ᐅ The Business of Toilets

However, you then gain knowledge that is of no use—in most cases, this only becomes clear later during the selection of materials and finishes, by which time the contract is often already signed.

At that point, you can scream, cry, or stomp your feet, but it is simply your own fault because you should have given more thought to these matters beforehand.

If you want full transparency, you need to contract the trades yourself. That was the main reason I chose to build that way.

Hi,

If you want high transparency, you have to contract the trades yourself. That was the main reason I built this way.

Absolutely right, my answer was more about quotes in general. It’s clear that a general contractor (GC) won’t reveal their detailed cost breakdown, especially after signing the contract, as the negotiating position is quite weak then...

I’m currently a bit frustrated about additional costs (for example, $160 per window for RC 2 fittings), many things could be cheaper if contracted individually.
Yes, sometimes I also wish we had chosen to manage individual contracts.

The problem is that, at some point, you get overwhelmed and the project stalls, and realistically you would need to take 2-3 months of unpaid leave to manage everything properly. That doesn’t really help either, so we are building with a GC and just annoyed by the extra charges. Although ours are relatively moderate and we knew about them upfront.

Best regards,

Andreas

@ andimann

You can’t seriously compare the advantages of contracting individual trades through an architect—especially when it comes to breaking down features and additional costs—with the fixed price of a general contractor (GC). As you already pointed out in your second response on this topic, both types of providers have their legitimacy, pros, and cons; ultimately, it’s a very personal choice.

In any case, the same applies here as elsewhere: stay vigilant, use your common sense, and have providers and their offers reviewed by experts. The good ones in their respective fields will estimate costs accurately and calculate any extra charges transparently. As with everyday cookware: every pot finds its lid.

Bauexperte

Bautraum2015 schrieb:
Shower doors/partitions.

These are often not included in building projects and are then left out during construction. If you check on them later during the build (because earlier you had other, more important or urgent decisions to make), you’ll be completely shocked by the exorbitant prices for a simple glass panel with a hinge.

The irony is that the simpler the design, the more expensive it gets. Fully framed units are cheap and easy to add later but don’t look great and are nearly impossible to clean back to like-new condition after 2–3 years due to all the corners. The versions with hinges and glass (completely without the usual sealing strips) cost over $2000, even though hinges can be purchased from specialty retailers for about $50 without any issues. Laminated safety glass (VSG) doesn’t cost an arm and a leg either, and the holes (for hinges/handle) are usually made by the glazier as well.

By the way, shower doors can be easily installed from outside the building process afterward (or you can do it yourself), as they don’t connect to the rest of the structure. However, the installation is more challenging than you might initially think. After about 3 hours, a carpenter with 30 years of experience managed to get it done. The instruction manual was really aimed more at people who do this daily.

I personally think the best approach is to start with a certain budget allocated. That way, you can freely look at options and decide where you really want to spend your money in the end—and where not. Above all, you won’t be shortchanged with ridiculous credits for individual trade parts (for example, we were offered 95€ less for one washbasin upstairs, even though installing a new one suddenly cost 300€). We now have standard basins and will simply replace them ourselves in a few years with something nicer.

Payday schrieb:
we now have standard pools and will simply replace them ourselves with something nicer in a few years.

Great post. Shows that you are confident, clever, and practical in life.

These shower setups can cost a small fortune.

My practical suggestion, based on real life:
Cheaper is a squeegee and a towel.
Even after two years of daily showers (sometimes multiple times a day), our two showers still look like new, as if they were built yesterday.

Just wipe off the water, quickly dry the frame with a towel. Takes less than one minute. You’re already standing in the shower, so spending one more minute doesn’t matter.

Even the most expensive equipment would get grimy if you just showered without any care. Just later—in three or five years. Maintenance is key here, and it’s quick and easy to do.

Your estimate of 3 hours for installation: completely correct. Properly done, it takes about that long (or longer).

Best regards,
Thorsten

We wipe the glass every time, but clean the frame less often (also because we hardly have any). Before installation, I never thought it would take 3 hours. Basically, it’s 6 or 8 holes in the wall, then assembling and mounting the parts. Once the outdoor area is finished, we will remove the lips (they are just clipped on) and treat them thoroughly with chemicals outside. Otherwise, we’ll get new ones eventually. I’m not up for drying the whole place every time. Because once you start, you also have to clean the tiles…