Is the cost estimate too expensive?

Hello dear forum community,

my husband and I are currently caught up in house-building fever – planning and approval completed.

Now we have received the offer from our construction company – but we don’t really know whether the offer is reasonable or not.

A brief info:
enclosed volume 905 m³
usable living area 139 m²
double garage and basement
heating system: heat pump

As a woman, I am not very familiar with this – please excuse me if I express myself incorrectly anywhere.

Now to the cost estimate – I would be very grateful if you could give me a few statements about where we stand, whether it is reasonable or not.
I only have net prices here, so everything plus VAT!

Excavation 7000,-
Shell construction 85365,-
Scaffolding 2366,-
Carpenter 23040,-
Tinsmith 4011,-
Window manufacturer 16000,-
Garage 2700,-
Stove builder (pellet Swedish stove) 2700,-
Plasterer 20000,-
Screed 3200,-
Heating, ventilation, sanitation 31000,-
Shutters 2500,-
Tiler 7300,-
Floor layer 5738,- with laminate
Doors 4000,-
Work planning and construction management 11000,-

The total including VAT is about €270,000 – unreasonable?!

Maybe you can give us a brief assessment or tell us where the extreme outliers are. We don’t want to get ripped off.

Also – is €11,000 for work planning reasonable?

Would be very grateful for your help!!

Best regards
Simone

Hello Simone,

For a quick info:
built-up m³ 905
usable living area 139 m²
double garage and basement
heating system: heat pump

So round about 116 sqm pure living area (LA) - with simple architecture?

As a woman, I am not very familiar with this - please excuse me if I express myself incorrectly somewhere.

That has nothing to do with the fact that you are a woman, but because you - and your man - are laymen in the field of house building; completely normal.

Now about the cost estimate - I would be very grateful if you could briefly give me some statements about where we stand, whether appropriate or not.
I only have net prices here, everything plus VAT!

I am not in favor of splitting every trade; strange that your provider does this - or do you commission every trade separately?

All in all, the small single-family house should cost about EUR 230k as a Kfw 70 efficiency house with usable basement; the double garage as a prefabricated garage with electric sectional door an additional EUR 18k (the price mentioned in your list of € 2,400.00 surely only refers to the pure foundation and is by the way quite outrageous. Unless ground replacement is required)

That means:

single-family house - € 230,000.00
pellet stove - € 2,700.00
D-garage as prefabricated garage - € 18,000.00

For the single-family house including technology and D-garage as prefabricated garage EUR 250.7k

plus:

additional construction costs: EUR 35-40k
reserve for additional foundation costs: EUR 8k
painting/flooring work: EUR 15k
outdoor facilities: EUR 15k
reserve for extras: EUR 10k

All in all a total volume for the complete house construction of EUR 338.7k - in Bavaria and depending on location it can also be 5-8% more expensive.

Also - is €11,000 for construction planning appropriate?

Yes.

Kind regards

Thank you Bauexperte for your quick and informative response!

So round about 116 sqm of pure living space (WF) - with simple architecture?

Exactly - no frills at all - one load-bearing wall.

I’m not a fan of splitting every trade; strange that your provider does that - or do you award each trade individually?

Not that. But since we plan to do various trades ourselves, we envisioned it that way.

All in, the small single-family house should cost about TEUR 230 as a KfW 70 efficiency house with a utility basement; the double garage as a prefabricated garage with an electric sectional door another TEUR 18 (the price mentioned in your listing of € 2,400 surely refers only to the pure foundation and is btw. quite outrageous unless a soil replacement needs to be done)

Sorry - my mistake. With the garage, the door/handle, etc. is meant - if I remember correctly. The garage is already included in the shell construction price.

Means:

Single-family house - € 230,000.00
Pellet stove - € 2,700.00
Double garage as prefabricated garage - € 18,000.00

For the single-family house including technology and double garage as prefabricated garage TEUR 250.7

This €250,700 is exactly the sum we had in mind for the services to be provided or should have been the total for us.
So he is way too expensive with his offer - especially as electrical work and painting are not yet factored in. The worst part is that before starting the plan he predicted that we would not exceed €250,000!! We don’t even know where the outliers are supposed to be, since, as mentioned at the beginning, we planned no frills at all - so not the cheapest, but still affordable all in.

We will now get another offer, because I don’t think he will come down on the price as much as we expect.
Well - not the only construction company in our area.

Thanks again!

Best regards
Simone

Hello Simone,

Thank you Bauexperte for your quick and informative response!

Since not for

That not. But since we plan various trades as DIY, we have imagined it that way.

DIY (EL) should always only be applied where the contractor's service has ended. Otherwise, there are almost always problems when it comes to defects and consequently warranty claims!

The garage is included in the shell construction price after all.

No way ...

These 250,700 are exactly the amount we had envisioned for the services to be provided or that should have been stated as the amount for us. So he is way too expensive with his offer especially since electrical work and painting are not yet factored in.

But you did see that in my forecast – besides painting work – the floor coverings are also not yet included? And additional construction incidental costs etc. still have to be added; as well as possibly a surcharge for a sought-after location in Bavaria?

Kind regards

We will now get another offer because I don't think he will accommodate us on the price as much as we imagine. Well - not the only construction company in our area.

Hello Sammy,

I am also quite new here and not very familiar. We are planning a renovation and therefore tender the trades individually, or rather our construction manager does. For this, he contacts about 6 companies for each trade with whom he has had good experiences. The requirements catalog is clearly defined beforehand for each case so that the prices can be compared.

So I would suggest that you not only obtain a second offer but perhaps even a third.

Dave

Hello Dave,

and therefore they tender the trades separately, or rather our site manager does. For this, he contacts about 6 companies for each trade with whom he has had good experiences.

6 is simply too many; 3 per trade are completely sufficient.

Best regards