Construction progress: Duplex with WU basement and developed attic

But wouldn't you become suspicious if there is such a discrepancy in price compared to the market? For example, with a car: If you were offered a brand-new Golf for 5,000 EUR. You would immediately think, fake, stolen, a corpse was inside for four weeks or something, I don’t know. With a house, you don’t get suspicious? And the trick of making your margin through surcharges is not the same as already factoring in defects in advance or assuming that the client won’t notice any defects that occur. That actually borders on fraud.

So and now once again firmly stamp your foot and that's that.

I like that. Ultimately, the sayings "I could have told you earlier..." are just shallow chatter. Drawing a conclusion from it, such as - what signs can I look for to determine if a provider is reputable, is helpful for readers and prospective builders. One conclusion could be: If you have offers, don't spend more time on those that deviate completely from the Gaussian bell curve in one direction or the other from a normal distribution. Interesting to read for builders with their own challenges on site are the angles and paths the project takes. This helps to better imagine what can happen and how to possibly prepare against it. To everyone whose construction went smoothly: congratulations. And to that (I explicitly include myself): Most of us had less influence on a good construction process than we would like to claim for ourselves. In the end, we are still the authors of our story(ies) ;) . A little humility can't hurt. Thanks for reopening.

Both GCs (1 and 2) have tried for a long time to drive me to the brink of anger and thus to resignation. However, I have informed them that I will definitely not do them that favor. I believe they are speculating on that as well. Because if the client terminates, it usually results in a termination without cause, and then the contractor is entitled to lost profits. Then you pay twice and he still gets money for doing nothing.

Where do you always find these contractors? :eek: That was very cheap even for the late '90s.

With the prior knowledge of having built at a similar price level (and it seems to have gone well), I can better understand your decision (despite the huge differences to the market).

If I think about myself, I probably wouldn't have taken the risk. Not enough cojones :D

can someone explain to me how you all come to 850€ here?

Basement: 200 sqm living area. Both semi-detached houses together just under 400 sqm

guaranteed flat-rate fixed price: 490,000 €

The costs given broken down to the specified living area. Simple summation of the "living areas". 200 sqm living area. WU basement + 400 sqm both semi-detached houses. All in all 600 sqm. 490,000/600 results in roughly 850€/sqm living area. The known goodies like WU basement, excavation, soil replacement, etc. will surely reduce this "flat rate" a bit more. But I think the premise "<1000€/sqm" (of course depending on the contracted scope of services) already reveals where the parties involved have calculated.

But doesn’t one become suspicious if there is such a discrepancy between the price and the market? For example with a car: If you are offered a brand new Golf for 5,000 EUR. You would immediately think, fake, stolen, there was a dead body in it for four weeks or something like that. Doesn’t this make you think when it comes to a house? And the trick of making your cut through surcharges is not the same as calculating with defects in advance or assuming that the client won’t notice existing defects. That actually borders on fraud.

No, it doesn’t. Because I know what is written in the contracts I sign. But the thing with surcharges is true. In my opinion, you pay about twice as much for change orders as if they were included in the contract from the start. I am also very price-conscious in other things. For example, in my ice cream shop I have a soft-serve machine that would cost 36,000 € new. I would never buy it at that price. Got it on eBay for 9,900 €, six months old with a warranty, purchase receipt, and export certificate from Transylvania. Great piece of equipment and I’m happy. Or my two Pomeranian dwarf Spitz dogs. You could check for fun at what price they are being sold. I bought them from the breeder for 500 € each, not at the Polish weekly market. And they are perfectly healthy and we have become friends with the breeder’s family in the meantime. And neither the ice cream machine nor the dogs or our cheaply purchased vehicles are stolen or fake and there were no dead bodies inside. Although there might be a vampire in the ice cream machine --> Transylvania ;) .