Comparability of costs Architect vs. General Contractor

Most of these requests should be clarified before signing the contract: sewer work, ceiling height, roof overhang, roller shutters, special terrace doors, additional sockets are foreseeable and must definitely be included in the offer phase. Different offers are also difficult to compare if they contain completely different standards.

I fully agree with this saying regarding no one under 70.

That certainly applies to some, but that was the approach of all the builders I know.

WoW - was that of course not included much in your original calculation? Who helped you with that - or did you "roughly estimate"? Did you already have some changes in the offer before signing the contract with the general contractor to better assess the price, or did the wishes really only come up after the signature?

We had the offer made for a turnkey house according to the construction service description. The only things we had "immediately" in the calculation were the electric exterior blinds, the rigid base slab, and the sewer work. All other items arose during the planning and discussions. And since these things didn’t all come up at once but rather gradually, there was always the feeling of "oh, that’s still doable." Ultimately, however, almost all the items came up after the signature. But we had and still have the option to cancel or change all items again. Since we knew from the start that it would definitely be more expensive than initially thought or planned, these things were somehow already factored into the buffer.

Most of these wishes should be clarified before signing the contract: sewer works, ceiling height, roof overhang, roller shutters, special patio doors, additional sockets are foreseeable and definitely belong in the offer phase. Different offers are also hard to compare if they contain completely different standards.

If you know all that beforehand, that's nice.

For example, we only decided on the lift-and-slide doors later. The roof overhang never really caught our attention before, and regarding the height of the stories, we previously thought the standard would be enough for us. Like many other builders, our requirements/wishes changed again during the planning phase.

We also had additional sockets etc. on our radar and had, for example, planned a "supplementary" budget for the electrical work beyond the standard in the construction service description.

Ultimately, you can also decide on these additional things after signing or cancel them again if they seem too expensive or the financing depends on it. At least, we had that documented in writing.

For us, that's absolutely okay since we are still a bit below our budget limit for the house :)

For us it is absolutely okay, as we are still a bit under our limit for the house :)

You also plan a buffer for something like that. You can't see the whole thing at the beginning, and that's a good thing, as you can and are allowed to make decisions little by little :)

That may be true for some, but that has been the motto for all the builders I know.

As a common saying, the "conviction" that you only build once is still very much alive, I myself still read it very often here, even from "young people". But in reality, it is increasingly proving to be a relic from a time when ninety-year-olds were still rare enough for the district administrator to personally congratulate them. Things change.

One plans a buffer for something like that. You can't see the whole picture at the beginning, and that's good because you can and may make decisions little by little :)

We're already looking forward to that too :) :)