Construction delay -> Compensation?

Our contract explicitly states that I am allowed to enter the construction site at any time. Who on earth lets themselves be locked out of their own property?

Not a few at all.

I have no authority over the craftsmen and could only possibly evict them with much greater effort.

Exactly, only the one who holds the house rights may do that.

and €50/workday would be €1000 or €1200 a month. That is not a contractual penalty, not even compensation for rent/hotel costs!
That would rather be a bad joke!
In that case, it might even be financially attractive for the general contractor to leave a construction site idle and rather do others.

That is usually enough to pay the ongoing rent; also a temporary vacation apartment.

If you think that providers enjoy leaving a construction site idle, you are naive

I think it is good that it is pointed out here that the sentence "You did not agree on a contractual penalty, so you are out of luck" is not true. If the production deadline is part of the contract, the contractor is liable for damages if the deadline (through their fault) is not met. This does not have to be agreed upon, but results from the basics of a contract for work. In this respect, a clause on flat-rate contractual penalties would merely be seen as a simplification, since no evidence for the damage incurred needs to be provided; on the other hand, it is also a limitation of liability for the contractor, as fixed sums and upper limits can be established.

I assume the contractor here knows that they are liable and now simply wants to ensure they can carry out their program unhindered, because each additional day of delay costs more money. Brush-wielding clients probably also get in the way sometimes, and if it then has to be discussed who caused which delay, it becomes tedious.

we are just considering which approach makes more sense: taking full compensation and "doing nothing," or less compensation and "doing something."

Only you yourselves can answer that! What is more important: the speedy completion or the money? Probably the deadline ... .

I didn’t fully understand the argument about personal contribution. Was it decided from the start that you would provide personal contribution and if so, what kind? Was personal contribution planned during the scheduled construction period (until the end of November)? Or was it planned to be done after completion and acceptance?

Something to consider:
- Don’t set the compensation now for two months, but keep it open until actual completion. You are basically still within the (new) plan, the delay might still come .

Otherwise, my modest experience aligns with Epi’s statement: 50 euros/workday, capped at 5% of the contract sum.

That, however, only you yourselves can answer! What is more important: the speedy completion or the money? Probably the deadline ... .

Actually not necessarily the deadline, no... Of course we ultimately have to answer that ourselves, but you do want to hear others' opinions in a forum!

I didn't fully understand the argument regarding personal contribution. Was it decided from the start that you would provide personal contribution and if so, which? Was personal contribution planned during the planned construction period (until the end of November)? Or was it planned to carry this out after completion and acceptance?

No, personal contributions were never planned. That is just generally included in the construction service description. We only found out through initial planning talks with our painter a few weeks ago that he would like to come in before the tiles, if possible.

Otherwise, my modest experience matches Epi's statement: 50 euros/workday, capped at 5% of the contract sum.

Hmm, if that's true, we obviously aren't making ourselves popular with the company... It probably depends on our negotiating skills to squeeze more out than their offer entails... :-/

It is about approximately 250-300 euros, which we would get more with 50 euros/workday.

That means you want to paint yourselves (or hire a painter independently of the general contractor), but the tiles are the general contractor's scope? From personal experience: definitely finish the painting work before grouting the tiles. Otherwise, you'll have dirt in the grout afterwards. Or you tape off yourself.

So actually, it should now be clarified how your own work fits into the construction process.