GU demands a price increase on the entire house

I find it difficult to pay a price adjustment for installed trades retroactively. I wouldn't sign anything and would just let him come. How much money have you still withheld?

That's exactly my problem... So far nothing. We have paid everything that has come. We have a guarantee for the last installment.

if I look at the construction price index of the last 12 months, it has increased by about 20%. The main rise was from 11/21 to 5/22, about 15%. During this period, the most relevant construction progress was also made. So the contractor had to fully pay the price increases on his service. The interim payments are only to maintain liquidity, and in my opinion have no final effect. What if you had built your house yourself? Then you would also have fully absorbed and paid all the price increases. The only negotiating position I see is the fact that only the material and logistics costs have increased. Wages and risk and profit have not increased to this extent. Normally, you can estimate using the following rule of thumb, which of course does not apply to all trades: 1/3 material 1/3 wages 1/3 overhead and risk and profit This would be my approach (which would not be legally sustainable) to negotiate.

What if you had built your house yourself?

Then you would have the choice between several providers and would not necessarily have to work with the contracting party who guarantees me a fixed price for 12 months. What if the prices had dropped? Would he have then been reimbursed? The vague wording in this contract is probably a matter of interpretation. Signing it was certainly a mistake. Nevertheless, I would not assume here that a judge would decide exclusively in favor of the general contractor.

Exactly that is my problem…
So far nothing. We have paid everything that has come.
We have a guarantee for the last installment

Still don’t understand? By paying the installments according to the contract, you have not accepted individual trades.
You have a total price, which the developer has roughly sensibly divided into construction phases.

The fact alone that your roof covering is still missing, although screed and interior plaster are already in place, proves that. Roof covering was installment 4 of 10 for me.
You have a flat rate price for a turnkey house. When the general contractor is commissioned how, when paid, and how much it costs him, none of that is your concern.

The vague wording in this contract is probably a matter of interpretation. Signing this was certainly a mistake. Nevertheless, I would not assume here that a judge would decide exclusively in favor of the general contractor.

I wouldn’t assume that either, but betting that he will decide exclusively in favor of the client would also be naive. And the problem with such lawsuits is that it’s hardly possible to protect oneself against them. I don’t know of any legal expenses insurance that doesn’t explicitly exclude construction matters. You always have immensely high dispute values, hence also high litigation costs, and those often end up burdening both parties.

I wouldn’t assume that either, but betting on him deciding exclusively in favor of the builder would be naive as well. And the problem with such lawsuits is that you can hardly protect yourself against them in advance. I don’t know any legal expenses insurance that doesn’t explicitly exclude construction matters. You always have immensely high dispute values, and therefore high trial costs, which often end up being borne by both parties.

Well, the main problem with such a lawsuit is that the general contractor can drag it out to the final instance and delay it repeatedly through tricks. This can take years. The GCs are not stupid; they know very well that builders are under double strain, which you can’t sustain financially or mentally forever.

PS: And as I said... while the lawsuit is ongoing, not a single craftsman will enter the construction site. I imagine 2-3 years without a roof would be difficult. The manufacturer of my underlayment says it must be removed after at most 3 months of UV exposure. It is not designed for direct sun exposure over years.