ᐅ Comparability of Costs: Architect vs. General Contractor
Created on: 4 Mar 2021 16:57
A
askforafriend
Hello dear forum,
We are currently in the planning phase for a single-family house. We have requested quotes from several general contractors and have also spoken with a very approachable architect. We would be happy to present our building project (BVH) in detail at a later stage!
Overall, we much prefer the transparency and approach of the architect compared to the initial consultation with the general contractor. We understand that over time, we will also speak with an architect/planner through the general contractor who will discuss details with us. We have thoroughly researched the advantages and disadvantages both in this forum and through various guides.
At this stage, our main focus is on comparing the cost estimates from the general contractors versus the architect. The general contractor states the costs as a fixed price (based on the building and scope of services description) plus our additional requests (extra electrical outlets, KfW standard, etc.). A rough total for the house including additional requests was, for example, 410,000 euros. This naturally also includes architectural/planning/engineering services according to the scope of work description.
Land leveling.
Discussions about your building project together with you during planning and construction meetings. Preparation of building permit/planning permission documents at a scale of 1:100 in the required number of copies for the authorities.
You will receive an additional set of plans for your personal records.
Development of working drawings (scale 1:50) as well as any necessary detailed drawings.
Creation of structural engineering plans (standard structural design for the respective house type) including any required building physics reports for thermal and fire protection.
Calculation of energy demand and preparation of the energy performance certificate. A copy will be provided for your records.
Preparation of public funding applications, if required.
Site management and construction supervision up to handover of the house.
Support during the warranty period.
When we first met with the architect, he took out a book labeled BKI to provide a rough estimate of the feasibility of the building project based on this data. He calculated roughly 3,000 euros per square meter and 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space, resulting in a total of 450,000 euros.
The big question now is: Does this amount exclude his fees or do these average construction costs per square meter already include the services mentioned above? This might be a somewhat naive question, but it’s really unclear to us. Is there a list of costs that are included in these average rates?
We have an appointment with him next week for a more detailed cost assessment.
Thank you very much for your feedback, and I wish you a pleasant week.
We are currently in the planning phase for a single-family house. We have requested quotes from several general contractors and have also spoken with a very approachable architect. We would be happy to present our building project (BVH) in detail at a later stage!
Overall, we much prefer the transparency and approach of the architect compared to the initial consultation with the general contractor. We understand that over time, we will also speak with an architect/planner through the general contractor who will discuss details with us. We have thoroughly researched the advantages and disadvantages both in this forum and through various guides.
At this stage, our main focus is on comparing the cost estimates from the general contractors versus the architect. The general contractor states the costs as a fixed price (based on the building and scope of services description) plus our additional requests (extra electrical outlets, KfW standard, etc.). A rough total for the house including additional requests was, for example, 410,000 euros. This naturally also includes architectural/planning/engineering services according to the scope of work description.
Land leveling.
Discussions about your building project together with you during planning and construction meetings. Preparation of building permit/planning permission documents at a scale of 1:100 in the required number of copies for the authorities.
You will receive an additional set of plans for your personal records.
Development of working drawings (scale 1:50) as well as any necessary detailed drawings.
Creation of structural engineering plans (standard structural design for the respective house type) including any required building physics reports for thermal and fire protection.
Calculation of energy demand and preparation of the energy performance certificate. A copy will be provided for your records.
Preparation of public funding applications, if required.
Site management and construction supervision up to handover of the house.
Support during the warranty period.
When we first met with the architect, he took out a book labeled BKI to provide a rough estimate of the feasibility of the building project based on this data. He calculated roughly 3,000 euros per square meter and 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space, resulting in a total of 450,000 euros.
The big question now is: Does this amount exclude his fees or do these average construction costs per square meter already include the services mentioned above? This might be a somewhat naive question, but it’s really unclear to us. Is there a list of costs that are included in these average rates?
We have an appointment with him next week for a more detailed cost assessment.
