant 2 and the view from outside for variant 1?
Please feel free to write your further thoughts on this. Especially regarding the two-story design, window arrangement, the sewing corner vs. spacious bedrooms and children’s rooms I am grateful for opinions and feedback .
