During many consultations with various house builders, we got the impression that the ancillary costs at Viebrock are the most realistic (and therefore the most expensive). In our comparison of home building costs and utilities, we had Massa Haus, Weber Haus, Kage Bau and Viebrock.

Here is an excerpt from our list of the incidental costs incurred – please note that, as is usual in any initial discussion, this is of course only a rough guide and some factors may not apply to you, but aspects are not taken into account that would obviously apply to you.

Overview of costs and incidental costs for house construction for your orientation

Property specific work

• Demolition: between 5,000 for a garage to about 25,000 euros for an old building
• Clearing: we had a wooded property with huge firs, cost about 7,000 euros (Attention: only permitted between October and March!)
• Surveying (several times, also during the building application if necessary)
• Removal of remaining excavated soil: approx. 6,000 Euro – see also our detailed report on basement construction in the construction diary
• Building electricity and building water: approx. 2,000 euros
• Supply lines up to the house (electricity, water, etc.): Very dependent on the length of the driveway – with a few hundred euros per meter you are there. With our 35-meter-long driveway, this takes its toll and goes into the five-digit range, which should be factored in directly when buying the property. For example, we were once faced with a plot of land that seemed very favorable by Hamburg standards, but which was in the fourth (!) row. Of course, all connections would have had to be made from the street. That added up to about 90,000 euros, which would have been added to the purchase price, and the supposedly inexpensive property was already out of our narrow choice.

Interior furnishings and other costs

• Parquet flooring: For the entire house minus the tiled areas in bathrooms and hallway, about 16,000 euros including labor (now due to the economic situation probably much more expensive)
• Kitchen: very individual, we have planned as a rough guide times 20,000 euros
• Register land charge in the land register (serves as security for the bank): depends on the amount of the loan that the bank grants you. With us approx. 3,000 euro altogether, divided in land registry and notary costs)
• Multi-sector house entry: approx. 2.000 Euro
• …and last but not least, of course, the classics: brokerage fees, notary fees and real estate tax at the rates applicable in your federal state

Individual peculiarities cost extra

Of course, there may be special circumstances, e.g. properties with an access road that is too narrow for the large excavators and cranes (a width of around 3.5 m is generally considered feasible here) may still incur costs because material then has to be transported closer to the construction site with additional, smaller equipment. Or you may have to temporarily install an alternative crosswalk with traffic lights, because pedestrians can no longer use the sidewalk, or, or, or…

Magic word in the small print: “on site”

On-site means that the building owners pay for it. So: we! And in case of doubt, we are also responsible for organizing the matter in question. Keyword: building electricity, demolition work, surveying, or, or, or ..

Even if Viebrock has come up with the most comprehensive list of all possible and impossible costs and incidental expenses that could arise during the construction of a house – it was still not complete. Sometimes 5,000 euros here, sometimes 1,500 euros there, it adds up. Time and again, fees and invoices that arrived in the phase before the start of construction prompted us to ask: “Did we actually include this in the calculation?” – the answer, sobering now and then, was unfortunately “no.”

To be fair, there are different regulations, associations, societies and other things from state to state and from district to district, in which one has to be a member, for example (water association xy in Lower Saxony). There’s no getting around it, it’s a few paltry euros per year and no developer can keep track of that.

To all builder-“greenhorns”: Compare prices for other work!

On the subject of costs and ancillary costs when building a house, it is also important to ask for quotes from service providers in the area for site-specific work such as demolition, surveying, etc., because the Viebrock contractors are reliable, but may have a long journey (the surveying office commissioned is located in Hanover – we are building near Bremen), which quickly drives up the costs automatically for services that are assessed according to a scale of fees, as in this case. Not quite as clever of us, but as a “builder-greenhorn” you don’t have every detail on your radar in advance, and so the power of attorney to commission Viebrock with surveying services and the associated coordination seems very tempting.

Coordination is everything: Pay attention to your own duties!

Sure, you don’t have a choice in some things: tree power and construction water can be obtained from exactly one provider. But even with that, you have to be careful: If you neglect to apply for these things yourself (personal responsibility is pointed out by Viebrock and we had to countersign) you will easily pay an extra 3,000 euros per month for a generator… Even if the part is only used about twice at the beginning of the construction work. And the building electricity is then of course additionally laid afterwards and also costs.

Cost drivers for the actual construction costs: Sampling and special equipment

Last but not least, everything that goes beyond the standard equipment of the house – where Viebrock offers a good selection, we think – costs extra, of course. And if you look at the procedure, this is obviously the margin driver at Viebrock. Because those who can afford it don’t take the standard and customize diligently. And that then works according to catalog price. Other taps? Of course possible. The Villeroy & Boch or Dornbracht catalog is opened, the RRP is determined, and then you have the surcharge. For the standard faucet, you get a credit, but the difference is steep. A comparison with Internet prices makes you dizzy. For the sake of fairness, I’ll mention that these Internet discount prices usually never include installation, and service or warranty cases are of course rather difficult when you install it yourself. However, if you want to select a lot off the standard yourself, you have to be aware of this.