Comparison offer solid vs. wood

Hi everyone,
we have received a first offer for our construction project based on our floor plan ideas from both a solid construction provider and a timber house provider. Both companies are locally based and have been in business for decades with a good reputation.

About the construction project:
356 m² plot already purchased for a semi-detached house
approx. 8 x 12 meters floor area
2 stories including basement and single garage (carport between house and garage - garage + carport with gable roof)
Carport basement (cold) + outside stairs (we will refrain from these two points anyway)

Offer solid construction (including site setup, concrete and reinforced concrete work, sealing, masonry work, drainage work, hourly work, earthworks, submission planning 1:100, static calculation with reinforcement plans KG to DG, work plan 1:50 for builder from KG to DG, fire protection certificate building class 2 without limitation 0, string line surveying with surveying device)
176,000 € as a cost-plus offer based on KfW 55

Offer timber construction (including planning services, site setup, 240 mm energy-saving wall, wooden interior wall, plaster facade on ground floor, upper floor, attic, beam layer above ground floor, roof truss with insulated rafters covered, incl. anthracite clay roof tiles, roofing work, wood-aluminum triple-glazed windows, front door, interior wall insulation, natural gypsum fiberboard, garage with carport + gable roof)
296,000 € also based on KfW 55 but depending on further planning according to provider also KfW 40 possible on this basis

We would now like to decide on one of the two but are having problems figuring out which variant will be cheaper overall.
Some positions are missing in the solid construction offer that are already included in the timber construction offer. Conversely, the timber construction offer lacks the basement... We actually do not want to spend more than 500,000 € on the house. Is that realistic?

We would be grateful for any advice on this ;)

Here is already the beginning of the list to be expanded with more details about our requirements.

General information about you:

[*]Who are you? 2 clueless about construction
[*]How old are you? 35/34
[*]Are there children? Yes 1
[*]Are more children planned? At least 1 more ;)
[*]What do you do for a living? Electronics technician + therapist - both employed or semi self-employed
[*]How many hours do you work? Full-time 40 and part-time 20

Income and asset situation:

[*]What incomes do you have (gross/net)? Net just under 4,000 € per month
[*]How much child benefit do you receive? 219 €
[*]Other transfer payments such as parental allowance, sickness benefit, etc...? No
[*]How much equity do you have? 130,000 €
[*]How much equity do you want to put into the house project? Plot already paid with just under 80,000 €. Unclear how much of the rest we should keep as a buffer.

General information about the property:

[*]How large is the plot? 356 m²
[*]What are its dimensions? approx. 21 x 17 m
[*]New build, old building (year built), house type? New build semi-detached house
[*]Garages? Single garage + carport
[*]How big is the house? (living space / usable area) approx. 200 m²
[*]Plot costs 76,540 €
[*]Development costs included above
[*]Acquisition incidental costs (notary, court, property transfer tax, broker) Notary 1,120 €

Let both offers be completed, that means only the painting work remains for you. Only then are both houses comparable with the Bauleistungsbeschreibung (Bauleistungsbeschreibung). How the other semi-detached house is built, with or without a basement, solid or timber frame, that could become important for you.

[BOTH COMPANIES are locally based and have had a good reputation in the business for decades.
Regarding the construction project:
356 m² plot already purchased for a semi-detached house
approx. 8 x 12 meter footprint
[...] In the solid construction offer, some items are missing that are already included in the timber construction offer. In the timber construction offer, on the other hand, the basement is missing...]
First of all, congratulations on what appears to be at least partially existing wisdom in preferring providers from the region.

Nevertheless, I have the worst premonition, namely that you apparently are not aware that in a semi-detached house the emphasis is on the second H, i.e. it would prove a big additional amount of wisdom to plan together with the semi-detached neighbor. Mind you, this does not at all have to mean an identical mirror twin, nor necessarily the same construction company and/or building material. For all aspects related to this or at least my explanations on this, the forum search with "11ant" in connection with "Ohnekellerer" or "Mitkellerer" will lead you there, as well as — an absolutely urgent reading recommendation for bloody semi-detached house beginners! — the thread by

If I fear correctly, the basis of your uncertainty is that you have not requested from the providers on the basis of a tender-capable plan. This of course almost predestines the result to be an apples-to-pears comparison.

Let both offers be completed, that means only the painting work remains for you.
Only then are both houses comparable with the construction service description (Bauleistungsbeschreibung).
How the other semi-detached house is built,
with or without a basement, solid or timber frame, that could become important for you.

Both offers already include the full range of services from the providers – in other words, turnkey is not offered.

First of all, congratulations on apparently at least partially having the intelligence to prefer providers from the region.

Nevertheless, I fear the worst, namely that you are apparently not aware that with a semi-detached house the emphasis is on the second H, i.e. a considerable amount of additional intelligence would be proven by planning together with the semi-detached neighbor. This does not necessarily mean an identical mirror twin, nor does it have to be the same contractor and/or building material. For all related aspects or at least my explanations on this, the forum search with "11ant" in connection with "Ohnekellerer" or "Mitkellerer" as well as – a very urgent reading recommendation for beginners of semi-detached houses! – the thread by will guide you.

If I fear correctly, the basis of your uncertainty is that you did not request the offers on the basis of a tender-capable planning. With that, of course, the result of an apples-to-oranges comparison is already preprogrammed.

I will actually treat myself to that thread. Regarding tender capability – which points would still be essential for this? Both providers have received our wishes in the form of the floor plan. Also, KfW 55 was required.
Our semi-detached neighbors have already decided on the solid construction provider. I strongly assume that we can save quite a bit if we join them.

I strongly assume that we can save quite a bit if we join in there.

Some coordination at the construction site and jostling for space for excavation, construction, and trades. Probably not much less money to be paid.

That is of course not comparable at all. The one is just the solid shell of the shell construction, and even there quite a bit is still missing.

The wooden house already has windows and plaster etc. included.

It makes no sense at all to make a comparison like this. You have to prepare it properly as mentioned above, otherwise you're asking for trouble.

500k for the project is possible, but it must be well planned and I also see some personal contribution.