Semi-detached house feasibility assessment ideas notes

Hmm... from the outside, it is really not understandable why you cling to this wrong path with all your might.

That might be a bit overinterpreted by you now, but surely also due to the medium.
I’m not clinging now, but I also don’t want to immediately drop a possible alternative at the first resistance or doubt.

That has nothing to do with rural living, hardly anyone lives like that in the city either, especially not voluntarily and knowingly.

Then go beyond urban to the metropolitan region with officially declared housing shortage. There I actually have different experiences and practical examples within my circle of acquaintances.

Take two steps back and consider what possibilities and needs you have. I mean, you write of a total budget of 330k without land. Or is that already included?
That means you do have a certain leeway. There should be something better to get for the planned 5 people than this planned hamster cage.

It is without land and still with a small buffer. Actually, the market in the region where we’re searching is already very tense. Land prices there are at least 500 EUR/m², that’s for those with >1km<2km public transport connection. For this property, we have 650 EUR/m² (<1km to public transport).
That is still far from Munich prices, but on the best way there if things continue like this.

In your case, it really is not about working off a cheap shot to increase one’s own somewhat more generous one. That happens often enough, but definitely not here.

I also haven’t accused anyone of that. But I do assume that everyone who vehemently argues against the property due to lack of space has a different attitude to the topic of space than I can allow myself in this situation.

I mean, you’re probably going into debt to the limit to then live in an absolute emergency to non-solution.

Here too I have had different experiences. The property can probably be resold with profit again in 4-5 years (also after additional costs). Berlin is really crazy, but it also has a catching up need in German and especially European comparison. Unlike Munich where the level is already high but no longer really rising strongly, Berlin still has a lot of potential.

As I said, I see the way for you in existing properties. It also makes no sense to argue that the renovation would bring the existing property to new-build cost level. There are lots of renovations you can do, but by no means have to.

Existing properties are often either too small, too old, or both. Here I also speak from concrete experience with inspections and craftsman talks regarding renovation costs.
Where the existing property offers enough space and there are no necessary renovations, you are either even above new-build prices or outside our search radius.

If you knew me, you would know that I’m not really tensing up now, but I am a very analytical type. I know that my current situation is not better now and will become unbearable at the latest with the next child. I also know it won’t get better in the foreseeable future; I can’t compensate the price increases in land and construction with equity alone, I would need saving rates of 50%.

But I thank you for your sympathy and your commitment to the matter.

Yep, that’s intense. Without dormers, it then looks like this when boxed off at 1m height:



With 38° pitch, you rather box off at 1.20m because you can hardly do anything with the slope and keep bumping your head. According to the plan below, without dormers there would be no standing height space behind the stairs. That’s bitter.

Thanks for the quick calculation and the plan.
Hmm, too bad.

So if it’s not the other plot, then either hamster cage, one child (bedroom) less, or keep searching and build the same further outside for more money in 2 years.
I’m slowly getting frustrated after all.
Keep your fingers crossed for me...

So if it’s not the other property, either a hamster cage, one less child’s room, or keep looking and in 2 years build the same further out for more money.
I’m starting to get frustrated.
Keep your fingers crossed for me...

The best option in my opinion would be to have only 2 children instead of 3. That may sound harsh, but you can’t afford 3 in Berlin.

The best option in my opinion would be to have only 2 children instead of 3. That may sound harsh, but you can't afford 3 in Berlin.

It would then be stupid if the next planned child turns out to be two or more. It does happen...

Well, time will tell, maybe after the next one we won't feel like it anymore.

It would be stupid if the next planned child turned out to be two or more. It is said to happen...

Probability of twins: 1.2%. So I wouldn't take that into account when planning the house.

Sorry, I placed a link incorrectly above. The thread with the inventory is here:

Probability of twins: 1.2%. So I wouldn’t take that into account when planning the house.

You can tell that to my colleague... built a house for two children, with a study and a guest room and voila... now there are four...

The big question here is, what else do you do? As a family with three children to come, in Berlin, wanting to be reasonably close to public transport? By the way, I find that perfectly understandable, otherwise you spend your whole life chauffeuring the kids around. What would it cost to rent an adequate property, and would there even be one? Something that might even be "better" (bigger, more spacious, etc)?

I find it legitimate when the original poster says they’d rather make do with the circumstances.

I myself have a small house (110m² including 7m² storage/utility room), for me and two children. I would have expected similar "pushback" if I had put the project up for discussion here. Yes, the living/dining room is only 22m². It could definitely be bigger, no question. You can’t fit a 2m double bed into my room. If only the house had been 50cm longer and wider... ah, that would’ve been nice! But it didn’t fit the plot (setback requirements). We have a nice kitchen, a great bathroom, each child their own room, and a small garden. A big improvement over the previous living situation—and I can live very well with that!! And it fit my budget (well, sort of...) and before anyone says... if there were a partner, they’d have to fit at the kitchen table, in the bed, and on the sofa too... and mathematically we’d then also be at 25m² per person...

There were realistic floor plan suggestions here (I mean especially the upper floors), he should take the best for himself. And otherwise: just do it! Unless there really is a justified prospect of a better property coming along. But that doesn’t sound likely to me, especially considering the finite budget.