ᐅ Construction Cost Estimator / Online Tool

Hello everyone,

I am currently at the beginning of my house planning and have so far been unable to find a free program or website that allows you to roughly estimate construction costs in order to get an initial overview of the expected expenses and structural differences.

I am particularly interested in cost differences between a full basement, partial basement, or no basement in relation to the floor area... what a single-story house built with clay bricks would cost compared to one built with lightweight aggregate blocks... and the price differences for gable, hip, or flat roofs.

So, something like a modular system that provides an overview based on floor area, number of rooms and floors, basement option, roof type, exterior wall thickness, and so on.

I hope I have explained myself clearly enough.

Good evening,

Mr.Magou schrieb:

For me, it’s about the cost differences between a full basement, partial basement, or no basement based on the floor area... what a single-story house built with clay bricks costs compared to one with lightweight aggregate blocks... and the price differences between gable, hip, or flat roof types.

Are you going door-to-door?

No, just kidding – such a site doesn’t exist and can’t exist.

Mr.Magou schrieb:

So a kind of modular system where you can get an overview based on floor area, number of rooms and floors, basement variant, roof type, exterior wall thicknesses, etc.

There are various online construction cost calculators, but their selection options are quite limited. However, I don’t know of any calculator that would ultimately provide a reliable price; usually, only the additional purchase costs for the plot of land are accurate. For the building costs calculated, a crystal ball would probably give the same—or at least not worse—results.

That can’t work anyway, since these services are usually free – though I wonder what the purpose really is. To provide reasonably reliable figures, for example, the operator would have to enter prices per square meter of floor area separately for each federal state. But this would require first establishing a nationwide standard. Even then, price differences would still occur, since the borders with neighboring states require different prices. This also wouldn’t take into account the problem of different types of masonry, wall thicknesses, and so on.

So if you want to build a modular system for yourself, you first need a plan in hand that you can then send to various suppliers, asking them to consider their preferred wall system. But I hardly believe they would be willing and able to provide you, free of charge, with multiple variants—such as partial or full basement, different masonry types, and so forth.

There are some low-cost providers who offer something similar on a smaller scale. If you like one of their floor plans, you can try out different roof constructions, extensions, or façade designs with a click. Whether prices are included there, I can’t say.

Of course, you can also read through various forum threads here, which will give you a good overview of the costs you can expect— including those you have not yet mentioned.

Best regards, Bauexperte

Hello "Bauexperte",

it should be clear to everyone that such a program or website cannot be completely accurate. Even a percentage estimate would be sufficient to give future homeowners a rough overview.

I actually found something that comes quite close. Although you cannot select masonry materials, and the web version is mainly intended to promote the full program, it serves its purpose.

Is it allowed to post links here? I read somewhere that it might be prohibited. Attached is an image of the web version. In the full version, there is also the option to adjust for regional differences, as far as I remember.

Hello,

I’m familiar with this program; the calculation results are... well.

For the Hamburg area, I estimate roughly €1,400.00/sqm (about $1,500/sqft) as a baseline. This will put you on the safe side for a KfW 70 energy-efficient house at a medium standard, with a turnkey solution on a slab foundation including soil drainage. A basement with partial walls costs more, as do a full basement, timber frame construction, or features like a half-hipped roof, dormers, and other extras. Plus the usual additional costs such as incidental construction expenses and landscaping.

By the way, a partial basement costs almost as much as a full basement.

Regards, Bauexperte

I have to point out that, overall, a half-hipped roof was more cost-effective for us than a standard pitched roof when considering all trades involved (masonry, carpentry, etc.). It’s also logical since this results in slightly less usable space in the attic.

You can roughly estimate whether one option (limited to the roof) is cheaper or more expensive than the other. However, that alone is not enough to quantify it precisely.

I outlined the background in this post https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/niedrigkosten-Planung-efh.11122/.