Single-family house with a granny flat on a 450 sqm hillside plot

Our upper two floors have 130 sqm of living space. In addition, for the main apartment, there are approximately 11 sqm of circulation space in the basement and 12 sqm of technical and storage rooms in the basement. The granny flat has approximately 41.5 sqm of living space. In total, 194.5 sqm of living and usable space is planned. Regarding our financial situation, our total budget of 550,000 euros for the "house all in" excluding the land results from the amount we have available monthly for loan servicing. We had planned the double funding to expand our scope for action.

The combination called floor area ratio and unnamed site coverage ratio is "unusual", the other way around it has happened more often.

I will check that again. And go through the documents once more.

For a layperson's planning, the design is absolutely not bad at all, but relatively actually too detailed to now first check compliance with the budget – especially since conceptual essentials like whether grandma will move in are still up for discussion.

The floor plan posted here was of course created by the architect. We had previously drawn with room sketcher. The revision of the plans by an architect for a modest fee was then the idea of a home building company. We wanted professional plans for a reasonable comparison of providers and took some suggestions for improvement with us. At that time, we were already quite far along with another building company with a completely different design, but we had the feeling all along that the design was not consistent. (No architect was involved here, only the salesperson). We like the current plans, on the other hand, and they feel much better. Since many advised us to build a basement because of the sloping site, we of course also thought about the granny flat with regard to funding. Grandma and we are enthusiastic about living together under one roof and we can all imagine it well. However, since we all in our family have a bit of difficulty with binding commitments (grandma is still young, still works for a few more years, maybe she’ll fall in love again, what then?), we all feel better planning the granny flat for a stranger. That way no expectations can be disappointed and if grandma moves in, all the better.

What is already included in the offer price for the outdoor facilities? That also looks very expensive with the necessary stairs, etc.

We could probably leave out the carport for now, right?

Otherwise, I am wondering if the house is clad with wood? That would have been a five-figure extra cost for us, which we then saved.... Also, it looks like there are fall protections on the windows. If those are made of stainless steel, each one costs a pretty penny.

But small savings don't help when 100k is missing.

Otherwise, the children's rooms really aren't big, and neither is the living room for 5-6 people. So besides the master bathroom and dressing room, and especially the granny flat, I hardly see any potential for savings.

Regarding the granny flat: If 120€ tax is taken out of the 340€, that leaves 220€. How are you supposed to finance an additional 100k-150k from that? Without the granny flat, I would also forego the first floor and not the basement, and then it would already be about 150k cheaper.

The floor plan posted here was, of course, created by the architect. We had previously drawn with Room Sketcher.
The revision of the plans by an architect for a small fee was then the idea of a homebuilding company. We wanted professional plans for a reasonable provider comparison and took along one or another improvement suggestion.

The praise, in my opinion, was not only about the drawing design but about the mature appearance compared to the usual Pinterest nonsense with failed Tetris. However, the only reasonable provider comparison is made on a basis whose professionalism does not primarily lie on the drawing level.

At that time, we were already quite far with another construction company with a completely different design, but had the feeling all along that the design was not coherent. (No architect was involved here, only the salesperson). On the other hand, we like the current plans and they feel much better.

Still, show on which basis other providers should prove themselves.

Because many advised us to have a basement due to the hillside location,

I would rather say: the hillside location advises that itself—and to such an extent that I would already consider it an imperative recommendation. That means: the residential part of the basement is obliged to be useful. Not just on the level of "nice that there would also be space for grandma"—at least not for a grandma who may only possibly live with you. A granny flat has never managed to grow beyond a subsidy-related nonsense. It has never seriously relieved the housing market for students and trainee nurses.

(grandma is still young, still works for a few years, maybe she’ll fall in love again, what then?)

Nice to know that you don’t, like some other homebuilders, predetermine that grandma must modestly bake cookies instead of seducing the vacuum cleaner salesman audibly for all neighbors ;-)

So what do you want to do now: start planning anew from the beginning instead of from the middle as before, or downgrade the equipment?

The carport can actually wait for now. The wooden facade was graphically adopted by the architect from the house construction company that had proposed the design planning. For the house construction company, the facade is firmly part of the brand as a distinctive feature. However, in our current offers, it has not yet been priced. So unfortunately, there is no potential savings here. The offers all refer to turnkey construction. Costs for the terrace or other exterior work are not yet included here.