Is an architect really that expensive?

Your calculation, as so often with you, is made based on assumptions and is supposed to be set in stone.

The basement was estimated at 65k - roughly, but you still have to calculate the other foundations when there is no basement - different insulation, etc. You can’t just simply subtract sum x.

And let’s assume your calculation is correct - where is there cost transparency and where are my prices more expensive? Then you would have to build the same place - but you don’t. I can already read that from this.

Which brings us back to comparing apples and oranges...

PS: don’t forget the double garage

Just amusedly skimmed the discussion and had to think of the following quote

"There is hardly anything in the World that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."

Features are one aspect of a building, quality another. And the latter is hard to compare by the number of sockets or basement height, you see it after 10 years when something rots somewhere because the vapor barrier was poorly sealed...

Contrary to expectations (but factored in as old scaredy-cats) we end up with nearly 1600 €/sqm + additional construction costs without a basement – no luxury. The "cost drivers" were the drilling, electricity, and otherwise small stuff... silicate paint, metal rails on the stairs, pre-wall construction for the shower with a specialist, slightly larger windows in the attic... We are building with a general contractor and planner.

Well, you simply cannot compare the quality – you only see that after years/decades.

But anyone who has to/wants to/aims to squeeze the price down to the last cent overall cannot seriously expect to receive quality.

I would bet my life that it is not the case that even cheaper offers are accepted n o c h. Apparently, according to Grym, the one who builds the cheapest house wins...

I would have liked to stay out of the discussion, but now I must also clarify properly that the last posts do not fundamentally reflect the quality of a GÜ house. Although you can have a house built by GÜ without much personal involvement, most builders can be found just as frequently on these construction sites doing their own work as on architect-built sites.

No one would deny that either - especially not with the EL floors & painters. But all the trades before are always a bit tricky with the GCs/SCs regarding warranties.

At least I have the feeling that this stick is gladly swung so that no layperson botches things...

And normally you go to the GC/SC to simply not have to worry at all (exaggerating - building is always stressful anyway), right?