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

Honestly, you have the entire range of online shops available to you. Price comparison made easy.

Don't worry, I can compare prices ;-) As I said, it's about the experiences of people who have already built or are at least further along in their construction project and what creative/smart solutions they have found.

And I dare to doubt that the general contractor can offer a good price for parquet. Or rather, why should he let you share in his conditions?

That certainly may not apply to everyone, but it was part of our negotiation. Our general contractor pulled that out as another argument when he could/would not lower the price any further and we were still wavering between them and a competitor. Prices at the wholesaler are actually about 30% cheaper than if we buy there as private individuals. But as I said, that certainly cannot be generalized.

Just asking: who is supposed/wants to install things like plumbing or doors? You can also buy well and cheaply through the craftsmen in the specialist trade.

Regards, Yvonne

You have already named the essential things.

Floor coverings, wall design, ceramics, fittings, and technical equipment...

All of this can be purchased nowadays cheaper than the RRP and also installed... you just must not be afraid to get your hands dirty and also have to live with the often nonexistent warranty.

There is nothing wrong with hardware store stuff. It is cheap and breaks soon, but initially it saves money. Or you invest more first and have something for longer. That works too.

Where you can save well, for example, are door handles; you can simply unscrew those if you want better ones later. It's a problem with tiles, though, you don't unscrew those. The new ones have to go on top of the old ones (in my opinion, no ideal solution), or you have to knock everything out first with a lot of mess. Upgrading is always a question of how convenient it is (that is: how guiltlessly you can get the cheap stuff out again).

But that is still exactly the plan. Do I read a bit of sarcasm there and where does it come from?

No, it just sounded like a changed plan: I wouldn't have expected a semi-detached house now on grandma's demolition plot.

It's not about saving a few euros here and there through inferior quality. [...] What matters to me is where you managed to save money through smart shopping, good negotiation, or clever planning. For example, you can buy a Miele oven for €3000 at the specialist dealer or, with luck, get it for half the price as a display model.

I used to like taking clearance models for consumer electronics. They often went out of production because the manufacturer realized that they were too solid for their price class. The phenomenon certainly exists with built-in kitchen appliances as well.

Our general contractor wanted, for example, an additional 12,500 euros at the time for the upgraded washbasin with mirrored cabinets. After I bought all the parts from the cheapest online retailer each, the stuff now costs me less than 5,000 euros, with a few more gimmicks.

I handled the kitchen appliances the same way. Exhibition pieces are usually hardly cheaper or even more expensive than the best online price.

And wholesale does not necessarily mean savings. When I think of Metro & Co, the only advantage is "large packages".