ᐅ Construction costs when building with an architect. What has your experience been?
Created on: 16 Aug 2014 11:28
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Toppi
Hello everyone,
some time ago, we decided to build a house. After talking with friends and colleagues who have experience in this area, we want to work with an architect. Reason: Neither of us are experts (and unfortunately we don’t have one in the close family) and we would like someone who advises us independently. We are not planning any DIY work.
We already have a plot in sight, about 800 sqm (8600 sq ft) for around 70,000 € (rural area, no slope, Baden-Württemberg). I had originally thought that with the price of the land, there should be enough left for a nice house. Yesterday, we had an initial meeting with an architect who was recommended to us. He had already told us on the phone that building is expensive right now. During the meeting, he said we should expect around 420 € per cubic meter (about 2000 €/sqm (186 sq ft)) of built volume.
Our plans are:
Do these cost estimates per square meter align with your experiences? To be honest, I find this quite expensive.
An alternative would be a prefabricated house (e.g., something like Generation 5.0 or similar). This costs about 250,000 € for the living space; according to the brochure. Then there would be an additional 50,000 € for the basement plus 15,000 € for the double garage. That would put us at around 320,000 €. Plus various modifications—which I would estimate at around 50,000 €. That would bring the total to about 370,000 €, which is 130,000 € less than the architect’s quoted price. Or am I overlooking something critical?
Thank you in advance for your tips and information.
some time ago, we decided to build a house. After talking with friends and colleagues who have experience in this area, we want to work with an architect. Reason: Neither of us are experts (and unfortunately we don’t have one in the close family) and we would like someone who advises us independently. We are not planning any DIY work.
We already have a plot in sight, about 800 sqm (8600 sq ft) for around 70,000 € (rural area, no slope, Baden-Württemberg). I had originally thought that with the price of the land, there should be enough left for a nice house. Yesterday, we had an initial meeting with an architect who was recommended to us. He had already told us on the phone that building is expensive right now. During the meeting, he said we should expect around 420 € per cubic meter (about 2000 €/sqm (186 sq ft)) of built volume.
Our plans are:
- 180 sqm (1937 sq ft) of living space
- Basement
- Double garage
Do these cost estimates per square meter align with your experiences? To be honest, I find this quite expensive.
An alternative would be a prefabricated house (e.g., something like Generation 5.0 or similar). This costs about 250,000 € for the living space; according to the brochure. Then there would be an additional 50,000 € for the basement plus 15,000 € for the double garage. That would put us at around 320,000 €. Plus various modifications—which I would estimate at around 50,000 €. That would bring the total to about 370,000 €, which is 130,000 € less than the architect’s quoted price. Or am I overlooking something critical?
Thank you in advance for your tips and information.
What budget did you set for the architect?
That was the first question from the architects we consulted.
You provide the budget and your requirements, and the architect has to work within that if they can.
Even an architect can plan with €1500 per m² (approximately $140 per sq ft).
For the initial consultation, I would suggest assuming a lower budget than what you can actually spend because there will always be additional special requests.
In our case, the costs are around €1700 per m² (approximately $158 per sq ft) for a truly high-quality finish.
That was the first question from the architects we consulted.
You provide the budget and your requirements, and the architect has to work within that if they can.
Even an architect can plan with €1500 per m² (approximately $140 per sq ft).
For the initial consultation, I would suggest assuming a lower budget than what you can actually spend because there will always be additional special requests.
In our case, the costs are around €1700 per m² (approximately $158 per sq ft) for a truly high-quality finish.
D
Doc.Schnaggls18 Aug 2014 09:29Hello,
we are currently building a Weber house.
However, it is a custom-designed model because the standard Generation 5.0 does not fit on our plot.
At the price of 370,000 EUR, your additional building costs are still completely missing.
Here is our overview:
Additional Building Costs
Architect 12,000.00 €
Surveying 2,500.00 €
Soil report 800.00 €
Garage foundation 10,000.00 €
Excavation 10,000.00 €
Notary 3,000.00 €
Connection fees (utilities) 8,000.00 €
Construction power/water 1,000.00 €
Insurances 500.00 €
Kitchen 20,000.00 €
Soapstone stove 4,000.00 €
Building permit / planning permission 3,000.00 €
Miscellaneous 1,000.00 €
Outdoor landscaping 30,000.00 €
Suddenly, almost 106,000 EUR more is gone.
And that is without garages (with your nice-to-have requirements, another 15,000 to 20,000 EUR, including electric gate drive, sectional door, lighting...)
Your 50,000 EUR for remodeling and upgrade measures is not totally unrealistic – we added about 55,000.00 on top of the base price for electric roller shutters, air-to-water heat pump, hardwood floors, different tiles, multiple additional electrical outlets, multimedia wiring, chimney flue...
Which Generation 5.0 version did you look at? 100, 200, 300???
By the way, architect-designed houses and prefabricated houses are not mutually exclusive – see our building blog...
Regards,
Dirk
we are currently building a Weber house.
However, it is a custom-designed model because the standard Generation 5.0 does not fit on our plot.
At the price of 370,000 EUR, your additional building costs are still completely missing.
