New single-family house in southern Germany

I would like to have it, but it is already expensive in itself, and with the arsenic issue, there is still a hard-to-calculate cost risk for us.

That also made me think; almost everyone advised me against a cellar because the earthworks would be so expensive; but I had a chemical analysis done (around 800 euros) and I was able to give it to a civil engineer, who then made me an offer. It was cheaper than I thought. That's why I decided on a cellar - but it could have gone the other way as well.

I have just entered all previous offers into a table for comparison. The only one where we stay under €500,000 considering all costs (house, land, landscaping, expert, etc.) is the one from Town & Country, and that only just barely. I believe the issue with the basement is settled even in the cheapest case, which would then mean an additional cost of at least €60,000 for the basement and extra earthworks, and actually the goal was to build for €500,000 ;)

I now also have the construction description from the local general contractor. To be exact, I had it all along, hidden in the spam folder and only found it when the second attempt didn’t arrive either... The relatively high price is somewhat justified as it actually includes almost everything. Earthworks, deep drilling, construction power, surveying, sewer works, cistern with connection, basically all the stuff that the others wanted extra payment for so far. Only fees for utility connections and the electricity for the screed heating are missing. So it actually seems to be the all-inclusive package that I have missed so far with the prefab house manufacturers. Otherwise, the construction description also reads quite valuable; I am reading for the first time about things like snow guards on the roof or connection for outdoor lighting with motion detector for the entrance area. Only €30 per sqm for flooring and tiles doesn’t quite fit with what you read in the forum, that you can’t get tiles for under €45, but we’ll see...

Unfortunately, there is some time pressure again because he has received price increases of around 7-12% from a few suppliers and the current price won’t be available for long. Definitely another appointment is due next week to clarify this in detail. I don’t really like it, being under time pressure to make a decision again...

In case anyone is interested in how I calculated: House + additional construction costs according to the offer

The following costs are the same for everyone:

Kitchen	15,000.00 €
Outdoor facilities	15,000.00 €
Garage/Carport	10,000.00 €
Garden house	5,000.00 €
Plot + incidental purchase costs	75,000.00 €
Furniture, lamps, etc.	5,000.00 €
Expert	5,000.00 €

For the kitchen, I estimated on the safe side. You can certainly buy a nice kitchen for €10,000 or less, but this will be the first one I buy myself, and especially regarding electrical appliances, I’m a bit uncertain about the costs. For the outdoor facilities, I am still having a hard time imagining doing them myself for €15,000; on the other hand, quite a few rental devices will be required to get the garden in shape. Possibly also a bit of fresh topsoil over the clay, and then a lot of money is gone again.

Only 30€ per sqm for flooring and tiles doesn't quite fit with what you read in the forum that you can't get tiles for under 45€, but let's see...

You can forget about the 30 €. That's either just the material price or the installation costs per sqm, definitely not the total price for both. What about the painting work? Usually, there are also additional costs for electrical and sanitary work, like an extra socket here and a light switch there, or the more expensive faucet. It all adds up in the end.

The bank is not interested in the kitchen, lamps, or furniture at all and these cannot be financed through the construction loan either. For that, you have to use your own funds. You have to set this part aside right away and you are not allowed to count it as equity, because at least with us, the stated equity had to be used up completely before the loan was disbursed.

30 euros for tiles is okay, as long as you don't rave about special formats, etc.

30 euros for tiles is acceptable, as long as you are not raving about special formats, etc.

Yes, as a material price, but certainly not as a total price including material and installation. Or am I mistaken?