Construction costs - Are we that far off?

What I would estimate for your construction project after the talks with the four GCs: approx. 385-400k without garage, without living basement (only utility basement), without KNX, without wood-aluminum windows, without T7 bricks (but an unfilled 36 cm brick).....unfortunately :-(

That is 1666 EUR / m² for the total area of 240 m² (including utility basement). Or put differently: If the basement accounts for 70,000 EUR, that is 1970 EUR/m² for a "standard hut". Ouch...

I'm slowly starting to wonder how one can still get a reasonable own home nowadays – after all, we don't want a luxury palace. I don't see ourselves financially badly off, but we still want to be able to go on vacation.

Service phase 1 - Basic evaluation is conducted by builders who are very intensively involved with their house construction anyway.

That's true, we have already invested an extremely large amount of time in the basic evaluation. Meanwhile, there is even a 24-page checklist on various details.

Service phase 9 - Construction supervision can certainly be delegated to third parties.

That’s true as well, but costs for it also occur with a third party. However, it is a very good hint - thanks!

Hello,

- House according to Energy Saving Ordinance (not a KfW efficiency house)
- Simple architecture with gable roof (no dormers, cross gables, bay windows, etc.)
- 160 m² living space + approx. 80 m² basement (of which about 40 m² are usable living space for sauna and one room)
- Double garage
- Gas condensing boiler with solar thermal system
- Underfloor heating
- Controlled residential ventilation with heat recovery
- Wood/aluminum windows with triple glazing
- Small freestanding wood stove
- Parquet, glued in most of the living area
- Electric shutters via KNX
- Partial KNX in living/dining area, preparation for later retrofit

Single-family house, Energy Saving Ordinance with gas as heat generator: TEUR 264
Utility basement: TEUR 45
Conversion to living basement: TEUR 25
Wood/aluminum windows: TEUR 10
Controlled residential ventilation with HRV: TEUR 14
KNX: TEUR 10
Parquet; rest tiles: TEUR 25
Painting work: TEUR 15
Chimney stack + stove: TEUR 15 - "x"
Double prefabricated garage 6.00 x 6.00 m: TEUR 13 (incl. strip foundations and sectional door)

All in estimated, approx.: TEUR 436 plus ancillary construction costs TEUR 40 plus reserve for extras.

I receive a 25% discount on the material costs for heating, solar thermal system, controlled ventilation, wood stove. In addition, the surveying work is practically given to us except for a few euros of fees.

Except for the surveying costs + wood stove, this will not help you; neither in case of house construction via architect nor general contractor. None of the craftsmen will provide the required equipment themselves. And if they do, it will be at the expense of the hourly wage!

Where would you cut costs?

Forego wood/aluminum windows and KNX; electric shutters via switch up/down will do as well, if savings are to be made.

Rhenish regards

Hello construction expert,

thanks for the response! It seems to me that the architects are probably not entirely wrong. Perhaps there is also a regional factor involved... Either we adjust the financing or we make some compromises (maybe on the size after all??) - or both.

We don’t seem to be entirely off with the basement costs (45+25 thousand EUR). Does anyone else have any experience regarding this?

I’ve been told that the roller shutter control via KNX is not significantly more expensive. Often, KNX is supposedly used as a standard without people knowing it (if one is not explicitly interested in it).

None of the craftsmen will provide the necessary equipment themselves. And if they do, it will be at the expense of the hourly wage!

Yes, that is possible, because we receive the discount in the form of a “cash-back” directly from the manufacturer. The installer just needs to be a contracting party – it has no negative consequences for them.

As the next step, we simply need to decide on a construction partner or setup and have everything calculated concretely...

Where you could possibly save money is on painting work and tiles/wood flooring. It always depends on what you want and how much you want/can do yourself. For example, painting work: Since we mostly favored [Raufaser] (besides [Schleifputz] in the stairwell, hallway, and damp rooms above the tiles), our material costs were under 3,000 euros. We did the work ourselves here. However, I am also aware that professionals charge different prices here. Tiles/wood flooring: If you have tiles/wood flooring laid throughout the entire house for 50 €/sqm, you would have a material value of 8,000 euros + baseboards (a flat rate of 1,000). Our craftsman charged about 6,000 for 100 sqm, if I’m not mistaken (including leftover material), and fulfilled individual requests directly. It always depends on your personal wishes/needs. PS: There are certainly regional differences. In [BW], there are often surcharges.

Where in BaWü do you want to build?

Friends of ours built 14m x 10m including a solid garage, fully basemented and part of it converted into living space two years ago.

They ended up at 420,000 euros including additional construction costs. They built with a civil engineer/structural engineer. He helped with the tenders and a little with the construction management. They did the rest themselves.

Their own work included all electrical work, drywall construction, and they also applied the full thermal insulation themselves.
The driveway and the garden were also created on their own.

They also had an offer from a general contractor, and for a house size of 10 by 10, they would have ended up at that price.