Two house floor plans in the shortlist - Thanks for the feedback

Hello everyone,

we are brand new to this forum page and have already read some interesting posts in the past few days. We also found it very interesting to see the helpful tips and advice you "old hands" here give, which certainly help a lot in many matters and situations!

We ourselves have been looking for a used property for about 1.5 years. It is important to us that the house is not too old (about 10 - 15 years) or has already been extensively renovated. Even though we are quite skilled at handiwork and also have some professionally skilled people in our family and circle of friends, we do not want to buy a completely run-down house that needs total renovation to bring it up to today's standards & co. However, since there is hardly any activity on the market in our region, we have now decided to take a two-track approach. We started considering the idea of "building a house" a few months ago and have already had two appointments with potential construction companies. Once with Danwood (prefabricated house construction) and Viebrockhaus (solid house construction). After our conversation at Viebrockhaus (we know that this company is apparently the Porsche among providers, at least judging by what you certainly pay for in the end), it is clear to us that if we build, the solid construction method will be our first choice. We have also already spoken to a financial advisor to check our financial situation and our monthly affordability. We are both full-time employed in a secure job, aged 27 and 34, and want to build our nest for a family growth of one to two children.

What we have now realized is that it is very advantageous to already have quite precise ideas regarding the future house construction project. We imagine a 1.5-story house without a basement (about 130 - 150 sqm) with clinker brickwork; on the ground floor there should be an open kitchen/dining/living area (this living space should be flooded with light), a large utility room (about 10 sqm, so that there is enough space for heating, washing machine, dryer, shelves, and also space for a drying rack) accessible from the kitchen and also having a door to the outside (to the carport), the ground floor should also have a guest WC including a walk-in shower as well as a study, which could later possibly be used as a bedroom. On the upper floor, there should be two approximately equally sized children's rooms, a bedroom (here only a bed needs to fit), a separate dressing room with daylight, and a family bathroom. We dream of a house in Frisian style, but not with a very pointed Frisian gable but a more open one ... difficult to describe, I think you know what we mean, we will upload a photo again. Is that still Frisian style? Or just a roof with a gable? (We are still uncertain on this topic.) If possible (financially) both front and back.

Now our first ideas about the floor plan; we have two that are shortlisted. What is your opinion on this? Criticism is welcome!

We are also looking for good construction companies in the Heidekreis (formerly Soltau-Fallingbostel). Are there personal experiences here or do you know which construction companies have a good reputation and are likely to continue to exist for the next few years?

At Viebrockhaus it seems, and this can also be seen from most building blogs, that you can really rely on the execution and schedule. What are your experiences with smaller construction companies and family businesses? Does one always have to work under pressure to ensure that certain trades are carried out?

Thank you very much in advance and best regards!

Remember that with companies like Danwood, you still have to add a significant amount on top of the prices listed. Even delivering the house costs extra there.

Tönjes and Meissner certainly also build in the Heidekreis. I have heard a lot of good things about them.

Otherwise, I would approach it differently: determine your budget and write a requirements plan. So: how big each room should be and such details, as you have already done here. And then you take that to the house builder.

Hello,

although I initially shortened the names of the providers (which I will change again after this post), I realize that this will primarily be a discussion about possible providers. Therefore, I have moved the thread to the moderated forum.

Rhenish greetings

Well, with the 2 providers you have chosen two totally different ones:
One of the most expensive in solid construction and one of the cheapest from the prefabricated house sector.
You first need to be clear about how you want to build: prefabricated construction (timber frame), solid with thin stones and thick insulation, or thick stones, but no insulation.
Also have a look for general contractors or developers in your area. We are currently building with a small GC who builds nationwide.

Regarding the floor plans: They are okay. Nothing surprising, though, which doesn’t mean I don’t like them. However, I find the 2nd floor plan a bit nicer.

With floor plan 1, you always have to walk around the dining table or the couch if you want to get to the terrace. And I find there is again not enough space for the wardrobe in the hallway. I can only keep emphasizing that with children quite a lot of bags, shoes, jackets, and accessories (hats, gloves…), rainwear, muddy clothes accumulate that need to be stored somewhere. Not to mention in the first years, baby seats, diaper bags, strollers.

With floor plan 2 you have a nice place for the wardrobe. Also, upstairs, with the appropriate room layout, you have the possibility to create a parents’ and a children’s area each with its own children’s bathroom - if you want something like that. In the living room you also have the possibility to get to the terrace without having to squeeze past anywhere. With the 2nd floor plan you could also create an access from the hallway to the utility room, which I actually find more practical than from the kitchen, because then 1. you don’t have to carry the laundry basket around countless corners and if a technician comes, they don’t get a full house tour right away. And you don’t always have to go through the kitchen first when you just come in from outside and still have your jacket and shoes on.

Schlüter Bauregie in Dollern/Harsefeld and WOBau in Ostereistedt (must be located somewhere in your area as well) Our neighbors built a bungalow with the latter and are consistently satisfied. We have also looked at the former; they also build with free planning. I would classify Viebrockhaus with VW: solid but expensive. They apparently offer a 10-year guarantee, as I was recently told, but due to short construction times, you have to expect moisture behind mirrors, etc. For a price comparison, you can well use corresponding floor plans; nevertheless, neither is yet the ultimate. With regional companies, I would have a better feeling: they have more "reputation" to lose in their local area. They mostly work with subcontractors. I also recall WITO, another regional one...

Nice when you have your dream house, but no suitable plot,... First you should see if it is financially even possible (including a future outlook with 2 children). Then the plot should come - if you have found the right one for you, you have to see what you are allowed to build on it - not what you want to build. Based on the budget and the requirements, you can then start designing the house. It's a pity if dormers are not allowed, but you absolutely want such a house,... With us, plots are even rarer than existing properties - you take what you get - and then 99% of the time you are not allowed to build what you want to build.