ᐅ Comparability of Costs: Architect vs. General Contractor
Created on: 4 Mar 2021 16:57
A
askforafriend
Hello dear forum,
We are currently in the planning phase for a single-family house. We have requested quotes from several general contractors and have also spoken with a very approachable architect. We would be happy to present our building project (BVH) in detail at a later stage!
Overall, we much prefer the transparency and approach of the architect compared to the initial consultation with the general contractor. We understand that over time, we will also speak with an architect/planner through the general contractor who will discuss details with us. We have thoroughly researched the advantages and disadvantages both in this forum and through various guides.
At this stage, our main focus is on comparing the cost estimates from the general contractors versus the architect. The general contractor states the costs as a fixed price (based on the building and scope of services description) plus our additional requests (extra electrical outlets, KfW standard, etc.). A rough total for the house including additional requests was, for example, 410,000 euros. This naturally also includes architectural/planning/engineering services according to the scope of work description.
Land leveling.
Discussions about your building project together with you during planning and construction meetings. Preparation of building permit/planning permission documents at a scale of 1:100 in the required number of copies for the authorities.
You will receive an additional set of plans for your personal records.
Development of working drawings (scale 1:50) as well as any necessary detailed drawings.
Creation of structural engineering plans (standard structural design for the respective house type) including any required building physics reports for thermal and fire protection.
Calculation of energy demand and preparation of the energy performance certificate. A copy will be provided for your records.
Preparation of public funding applications, if required.
Site management and construction supervision up to handover of the house.
Support during the warranty period.
When we first met with the architect, he took out a book labeled BKI to provide a rough estimate of the feasibility of the building project based on this data. He calculated roughly 3,000 euros per square meter and 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space, resulting in a total of 450,000 euros.
The big question now is: Does this amount exclude his fees or do these average construction costs per square meter already include the services mentioned above? This might be a somewhat naive question, but it’s really unclear to us. Is there a list of costs that are included in these average rates?
We have an appointment with him next week for a more detailed cost assessment.
Thank you very much for your feedback, and I wish you a pleasant week.
We are currently in the planning phase for a single-family house. We have requested quotes from several general contractors and have also spoken with a very approachable architect. We would be happy to present our building project (BVH) in detail at a later stage!
Overall, we much prefer the transparency and approach of the architect compared to the initial consultation with the general contractor. We understand that over time, we will also speak with an architect/planner through the general contractor who will discuss details with us. We have thoroughly researched the advantages and disadvantages both in this forum and through various guides.
At this stage, our main focus is on comparing the cost estimates from the general contractors versus the architect. The general contractor states the costs as a fixed price (based on the building and scope of services description) plus our additional requests (extra electrical outlets, KfW standard, etc.). A rough total for the house including additional requests was, for example, 410,000 euros. This naturally also includes architectural/planning/engineering services according to the scope of work description.
Land leveling.
Discussions about your building project together with you during planning and construction meetings. Preparation of building permit/planning permission documents at a scale of 1:100 in the required number of copies for the authorities.
You will receive an additional set of plans for your personal records.
Development of working drawings (scale 1:50) as well as any necessary detailed drawings.
Creation of structural engineering plans (standard structural design for the respective house type) including any required building physics reports for thermal and fire protection.
Calculation of energy demand and preparation of the energy performance certificate. A copy will be provided for your records.
Preparation of public funding applications, if required.
Site management and construction supervision up to handover of the house.
Support during the warranty period.
When we first met with the architect, he took out a book labeled BKI to provide a rough estimate of the feasibility of the building project based on this data. He calculated roughly 3,000 euros per square meter and 150 square meters (1,615 square feet) of living space, resulting in a total of 450,000 euros.
The big question now is: Does this amount exclude his fees or do these average construction costs per square meter already include the services mentioned above? This might be a somewhat naive question, but it’s really unclear to us. Is there a list of costs that are included in these average rates?
We have an appointment with him next week for a more detailed cost assessment.
Thank you very much for your feedback, and I wish you a pleasant week.
askforafriend5 Mar 2021 23:13ypg schrieb:
Ethanol? That’s not really worth mentioning here as a fireplace. It’s just decoration!
And don’t come with an aquarium, or this thread will turn into nonsense. No, not ethanol. Water vapor! And yes, it is supposed to be just decoration, as we do not need any heat. As I already wrote above: “If at all”....
Personally, I couldn’t even compare the prices between three general contractors.
Each one always had something that was "better" than the others, but then there was something that wasn’t included with them, while it was included with another. Researching the prices for these differences was nearly impossible for me.
In the end, we chose the one who was the most patient with us and never gave us a bad feeling.
Our general contractor provided us with all the contacts for the selections in advance, so I was, for example, already informed by the electrician about the extra costs for individual items and now roughly know how much the upgrades will cost.
Soon, we will meet with the staircase builder, as we are uncertain whether to choose a concrete or a wooden staircase. There, we will also learn the additional costs for our preferences and can either accept or decline them, or plan accordingly in the financing.
For our panoramic gas fireplace, including installation, we are looking at about 12,000 (twelve thousand) for the fireplace specialist. We are now including that in the planning as well.
And yet, there are always additional things that you didn’t expect or suddenly feel absolutely necessary. 🙄
Each one always had something that was "better" than the others, but then there was something that wasn’t included with them, while it was included with another. Researching the prices for these differences was nearly impossible for me.
