ᐅ Stopping or pausing a home construction project? Costs too high
Created on: 23 Nov 2021 12:06
C
Coffee82
Good morning,
My husband and I want to build a house.
We already have the plot of land. We are now facing an unpleasant situation.
We planned the house roughly with an architect, which went very quickly.
No building permit / planning permission has been applied for yet, and no detailed execution plan has been made.
The architect provided a cost estimate that surprised us a lot.
Of course, we had previously asked acquaintances, friends, and family members about the costs of their construction projects.
Obviously, we only considered recent projects.
The architect’s estimate is more than double what we initially expected—around 4500-5000€/sqm (420-465 USD/sqft).
After this, we consulted a few others locally and two from a bit further away. Everyone seems to agree on the construction costs.
I’m not allowed to share the documents here, but there is really nothing unusual. It’s a KW40+ house with 198 sqm (2132 sqft) of living and usable space, plus a double garage attached to the left side of the house. Of course, no basement.
The specifications given to the architect were average and typical. No marble floors, no smart home features. A simple house like my uncle’s, just new.
It looks like the house will cost around 1 million euros. On top of that, of course, there are additional costs such as fees for the architect, landscaping, etc. Together with the land, the total is so high that we neither can finance it nor afford to pay it.
Unfortunately, the architect had to do quite some work before he could estimate the costs.
Now we are worried that if we cancel the project, the architect will want 15,000 to 20,000 euros for the work he has already done.
What would you do in our place?
Best regards,
Coffee82
My husband and I want to build a house.
We already have the plot of land. We are now facing an unpleasant situation.
We planned the house roughly with an architect, which went very quickly.
No building permit / planning permission has been applied for yet, and no detailed execution plan has been made.
The architect provided a cost estimate that surprised us a lot.
Of course, we had previously asked acquaintances, friends, and family members about the costs of their construction projects.
Obviously, we only considered recent projects.
The architect’s estimate is more than double what we initially expected—around 4500-5000€/sqm (420-465 USD/sqft).
After this, we consulted a few others locally and two from a bit further away. Everyone seems to agree on the construction costs.
I’m not allowed to share the documents here, but there is really nothing unusual. It’s a KW40+ house with 198 sqm (2132 sqft) of living and usable space, plus a double garage attached to the left side of the house. Of course, no basement.
The specifications given to the architect were average and typical. No marble floors, no smart home features. A simple house like my uncle’s, just new.
It looks like the house will cost around 1 million euros. On top of that, of course, there are additional costs such as fees for the architect, landscaping, etc. Together with the land, the total is so high that we neither can finance it nor afford to pay it.
Unfortunately, the architect had to do quite some work before he could estimate the costs.
Now we are worried that if we cancel the project, the architect will want 15,000 to 20,000 euros for the work he has already done.
What would you do in our place?
Best regards,
Coffee82
pagoni2020 schrieb:
I see €60,000–100,000 cars, second cars, motorcycles, etc. on the terrace but only basic concrete slabs. Concrete slabs, or better ones like ceramic tiles, cannot (yet) be leased. 😀
H
Hausbautraum201 Dec 2021 08:49ypg schrieb:
I don’t have any extra gadgets, just a fingerprint scanner and a self-cleaning toilet 😉What can a self-cleaning toilet do? Sounds interesting.
Hausbautraum20 schrieb:
What can a self-cleaning toilet do? Sounds interesting.No idea… I don’t have one. This phrase represents people who underestimate such extras.P
pagoni20201 Dec 2021 10:22I would have preferred to have my ceramic cooktop again; back then it was state-of-the-art, and my cabbage noodles were world-class on it.
No, I’m actually not modest at all. Nowadays, I just prefer things that simply work well, although “modest” sounds nicer somehow 😀. Currently, for example, the outdoor area and the facade are being renovated. Throughout all of this, our focus is especially on simpler feasibility and making that area as beautiful as possible for us. Yesterday, I had the Siemens customer service technician at the house — very nice but expensive. If the cooktop had been completely broken, I would have honestly bought a plain ceramic cooktop.
Yes, you’re right to see it that way — I am full of virtue and modesty. My only flaw is that I sometimes tell a little white lie.
You can create something beautiful from almost any material (although I am less skilled at that), and it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive material; often, imagination is enough. I have seen some great examples of this in the forum, without expensive gimmicks.
For cost reasons, we have now also opted for a lightweight bonded gravel surface; large-format concrete paving at the entrance or driveway would not have appealed to us and would have been more expensive. Under the carport, it is fine for us, though.
What often surprises me more is the emphasis on, for example, cars or high-tech, rather than on equally valuable interior furnishings. Just because that surprises me or I personally prefer it differently does not mean that the other choices are worse. For me, it simply wouldn’t be an option anymore — for me, the equivalent value of a luxury car would be invested IN the house, there where I live.
aero2016 schrieb:
You are so modest. A real virtue.
🙄
No, I’m actually not modest at all. Nowadays, I just prefer things that simply work well, although “modest” sounds nicer somehow 😀. Currently, for example, the outdoor area and the facade are being renovated. Throughout all of this, our focus is especially on simpler feasibility and making that area as beautiful as possible for us. Yesterday, I had the Siemens customer service technician at the house — very nice but expensive. If the cooktop had been completely broken, I would have honestly bought a plain ceramic cooktop.
Yes, you’re right to see it that way — I am full of virtue and modesty. My only flaw is that I sometimes tell a little white lie.
driver55 schrieb:
Concrete slabs, or better ones like ceramic tiles etc., cannot (yet) be leased.
You can create something beautiful from almost any material (although I am less skilled at that), and it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive material; often, imagination is enough. I have seen some great examples of this in the forum, without expensive gimmicks.
For cost reasons, we have now also opted for a lightweight bonded gravel surface; large-format concrete paving at the entrance or driveway would not have appealed to us and would have been more expensive. Under the carport, it is fine for us, though.
What often surprises me more is the emphasis on, for example, cars or high-tech, rather than on equally valuable interior furnishings. Just because that surprises me or I personally prefer it differently does not mean that the other choices are worse. For me, it simply wouldn’t be an option anymore — for me, the equivalent value of a luxury car would be invested IN the house, there where I live.
H
hampshire1 Dec 2021 11:53Anyone who treats themselves to something special, enjoys it, and appreciates it is doing everything right, regardless of how rational their decision may be. However, those who simply want something because there is a perceived general "standard" to meet or exceed are not focusing on building a home that supports and improves the quality of their life. It's a pity, really.
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