Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

What is often forgotten... now it's first the turn of everyone who has been waiting for years for craftsmen for small matters, for which craftsmen have so far been "too good."

I am also repeatedly surprised how long we are still busy with "small stuff" when the big orders don't come in for 1 or 2 years. Usually, 1-2 years are just enough to clear the pile we have been pushing ahead of us... and then it starts all over again, after a year you can no longer see over the pile.

With us, capacity is at 100% And from 2024 it will be 120% again, mark my words

A little exercise rarely hurts. At least I feel much healthier after a day when I worked a lot on mechanical tasks or was on my feet a lot, than on a day when I sit down at the desk at 8:00 a.m. and get up again at 6:00 p.m.
There are days like that when something urgently needs to be finished...

With two small kids at home, exercise is truly not in short supply. Not that I, as a desk worker, am basically too proud for physical work, but a shoulder operation at 22 and a diagnosis of Scheuermann's disease of the spine a few years later (unfortunately) shift priorities a bit. When we bought and remodeled in 2018, I dismantled, transported, and reinstalled 12 tons of concrete paving. After that, I was useless for two weeks. As a doctor once told me: "At your height, physics (lever arm) basically already works against you." That's why I'm not so keen on doing that myself again. And after the new construction, it's actually quite a bit more than back then.

Landscape gardeners don't just build houses. They work in many areas, such as park and urban design. Maybe they aren't even that affected.

I also think that they have not been hit that hard. Among other things, due to many years of cheap money on the market, hardly anyone wanted to do anything themselves anymore, and accordingly, the awarding activity was very high.

And the public sector also continues to build. And they also make up part of the customers. Not just private home builders.

Last year, the state garden show was also held here in our city. It felt like 50 companies were working there for months, and now the private orders are being caught up first.

I actually have no prejudices against craftsmen and advertisement portals, etc., but when we offered our concrete paving for free shortly before demolition on a portal, we were overwhelmed with dubious offers for subsequent redesign. But since we really have complex conditions on site with soil composition, cellar, and all kinds of water, flawless work and warranty are mandatory for us, and nobody wanted to provide that there.

Where are the landscapers in abundance for my outdoor facilities? At least 10 companies contacted and called - multiple times, even many times, only one has come so far, an offer? Never received...

It probably depends on the region. We (region BB) want to bury a cistern and have about 100 sqm of area refurbished (remove old bricks from the farmstead, new soil, lawn). Response from the contacted landscaping companies came within 4 hours - email or call!

I also see that there is clearly more interest in the customer in our area again. Construction companies are updating their websites (which have been just a static image for 5 years) with information and references. The customer will soon be king again. Because these prices are no longer affordable for many. With us, the offer to buy has more than doubled while rental properties are quickly sold out and the supply there has halved. Conclusion: Prices remain this high, but it won't get more expensive, and due to wage increases in the coming years, new construction will be affordable again in 5 years. Because when demand decreases, prices also go down in a market economy.

Sunshine, where does your optimism come from that high wage increases do not lead to price increases? Especially since you have an insane gap between labor costs and net wages.

Optimism is always important. Assuming wages increase by 8%. This also applies to the construction industry, but it will not be possible to raise prices there. Because if 3000€ per m2 is now standard, almost no one can afford that. There will be competition among the general contractors again, and they will have to partly sacrifice their margin. Because with the collapse in building permits, not all general contractors will be able to stay in the market. The result will, of course, be a price war for customers. Building will not become more expensive. We will remain at the high level, which will eventually normalize due to wage increases. A silly example is Tesla. They are also lowering their electric car prices by up to 9000€ in times of high inflation. Why? Because otherwise no one buys the cars anymore, and a fully utilized factory is better than selling only a few. The masses make the difference.