What were the specific cost drivers for you? Are you still building as planned or have you changed/omitted something?
The shell construction was luckily agreed upon early and also started back in spring 2021. Since then, almost everything has become more expensive. Many things have been delayed. Mainly due to Corona and supply bottlenecks. And if a tradesman can’t come, all subsequent trades get postponed. For example, the plasterer canceled after the third rescheduling. The new one was then 20% more expensive… Insulation has also been a major cost driver. We now have to invest over €20,000 more than planned. Actually, almost everything has become more expensive than originally planned by our architect. So far, we haven’t really cut anything. But unfortunately, we are also not finished yet. We are lucky to be able to plan with quite a bit of buffer (which we haven’t told the architect about either). One consequence, however, was that we organize some things ourselves to make sure they happen on time (e.g., purchasing the electrical appliances for the kitchen, applying for subsidies). We don’t have the time (or experience) for doing any DIY work, but I am currently building the photovoltaic system entirely myself. This saves about €10,000 and I don’t have to make compromises.
