Planning by general contractor or independent architect?

He mentioned that if we had plans created by him and ultimately decided on another general contractor, we would be charged €2000. I think this procedure is common? [...] Would every construction company from which we want to request an offer create completely their own plans, so that we would have to go through the entire design and planning phase multiple times?

The fee for wearing out a flat-rate contract architect as an overqualified draftsman is roughly in this range — and also that this is passed on to you if you only incur this effort to generate illustrated useless and redundant comparative offers. Better let your youngster, if he can already walk, scribble a house from Santa Claus: that is considerably cheaper, and it additionally has “for daddy” surrounded by a little heart drawn on it. “Serious planning phases” would be a misnomer; it is more like repeatedly trying to start off in third gear until your play money runs out. The only winner is the builder you end up with to somehow keep going when you have become tired, worn out, and short of reserves and time. By the time my “setting the course” with VAT costs two grand, we would already be talking about a 340 sqm house — just for comparison.

From your reply, I gather that it is probably not standard to approach competitors with the plans from one construction company?

For those intending to build a house who urgently need to be advised to end the friendship with themselves, this path can unfortunately be called “standard.” The saying “building your first house for an enemy” is a warning — not a recommendation!

What would the alternative look like without involving an independent architect?

Why in particular do you want to have an alternative to the right way?
The essential difference between a consultant and a traitor is exactly that the former does not have the interests of a seller in mind. Module A (service phases 1 and 2) is an indispensable and universal foundation that costs you only nine percentage points of the architect’s fee according to the table. From Madame Glaskuglia at the fairground, you only get it slightly cheaper — with a lump of cotton candy included.

Buckle up and check your shoulder — leave them out and you have already failed the test. No amount of repeatedly engaging the clutch in third gear can replace them.

I think this procedure is common?

I cannot answer this question about "commonality" due to the lack of my own data. If you can use the plan under agreed conditions, it is played with an open hand and is OK.

You are right at the very beginning of your house-building plans. The flood of information will overwhelm you at first.

Every general contractor (GU)/house building company or architect usually has their own building style. You need to find someone who matches your taste and budget. A GU has the advantage that they take on a lot of work for you. They will suggest many things, and you can then choose something. With an architect, they usually send you to choose from their suppliers/tradesmen. There you can select things yourself. That is more work, but if you have your own wishes, it's nicer. However, it is very exhausting to make so many decisions yourself. Additionally, architects only have a limited number of suppliers/tradesmen and also tend to prefer certain building styles. Often, you have to take care of some things yourself if you don't want to pay a fortune to the architect. The advantage of an architect, however, is that you usually have more time to decide and can still change many things afterwards. With a GU/house building company, everything is planned "short term," and at some point, construction will start quickly...

My tip:
You should ideally know exactly how your house should look beforehand and try to find a GU/architect who builds in a similar style. Take your time first to consider what your building style is and what you absolutely want. After some research, you suddenly have a completely different view/understanding of what you actually want. Try to inform yourself about every trade/topic in advance so that you can already discuss many things. The many pieces of information can partly overwhelm you, and you have too little time to decide, which often leads to wrong decisions... It’s best to take 3-6 months to look at everything first: house-building parks, tile exhibitions, bricks, plaster, visit new development areas, raw material dealers, and of course scour the internet.

The suggestion from the forum is definitely not bad, to first sit down with an architect and plan a house. Then, with the draft, you can later see if you want to build with a GU/house builder or the architect.
Also, the house building companies will definitely apply pressure once they have planned something with you...

As another guideline, 3000 euros per m2 for a house with a cheaper standard plus land and additional building costs, which are not insignificant...

Every general contractor/home builder or architect usually has their own construction style. You need to find someone who fits your taste and budget. A general contractor has the advantage that they take on a lot of work for you. They will propose many things and you can then choose something. With the architect, they usually send you to their suppliers/tradespeople to choose from. There you can select the items yourself. That is more work, but if you have your own wishes, it's nicer. However, it is very exhausting to make so many decisions yourself. In addition, architects only have a limited number of suppliers/tradespeople and also have tendencies towards certain construction styles. Often, you have to take care of individual things yourself if you don't want to pay a fortune to the architect.

The architect only plans the house with you. He has no suppliers or tradespeople that you have to take. He makes tenders exactly according to your wishes, and companies selected by him and by you submit their offers. This is just as time-consuming as with the general contractor. But it has the advantage that you do not have to choose between model A and B for the bathtub, but rather formulate your own wishes. In short: With the general contractor, you choose what the general contractor offers. With the architect, you choose the tradesperson who wants to fulfill your wishes.

The architect only plans the house with you. He has no suppliers or craftsmen that you have to take. He issues tenders exactly according to your wishes, and the companies selected by him and by you submit their offers accordingly. This is just as time-consuming as with the general contractor. But it has the advantage that you do not have to choose between Model A and B for the bathtub, but formulate your own wishes.

That is correct. But the architect also only contacts the craftsmen he frequently works with, or from the region... For the craftsmen, participating in such a tender is a huge effort. Usually, only the craftsmen who really see a chance of getting a contract participate in the tenders... These are then the craftsmen with connections to the architects. From our experience, the architect first plans as he usually builds his houses or thinks is right. If you want something different or have other ideas, you have to push hard for it or take care of many things yourself.

But the architect only contacts the craftsmen he often works with, or from the region

The architect does what I, as his breadwinner, tell him to do. And if he puts his three top craftsmen in the ring, I take the tender he created (which I paid for) and give it to the craftsmen I know, whom acquaintances know, and whom I may have also found nationwide based on good reviews.

For the craftsmen, participating in such a tender is a huge effort.

No. They just have to fill out a detailed list. Anyone who has their business and prices under control does it quickly. We are talking about a single-family house and not a 30,000 sqm office building.

From our experience, the architect first plans as he usually builds his houses or thinks is right.

Then the initial meeting was a mess and/or you weren’t in charge. Addition: What he thinks is right often makes sense based on his experience. But it's often more about the details (size of the entrance area with suitable cloakroom, size/orientation/incline of the staircase, etc.). How many houses have you already built with an architect?