Total cost of architect-designed house

Have you ever looked at a house of this size? I would call it a dollhouse. My tip: Go to a prefabricated house exhibition, look at houses there and ask about the living area.

We also initially wanted to build 120m2, and then went to a model home park and were quite shocked at how small 120m2 is. We come from a 75m2 apartment and thought 120m2 would be more than enough. Oh no, especially when children are there, planned or not planned (they might come someday anyway).

We got an architect-designed house for 160m2 for €249k with pretty similar key features as you have (geothermal energy, underfloor heating, electric shutters, etc.)... However, we did the flooring, painting, and roof insulation ourselves. Personally, I wouldn’t do more by myself. Just those three things easily take about a week each with helpers. But we also have a really great architect with more than good connections to trade and craftspeople. He really takes care of everything.

As a guideline: We paid €3600 for the flooring (€15/m2 + baseboards, foil, etc.) for 160m2 and €1000 for paint (paint, primer, spray gun, masking materials, etc.). If you want better quality, e.g. tiles or real wood parquet, flooring can easily go up to €30-50/m2 or more.

We initially wanted to build 180+ as well. However, we then saw some really nice houses with around 130sqm. We are building with a basement. I think it can work with your budget.

Good morning,

my girlfriend and I are planning to build our first house with an architect and are somewhat in the dark regarding the total costs.

Our budget:

360,000.00 euros

less 60k euros for the plot (fully developed, including all ancillary purchase costs)
less 10k euros for the kitchen
less 15k euros for exterior work to be done ourselves

Remaining 275k euros for house construction costs including architect fees.

Now the question is whether you can get the following house for that:

About the location/plot:

- 570 sqm
- rural location in the Sauerland in NRW

About the house:

- brick by brick
- 125 sqm - 135 sqm
- no basement
- geothermal heat pump -> underfloor heating
- carport
- KfW subsidized if possible
- turnkey

Now the question is whether the remaining 275k euros minus xy euros for the costs of painting and flooring are enough to pay an architect and the rest?

The estimate for painting and flooring is hard to grasp for an outsider since your taste is not known. That’s why I always calculate 20k euros for both; this includes some leeway also for one or two extras for wall and floor.

After subtracting this from your example, 255k euros remain; subtracting further incidental construction costs of 30k euros results in a budget of 225k euros for the single-family house. That is enough for a single-family house according to the currently valid energy saving ordinance, electric roller shutters + carport; however, with the desire for a geothermal heat pump + KfW 55, I see no possibility of realizing both. Either/or, in my opinion, is the point; whereby an air-to-water heat pump – as nordanney has already noted – is not a bad decision.

Also, the question of KfW 55 is worth considering, namely what you aim to achieve with it? Is it about the subsidy or rather the desire to save maintenance costs after completion of the construction? In the latter case, instead of KfW 55, a photovoltaic system would certainly be worth considering.

Rhenish greetings

I think that the model home parks already create artificial demand... eventually, only the rooms keep scaling up.. if I fill them enough, it always looks cozy/full. Normal people, however, don’t have two dining tables, a statue of Bismarck, or a large wooden horse (which are then tastefully distributed in the 70 sqm living room). Without a basement, I would recommend an extra room, but it doesn’t need 200 sqm for that, maybe around ~150 sqm.

Have you ever looked at a house of this size? I would call it a dollhouse.

Well, the demands keep growing and growing.

We also live as a couple in such a dollhouse, which is actually even smaller than 120 sqm of living space. And we really have enough space. I even know a family of four (2 children) who live in exactly the same house with a different floor plan and are very happy with it.

More living space also means more money.

Why build bigger than you (especially as a couple) need? Why spend more money than necessary? Why heat more space than necessary? Cleaning time is also proportional to living space – and you have to keep everything clean. We already start upstairs again when we're done downstairs.

With the right layout, less living space is also sufficient.

But I know from the neighborhood: it has to be 160 sqm. 200 is optimal. Especially the latter, when you live alone in the house.

Regards
Thorsten

Have you ever looked at a house of this size? I would call it a dollhouse. My tip: Go to a prefabricated house exhibition, look at houses there and ask about the living space. That would be the first step for me. Then think about how you envision your future, whether children are planned. Maybe there will also be occasional visitors. And don’t forget that part of the living space is taken up by the utility room if you build without a basement. You can find the costs for the architect in the HOAI. If you budget €20,000 for it, you probably won’t be far off. Don’t forget the additional building costs either. One might think that’s peanuts. If you forgo the garage, you at least need a parking space for 2 vehicles. That has to be paved. Since you might also want to install a terrace and you don’t want it to look like a construction site around the house forever, I guess €15,000 won’t be enough by far. Nevertheless, I would first determine my needs, and if I’m already building a house, the space shouldn’t be too tight. Maybe others here in the forum have more concrete arguments

I don’t know how big your dolls used to be, but (supposedly) most houses these days are between 120 and 150 m², which I think is perfectly sufficient for 3-4 people. Especially in the 80s, houses with 200 m² and more were often built. Today I very often visit these houses, and the owners want to sell them once the kids have moved out because they have simply become too big and expensive. After all, every square meter costs additional expenses. BTW, especially in big cities, families with children often “live” in a rental apartment of 60-80 m². As someone already said, it depends on the layout. Without a basement and without a garage, there could of course be a lack of space for lawnmowers, bicycles, tools, etc. Here you might at least have to plan a garden shed...