Use tiny house as an extension or affordable extension options?

Hello house-building forum,

After a long search, we have found a house that we would like to buy because the plot has the perfect location for us, the house itself is really nice, and financially we are well within budget at around 500,000 EUR.

Unfortunately, there is one point that doesn't quite fit for us yet: The house currently has about 100 sqm and a converted attic of about 20 sqm. For us as a family, that will be a bit too cozy, and we would need about 2-3 additional rooms, so roughly 50 sqm more space.

Our first idea was an extension - so we had offers made. However, these are significantly above our budget at nearly 180K (plus additional costs) for 50 sqm.

Now our idea was possibly to connect a tiny house or similar to the house through a conservatory and thus gain additional space. According to initial calculations, this would cost us just under 100K, which would be roughly feasible for us. Is there something here we have not considered?

Are there other alternatives to gain space? Are we making a mistake in our thinking somewhere, or are there providers that offer an extension more cheaply in Lower Saxony?

I look forward to any input and suggestions.

Best regards

Northern family

According to the first calculation, we would end up at just under 100K in costs here, which would be roughly feasible for us. Is there anything here that we may have overlooked?

Well, first of all, we don't even know what your tiny house calculation looks like. Somehow, I doubt that you'll come out that much cheaper. Or did you only calculate with a kit? What about the foundation slab, construction, connection lines (which might need to be longer if it's further away), etc.? And the transition to the conservatory isn't free either. And no idea if your plot and development plan allow for that. And is the room layout even remotely what you need?

I would probably first try to get alternative offers for the extension (but I can't assess whether this is a good or bad price). Maybe also look at what might be driving up the price (e.g., if the roof solution is very expensive or something like that; maybe there are savings possibilities).

I think this option is good and worth considering. I am thinking about smart homes/mobiles homes or similar. However, it may be that the Renewable Energy Act cannot be complied with. I would clarify this first with the manufacturer and then see if, for example, the parents' or the children's rooms can be "outsourced" there.

Would adding an extension be an alternative? You could also have a newly built roof with top insulation and maybe even with photovoltaic panels. Do you have plans? Photos?

Well, first of all, we don't even know what your Tiny House calculation looks like. Somehow, I doubt that you'll come out much cheaper that way. Or did you only calculate with a kit? What about the foundation slab, construction, connection lines (which might be longer because of the distance), etc.? And the conservatory transition isn't free either. And no idea if your plot and development plan allow for that. And does the room layout even remotely meet your needs? I would probably first try to get alternative offers for the extension (but I can't really assess whether that's a good or bad price). Maybe also check again what might be cost drivers (e.g., is the roof solution very expensive or something like that, maybe there are savings potential).

Hello Mayglow, So far, we have only put together a very rough estimate for ourselves, so thanks a lot for your input. We are currently calculating about 50,000 EUR for a Tiny House from Pineca - (self-assembly would probably still have saving potential) - we would add about 8,000 EUR for the foundation slab and since we would only need electricity there (bathroom in the main house) we are actually budgeting a maximum of 2,000 EUR here. For the remaining 40,000 EUR, we very roughly estimate realizing the transition through the conservatory in the middle. The development plan, as far as I have seen, allows for all of that; we should be within the development window and are allowed 0.4 coverage on a 1,250 sqm plot. We are currently still obtaining alternative offers.

Would adding a story be an alternative? You would also have a top insulated new roof and maybe even photovoltaics. Do you have plans? Photos?

Adding a story is, I think, out according to the development plan, as only single-storey construction is allowed. I cannot provide plans or photos at the moment because I am away until Monday, but certainly afterward. Thank you all so far for your participation!

since we would only need electricity there (bathroom in the main house) we actually calculate with a max. 2000 EUR.

And what about heating? It shouldn't be unheated, right? Or what room usage is planned there?