ᐅ Rainwater must be infiltrated on-site without exception.

TmMike_2 schrieb:

I’m always amazed at how much money gets spent on various things during construction.
But if you want 5m2 (54 ft²) more living space or the flooring costs $35 instead of $25 per m2 (per 11 ft²), then suddenly it’s a problem.

I’m also surprised at the conclusions you draw, as if you were actually there...
Calculate reasonably, and you won’t get any unpleasant surprises.

RE-1407 schrieb:

People, you always think it’s that simple, like “excavator for a hundred bucks” and so on... trust me, we have such a “case” here too.
Things get chaotic because everyone thinks it will be better or cheaper if done on their own.
I prefer to plan more generously from the start, so I don’t face any surprises and have an invoice and warranty for everything.

It starts with digging the hole – are you going to take the 5 double-axle truckloads of soil to the disposal site?
Are you assembling the soakaway system professionally? It comes in individual parts that you have to put together!
I can reassure you, this wasn’t done by two people in two days at our place, nor by the neighbors’ excavation contractors!

This was about the 35 m (115 ft) supply line. It doesn’t even need to be laid below the frost line; you can dig it by hand if you want. And it doesn’t produce much excavated soil, which you just spread across the property.

But everyone can do as they prefer. I would just feel sorry for the money involved.

motorradsilke schrieb:

This was about the 35 m (115 ft) supply line. It doesn’t even need to be frost protected; you can even dig it by hand. And there isn’t really much excavation involved. You can spread that soil around the property.

This was a complete package including the driveway, soakaway, terrace, etc. These 35 meters (115 ft) were laid in a zigzag pattern, also under the paving,
so for me as a layperson, it is somewhat complex and not feasible to handle without the right machinery and experience.
But drawing conclusions from this that one would complain elsewhere seems out of place here.

Just considering my available time alone, this project would never be feasible!

RE-1407 schrieb:

Guys, you always make it sound so simple, like "excavator for a hundred bucks," etc... believe me, we also have such a "candidate" here.
Over there, everything is chaotic because everyone thinks they can do it better/cheaper on their own.
I prefer to plan more generously from the start so I don’t face any surprises and have invoices and warranties for everything.

It starts with digging the hole—are you going to transport the 5 double-axle loads of soil to the disposal site?
Are you assembling the infiltration trench professionally? You get it in parts to put together!
I can assure you, this was neither done in two days with two people at our place nor by the neighbors’ civil engineers!

Yeah, I actually did that back then.
My father also has tractors and an 18-ton (20-ton) trailer. That’s not meant as a standard here.
Do you think the construction worker makes a science out of everything?
Sometimes you can just be glad the slope goes in the right direction...

The regulations for your infiltration trench are annoying because they’re expensive. I was allowed to deal with it differently myself.
Although I had sizing instructions for the trench from the architect, I optimized and handled it differently for my geothermal heat pump.

But you’ve got to be keen on that.
Otherwise, you can only try to build good contacts through friends and neighbors.
Or compare quotes.
I always call and arrange an on-site meeting for larger jobs to discuss everything.
Most quotes were fair and straightforward that way.

For the house plus driveway—500m² (5400 sq ft) of topsoil removal, 300 tons (330 tons) of fill sand to backfill—cost me 3,500 at the time (2020).
I stored 60m³ (2100 ft³) of topsoil 2km (1.2 miles) away... it’s still there today.

TmMike_2 schrieb:

Yes, I actually did back then.
But my father also has tractors and an 18-ton (20-ton) trailer. This shouldn’t be taken as the standard here.
Do you think construction workers make a science out of everything?
Sometimes you can just be glad when the slope goes in the right direction...

The regulation for your French drain is frustrating,
because it’s expensive. I was allowed to solve it differently at my place.
Although I had sizing details for the drain from the architect, I optimized it for my geothermal heat pump and handled it differently.

But you have to be really motivated to do it.
Otherwise, you can just try to build good contacts through friends and neighbors.
Or compare quotes.
For bigger trades, I always call and arrange an on-site meeting to discuss the details.
Most of the quotes were fair and on an equal footing.

For the house plus driveway—500 m2 (approximately 5380 sq ft) of topsoil removed, 300 tons of fill sand to refill—cost me around 3,500 euros in 2020.
I then temporarily stored 60 m3 (about 79 cubic yards) of topsoil 2 km (1.2 miles) away... it’s still there today.

Yes, you have different conditions when family members own the machinery—they usually also have the knowledge. I, on the other hand, come from the other side, meaning I have to pay “those people” (no offense intended!) which is no problem. There have to be “us” (the not so skilled) as well, so the professionals can make a living!

Regarding prices: 100–120 euros per meter (3.3 feet) to install KG pipe (PVC sewer pipe) is about the same across four different contractors (ranging from landscaping to civil engineers).

On the topic of motivation:
Of course, I’d like to leave my children something I worked on myself. But as I wrote before, if time, machinery, and expertise are missing, I don’t want to start something forcefully that I can’t properly manage.

For us, last autumn it was 43 EUR net per meter. But then immediately KG 2000.
I wouldn't have expected Cologne to be so much more expensive than Berlin.