Hello everyone,
My partner and I would like to build a solid, masonry house (or have it built) with about 140 square meters (1500 square feet), including a basement and a garage. We have already visited two local home builders, but both only carry out a small portion of the trades themselves and subcontract the rest.
Now we are wondering if it might be more cost-effective to plan the construction ourselves with an architect and request individual quotes for each trade. How much can you typically save this way, and is it advisable for us as novices to plan the project on our own, or is the risk of making mistakes too high?
Thank you.
My partner and I would like to build a solid, masonry house (or have it built) with about 140 square meters (1500 square feet), including a basement and a garage. We have already visited two local home builders, but both only carry out a small portion of the trades themselves and subcontract the rest.
Now we are wondering if it might be more cost-effective to plan the construction ourselves with an architect and request individual quotes for each trade. How much can you typically save this way, and is it advisable for us as novices to plan the project on our own, or is the risk of making mistakes too high?
Thank you.
E
Elisabeth785 Apr 2020 15:1311ant schrieb:
Please feel free to elaborate on this here – unfortunately, the prevailing opinion is that when it comes to the number of bidders involved, the "more is better" approach results in the best selection of offers. We mostly relied on recommendations from people we know. Usually, we obtained one offer first and then requested a second one based on that initial offer. I think they adjust their prices depending on their current workload.
I hope I understood your question correctly.
E
Elisabeth785 Apr 2020 15:17hampshire schrieb:
A significant deviation from the plan is a big issue. If you plan for 15 months and it actually takes 15 months, you’ve done everything right. Depending on the terrain and the start of construction, it simply takes a bit longer.
and @Elisabeth78: Thanks for the update on how it turned out. I thought this might be interesting for some people since it involves a substantial amount of money that can be saved. For those uncertain, there are building inspectors or surveyors— as far as I know, some are even offered by DEKRA, but you need to do some research. Prices vary widely. After some searching, we found a contact whose service would have cost less than 10,000 and who would have inspected every trade. Still much better than handing over multiples of that to architects and general contractors.
E
Elisabeth785 Apr 2020 15:1811ant schrieb:
Please feel free to elaborate on this here – unfortunately, the prevailing view is that "the more, the better" applies when it comes to the number of bidders, assuming that leads to the best range of offers. Of course, as private individuals, we did not carry out a public tender but went directly to the companies.
E
Elisabeth785 Apr 2020 15:25hampshire schrieb:
A significant deviation from the plan is quite drastic. If you plan for 15 months and it takes 15 months, you’ve done everything right. Depending on the terrain and the start of construction, it can simply take a bit longer.
and @Elisabeth78: Thanks for the update on how it turned out. I found it ideal. When you take matters into your own hands alongside your job, you still need quite some time to research everything. It was very noticeable how everyone tries to sell what’s best for them… so it definitely helps to be well informed.
My motto on the internet: if a company, for example, markets geothermal energy as the absolute best solution, you should be a bit skeptical.
Elisabeth78 schrieb:
Naturally, as private individuals, we did not conduct a public tender. Unfortunately, many builders nowadays see it as "natural" to play the role of a judge on “Germany’s Next Top Builder” and invite every potential bidder who doesn’t run away quickly enough to the casting. They then treat this as a challenge for the bidders to offer the lowest price – ideally so low that the bricklayer’s price difference covers the cost of their chimney :-( Elisabeth78 schrieb:
but instead went directly to the companies. Here, too, I keep trying to make the point and push through difficult issues: often there are complaints (and the flood of scattergun inquiries is justified by saying the low response rate has to be compensated for) – instead of increasing the number of offers received by only approaching as many bidders as one can personally contact.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Elisabeth785 Apr 2020 15:3611ant schrieb:
Unfortunately, many homebuilders today consider it "normal" to act like a judge on a show like "Germany’s Next Super-Builder," inviting every potential bidder who doesn’t run away fast enough to the casting. They then see it as a challenge for the bidders to offer the lowest price – ideally so low that the bricklayer’s discount nearly pays for the chimney :-(
I often try to explain this and push hard, but many people complain (justifying the flood of careless inquiries by saying they have to compensate for the low response rate) instead of increasing the number of offers they receive by only asking as many bidders as they can personally contact.We visited each company in person. That way, I can immediately see who I am dealing with. If the company is already sloppy… I agree with you entirely.
A lot of it also depends on certain forums where self-proclaimed experts and people with personal interests convince others of things that are beyond reason.