Ytong and clinker slips, possibilities

I think that the clinker version is similar in price to the [Riemchenvetsion]. The [Riemchen] are cheaper than clinker, the 17 cm Ytong cheaper than the 36.5 cm. The wall will be a bit slimmer, a bit more interior space, the work is comparable in labor hours. Whether you stick and grout [Riemchen] or lay clinker, only installing the glass wool would be extra. That goes quickly and is done anyway by the apprentice.

For us, both clinker slips and clinker look good. Of course, real clinker is better, but you want to build more economically.

They can’t look any different, because it’s the same stuff both times, just sliced once. We’re not talking about faux fur or salmon substitute here. Rather, it’s the same "real" clinker in both thicknesses. Identical except for the thickness.

For this reason, the question is, is there a big difference in price and durability between the two variants: 1. Ytong 17.5 cm + insulation 6 cm + air gap 1 cm + clinker 11.5 cm (36 cm) 2. Ytong 36.5 cm + exterior plaster 1.5 cm + clinker slips 1.5 cm (39.5 cm)

A difference in durability here can logically only concern the insulation, since there are no other differences in the specific comparison. If the contractor sells the two variants in a 60:40 ratio, you can decide by rolling dice or counting rhymes; at 90:10 it’s probably clear that I would recommend the more common variant then. Or are both variants rare together because he builds three out of four houses with plaster facades?

Veneers are actually just an emergency solution. They simulate clinker where there is none. They do not save any labor costs compared to real clinker. Therefore, why not 24 cm Ytong, insulation, and clinker? It is definitely the better system.

Exactly. Why use veneers in new constructions? It saves nothing.

That is not true, it definitely costs less.
The veneers are cheaper than full clinker bricks and installation is also easier. The bottom row is aligned neatly, for the following ones there are mounting aids, e.g. spacers, over which the next row is simply glued. That is definitely easier than aligning a clinker brick in thick-bed mortar.

Veneers on plaster are nonsense, since they are supposed to be an alternative surface instead of plaster and are used where the issue of wall thickness monolithically has already been fully satisfied.

Veneers on plaster are not nonsense at all but best practice, both in new constructions and facade renovation. The plaster layer fulfills technical functions and provides a reasonably even and smooth substrate.

You can observe this in any building area when you look for ETICS facades that have veneer accents, just to name one example.

Veneers as a facing shell do not work because you cannot build them up in masonry but only kind of "tile" them.

They do not work alone as a facing shell. Just like a finishing plaster. But underneath many things can be done, e.g. 11.5 cm calcium silicate brick to which veneers are applied (which can indeed be found in the neighborhood as an accent).

Therefore: if ETICS in new construction, then in my opinion more reasonable with clinker as a facing shell,

But then it is no longer ETICS but cavity wall construction. ETICS only includes an insulation layer, nothing else.

A durability difference can logically only concern the insulation here, because there are no further differences in the concrete comparison.

The two variants are two fundamentally different wall constructions. To point to only one component to determine differences is somewhat short-sighted.

If I understand correctly, the second option (Ytong 36.5 + exterior plaster 2 cm + brick slips 1.5 cm) should already work and be somewhat cheaper, right? We just want to build simply and if possible avoid ETICS or insulation with a cavity wall.

Then stop calculating.

If I understand correctly, the second option (Ytong 36.5 + exterior plaster 2 cm + clinker brick slips 1.5 cm) should already work and be somewhat cheaper, right?

Why are you asking us - didn’t your builder give you any prices? Mind you: I would only choose the option he does less often for a really significant difference! (although it would be rare for the cheaper option to be chosen less often).