Stop or pause house construction? Costs too high

Do I understand that correctly? You want to cancel the construction completely if you don't get the standard you want?

Unfortunately, it is being discussed at home. Because it still costs a very, very lot of money and you don't get what you wished for.

You will probably have to pay the architect. Of course, it is questionable what he has already accomplished in the presumably short time.

It can hardly go well if he claims he has already invested 300 hours there. We were not standing beside him.

Otherwise, I would annoy other construction companies and follow up. If they don't respond, call, call, call.

We will do that.

Out of interest: I would consider 198 sqm already a luxury. Can you write a bit more about the project? I suspect you are not building on a slope, but maybe there are other cost drivers?

200 sqm as just an area can still not be luxury. The equipment is supposed to remain simple because more is not needed.
We have 3 children and my mother is supposed to live with us.

You should already inquire with 10-15 construction companies. I would check both the regional ones and the big ones. 4,500 - 5,000 € / sqm is really exaggerated. I would also go down to KFW 55. kfw 40+ is usually not worth it. I would estimate that for the house construction (assuming there are no cost drivers that we do not know yet) you will end up with 2,750 € - 3,000 € / sqm.

Start all the way from the beginning. In which area are you building, is the plot somehow challenging (sloping site?)

What costs have you honestly calculated? When I was looking, it was difficult to get anything in the area under 2500€/sqm (turnkey house + foundation slab). And that was before material prices exploded this year. If you calculated with 2000€/sqm, it won't work without increasing the budget. What budget is affordable for you?

Where can you save? Skip the basement, energy standards, own work? Smaller area? I grew up with 2 siblings in about 120sqm, that works too. Even with grandma in the house, you could reduce it to 150-160sqm if you want.

What does "simple equipment" mean for you?

: Read first, then ask.

I would also go down to kfw 55. kfw 40+ is usually not worth it.

I see it completely differently. How do you always come to the conclusion that it would be so expensive? With timber frame construction, you almost automatically have the insulation standard. With solid construction, just insulate a bit thicker/with better WLG. Photovoltaics pay for themselves anyway. Yes, there might still be things like insulating the foundation slab, but here we are talking about a maximum of €5000 and not €400,000. ;)

I apparently overlooked the construction site... It should actually be somewhat cheaper than here. But regarding the costs, I would like an honest expectation. "More than double" is not precise. At 4500-5000€/sqm, the expectation would be well below 2500€. That is currently more wishful thinking. The topic of energy standard... depends on how you build. With a slab foundation, you can also keep costs low. Quote from our general contractor... the thick insulation doesn’t cost much more than the thin one and installation is the same work. He then took on the additional costs from 55 -> 40 himself. But the wall was already suitable.