ᐅ Costs for Quantity Surveying by Developer / Self-Purchase / Materials / Installation – Is this correct?

We would like to ask for your opinion, as we are unsure whether we might be mistaken.

Regarding the bathroom, we would, on the one hand, upgrade the washbasin. The double vanity unit, which we really like, would, however, be charged by our preferred house provider at almost 1,100 euros extra. This is in addition to the standard price, which already includes a washbasin from Villeroy & Boch.

Now, I found exactly the same vanity unit online for 450-650 euros. That’s still more than 600 euros less... I don’t yet understand why it is about 200 euros cheaper in one online store compared to another, but anyway. These online prices, of course, do not include installation.

But is the installation of a washbasin really so difficult and time-consuming that it justifies a difference of about 500 euros compared to the price for a private customer purchase?

Another example: a rain shower, meaning a fixed overhead shower head. This would also cost us nearly 1,000 euros extra on top of the standard price. Online, I find prices around 200-300 euros... so about 750 euros less, also excluding installation. But is such a shower system really that complicated to install?!

a) Contract signed?
b) Warranty, installation
c) Depending on the provider, the business model may also rely on high profit margins from extras

The prices are given without warranty and do not include the small adapters, supply lines, couplings, etc. There are numerous discussions on this topic in our forum.

No, I haven’t signed any contract yet.

Since I don’t even know what couplings are, it’s clear that I have no technical knowledge at all. This actually speaks in favor of getting as much as possible done by professionals who hopefully have the expertise. Of course, it’s understandable and economically necessary that they add profit margins on top of the purchase price. I have no idea how complicated or simple the installation of a washbasin is. For us, a guideline would be whether someone without any professional experience, just using written instructions and a YouTube video, could manage it in an afternoon or if that would be naive overconfidence.

Ypg, can you recommend some discussions here on this topic?

(It’s worth mentioning: we’re not trying to save 50 euros, or even 100. If it can be done clearly faster and easier by professionals, we definitely don’t want to cut corners. It’s just that from a layperson’s perspective, the discrepancy seemed very significant…)

Example:

Special bathtub fully assembled by the plumber: 1300 euros

In the online shop: 700 euros ( + bathtub support frame 80 euros / + drain cover 30 euros / + siphon 40 euros / + sealing tape 20 euros / + small parts 30 euros + installation 240 euros)

You see... online might be (even probably) somewhat cheaper, but the hassle if something goes wrong will be correspondingly higher. I can understand going online for a shower faucet, maybe also a washbasin... okay, but for larger items like a bathtub or shower tray, which are installed permanently and where mistakes are much harder to fix, I personally would steer clear.

For heaven’s sake, when it comes to bathtubs or shower trays, I might not even look at the prices. There’s nothing we can do about that. We thought that installing a rain shower or a washbasin might not be quite so difficult, though...