Cost planning, comparison options and identifying savings potential

Good day dear house-building forum,

My wife, my son, and I are currently planning to build a house in the Altkreis Osterode am Harz. For this purpose, we have a building plot of about 660sqm (about 22*30m). The plot has a slight slope.

What we wish for:

- Living space of about 120-130sqm (the development plan allows two full floors plus a basement, but we would like to do without the basement)
- Ideally a brick-clad facade
- A house that is as energy-efficient as possible
- Carport, driveway, and simple terrace
- A house you can actually enter: The outdoor areas should therefore be prepared in such a way that there is a driveway/path to the front door ;-)
- As move-in ready as possible - laying tiles, parquet, etc. is not my strength

We are now trying to get an orientation – the question for us is: "Who builds a house for which price?". Our wish: We would like to receive a price “for everything” that is understandable for laypeople; this means: The pure house + simple outdoor facilities (small simple terrace) + driveway (6m*3m) + carport (9m*3m) + connections (water, electricity, telecom) etc., etc.

We have had the following experiences in initial conversations:

- System house providers or franchisees (Town & Country) seem incredibly cheap at first glance; on second glance, the costs for actual development, making the house livable, and designing the outdoor areas are very high; what also gives me chills: especially with Town & Country, prices for brick facades are advertised online, which increase by a factor of 3 during a conversation with the local license partner (“we hardly have craftsmen here who can do that”)
- Local construction companies are reluctant to reveal their cards and – which I can understand – want to be paid for planning work as well

Specifically, I have the following problem: Local construction companies naturally want a sum (usually between €4,000 and €7,000) to be paid for planning; I suspect this is to avoid work that will not be compensated if the potential client then backs out.

The problem with this is, of course, that it makes price comparability difficult. Contractor A is very happy to prepare an offer after the first planning, which costs me quite a lot of money. To compare this, I would have to commission contractor B with planning and an offer as well. I fear that the amount I could save by comparing offers will be offset by the planning costs.

My very concrete questions:

1. How can I compare offers as efficiently as possible without spending a fortune on planning costs each time?
2. How do I recognize cost traps or simply expensive items in the offer? I am aware that an offer includes a variety of individual items, but maybe experienced builders can list the “top 3 typically overpriced services”
3. Is price negotiation actually promising nowadays? I have the impression that construction companies nowadays tend to simply refuse negotiations – the next interested party is practically already at the door
4. If point 3 is answered positively: On which items can savings most likely be made?

I look forward to answers and please excuse any naive questions/assumptions. I am simply not an expert ;-)

Show us the slope. Plan with elevations and/or photos?

Slope is generally more expensive. Likewise, clinker.

Hello,

unfortunately, a plan is not yet available (if I paid close attention yesterday, this is described with leveling?) - but I am attaching photos.

Notes:

- IMG_0571 shows a developing fence or wall around the neighbor's property above the property to be acquired. That means, looking at the picture, we are "left" of the ditch.
- IMG_0570 shows the neighbor's property boundary below the property to be acquired (the paving stones lie practically on the boundary). The neighbor who built above has acquired two properties, which is why the distance of our house to be built has a bit more "space" here.

...

I find your questions and information very good and look forward to the answers from the other forum members, as they are also helpful to me.

I can't contribute too much: You have excluded the cost driver "basement," which I think is good, provided you do not have a slope property. A "slight incline" is not a slope for me and therefore negligible. I can say regarding our construction project that many and large windows, many French doors, higher ceilings, and shutters are cost drivers. Since we have not had a sampling appointment yet, I unfortunately do not know more. Brickwork is also known to me as a cost driver.

What you wish for, namely to receive detailed, comparable offers, unfortunately did not succeed for us. However, there are certainly people in this forum who have approached the whole thing more intelligently.

In any case, I am glad that you already own a plot of land. That seems to be the biggest challenge nowadays.

As it seems to me, the right path for you would be to go to an architect. You need a professional by your side, since the companies only want your best (= Euros).

The architect then creates a plan, on the basis of which he obtains comparable offers from companies. And this is done by trade, up to the outdoor facilities.

He costs money. (10 % of the construction sum).
But you have a plan according to your ideas and a contact person who represents your interests towards the companies.

Hello, you are asking about the content of the forum :) meaning complexity!

The plot has a slight slope.

I don't see a slight slope, I see something more.

A house that is as energy-efficient as possible

Yes, who wants an inefficient house?

A house that you can also enter: So the outdoor areas should be prepared in such a way that there is a driveway/path to the front door ;-)
- As move-in ready as possible - laying tiles, parquet etc. is not my strength

You won't get out of this with your own plot: a developer offers you everything in one, but then with the plot and everything for purchase right away.
With your own plot you become the builder and have duties, or positions to deal with, that a builder (BU) cannot and does not want to take off your hands.
Just minor painting work can be arranged through a subcontractor, but this often costs more via a general contractor than if you find one yourself or negotiate directly with one.

Our wish: We would like to receive a price "for everything" that is understandable for laymen; this means: The pure house + simple outdoor facilities (small simple terrace) + driveway (6m*3m) + carport (9m*3m) + connections (water, electricity, telecom) etc. pp.

That doesn't exist either: connections, paving and outdoor facilities are your responsibility (on-site).

The problem is that this of course makes it difficult to compare prices.

I'll put it this way: you will never be able to compare and get a feel for prices if you don't do your homework and absorb everything conceivable yourself,
or you have enough money, and it is not relevant. But then you wouldn't be asking these questions.

1. How can I compare offers as efficiently as possible without spending huge sums on planning costs each time?

Fill out tables! See above.

2. How do I recognize cost traps or simply expensive items in the offer?

See point 1

3. Is price negotiation actually promising nowadays? I have a bit of the impression that construction companies nowadays tend to simply reject negotiations

No, enough people want to build.

4. If point 3 is answered positively: In which positions can you save most easily?

I don't see the connection to point 3. You can save if you do work yourself and avoid frills like expensive extras.