Hello you all,
I have a little question for some information.
At this moment my girlfriend and me are renting a house. Like most people we are also thinking that we are throwing money away because we are renting instead of owning a own house and paying morgage.
Now we are in the face of thinking what to do and mainly thinking of buying or building a own house. We like very much to build (or let it build) a own house. Get anyone tell us what to think about and what kind of budget we should think about to build a house of 130-150 m2? We are thinking of having a budget of 200k-220k and we are wondering if it is possible with that amount.
We are thinking to build something outside of Helsinki, like Lohja, Siuntio or even Tuusula. Land is much cheaper there.
Also we like to hear some experiences of you when you build your own house.
Hope to hear some answers or experiences.
Greetings,
Ton
Building a new house
IMO building a house that close to Helsinki with 220 K euro is almost impossible unless you do most of the work yourselves (and remember you will have to pay rent while you are building the place).
Look at the price of Tontti on http://www.oikotie.fi and then calculate the cost of your house on top of that.
Remember it is EXTREMELY difficult to find skilled labour (plumbers, electricians etc) and I don't know anyone who has kept inside their budget.
If you have some really good contacts in the trade and friends or family who are willing to help you manage the project (and have done it before) then OK, otherwise I wouldn't consider it.
Try looking in the search engine as there have been some other posts on this subject in the past.
Look at the price of Tontti on http://www.oikotie.fi and then calculate the cost of your house on top of that.
Remember it is EXTREMELY difficult to find skilled labour (plumbers, electricians etc) and I don't know anyone who has kept inside their budget.
If you have some really good contacts in the trade and friends or family who are willing to help you manage the project (and have done it before) then OK, otherwise I wouldn't consider it.
Try looking in the search engine as there have been some other posts on this subject in the past.
Last edited by Rosamunda on Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
I work with a bloke who builds houses in the Uusimaa area (he's kind of the architect). I wondered why he lives in an apartment and doesn't build it himself.
The simple answer is land. Find land then think about what to build on it.
Alot of land is tied up in 'landbanks' by development companies.
That, I reckon is your main problem. Check everywhere, and you'll find the only way to get hold of land is by clever tricks and inside knowledge.
If you are like me (and I'm an architect!), I don't know any clever tricks and I'm an outsider
But good luck all the same.
edit: As Penelope says, high land prices will blow your budget, because of a lack of land (and this in europes least dense country). And all this before you start to even think of bricks and mortar..
The simple answer is land. Find land then think about what to build on it.
Alot of land is tied up in 'landbanks' by development companies.
That, I reckon is your main problem. Check everywhere, and you'll find the only way to get hold of land is by clever tricks and inside knowledge.
If you are like me (and I'm an architect!), I don't know any clever tricks and I'm an outsider
But good luck all the same.
edit: As Penelope says, high land prices will blow your budget, because of a lack of land (and this in europes least dense country). And all this before you start to even think of bricks and mortar..
I am building (having built) a house in Central Finland right now, but instead of me trying to suggest anything you might want to look at this project with lots of good pics and interesting observations:
http://logblog.typepad.com/my_weblog/20 ... l#comments
http://logblog.typepad.com/my_weblog/20 ... l#comments
pros of building it yourself: You could be saving a lot of money.
You can decide when and how long it can take
Cons of it: You could be spending all the time including your vacation, free weekends, etc on this dream project of yours..Generally in Finland, they say that this is the leading cause of separation between couples..
You will be paying rent while building it yourself or with a company.
If you dont know the intricacies of building a house, then dont do it. Most people whom I talked to, said that this is their first and last project which could in essence last almost up-to a decade..
During that time, all the time is spent in this building endeavor..
Maintainence is something that you need to do whether its old or new house.
its better to buy a house and possibly 2 cars outside HEV area and slowly plan your move inside towards the city. This ensures that your € goes towards mortgage, and you get a break in Vero tax %, and in a few years time, you get to pay part of your mortgage and then sell it after 2 years or more of living in your house..
While it is a little endearing to pay more € for a house, you move in right away, and enjoy those fancy little things if you buy one.
You can decide when and how long it can take
Cons of it: You could be spending all the time including your vacation, free weekends, etc on this dream project of yours..Generally in Finland, they say that this is the leading cause of separation between couples..
You will be paying rent while building it yourself or with a company.
