Spacious Villa: Recommendations & Cost Estimation

Dear Häuslebau community,

I have already read some exciting discussions here. But I really cannot help sharing our construction project with you to get your opinions. Maybe our problem will also help other readers.

We already have a beautiful plot in the south of Schleswig-Holstein (near Hamburg), on which we want to build a spacious single-family house for a family of four to possibly five people + the option for later moving in of grandma. And I mean a really spacious house: We went to the architect with an idea of about 300 m² living space + basement and put our dream house on paper. Including terraces, it is now an impressive approx. 360 m². That is very large and we know that. We are now in the approval planning phase.

First, some details about the house & plot:
2,700 m² plot
360 m² living space + basement
Geothermal water pump with probes
Photovoltaic ~10kWp
Battery storage
Central ventilation system
Underfloor heating
KNX smart home for lighting, heating, ventilation, security
Detached double garage
Sauna house with whirlpool in the garden
Meets KfW55 standard
White tank construction
Built-in wardrobes

Everything is in the league of higher-end equipment.

[ATTACH alt="Grundstück.png" type="full"]74423[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH alt="Dachboden.png" type="full"]74426[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Obergeschoss.png" type="full"]74427[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Erdgeschoss.png" type="full"]74428[/ATTACH][ATTACH alt="Keller.png" type="full"]74429[/ATTACH] Now our dilemma: We started with a planned budget for cost groups 300 + 400 (that is shell and interior finishing + technical equipment) of €1.25 million (3,500 €/m²). That was also the budget we planned with until now. Now the architect suddenly says that the planned costs have almost doubled to about €2.1 million. The reason given: the square meters have increased (the architect counted some rooms in the basement as living space) and our wishes have continuously evolved on the way (dormers, double garage, outdoor kitchen, casemates, etc.). We have received a cost breakdown – but of course, I cannot estimate how expensive a painter is in total or how expensive a window or door may be and can be.

Well – that is clearly now far above our budget, and we are currently slashing costs heavily. At the moment, we have already cut casemates, blinds, many built-in wardrobes, and still do not come even close to our initially set budget. Apparently, we will also have to reduce the “higher-end” equipment to “normal” equipment and possibly drastically reduce some rooms.

The electrical planning then really blew the budget: After an initial plan with crazy prices, I at least now have a new “discussion basis” for electrical costs. For electrical work (material + installation), €220,000 has now been called up (still without photovoltaic system, battery storage, server, blind motors, KNX programming!). Attached is a small excerpt from the planned costs. I cannot imagine such costs being realistic. [ATTACH alt="Elektroplanung_Kosten.png" type="full"]74425[/ATTACH]

I know, the square meters are extremely many, and large areas such as the entrance hall are not sensibly used space. But we started out thinking that with a budget of about €1.5 million (construction + planning) we could build the absolute dream house.

Are we that off? Is it not possible to realize such a project with this budget?

Many thanks for your opinions & assessments! I am also curious about suggestions on what you would do or where you would apply the red pencil.

Best regards!

Are we that far off? Can't such a project be realized with the budget?

Unfortunately, I have to write more than one word here, so here is the introduction to the answer: Yes! No! Your architect’s estimate for a very upscale fit-out of a large villa with all the bells and whistles is not bad at all. And what the electrician is asking for (at least from the screenshot) is quite normal. Your wishes are definitely not run-of-the-mill ;). From my professional experience, I would have guessed off the top of my head around €2 million for KG 300/400 including the monster basement. The basement alone with approx. 180 sqm and partly residential building standard will already cost you the first half a million. Probably even more.

I am also curious about suggestions on what you would do or where you would make cuts.

Oh yes, that's quite simple. Turn the monster villa into a spacious single-family house. So completely reset the planning to zero and start anew. I wouldn't adjust anything here because that would only be a mess and cannot work.

How is the construction done? Self-contracting (through an architect) or with a general contractor/turnkey contractor?

I find the electrical costs ambitious... for an additional (Gira) socket in 2020, I paid €25 or €35 if switchable via KNX (without actuator). Yes, everything is more expensive but €110 per socket is quite steep.

We are currently planning a semi-detached house with a total slightly larger area and I consider the 2.1 million for KG 300+400 in your floor plans absolutely realistic. You won’t get to 1.5 million by cutting out a few cabinets, a significant amount of space simply needs to be removed. I completely agree with : better new than ruining the good floor plan – or you try to realize the budget…

The electricity costs seem ambitious to me…

Well, 540 sqm of space + garden house/sauna/whirlpool + attic + double garage + garden electricity have to be implemented as KNX in very high quality. Certainly not with the cheapest switches and sockets. That is definitely a real challenge (in terms of effort and costs).