113 Architecture questions - What is the difference between construction costs and building costs?
What is the difference between installation costs and construction costs?
To describe the costs of constructing a building, terms such as "construction costs, building costs, total costs, erection costs, etc." are often used in an undifferentiated and unclear manner. However, in technical practice, each of these terms stands for a precisely defined area and mixing them up can quickly lead to confusion.
Like so many things in our professional field, these terms are also defined and regulated in an ÖNORM standard. Specifically, this is the "ÖNORM B 1801-1 Costs in building construction and civil engineering - Cost classification".
In this standard, the cost groups are listed and categorised as follows:
0. land (property)
1. site development
2. building shell
3. building extension
4. building technology
5. furnishings
6. outdoor facilities
7. planning services
8. ancillary project services
9. reserves
The construction costs comprise areas 1 to 6 and are therefore the costs incurred for the "physical" construction of the building and the outdoor facilities.
In addition to the construction costs, the construction costs also include the planning costs, ancillary services and reserves. In total, this means groups 1-9.
If you add the land costs (group 0) to the construction costs, you get the total costs.
It should also be mentioned that the term construction costs is also defined. These are groups 2 to 4, i.e. the "bare building" - without furnishings.
In conclusion, it can be said that the terminology may not be clear, especially for laypersons. In order to ensure that no misunderstandings arise, the expertise and experience of architects should be consulted.
