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.
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.
Tobbster7712 Sep 2022 14:08I know it’s not a one-to-one comparison.
But with a waterproof concrete basement, two rooms with underfloor heating, exterior insulation, excluding interior plaster on the walls, floor coverings, and earthworks, we paid about 1000€/m² (1000 €/m²) in Bavaria through one of the major basement contractors mentioned here.
The price from General Contractor 1 already sounds quite steep.
It’s best to thoroughly review the detailed scope of work.
But with a waterproof concrete basement, two rooms with underfloor heating, exterior insulation, excluding interior plaster on the walls, floor coverings, and earthworks, we paid about 1000€/m² (1000 €/m²) in Bavaria through one of the major basement contractors mentioned here.
The price from General Contractor 1 already sounds quite steep.
It’s best to thoroughly review the detailed scope of work.
(I am quite surprised that I apparently had not replied in this thread yet)
Why are basement prices listed separately like this? Did you specifically request the quotes to be broken down this way?
I would always see the house as one system – regardless of whether the basement comes from a separate supplier. Back when the emperor was young, car buyers might have had to take a motorized chassis to a coachbuilder, but that is not a model for today’s house construction process. From the perspective of managing the interface responsibility between the general contractor and the client ([OKKD]), I strongly recommend never, ever dismissing the general contractor (whether wood or masonry construction). The general contractor must include payment deadlines for their subcontractors in the payment schedule if they are concerned about their liquidity. As a businessperson, I would never separate one project into parts; that only creates risks.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Gregor_K schrieb:
General Contractor 1 – Solid house: House price €420,000 + basement €90,000 (partial basement 45m (150 feet)²)
General Contractor 2 – Prefabricated house: House price €430,000 + basement €125,000 (full basement 83m (272 feet)²)
General Contractor 3 – Prefabricated house: House price €470,000 + basement €65,000 (full basement 78m (256 feet)²)
Why are basement prices listed separately like this? Did you specifically request the quotes to be broken down this way?
I would always see the house as one system – regardless of whether the basement comes from a separate supplier. Back when the emperor was young, car buyers might have had to take a motorized chassis to a coachbuilder, but that is not a model for today’s house construction process. From the perspective of managing the interface responsibility between the general contractor and the client ([OKKD]), I strongly recommend never, ever dismissing the general contractor (whether wood or masonry construction). The general contractor must include payment deadlines for their subcontractors in the payment schedule if they are concerned about their liquidity. As a businessperson, I would never separate one project into parts; that only creates risks.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
GU1 constructs the building shell and the roof truss with their own team, and my gut feeling is that they want to encourage the customer to invest money in living space rather than the basement. That also explains the high additional cost of the basement.
Floor coverings are not included in the scope of work description.
It was pure coincidence that the basement prices were shown separately; I didn’t specifically ask for that, but the huge difference caught my attention. I would also feel more comfortable getting the house and basement from one provider—even if the general contractor hires a subcontractor again.
Floor coverings are not included in the scope of work description.
11ant schrieb:
(I’m quite surprised that I apparently hadn’t responded in this thread yet)
How is it possible to have basement prices listed separately? Did you request the offers this way?
I would always see the house as a system—regardless of whether the basement is supplied by a subcontractor. Back when the Kaiser was young, a car buyer might have gone to a coachbuilder with a motorized chassis, but that is not a suitable model for today's house building process. From the responsibility for the interface OKKD, I recommend never releasing a general contractor (whether wood or masonry). Their payment terms with subcontractors must be reflected in the payment plan if they want to avoid liquidity issues. As a businessman, I would never separate one work package; it only creates risks.
It was pure coincidence that the basement prices were shown separately; I didn’t specifically ask for that, but the huge difference caught my attention. I would also feel more comfortable getting the house and basement from one provider—even if the general contractor hires a subcontractor again.
W
WilderSueden12 Sep 2022 15:59Gregor_K schrieb:
I would also feel more comfortable getting the house and basement from one provider. (even if the general contractor hires a subcontractor again.) This is mainly a legal issue. If you contract the basement and house as a single package, the provider is responsible for ensuring that both parts fit together. Regardless of whether a subcontractor performs part of the work, your single point of contact is the one construction company.
If you contract the basement with company X and the house with company Y, you are responsible for making sure both parts are compatible. If something doesn’t work out, you end up caught in the middle. Issues like overall project management can also cause problems if contracts are awarded separately.
Gregor_K schrieb:
Thanks for the replies. I will be meeting another general contractor next week and am curious to see what they will quote for the basement. I will report back on what they ask for. I have now received the offer from the other general contractor. Total house price is 443,000€ for approximately 170m2 (1,830 sq ft) of living space plus a full basement of 85m2 (915 sq ft). The basement will be constructed as a waterproof concrete basement. The basement itself is not listed separately but included as part of the house.
Gregor_K schrieb:
I have now received the offer from the additional general contractor. [...] The basement itself is not listed separately but is part of the house.I think that’s a good thing. So, do you feel you have made progress or are now able to make an informed decision (or is there anything else you still need)?https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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