Wow, many heartfelt thanks for your numerous contributions, the inviting comments, and your assessments! o_O :D
I don’t even know if I’ll get to answer everything now.
First of all, thanks for the praise regarding the introduction; I was already afraid that I had written way too much, so no one would read it.
Regarding the companies: Holz 2 builds using timber frame construction, Holz 1 talks about timber frame panel construction (which I had written incorrectly in the initial post). But it’s the same, right?
I took a photo at the construction site we were allowed to visit, I’m attaching it here.
Massiv 1 says they insulate from the inside; Massiv 2 from the outside.
Is that then already a massive (;)) difference?
Uff, I imagined the prices were net; but after checking the offers I can write with relief that I was mistaken and fortunately these are gross prices. Still hefty sums though; but quite realistic when I hear your experiences.
In doing so, I saw that Holz 2 initially offered a house for 400,000 euros (including basement and garage); but a more in-depth discussion of the actual plot is still missing here. Still surprisingly much less than the others (about 100,000 euros less – assuming maybe 420,000 euros would come out then).
However, the basement has to be built solid anyway, the ground floor is then seamless, so massive and quickly done, right?
Timber frame on top of solid or concrete basement is no problem. Why not. Only unfortunately, timber frame companies tend not to include the basement as a residential lower floor.
So in our case with Holz 1, it would be that the garden/basement level would partly be made of concrete (where there is lateral earth contact) and then further built as timber or also solid.
We were able to see what that looks like at the construction site we visited (also on a slope). I’m attaching a photo here.
But yes, part of the house would automatically not be made of wood.
Doesn’t have to be. You write that the slope goes down from the street... Garage can then be up front and above.
Basement under garage is new to me as well.
Yes, but the terrain goes down almost immediately, and the garage can only start 5 meters away from the street (I thought that was a regulation that applies everywhere).
Something definitely has to be underneath, unless someone has spontaneously invented a suspended garage. ;)
And if something has to be underneath, Massiv 2 suggested, similar to an already existing house, to make a basement and make this space accessible both from outside and inside. We thought that was a clever idea to use the space well and free up room in the house. Surprisingly, that is so unusual.
Gallery room is somewhat elaborate. A second staircase is also needed. But such a hobby room is a great room for everyone... how was it? Your plot orientation is N-S...
Yes, although the roof direction is variable – N-S or E-W. Currently I think N-S would make more sense (also because of photovoltaics, but that may be a matter of philosophy).
My apartment is a gallery apartment, and this open feeling of space really has something special.
It would be a nice visual and feel-good highlight for a (otherwise perhaps rather unspectacular) house. :)
And as I wrote, I am a fan of more space/rooms, so that would probably make me happier in that direction as well, I think.
According to the architect, it wouldn’t be much more effort; but I don’t know the additional costs yet.
Since the roof must have a minimum pitch of 35° according to the development plan, there would anyway be lots of space under the roof.
I’ll try to get around to posting the floor plan draft in the relevant subforum tomorrow, maybe we can talk about it there again, I’d be happy.
However, I’m also in favor of the sleeping level on the ground floor (entrance also on the ground floor), the open-plan room with kitchen in the basement, so the office level does not matter.
Possibly later the children’s rooms on the ground floor can be converted into one room and kitchen connections can be planned now.
I find it very interesting how many of you advocate moving the bedrooms upstairs and living downstairs!
We will play it through again in our heads, but at the moment we see many advantages to having the living area upstairs:
- significantly shorter distances to carry groceries, take out the trash, ...
- nicer view from the living area into the greenery/the mini-valley I described than in the basement
- more spacious living feeling through an open ceiling/the gallery
- coming in and being able to “let yourself fall”
- easy facilitation of my frailty scenario ;)
What are the reasons to move living downstairs?
Proximity to the garden?
We want to make a staircase outside – probably even from the balcony – down to the garden so that you are quickly downstairs if you want to grill or the little one wants to play (although a playground will be built diagonally across from our house).
But I currently see the shorter distances in everyday life with living upstairs (including balcony for eating), sleeping downstairs.
At the very beginning wrote: “Living to the garden.” Hm. As I said, we will think about that again.
We chose wood and awarded the trades separately.
Thanks for your experience!
Did you do it that way for cost reasons?
Your complete description, including description of the plot, future house and company search sounds like ours. Crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Holz1 has its company site in Großrinderfeld?
That’s funny that it went the same way for you!
Unfortunately not, Holz 1 is located elsewhere.
But I can well imagine that there are various such committed small companies.
I always find such a consideration questionable because no one knows what will be in 30 years and who among you might become frail... Especially on a sloping plot!
As already written elsewhere in this thread, the scope of such adjustments is surely decisive.
For us, it would just mean, for example, the guest bathroom would have a shower (we don’t necessarily find that necessary for a normal guest bathroom), that the office could be made into a reasonably decent bedroom, that certain connections are provided for etc.
I already had that thought in the back of my mind, but after we met an older couple while looking at plots, who were considering building again because the husband can no longer manage their previous house after a stroke, I found that somehow bitter for them. And if that can be mitigated with a little foresight, why not.
Of course it’s good to think ahead. I just don’t understand why so many – often very young – house builders believe it’s a great solution to squeeze themselves into a mini office in old age and leave the other 1-2 floors unused.
There are still other options, like stairlifts or in the case of a slope, for example, ramps. Or moving again later in life to a bungalow, a nice city apartment, etc.
Interesting! I would have thought that young builders don’t think about this, while people like us of middle age already have the looming ailments in view. ;)
Of course, there are other possibilities, and I don’t have to stay in this house stubbornly until the end of my days, but if some flexibility can be enabled through foresighted planning without much additional effort and cost, I consider that sensible. And regardless of that, I would prefer to build more horizontally anyway than having to run stairs for every little thing.
In most wooden houses the basement is not also made of wood, so either “built on site” or supplied – and you usually don’t want to outsource value creation to a supplier, but rather let them only build the foundation-storage room-basement.
Sorry, here I don’t understand what you mean.
Can you explain that again in other words?
Thanks!
I hope I have addressed the comments so far.
And it’s late again. Building a house is a tough business, I can feel it already. ;)
