Single-family house – new construction project from day one - and the planning begins

Hello dear community,

we have revised our budgeting based on the current floor plan (#145). Could you please take a look and see if the calculation is okay and somewhat realistic:



We have included various buffers here, some of which can be found in the position "buffer" and some have been generously calculated: 1.) Land: In the adjacent new development area, the plots were last sold by the municipality for 75 EUR/m². According to the municipality, they also want to offer at this price in the new development area. Nevertheless, we preferred to calculate with 90 EUR/m²: buffer = 11.5 TEUR 2.) Foundation: Cost estimate from the house builders (each independently): approx. 30 TEUR; we have additionally included a 10 TEUR buffer here (high groundwater level, clay soil (poor rainwater infiltration), and height difference of 2.5m on the plot)

This results in a total reserve of 52.5 TEUR.

We have determined the self-performed work as follows:



Initially, we calculated completely without external help, but only with our already accrued vacation days.

Do you think this is about right or is it total nonsense?

Why do the buffers appear as costs? They are rather savings than costs.

Why do the buffers appear as costs? They are more like savings than costs.

Why savings?

The reserve buffer is currently more or less neutral. On the cost side it is listed as an "expense" and on the equity/own contribution/subsidy side it is deducted again.

I actually find it quite convincing to use pictures as an explanation. That can look very good and modern. Just be careful with the fireplace or stove! That was a problem for us. You should already know which stove you want and get information from the stove builder accordingly. Often it requires much more space than the architects plan for. Also, you shouldn't place it directly against the side part of the wall because cracks can form due to different materials. You also need to consider which spark protection you want to use.

Here is our design from back then (90% built like this, only with a door to the wardrobe and the fireplace moved slightly backwards). For us, the stairs run from the living room upstairs, creating a larger entrance area and you don’t get the feeling of walking along a hallway next to a 4-meter-long staircase.

Just be careful with the fireplace or stove! That was a problem for us.
You should already know which stove you want and get information from the stove builder accordingly.
Often it requires much more space than the architects anticipate. Also, you shouldn't place it right next to the side part of the wall because cracks can form due to the different materials.
You also have to consider which fire protection you want to use.

Here is our design back then (90% of it was built as shown, only with a door to the wardrobe and the fireplace slightly set back).
In our case, the stairs run from the living room upwards, creating a larger entrance area and you don't get the feeling of walking down the hallway next to a 4m long staircase.

Thanks for the tip about the fireplace. As soon as everything is fixed with the floor plan, we will go to a stove builder.

Totally crazy! Your floor plan is very, very similar to ours!

Regarding the stairs, we are currently planning with 15 steps and have assumed dimensions of 4.20m x 1.00m. What ceiling height do you have?
Unfortunately, we cannot change the course of the stairs since we need a closed staircase to accommodate the pantry underneath.

I have now adjusted the floor plan again based on your feedback. The hallway on the ground floor is now 1.20m wide. In addition, I have moved the staircase 0.60m closer to the front door, so that the hallway opens into the living area earlier accordingly. On the upper floor, the hallway on the left is 1.40m wide and otherwise 1.20m wide. Furthermore, I have enlarged the gallery by 0.20m at the expense of the master bathroom, so that the two walls on the ground and upper floors are "flush." This way, no unsightly beam is visible on the ground floor.