Obtain comparable quotations from suppliers

Hi folks,

we would like to build. I made a design in Sketchup and a preliminary inquiry was approved. Most contractors did not respond to my request for quotes, probably because they were fully booked.

Now we visited a likeable contractor.

He said: "We do the preliminary planning and transfer your drawings. Only on that basis can a cost estimate be provided." "Then you can also request quotes elsewhere." And: "If you want to do the preliminary planning with us, we should get the contract."

Is that normal? I thought I would go there, give them my design, they calculate it and I get a rough estimate two days later to compare with other offers. Because if my dream house is financially out of reach anyway, I don't need a precise preliminary plan.

1. Assuming I have the preliminary planning done there and then back out, what does such preliminary planning cost? (They have their own structural engineer, etc.)

2. Or should I have such preliminary planning done by an architect? b) Will he then give me the CAD files so that the rest can be continued by a contractor-architect chosen by ME after price comparison? That would be fair.

3. Or rather: How would you nowadays request comparable offers from individual contractors with your preliminary drafts/sketches?

I would like a total price for a house, plus or minus 10,000 euros, based on my designs from several contractors whose prices I can then compare. Isn't that possible? Or better said: how is that done best?

As I said: gut feeling fits with the good man. But he could not name any figures except "approx. 2000 per square meter plus X," but there would be more on top and he seemed to want to bind me only because of sympathy.

Regards Stardust

Honestly? - what I have seen so far in terms of amateur designs here still requires some distillation before you can put a price on it. If provider A and provider B each make you an offer – but each according to their interpretation of how to "translate" your plans – the numbers differ much more sharply (and possibly in the opposite direction) than if you were to compare both on one more precise basis. And that is aside from the fact that it would anyway be an "incomparable" if the plans were not accompanied by an identical construction service description for both (so you have to actively add that, otherwise everyone suggests their own standard again, and you won’t get out of the attempts to equalize via Excel or whatever anymore.

What do you think about discussing the plans from the building preliminary inquiry here already?

I wrote something about this: . The subsequent discussion between a forum mouse (i.e. me) and a forum might not be that exciting ;-) The comparison is very difficult. You usually don’t know: What quality is included in the standard? How high will the estimated Baunebenkosten (additional construction costs) be? Many providers leave a lot of tasks to the builder: earthworks, construction site setup, surveying, soil reports etc. Calculating these is also difficult. So, an offer can be very cheap because automatically 10K for floor coverings, 10K for painting work etc. are shifted into the Baunebenkosten. And finally: Often you will list many wishes in conversation with the selected house building company (all estimates, can of course also be higher by now!), e.g. chimney for fireplace (5K), central ventilation system with heat recovery (5K?), higher knee wall (7K), more basement windows with light wells (2.5K each), better front door (+4K), finished attic etc. pp., bay window (10K). Then it is difficult to compare different BEG standards. Some providers will offer you BEG55, some even BEG70, some only BEG40+ (especially wood prefabricated house providers).

Thank you for the quick answers! That confirms my impression. Everything is totally vague and hard to compare. I am currently working intensively on adjusting the planning inside the house and will get back to you with updated plans. Maybe we could then make a list of items for which prices should be quoted? What is a [Bauleistungsbeschreibung]?

I wrote something about this once: . The following discussion between a forum mouse (that is, me) and a forum @11ant may not be so exciting ;-)

Mouse and 11ant, all that’s really missing is the duck :)

I am currently working intensively on adjusting the interior planning of the house and will get back with updated plans.

I deliberately first asked what you used to make the preliminary inquiry – especially before you get too deeply caught up in details.

Maybe one could then make a list of points for which prices should be quoted?

Everything simply has a price – and regularly one that differs between your “standard” and that of the provider.

What is a construction service description?

A construction and service description. Without it, the price question can only be answered with “apples” and “oranges” and a result roughly around “42.” Everyone has one (a different one), and yours must “count” (or you compare across and crosswise, that works too).

1. Suppose I let them do the preliminary planning there and then bail out, what does such preliminary planning cost? (They have their own structural engineer, etc.)

The construction company will tell you that before the preliminary planning.

2. Or should I have such preliminary planning done by an architect? b) Will they then give me the CAD files so that the rest can be continued by a construction company-architect chosen by ME after price comparison? That would be fair.

In general, an architect should do the planning. Do you have the appropriate degree or training to design a house? Not to mention detailed planning. The architect will also provide you with a cost estimate. They can also conduct a tender together with you so that complete comparisons can be made.

3. Or rather: How would you nowadays inquire with individual construction companies with your preliminary drafts/sketches in order to get a COMPARABLE offer?

Not at all. Do you have a performance specification for the construction company? Materials, quantities, measurements? Electrical planning completed with simple electrical work or complete automation and KNX? How is the sanitary installation to be done with which materials? Which roof tiles – concrete or fired and with which surface coating? Gutters made of titanium zinc or simple? Sanitary pipes how? Wastewater planning with which requirements regarding infiltration, inspection shafts, etc.? What ground works are necessary according to the soil report? If you can answer all that yourself (and the other 395 questions and items), then of course you can inquire at different companies and get a qualified answer. You figuratively go to a car dealer who can offer everything from Dacia to Rolls-Royce. Then you ask: I would like a 4.85m long car with an engine and four tires. Do you think a) you will be taken seriously and b) get an answer? Such an inquiry simply ends up in the round file or – like in your case – you end up with a likeable construction company that approaches it professionally and starts completely from scratch because as a layperson you are simply not qualified and have no clue (this is no prejudice or meant badly, but a house designer calls themselves an architect and has studied for a long time).