Responsibility of the architect in case of KfW interest and further matters

I can understand you well, I have gone through the experience myself. As an (inexperienced) builder, you somehow have a naive image of the architectural profession; presumably strongly influenced by the media (articles, documentaries, etc.). In reality, the chance of getting such a showcase architect is vanishingly small or (for the average builder) non-existent.

Be aware that an architect who corresponds to this image and is actually willing to oversee your project would demand a fee starting at around €60,000 (and probably would have to). Of course, €20,000 is also a lot of money, but basically you can be satisfied with that amount if the execution planning is usable and the construction supervision is done properly. The constant contact person for all the (stupid) questions is a bonus.

The current annoyance with the costs seems almost inevitable to me. Construction is booming, craftsmen are fully booked months in advance, construction prices are soaring accordingly. This cannot really be calculated reliably. Naturally, you are annoyed now, but in the end an exact calculation in advance would not have changed your budget either, right? So the question arises whether it is really crucial, for example, to have the garages painted in advance or to only realize afterward that there is no money left for it?!

If I were you, I would already seriously think about possible cuts or alternative options. Does the house necessarily have to get an ETICS (plaster in such poor condition?) Is it really necessary to have tiles for €8,000, or could you also install vinyl or something similar in the kitchen and bathrooms? Is the current driveway nonexistent/in such bad shape that it needs to be repaved? Do I really need a double garage for my happiness and if so, do I have to have it ready by move-in?

It has always helped me a lot to question things Marie Kondo-style with "Does this really make me happy?" And suddenly a KFW55 house becomes a 115, the ground-source heat pump turns into a gas boiler, the stainless steel pipes give way to plastic, KNX becomes click-clack, the 2nd shower goes on standby until the kids are older, the parquet with a 3mm wear layer simply won’t please my grandchildren anymore, the exterior plaster is patched and any cracks are covered with ivy or vines instead of a curtain facade, the interior plaster is covered with painter’s fleece, the cars stay in the rain, the bumpy driveway is spruced up with a pressure washer, and I treat myself to an airless device for a few hundred euros and paint myself. In the end, you easily have 30% less debt and don’t live noticeably worse. Keep it simple!

here you can clearly see how naive the teacher comes across

man man man you really can't lose your money any faster

oh no, it's the bank after all...

I just see an arrogant banker here who is talking nonsense. Where did she "sink" money? Cost estimate does not match the billing - what a peculiar isolated case. That would obviously never have happened to you as a tough deal-maker... but if I remember correctly, you only bought a condominium...

Regarding HilfeHilfe, I will refrain from any comment. Dr. Hix, thank you for your response. Actually, with a more realistic planning, we would have planned differently. During the waiting time for the building permit, we created alternatives that would have included a single-story extension and the children's room would have ended up on the ground floor. So there would have been options. The young architect just informed us by email that he told the shell construction company that he "would inform us early about additional charges or significantly deviating quantities." That means the architect was not informed either. Is the shell construction company allowed to simply do that when the amount for the excavation rises from 5k euros to 15k euros (from the planned 34 cubic meters of excavation to almost 100 cubic meters) and then just sends us the container pickup receipts (not invoices!) along with their invoice?

One thing I would still like to add about HilfeHilfe: The bank's money will only come into use after consuming 60% equity (of the total sum of property and renovation costs). And especially when you have saved so much over the years, you still don't want to "waste" the money – and I do not see that as being in debt for us, despite all critical consideration.

I’ll spare any comments on HilfeHilfe. Dr. Hix, thank you for your reply.

In fact, with a more realistic plan, we would have planned differently. During the waiting time for the building permit, we developed alternatives that would have included a single-story extension and the children's room would have been located on the ground floor. So there already would have been options.

The young architect just informed us by email that he had told the shell construction company that he "would inform us early about change orders or significantly deviating quantities." That means the architect was not informed either. Is the shell builder allowed to just do that if the amount for excavation rises from 5k euros to 15k euros (from planned 34 cubic meters of excavation to almost 100 cubic meters) and then simply sends us the container pickup receipts (not invoices!) along with his bill?

Again, you are discussing a paltry 66 cubic meters here. That is nothing in house construction, nothing. The excavator driver just has to dig 30 cm deeper because of poor soil and you already have your 66 cubic meters.

The child has fallen into the well where the architect and you did not object to the container in the offer.

It’s like cruising the Caribbean on the MSC Deutschland and only booking the 100MB Wi-Fi package for 70€. If your phone then pulls updates, you get a bill for several thousand euros on top.