Thank you very much for your feedback, and I wish you a pleasant week.
askforafriend7 Mar 2021 11:08Kokovi79 schrieb:
The biggest savings in the budget come from a clever floor plan that avoids unnecessary space. This is an important point – we hope the architect will prepare some smart designs for us. The general contractor said we can make the standard house shorter, longer, wider, etc., no problem – but when asked how to efficiently incorporate our space requirements in the house, that wasn’t really a satisfactory answer. 🙂
If a standard house model is upgraded with an additional €100,000 (approx. $110,000), something doesn’t add up. In that case, a general contractor (GC) without a predefined house model should offer the house directly according to the client's specifications. With the €100,000 (approx. $110,000) upgrade, a large portion of the costs ends up with the GC for the standard house model, simply because the calculator’s minus button is stuck.
Kokovi79 schrieb:
The biggest savings in budget come from a smart floor plan and avoiding unnecessary space. Even more so (Rhine regional comparative, just kidding) when this also means avoiding costly roof features like angles, bay windows, captain’s gables, and so on.
askforafriend schrieb:
The general contractor said we can make the model house shorter / longer / wider, no problem at all. That’s nonsense. Only making it longer (along the ridge direction) and usually affecting just one or two ceiling panels applies here.
askforafriend schrieb:
As an answer to how to cleverly fit our room requirements into the house, that’s not really a satisfying response. But if you understand it properly, it is actually a very clear answer: “If a bit more size with the same layout isn’t enough for you, then at least this model house is the wrong starting point” (which also applies with different roof designs).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
ypg schrieb:
You should always include a buffer for this kind of thing. You can’t foresee everything at the beginning, and it’s actually good to be able to make decisions little by little 🙂 We see it the same way, and as a longtime reader who went through several phases—first “we’re building,” then “no, not really,” then “actually a multi-family house,” then “maybe not,” and finally “yes, we’re building”—I’ve gained a lot of useful insights here. Among other things, the so-called buffer, which allows you to make some spontaneous decisions without causing a huge hole in the budget.
11ant schrieb:
The popular saying that you only build once is still very much alive, Absolutely! Everyone who talks to us and asks if we’ve planned this or that always adds, “well, you only build once, after all.” Personally, I only know people who have either never built or are building for the first time so far 🙂
WilderSueden schrieb:
Of course, you don’t know everything in advance. We’ll probably have to make some spontaneous selections as well, but I really made an effort so that I’m very glad for you that things are working out that way, and that you were able to determine and research many of the costs in advance.
The large numbers worried us at first, etc., then we followed the idea that the general contractor’s standard would be sufficient (like what we saw with friends who also built with a general contractor). But upon closer inspection, we realized we wanted things a bit different.
I can only repeat myself here: we basically included buffers in our plans and therefore our financial situation remains unchanged.
Yaso2.0 schrieb:
Personally, I only know people who have either never built before or are building for the first time. I’m in my early fifties, and of course I could pass away tomorrow—but if not, "hereditary predisposition" suggests I might have to keep living for another four decades. Building a house is fun, no doubt, but financially, renting currently makes more sense for me. That means even if I’m not in a rush to build right now, it will probably happen "at least" twice more in my lifetime. Anyone who looks closely at trends in senior living will notice that the attachment to homeownership from one’s prime years, and the willingness to live there at all costs until the grave, is a phenomenon typical of those born between the two world wars. Even those born in the Adenauer era show a different tendency. So it’s simply denial to hold onto the old saying "you only build once" as if it were still true. If everyone bet on that with me, my retirement would already be secure—and quite lavishly so 🙂
Anyone under 40 who works a regular job will, statistically speaking—so this does not apply to everyone but does apply even more to others—face the decision at least once: either become unemployed or receive welfare supplements where they currently live in the middle of nowhere, or commute an hour and a half each way to a new job that fits their training, or move closer to that new workplace. Real estate is immobile, as the name suggests. People who can afford to be immobile either work in location-independent jobs, are retired, or have passive income.
It’s time to happily put the outdated idea of "building only once" to rest—and not mourn it as a comforting belief, but recognize that it’s actually a kind of demon: the homeowner ends up like a deer caught in headlights, terrified that interpreting "only once" as a "one-time chance that can’t be messed up" will condemn them to some sort of purgatory over choosing the “wrong” brick color. Folks, relax! It’s JUST a house—and you can change it if you want.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
askforafriend10 Mar 2021 18:27Brief update: We had a constructive discussion with the preferred architect and expect to receive a cost estimate along with a proposal by the end of the week. In terms of experience and advice, it feels like a completely different level compared to the general contractor’s consultant.