ᐅ Basement costs vary significantly.

Hello,

I requested quotes from three general contractors and noticed that the basement prices varied significantly. Now I am wondering why. The price difference between contractors 2 and 3 might be somewhat understandable, but I can’t figure out why contractor 1’s price is so high.

Contractor 1 – Solid construction house: house price €420,000 + basement €90,000 (partial basement 45m (150 feet)²)
Contractor 2 – Prefabricated house: house price €430,000 + basement €125,000 (full basement 83m (272 feet)²)
Contractor 3 – Prefabricated house: house price €470,000 + basement €65,000 (full basement 78m (256 feet)²)

For contractor 1, earthworks are included without transport and disposal, which is not the case for contractors 2 and 3.

Could it be that contractor 1 is reluctant to build a basement, or are there other valid reasons that might make the basement significantly more expensive? All three basements are intended as usable basements and sealed against non-pressurized water.

Oh, and contractor 1 told me that a full basement would increase the price to €175,000, which is why we only considered a partial basement here.

For this, you would need to look in detail at the scope of work descriptions provided by each supplier. Most of the differences are probably related to things like light wells, insulation, drainage, etc. You have already recognized that these are considered as a single item, and of course, leaving them out allows for a cheaper offer.

The current and expected workload definitely also plays a role in pricing.

In general, with a partial basement, you are likely to have a relatively poor area-to-cost ratio; it is not really a cost-saving option.

Gregor_K schrieb:

Oh yes, General Contractor 1 told me that a full basement would raise the price to 175,000€ (approx. $190,000), so we only built a partial basement here.

A partial basement isn’t that much cheaper than a full basement. Just as a side note. Otherwise, it could be a) due to the scope of work description or b) General Contractor 1 has a full order book and wants to charge well if he finds any demanding customers (;)).

Thank you for the responses. I will meet with another general contractor next week and am curious to see what they will quote for the basement. I will report back on what they charge.

There’s no point in necessarily getting even more quotes. Instead, find someone who can read and interpret the construction specifications.

In general terms, does everyone include a staircase in their offer? Does everyone install light wells, surface-mounted components, etc.? Is the ceiling made of wood or concrete, and so on?

You cannot expect to receive anything that is not documented on paper.

Gregor_K schrieb:

For GU1, the earthworks are included without removal and disposal, whereas for GU2 and GU3, they are not.

Besides the earthworks, there is also the question of what else might be missing in GU2 and GU3 and charged separately by the builder.

The type of basement can vary significantly as well, for example, a utility basement versus a living basement.