Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

Does a builder actually have any idea how much water is introduced into a building with mortar, screed, plaster, paint, etc.? It’s thousands of liters. And that water has to go somewhere. Yes, where within a very short time. It then hides in the stone, in the floor, and in the ceilings.

Significantly less than before, for example through the use of thin-bed methods or thinner layers in screed and plaster. But apparently you are also not aware that cement permanently binds a good part of the added water and doesn’t have to be heated at all to "dry."

Just to remove two of the biggest errors from your equation.

I think you need to "come back down to earth" again :D You’re complaining at an extremely high level, are you aware of that - or not? Those who build here are among the few privileged who can do that. Be grateful that you can build and afterwards at least have a roof over your head, warm food on your plate every day, and a peaceful environment (Europe). Plus leisure opportunities that are quite impressive, access to education and freedom of expression. I could puke when I hear the endlessly recurring whining and complaining. Even though I occasionally join in briefly, I am always aware of what I wrote above ;)

Where do you see whining there? Adults are having a discussion. I am very grateful and content. But that does not prevent me from striving for more. Humans are made to never be completely satisfied, otherwise we would still be hunting wild boars with a spear. That is what makes the evolution from ape to human so exciting. Unfortunately, as it turns out, this experiment has a lot of negative side effects (wars, environmental pollution, wastefulness...)

Water is an essential component, even of modern building materials. I just wanted to show, without going into too much detail, that a lot of water is generally introduced into construction. And it also has to get out again.

Due to all the sealing mania and zero-energy houses, moisture cannot escape well. A natural and healthy air exchange hardly takes place anymore. And on top of that, it is expensive. Which brings us back to the rising prices of building materials.

A few days ago, I saw that they are building a new senior home in timber frame construction just around the corner. Prefabricated wooden elements are screwed onto the foundation slab. A relatively large floor area. The assembly of the elements took place in pouring rain. And in the afternoon, the exterior walls of the ground floor were standing. And today they are still standing in the rain. Without weather protection and now really soaking up water.
If I were the client, a construction stop would be imposed immediately and I would chase the construction company away.

I don’t even want to calculate what roofers will charge today. Their prices have already risen extremely in recent years.
This is all going to be very exciting.

There are ventilation systems for that. With heat recovery, quite neutral in operation. Only that it is a constant air exchange. I also don't think much of the whole insulation craze. But that has resulted from all the regulations. How nicely ETICS melts, collects under the plaster, and then explodes like a firecracker can be seen in some documentaries and tests. There is a reason why multi-story buildings and government buildings are only allowed to be insulated with rock wool, etc. But not everything was better in the past. A truly modern house offers significantly more comfort (by that I don't mean the run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter villa).

read today on BBC

For instance the cost of shipping a 40ft container from Asia to Northern Europe soared from $1,500 (£1,061) in summer 2020 to more than $8,300 (£5,873) by May 2021, he said.

In England, USA, Australia there is a shortage of materials everywhere. In many countries, house construction was considered by the government during Corona as the panacea for job security and was accordingly promoted. Now the builders have to pay the price for it ...

Now I have to stick up for the DIY crowd. We did all the painting, upstairs flooring, upstairs doors, all the lamps and spots in the house, final cleaning, and the move completely ourselves, a total of about four good weeks (weekends and evenings on 1-2 weekdays) "gritting our teeth" and the matter was settled. Savings according to quotes ~20k€.

The same then with the outdoor facilities, received three quotes between 52k€ and 59k€ for the outdoor facilities excluding planting. So we took everything into our own hands, involved a planner, organized a digger driver, etc. It was a tough but somehow also cool 2.5 months last corona summer. Additionally, another four weeks in spring for all the planting and outdoor lighting. In the end, we paid just under 26k€.

No one built the way everyone somehow wants to today just 15-20 years ago, no matter how small the budget is. Every single small brushstroke is outsourced only to collectively complain about how expensive everything is and that no one wants to do the nonsense. And anyone who after working 8-10 hours a day can only lie on the couch should either look for another job or seek medical help. And those who have no friends... just my 2 cents.

Disclaimer: Both full-time employed, money would have been in the account, two small children aged 2 and 4 at the time, and we would do it the same way again.