ᐅ Developer requests deposit before starting plans

Ötzi Ötztaler schrieb:

I paid the general contractor (GC) in advance for my design in a planning contract, and it was similarly expensive. Afterwards, I had the design priced as a turnkey project by several companies, including this GC.

In my case, I actually received a design tailored to my wishes, including several revisions, not the usual free GC copy-paste of old designs. If you want more service, you have to be willing to pay for it. But of course, I would also hold the planner fully accountable in that case. And I would only do this with companies that have an excellent reputation...

Okay, that sounds good. I can then use this scope of work from the GC to approach other GCs and compare what they would charge for the construction.

Antonio2908 schrieb:

Okay, that sounds good. I can ultimately use this "trade" from the general contractor (GC) to approach other GCs to see what the construction would cost there.

You’re saying yourself that you want the design including floor plans, an extension or additional floor, elevations, and size adjustments—that is, the complete planning—created by the GC. Preferably for free or at a very low cost. Then you want to use that to get quotes from competitors. GCs are familiar with this type of client (I once read something about floor plan freeloaders) and defend themselves by quoting a price upfront. Before doing all the preliminary work and ending up as the one who loses out, I can understand their position.
Whether 4,000€ is too much for that, I don’t know! Ask an architect what they charge for it.

Mike29 schrieb:

You write yourself that you want the full design including floor plans, an extension, elevations, and size adjustments—in other words, the complete planning—created by the general contractor (GC). Preferably for free or very cheap. Then you want to use that to get quotes from competitors. GCs know this type of customer (somewhere I read about plan freeloaders) and resist by quoting costs upfront. Before doing all the (preparatory) work and ending up being the fool, I can understand that. Whether 4,000€ is too much for that, no idea!? Ask an architect what they charge for it.

As I explained, I understand that costs will be incurred here. However, such a high amount is incomprehensible to me.
I would boldly claim that an architect, who drafts daily and knows everything inside out, would spend at most 8 hours on a project like this. That is already a generous estimate. With an hourly rate of about 60 euros, that comes to just under 500 euros for me.

There are freeloaders, no question! But I think no unrealistic prices should be demanded... At least this amount sounds unrealistic to me personally...

Sorry, but you're thinking too simply.
If it’s to be done properly, it involves much more than just drawing. The whole project also needs to be feasible on your plot of land. Therefore, the development plan and local regulations must be studied and aligned with your requirements (room sizes, layout, budget, etc.). There will be questions along the way and compromises will need to be made. This is just what comes to mind as a non-expert. I don’t see 8 hours being sufficient here.
In my opinion, for 500€ you might get a quick initial draft as a sketch, but nothing reliable.

According to Google, the average hourly rate for a salaried architect was already 95€ net back in 2018.

Antonio2908 schrieb:

I can ultimately use this "trade" from the general contractor to approach other general contractors and ask what the construction there would cost

I would definitely ask for a written confirmation in the planning contract that you are allowed to build the design yourself, especially with a different company. However, publishing or sharing the design is usually not permitted.

Antonio2908 schrieb:

Since it is a larger version of the model house from the brochure, we naturally expect additional costs.

Antonio2908 schrieb:

I not only found the exterior of the house that suits us but also the complete floor plan for the corresponding house. Ultimately, this house is planned to be expanded from 2 to 2.5 stories and adapted to our maximum allowable building area. Do you think an extra 4,000 EUR is too much?

So, the house you want is in his program, just smaller; and you don’t want it as a “town villa” but with a finished pitched attic on top?
Only a few things can be "simply" changed in a building proposal from the brochure (standard design): moving non-load-bearing interior walls, extending along the ridge axis, increasing the floor or knee wall height, raising the roof pitch; and of course reactivating the basement if it was deactivated — then the stairs lead down instead of to a storage closet under the stairs. Any further changes more or less require a complete redesign. Your description sounds, first, more complex than what an experienced homeowner could easily do, and second, unnecessary for the purpose of a price comparison.
Moreover, those plans are only of limited use for price comparison: the specifications for work can vary greatly—you can build a house with the same approved plans for 80 or 140 percent of the price (and vice versa, a house of the same size and fittings can look completely different at the same price).
By the way: although not as a link, you could at least tell us the model name of the house you are so interested in.
Why should the house actually become significantly larger than its “original”? Do you have more children? If your motivation is rather to “treat yourself” to a bigger batch of concrete gold, I recommend a cure in the form of a beneficial infection with the philosophy of @hampshire.

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