Cost explosion even before it really gets started

My assumption is that no detailed individual items are listed on the installments, so the architect doesn't even know what has been calculated

It is already broken down (see picture). But a heads-up that it will already be 10k euros more expensive now would be quite appropriate.

I am also on the construction site every day, but since we are absolute laymen, we have hired an architect to manage the construction. So that we are on the safe side. *hysterical laughter*

Everyone snap out of it, have a serious talk, reset communication including calculations. And reconsider how to proceed.

The positions are crazy. Didn't you have a counteroffer? Are these net prices?

With us:

- Site setup €1500 incl. toilet, construction fence, construction container
- Excavation soil incl. transport and landfill €18
- No labor hours shown separately. All items include material and labor.

They really ripped you off with the civil engineering work. There's an extra zero there. But I guess it's because of the container? Why that? There's nothing more expensive than disposal via container?

Yes, although we already keep asking critical questions repeatedly. The young architect, for example, never writes anything down and then forgets half of it. On Wednesday, he informed us that folding sliding doors might not be available in RC 2 – WE already addressed that half a year ago. There are several points like this. I then started sending a short protocol after the meetings, but that was rather ridiculed. Likewise, last year we did all the "tear outs" ourselves to save costs. We would have also liked to remove bushes and hedges to save 500 euros. We also communicated that: that we would like to do things ourselves if we can save something without breaking anything due to clumsiness. Such things are simply ignored with statements like "It doesn’t really matter."

The prices are crazy. Didn't you have a counteroffer? Are those net prices?

For us:

- Construction site setup €1500 incl. toilet, construction fence, construction container
- Excavation soil incl. transport and landfill €18
- No separate labor hours shown. All items include materials and labor.

They really screwed you on the civil engineering work. There's an extra zero in there.
But it’s probably because of the container? Why such a thing. Nothing is more expensive than disposal via container?

Although the architect was tasked with obtaining quotes, there was only this single offer, and since the architect said it fit within the calculation, we signed it because the structural carpenter could start immediately. We asked at signing if these were normal prices and that was confirmed.

VAT was added.