Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

So we are building solidly and fortunately started already in February, and from next week our roof will be finished. Until then we were lucky, said our general contractor. But now the price increase is coming for screed, facade, piping, doors, windows, etc. Currently, it is 13k... our general contractor is on a "begging tour" because we have a fixed price guarantee in the contract... so we are currently in negotiation.

And what is the negotiation supposed to be good for? Why then the fixed price? I like that. Filling their pockets for years and wanting to pass on material price increases directly to the customers. I would be interested to know if the [GU] would also be willing to negotiate if it were the other way around. I wouldn’t give them another cent.

I assume he calculated too narrowly and otherwise goes home without a margin. He won’t have more than 20% margin. If then a partial trade has more than 100% increase in material costs, that can already throw the calculation overboard.

I also have to ask myself whether to start ordering now or to call the whole thing off and wait it out. My feeling tells me that it won't get any cheaper, no matter how the bubble looks right now.

At the moment, I'm on "now or never."

I also have to ask myself whether to start ordering now or to cancel the whole thing for now and wait it out. My feeling tells me it won't get any cheaper anymore, no matter how the bubble looks now. At the moment, I'm on "now or never".

You have to answer the timing question for yourself. If you wait another 2 years, the market for building material prices will probably have recovered again, the recovery might even come sooner. The problem is that with the waiting time, the overall construction costs will also continue to rise due to higher charged hourly rates, etc. If it were only about material, I would order now, be happy to have it, and then build.

I don't even believe that prices will recover. Rather, availability will stabilize again, but the price remains high. But it's all speculation. The risk right now is that we make a decision now, but next week many things are already more expensive or not available. That then quickly eats up the newly set buffer as well.