Construction cost development still normal???

: Have you received a cost estimate according to DIN 276 from the architect? A cost estimate, especially at the beginning of the planning, can vary by +/- 20%.

Have you documented this target somehow? Which service phases have you commissioned?

I would have been more surprised if you got the house for €400,000.

Yes, 400K€ seems unrealistic there, just based on the size of the property. But if you read "Garage 80K€," then there are specialties involved that have nothing to do with "standard." Or they are all not interested. I wouldn't go much over 500K€ either (with the given information).

Isn't it even more astonishing that an architect plans this way with the objective from the beginning and then confirms again before submitting the building application 3 weeks ago that the budget is sufficient?

Isn't it always said here in the forum "Beware of the floor main contractor and the additional costs, an architect is your (paid) friend"?

To be honest, this rather doesn't surprise me now. We had all the offers 6 months before the building permit to realistically calculate the financing. The result was €365k, with incidental costs it is already €420k now. I assume that my private buffer of €20k, which I have saved for the construction, will be added on top of that. Possibly also the home ownership grant of €10k. The kitchen, which I will start saving for from September, isn't even included yet.

For example, our front door costs €2,900 (standard dimensions in aluminum). Just look at your entrance area alone. The door will cost you at least €5,000 and you still have the entire entrance area with a canopy.
The canopy around the terrace is also not standard.

You spent as much as possible on the building structure. If you then have an architect who has slept through the price developments of the last 3 years (for whatever reason), then this happens. I also believe that you would have exceeded the cost estimate by tens of thousands of euros even 3 years ago.

The problem now is to cut down, because the costs aside from the basement and the garage apparently distribute quite evenly across all trades.

With such a high cost overrun, the basement would be the first thing I would cut out. As long as it is not necessary because of the terrain.

Otherwise, the house must be smaller plus all add-ons gone. In other words, either one big cut or many small ones.

Can you post a link to your floor plan? Maybe savings potential can be identified there?

Just skimmed through the floor plan thread again.

I really don’t understand how the garage is supposed to cost 80K€. Or is it all exposed concrete or something else elaborate? In my opinion, 40K€ too expensive. I would ask the provider where they see the cost drivers. Sometimes such things are based only on wrong assumptions.

Otherwise, the bonus fireplace stands out, which also costs an extra 10K€.

Maybe it would be good to post the latest planning status here again.

Thanks Alex for the link!
Latest planning status according to the floor plan thread:



Well, the big question is what you can do without. The basement is apparently not one of them. Next on the chopping list are the recesses. That might simplify the roof considerably and also save costs there. Is the office really necessary? Can the utility room be moved to the basement? The dance hall in front of the stairs on the upper floor is pure luxury. The dressing room is quite spacious.

If the budget really should and can’t be increased, I would reconsider the planning in your position. More consistently include the basement in the planning – possibly accommodate the office and utility room there. Then drastically cut down upstairs to about 145 to 150 m².

I would also like to know what makes the garage so expensive. We paid a total of about 40 grand for an 8x6 masonry + plastered + 14x6 roof (including carport) – and that in the Leipzig area.