Hello dear home builders,
We are currently gathering quotes for prefab houses and solid (masonry) houses from general contractors. The plot of land is already available.
140 m² (1,507 sq ft) with a basement costs around 340,000 euros.
This is excluding additional construction-related costs, landscaping, carport, and the land.
In our family, a large new house was built with an architect two years ago, where, through a lot of personal effort from the owner in organizing, obtaining multiple quotes, negotiating directly, etc., a great price-performance ratio was achieved.
Our current thought:
What if we also build with this architect and use a so-called "follow-on approach," meaning we ask the same affordable and reliable tradespeople if they would do the same work again with, for example, only a 4% price increase?
Do you think this would be a good idea?
I believe we could benefit from the previous experience, basically just picking up and working through the established process...
It would be easier than starting completely fresh and inexperienced with such a project.
Of course, it would also be possible to put individual trades out to tender anew.
I am thinking that if I (on parental leave) and our fathers (retired) help with organizing, such as handling quotes, paperwork, resolving issues with utility providers, etc., these costs could be saved.
How much does a general contractor typically earn for their "all-inclusive" service? About 20%?
And roughly, what does an architect charge if you provide them with some assistance wherever possible?
Thank you very much for your brief assessment!
We are currently gathering quotes for prefab houses and solid (masonry) houses from general contractors. The plot of land is already available.
140 m² (1,507 sq ft) with a basement costs around 340,000 euros.
This is excluding additional construction-related costs, landscaping, carport, and the land.
In our family, a large new house was built with an architect two years ago, where, through a lot of personal effort from the owner in organizing, obtaining multiple quotes, negotiating directly, etc., a great price-performance ratio was achieved.
Our current thought:
What if we also build with this architect and use a so-called "follow-on approach," meaning we ask the same affordable and reliable tradespeople if they would do the same work again with, for example, only a 4% price increase?
Do you think this would be a good idea?
I believe we could benefit from the previous experience, basically just picking up and working through the established process...
It would be easier than starting completely fresh and inexperienced with such a project.
Of course, it would also be possible to put individual trades out to tender anew.
I am thinking that if I (on parental leave) and our fathers (retired) help with organizing, such as handling quotes, paperwork, resolving issues with utility providers, etc., these costs could be saved.
How much does a general contractor typically earn for their "all-inclusive" service? About 20%?
And roughly, what does an architect charge if you provide them with some assistance wherever possible?
Thank you very much for your brief assessment!
S
Steffen806 Jun 2017 16:39Developers are usually cheaper because the building process differs from that with an architect. BUT: For exactly the same house built twice, the architect is more cost-effective.
Wildrose schrieb:
Two years ago, a large new house was built in our family with the help of an architect, and [...]
Now our consideration:
If we were to build with this architect as well and use a so-called "copycat approach," meaning asking the same reliable and affordable craftsmen whether they would rebuild the same house again for, say, a 4% price increase?Am I understanding this correctly (hopefully not): You want to have a house designed by your relative’s architect copied exactly onto your own plot, and the reduction of the architect’s fee to a repeat fee (which I believe saves about 7% or so) is supposed to justify renouncing an individual design?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
It is important not to be misled by the initial costs that are visible at first glance (the amount of the quotes). With good planning, both approaches can certainly be feasible, but what ultimately matters is how the final cost looks "in the end" once the construction project is completed. A larger number of individual trades (i.e., more interfaces) always entails higher risks, including those related to later claims for defects, especially since after handover the burden of proof lies with the client. This should be kept firmly in mind, as the organizational and contractual effort required to minimize these risks is naturally higher when dealing with multiple interfaces. Whether it is worth paying a potentially higher price for a general contractor (GC) is always a case-by-case decision, mainly depending on the specific implementation and the experience of the parties involved; this cannot easily be generalized.
Thank you for your previous responses!
We are considering a different, smaller single-family house than the one our relatives built. But we thought we could ask the same shell construction company, window manufacturer, etc., again without going through a full new tender process...
However, from what we hear, these companies are so busy that it will be difficult to get affordable prices. The companies that built for our relatives in 2014 probably won’t be interested in building our house in 2018 :-(
We are now thinking about reducing the size from 140 to 130 m² (1507 to 1399 sq ft) to save costs and be able to afford the build as a general contractor.
The general contractor’s quote so far for 140 m² (1507 sq ft) is 340,000 euros, including a waterproof concrete basement (“white bathtub”) and a good standard (large window areas, wooden windows, parquet flooring, good ceiling heights).
We would like to aim for a maximum of 320,000 euros...
Ideas to save:
Omit the fireplace (5,000 euros), omit the waterproof concrete basement if possible, manage construction supervision ourselves (architect from the family, but unfortunately with little experience in single-family houses).
Another question:
For about +7,000 euros, we could upgrade to KfW 55 energy efficiency standard. At the same time, we would receive a 5,000-euro repayment grant from the L-Bank on the subsidized loan. Do you think a fireplace is still necessary in a KfW 55 house? Or are heating costs manageable even in “tough times”?
Thank you, dear homeowners, for your good and helpful advice!! Wishing you a pleasant afternoon.
We are considering a different, smaller single-family house than the one our relatives built. But we thought we could ask the same shell construction company, window manufacturer, etc., again without going through a full new tender process...
However, from what we hear, these companies are so busy that it will be difficult to get affordable prices. The companies that built for our relatives in 2014 probably won’t be interested in building our house in 2018 :-(
We are now thinking about reducing the size from 140 to 130 m² (1507 to 1399 sq ft) to save costs and be able to afford the build as a general contractor.
The general contractor’s quote so far for 140 m² (1507 sq ft) is 340,000 euros, including a waterproof concrete basement (“white bathtub”) and a good standard (large window areas, wooden windows, parquet flooring, good ceiling heights).
We would like to aim for a maximum of 320,000 euros...
Ideas to save:
Omit the fireplace (5,000 euros), omit the waterproof concrete basement if possible, manage construction supervision ourselves (architect from the family, but unfortunately with little experience in single-family houses).
Another question:
For about +7,000 euros, we could upgrade to KfW 55 energy efficiency standard. At the same time, we would receive a 5,000-euro repayment grant from the L-Bank on the subsidized loan. Do you think a fireplace is still necessary in a KfW 55 house? Or are heating costs manageable even in “tough times”?
Thank you, dear homeowners, for your good and helpful advice!! Wishing you a pleasant afternoon.
Wildrose schrieb:
Taking over site supervision yourself That won’t work because the site manager is not working for you, but for the general contractor.
Wildrose schrieb:
needs a chimney No house built in 2017 actually needs one; a chimney is a luxury and has nothing to do with heating.
Wildrose schrieb:
We would like to keep the maximum at 320,000 euros We are at 324,000 euros for 134 sqm (1,442 sqft) with a waterproof concrete basement, chimney, air-to-water heat pump, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
This price excludes bathrooms and any tiles or other floor coverings.
Wildrose schrieb:
The general contractor’s offer so far amounts to 340,000 Euro for 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) including a waterproof concrete shell and a good standard (large window areas, wooden windows, parquet flooring, good ceiling heights) High-quality wooden windows come with an additional cost; I would personally prefer aluminum. Could you please show us some visuals of how the house looks for this price, such as floor plans and elevations?
Wildrose schrieb:
We are now considering reducing the size from 140 to 130 m² (1,398 sq ft) to save costs and be able to afford the build with a general contractor. You either need space or you don’t. There are much better places to save money: bay windows, corner windows, a shower in the guest bathroom, a fireplace, double garage/dance hall, and things like that.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Similar topics