In the end, we chose the one who was the most patient with us and never gave us a bad feeling.
Our general contractor provided us with all the contacts for the selections in advance, so I was, for example, already informed by the electrician about the extra costs for individual items and now roughly know how much the upgrades will cost.
Soon, we will meet with the staircase builder, as we are uncertain whether to choose a concrete or a wooden staircase. There, we will also learn the additional costs for our preferences and can either accept or decline them, or plan accordingly in the financing.
For our panoramic gas fireplace, including installation, we are looking at about 12,000 (twelve thousand) for the fireplace specialist. We are now including that in the planning as well.
And yet, there are always additional things that you didn’t expect or suddenly feel absolutely necessary. 🙄
askforafriend6 Mar 2021 17:42Yaso2.0 schrieb:
And yet, there are still things that come up which you didn’t anticipate or suddenly become absolutely necessary 🙄Oh my! What has that all been for you so far?
askforafriend schrieb:
Ai der Daus 🙂 What have you had so far? I’ll list what’s currently on my checklist that’s going to the general contractor 🙂
- Rigid concrete slab foundation (1,200)
- Sewage and stormwater drainage (3,500)
- Larger roof overhang (1,500)
- Raised ceilings on ground and upper floors (2,500)
- Electric exterior roller shutters (about 7,000)
- Sliding lift-and-slide doors in the living room instead of standard patio doors (extra cost for 3 units about 9,000)
- 2 glass sidelights at the front door (700)
- Different interior doors (1,000)
- Pocket sliding door within the wall (1,500)
- Widening of the first stair step (simple but still costs 250)
- Walk-in shower (instead of shower tray, 700)
- Gas connection and outlet for gas fireplace (1,000)
- Roof escape window (1,000)
- Additional exterior water outlets (600)
- Some special roof tiles for the satellite dish (200) – my husband insisted on this ..)
Additionally, about 9,000 for extra electrical outlets, exterior lighting, underground cables in the garden, high-voltage connection, network and TV connections, spotlights (not embedded in concrete ceiling).
As mentioned, 12,000 for the gas fireplace.
Currently, we estimate about 10,000 for tiles and sanitary fixtures, but we haven’t started on that yet.
Furthermore, our calculation excludes landscaping (paving + entrance steps, patio roof + awning, hedges/fence, possibly retaining walls), incidental construction costs (we estimate about 30,000 for a 390 sqm (4200 sq ft) lot), painting and flooring work, kitchen and possibly some new furniture, carport, entrance canopy, and exterior lighting.
And somehow it all keeps adding up, because, after all, "you only build once".. 😀
Edit: We are still building at fairly reasonable prices, but even we expect to go about 15% over our planned total budget..
So everything posted in the forum—and what I initially thought would probably apply to many but not to us—turns out applies to us too. Good that we considered all this here in the forum; it softens the shock somewhat 😉
Yaso2.0 schrieb:
after all, “you only build once”… I wouldn’t agree with that saying for anyone under 70.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
askforafriend6 Mar 2021 20:02Yaso2.0 schrieb:
I’ll list what I currently have planned that will be added to the general contractor's scope 🙂
- Stiffened concrete slab foundation (1,200)
- Wastewater and rainwater drainage system (3,500)
- Larger roof overhang (1,500)
- Raised ceilings on ground and upper floors (2,500)
- Electric exterior roller shutters (approx. 7,000)
- Sliding lift-and-slide doors in the living room instead of standard patio doors (additional cost for 3 units approx. 9,000)
- 2 glass side panels at the front door (700)
- Different interior doors (1,000)
- Interior pocket door (1,500)
- Widening of the first stair tread (minor but still costs 250)
- Walk-in shower (instead of shower tray, 700)
- Gas connection and outlet for gas fireplace (1,000)
- Roof access window (1,000)
- Additional outdoor water taps (600)
- Special roof tiles because of the satellite dish (200)—my husband insisted on this..
Additionally around 9,000 for extra power outlets, outdoor lighting, underground garden cable, high-voltage connection, network and TV outlets, spotlights (not embedded in concrete ceiling)
As mentioned, 12,000 for the gas fireplace
Currently, we estimate around 10,000 for tiles and sanitary fixtures, but we haven’t gotten that far yet.
Furthermore, our calculations do not yet include the exterior landscaping (paving + entrance steps, patio roofing + awning, hedges/fence, possibly L-shaped retaining wall blocks), ancillary building costs (we’re estimating about 30,000 for the 390 m² (4,200 sq ft) plot), painting and flooring, kitchen and possibly some new furniture, carport and entrance roofing + outdoor lighting..
And somehow it just keeps adding up, since after all, “you only build once”.. 😀
Edit: we are still building at reasonably moderate prices, but even so, we expect to exceed our initial total budget by about 15%..
So everything mentioned in the forum and which I initially thought probably applies to many but not to us, is actually happening to us too. Good thing we took it in here on the forum, so the shock isn’t that severe 😉Wow—so a lot of this wasn’t in your original budget? Who helped you with the calculations, or was it just a rough estimate? Did you have any changes to the contract offers before signing with the general contractor to better assess the price, or did these requests mostly come up after signing?
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