Is it possible to save costs smartly when building a house?

Save four hundred euros, just on the screed! - here’s how it works: :-)

I would doubt that the quality is the same between Keramag and this other brand.

I know it from another manufacturer, where even between the individual series there are differences in the quality of the material. This was told to me by an engineer in my circle of acquaintances who worked for a while at one of the big companies (not Keramag!). The high-quality series are of course all the same, but in the mid-priced and "cheap" series, inferior materials (not necessarily bad, but simply not the same standard as the premium products) are used – and in the mid-priced series, it is again somewhat different than in the cheap series. There was something about thicknesses, etc. – I did not remember everything. Just this much: just because it is from manufacturer xy, it does not mean it is the quality of xy. There are different qualities under the same label in different series, and this is not necessarily obvious to the end consumer at first glance. Maybe after years, or maybe not. And no, it was not about the coating. That is something additional (or not) at the end.

Just like an ALNO kitchen is not simply an ALNO kitchen. Just as an example. There are dozens of different fronts. The basic qualities are certainly comparable, but a printed foil is something else than real glass. You can install hinged doors everywhere or drawers. Or motor-operated, automatic drawers. All ALNO. You can install an oven from 1995 in terms of quality or a modern steam oven/microwave/oven combination device with self-cleaning. Everything is possible in an ALNO kitchen.

And if you want, there is nothing against an Allia product in the end. But to assume that you get something comparable to a Keramag product is rather wishful thinking. It doesn’t have to be. And in authorities, schools, or daycare centers, I have never noticed high-quality toilets, just to say that. But: it doesn’t have to be.

I agree here that it makes little sense to always buy the cheapest of the cheap and to make compromises everywhere in house construction. But I am particularly puzzled by arguing about quality when it comes to sanitary ceramics - who has ever had a washbasin or a toilet bowl break? Here, design plays the decisive role, doesn't it?

Quality in ceramics means that water simply flows off and beads up by itself and no dirt accumulates. Poor quality are those cheap things that roughen slightly over time and thus hold dirt better. In my opinion, this happens with all cheap lines from all manufacturers (the GÜ standard things or those installed in rental apartments). But they really cost only a fraction of the proper ceramics. I'm not saying here that one shouldn't do that. Percentage-wise, you do save a lot of money.

Oh, is "der Oma ihr klein Häuschen" not going to be torn down after all?

Yes, that's still exactly the plan. Do I detect a hint of sarcasm there and where does it come from?

Investing tens or hundreds of thousands of euros and then saving 100 EUR on an electrical appliance here and 20 EUR on the fittings there. Surely worth it.

That stands for a few answers in this direction. I probably expressed myself unclearly:

It's not about saving a few euros here and there by using inferior quality. That the house and the equipment should be of good quality and that we want to enjoy it in 10, 20... years is beyond question!
What I'm interested in is where you managed to save money through smart purchasing, good negotiating, or clever planning.
For example, you can buy a Miele oven for 3000€ at a specialist dealer or, if you're lucky, get it as a display model for half the price. Likewise, you can be talked into buying the newest parquet at a trade fair for the MSRP, or negotiate with the general contractor to use their wholesale purchasing conditions as part of the house deal... That's the kind of things I'm talking about.

Now honestly, the entire range of online shops is available to you. Price comparison made easy. And I dare to doubt that the general contractor can offer a good price for parquet. Or rather, for what reason should he let you participate in his conditions?

For most topics, 30 to 90 minutes of research (if you know what you want) is enough to find a price.