Ancillary construction costs for setting up the construction site

Preparation and development of the building ground

Once the property is available and you can call it your own, the preparations for building and preparing your property for building begin. This must be prepared in such a way that the construction company can actually build on the area. However, construction contracts often do not include all expenses that are necessary for a smooth process during the construction phase. For example, the construction of a construction road must be carried out by the developer himself, but the costs incurred are usually not part of the construction contract. The excavation for the floor slab or the basement is often included in the total price for the house, but the disposal of the earth material is not. In addition to the ancillary costs that are due before the start of construction, the builder also incurs some costs as part of the construction preparation.

Additional costs on the construction site:

• survey costs
• Ground surveys and ground surveys
• demolition of old buildings
• tree felling
• Removal of green waste
• Connection of site electricity and site water
• Create construction road
• Excavation for basement and floor slab
• Export of accumulated soil

preparation for construction

In order to make a property ready for construction, all appropriate precautions must be taken so that it can be built on safely. This includes, for example, leveling the ground, removing unwanted plants or setting up the necessary infrastructure for the construction workers.

Construction preparation: Official cadastral survey

Clearance areas are an important point in German building regulations, which is why it is all the more important that the building plot is correctly measured before construction. An official surveyor creates both an official and an object-related site plan, marks out the building floor plan, creates a base area and height verification and measures all other structural systems. When planning this step of the construction preparation, many builders ask themselves how much the surveying of their property will cost. Various variables, such as the value of the land, can affect the cost of the survey. However, those interested in building should expect at least €2000 for the surveying costs . The official site plan usually makes up more than a third of the total costs of a survey and is already required for the submission of a building application, which we listed in the previous part, ancillary building costs before the house is built. The fees for official cadastral surveying are still based on the surveying fee schedule (VermGebO).

After completion of the object, a cadastral building certificate (“building survey obligation”) must be provided in order to show how the house will ultimately stand. Also to be considered are the costs for entry in the real estate cadastre . These amount to around €400 .

real estate cadastre

In general, a cadastre is a register of spatially related things. The real estate cadastre is the nationwide register of all properties and plots (=parcels) including their description. The parcels are described in terms of their spatial location, type of use and size as well as the buildings located on the parcels.

Soil reports or ground reports

Your house should not only be built for a good reason, but also for a good reason. Building a home without first getting a soil survey is like gambling. It is always worth preparing a professional soil report before breaking ground. It provides information about the nature of the soil and whether it is at all suitable for building. A special soil expert takes soil samples and uses various methods to check the strength and condition of the soil.

The construction company can then estimate exactly which earthworks are necessary in order to be able to build on the property. In this way, you can calculate the costs of preparation for construction in advance and guarantee the smoothest possible construction process.
Of course, the cost of a professional soil survey depends on the size of the property, but also on how high the groundwater level is and how deep the building project goes underground. For a conventional single-family house, you should calculate a flat rate of 500 to 1,000 euros for a soil report.

demolition of old buildings

Before you can build a new house, the property must of course first be freed from old components. The cost depends on the size and the building materials, so it is very difficult to give a specific figure. A weekend house with roofing felt is a simple example: excavator, house away, foundations out and finally dispose of the garbage. All in all, you should budget for a sum of 3,000 to 5,000 euros. However, if the old house is of a suitable size and was built from more robust materials, this can quickly become more expensive.

Tree felling and removal of vegetation

In principle, the principle applies: all healthy trees are to be preserved if possible! However, if it is unavoidable to remove individual trees, you must also pay for the corresponding costs. You can calculate with the following guideline values:

• Felling permit about 50 euros
• Felling approx. 300 to 1,000 euros
• depending on whether it is necessary to work with a crane
• Disposing of tree remains and roots costs around 150 euros
• Replacement plantings around 200 euros

Do not forget that above a certain trunk size, a permit for tree felling must be obtained from the municipality. Nature conservation regulations, such as the ban on felling due to the growth phase of the trees from March to September, must also be taken into account. In any case, the felling should be left to professionals, as long as it is not just a matter of thin trunks.
If the property has not been maintained for a long time, jungle-like conditions can sometimes prevail there. You can do the removal of old growth and plant remains yourself, but the disposal of garden waste also generates costs. A 7m³ container for green waste including the arrival and departure can be estimated at 250 to 300 euros.

Production of site water, site electricity and site roads

Water and electricity on site

The construction company cannot do its job without electricity and water. If there are no connections on your property and your nice neighbor next door is not willing to provide you with electricity and water, you have to take care of both yourself before starting construction. As a rule, the regional electricity and water companies have special offers for house construction. The costs can be estimated at around 500 to 800 euros plus consumption.

construction road

Sometimes it is necessary to create a construction road on the property so that construction vehicles do not get stuck. In some cases it is also necessary to bridge sidewalks to avoid damage. If this applies to your property, you should definitely budget an additional 3,000 to 5,000 euros for the construction and removal of such a construction road.

Excavation costs

With most contractors, sod removal is included in the price. However, if the ground is not firm enough or, on the contrary, a hard granite layer makes it difficult to excavate the basement, larger layers of soil must be removed or special machines must be used. This position of the ancillary construction costs can therefore not be generalized at all. It is all the more important to have a building site report drawn up in order to be able to calculate the costs at an early stage or alternatives to common properties that have “normal” buildability , but you can plan a buffer of 2,000 euros to be on the safe side to be.

Table: Ancillary construction costs for setting up the construction site

Other articles in this series: additional construction costs when buying a property , additional construction costs in and after the construction phase or back to the checklist for additional construction costs

Autorin Sarah Völkl

Sarah Völkl hat Architektur studiert und ist seit Jahren das Gesicht von a better place. Mit ihren Videos ist sie bei YouTube vielen Personen schon länger bekannt. Sarah teilt Ihr Wissen jetzt auch bei den Bautipps von Almondia.