Here is our overview:
Additional Building Costs
Architect 12,000.00 €
Surveying 2,500.00 €
Soil report 800.00 €
Garage foundation 10,000.00 €
Excavation 10,000.00 €
Notary 3,000.00 €
Connection fees (utilities) 8,000.00 €
Construction power/water 1,000.00 €
Insurances 500.00 €
Kitchen 20,000.00 €
Soapstone stove 4,000.00 €
Building permit / planning permission 3,000.00 €
Miscellaneous 1,000.00 €
Outdoor landscaping 30,000.00 €
Suddenly, almost 106,000 EUR more is gone.
And that is without garages (with your nice-to-have requirements, another 15,000 to 20,000 EUR, including electric gate drive, sectional door, lighting...)
Your 50,000 EUR for remodeling and upgrade measures is not totally unrealistic – we added about 55,000.00 on top of the base price for electric roller shutters, air-to-water heat pump, hardwood floors, different tiles, multiple additional electrical outlets, multimedia wiring, chimney flue...
Which Generation 5.0 version did you look at? 100, 200, 300???
By the way, architect-designed houses and prefabricated houses are not mutually exclusive – see our building blog...
Regards,
Dirk
B
Bauexperte18 Aug 2014 09:53Hello,
Basically, the mentioned prefab manufacturer is considered one of the higher-priced but reputable options. However, you should first decide what direction your project should take. Prefabricated construction or rather a solid (masonry) building – there can be huge differences between them, including in the final price.
Regards, Bauexperte
Toppi schrieb:In my opinion, choosing an architect is rather unusual given that you say you are complete beginners. An architect requires you to make more decisions compared to, for example, a general contractor. From my professional experience, architects accompanying construction projects make me suspicious, and since this is the case, I recommend looking for an external expert via well-known platforms. This way, you can verify their qualifications and reputation in advance; it goes without saying that references should be provided.
Some time ago, we decided to build. After talking with friends and colleagues who have experience in this area, we want to go with an architect. The reason: Neither of us is an expert (and unfortunately we don’t have one in the close family), so we would like someone to advise us independently. We have not planned any personal labor.
Toppi schrieb:This architect is taking a more cautious approach by quoting higher costs than will probably actually occur; in my view, that is better than the opposite. For your "nice to have" features, you should plan roughly 395,000 € for the "paint-ready" stage (including painting and flooring), including architectural services but excluding additional construction-related costs of about 35,000 to 40,000 €, as well as landscaping and contingency funds. I estimated the basement as a basic utility cellar, but with one heated room to house heating equipment.
We already have a plot in sight, about 800 square meters (approx. 8600 square feet) for around 70,000 € (rural area, not on a slope, Baden-Württemberg). I actually thought that with this price for the land, there would be enough left for a nice house. Yesterday, we had a first meeting with an architect who was recommended to us. He already told us on the phone that building is expensive at the moment. In the meeting, he said we should expect around 420 € per cubic meter of enclosed space or approximately 2000 €/square meter.
Our plan includes:
That comes to about 500,000 € plus additional costs (about 16% according to the architect). This does not yet include kitchen and landscaping. With the land, that makes around 650,000 €.
- 180 square meters (approx. 1900 square feet) of living area
- Basement
- Double garage
Do these cost estimates per square meter match your experiences? Honestly, I find that very expensive.
Toppi schrieb:Dirk, who is building with Weber, has already shared some information about this provider with you.
An alternative would be a prefabricated house from Weber (e.g., Generation 5.0 or something similar). According to the catalog, that costs about 250,000 € for the living area. Then add 50,000 € for the basement plus 15,000 € for the double garage. That puts us at about 320,000 €. Plus various modifications, which I would roughly estimate at 50,000 €. This would bring the total to 370,000 €, which is 130,000 € less than the price given by the architect. Or am I missing something important?
Basically, the mentioned prefab manufacturer is considered one of the higher-priced but reputable options. However, you should first decide what direction your project should take. Prefabricated construction or rather a solid (masonry) building – there can be huge differences between them, including in the final price.
Regards, Bauexperte
B
Bauabenteurer18 Aug 2014 11:03Besides the costs involved in deciding to build with an architect, in my opinion, it is also quite important to consider how flexible you want to be during the construction phase (keyword: expensive surcharges for additional requests) and how you want to interact with the craftsmen (keyword: timely defect resolution). Building with an architect without a fixed-price contract can end up being quite costly (up to 20%!).
If disputes arise, the developer can, for example, halt construction, deny access to the house until final acceptance (which is problematic if you have delivery dates for the kitchen or furniture), or even show the house to potential buyers so they can “have a look” etc.
If disputes arise, the developer can, for example, halt construction, deny access to the house until final acceptance (which is problematic if you have delivery dates for the kitchen or furniture), or even show the house to potential buyers so they can “have a look” etc.
B
Bauexperte18 Aug 2014 11:22Hello,
That is not correct; it would also be quite difficult if the client were allowed to give orders to the contractor’s employees or subcontractors.
Regards, Bauexperte
K1300S schrieb:
This is not about a property developer but apparently a general contractor (GC)/main contractor – in that case, the client has the right of access and no one else.
That is not correct; it would also be quite difficult if the client were allowed to give orders to the contractor’s employees or subcontractors.
Regards, Bauexperte
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