If you dont know the intricacies of building a house, then dont do it. Most people whom I talked to, said that this is their first and last project which could in essence last almost up-to a decade..
During that time, all the time is spent in this building endeavor..
Maintainence is something that you need to do whether its old or new house.
its better to buy a house and possibly 2 cars outside HEV area and slowly plan your move inside towards the city. This ensures that your € goes towards mortgage, and you get a break in Vero tax %, and in a few years time, you get to pay part of your mortgage and then sell it after 2 years or more of living in your house..
While it is a little endearing to pay more € for a house, you move in right away, and enjoy those fancy little things if you buy one.
I'd say that building a 140m2 house outside Helsinki with 220 000 euros isn't impossible, BUT VERY VERY HARD.
The price of house packages (Jukka-Talot, Kastelli etc.) should be multiplied with 3-4. With a 45 000 euros house package that'll be about 160 000 euros. Add the cost of land, cost for water, sewage and electricity connections, payments for building permits etc etc. Then add costs for supervision. And don't forget the garden, driveways... And finally add some 20 000 euros for suprises - you'll need that money.
I would say that you'd need a minimum of 280 000 euros for the project if your not willing to build the house all by yourself from a scratch.
(would take 2-3 years).
I'd recommend buying a ready house, suits your wallet better and is a lot easier for your relationship.
The price of house packages (Jukka-Talot, Kastelli etc.) should be multiplied with 3-4. With a 45 000 euros house package that'll be about 160 000 euros. Add the cost of land, cost for water, sewage and electricity connections, payments for building permits etc etc. Then add costs for supervision. And don't forget the garden, driveways... And finally add some 20 000 euros for suprises - you'll need that money.
I would say that you'd need a minimum of 280 000 euros for the project if your not willing to build the house all by yourself from a scratch.
(would take 2-3 years).
I'd recommend buying a ready house, suits your wallet better and is a lot easier for your relationship.
> lost time spent on building a house cannot be recouped
That is true, but not very important if you regard the time as "invested" or just "spent" rather than "lost". I'm sure many people view building their own house as a hobby/interesting project, as something they want to do and enjoy doing rather than "lost time". I am renovating an old house and I certainly view my project like that. For me, the time is "spent" in the same way as time spent on any other hobby.
That is true, but not very important if you regard the time as "invested" or just "spent" rather than "lost". I'm sure many people view building their own house as a hobby/interesting project, as something they want to do and enjoy doing rather than "lost time". I am renovating an old house and I certainly view my project like that. For me, the time is "spent" in the same way as time spent on any other hobby.
I was comparing this time needed for building a house as time used for other things like time spent with the SO, kids, alone, working, traveling, friends etc... Unless you want to combine all of those time in building the house ( friends and family chipping in: I actually know many families living in the house being built after foundation and roof has been done so that they are not living on rent or away from the site)..DMC wrote:> lost time spent on building a house cannot be recouped
That is true, but not very important if you regard the time as "invested" or just "spent" rather than "lost". I'm sure many people view building their own house as a hobby/interesting project, as something they want to do and enjoy doing rather than "lost time". I am renovating an old house and I certainly view my project like that. For me, the time is "spent" in the same way as time spent on any other hobby.
Renovating a house is anyways part of maintainence work...You are still living in it with you and your family, arent you ?
> I was comparing this time needed for building a house as time used for other things
Yes, I realise that. What you are saying that time spent building a house is time you cannot spend doing something you want to do. I am simply saying that for many people, building the house IS what they want to do. Certainly the people I have known who have built their own house have done so as much for pleasure as for practical necessity.
> Renovating a house is anyways part of maintainence work...
I see quite a big difference, in that renovation is a lot more than maintenance. Not that that is important. The point is that it is a choice, not a chore. For many home builders it is the same; the time spent building the house is a treat, not time unavoidably lost from more interesting activities.
Yes, I realise that. What you are saying that time spent building a house is time you cannot spend doing something you want to do. I am simply saying that for many people, building the house IS what they want to do. Certainly the people I have known who have built their own house have done so as much for pleasure as for practical necessity.
> Renovating a house is anyways part of maintainence work...
I see quite a big difference, in that renovation is a lot more than maintenance. Not that that is important. The point is that it is a choice, not a chore. For many home builders it is the same; the time spent building the house is a treat, not time unavoidably lost from more interesting activities.