Building type E: This makes building so much cheaper

Save tens of thousands of euros

Houses could become cheaper in the future

Build cheaper without compromising on safety? The new building type E is intended to make exactly that possible. What this means for future builders.

Building in Germany means: always a little more than necessary – for fear of liability due to alleged construction defects, and not because it was necessary. Construction companies automatically plan for unwritten “comfort standards”: thicker insulation, additional radiators, more sockets than required. The result: New buildings in Germany are among the most expensive internationally, and affordable living space is becoming increasingly scarce.

According to the assessment of the Federal Government Savings of around 10 to 15 percent in building costs are possible when building a new building. With the planned Building Type E Act, the legislature wants to enable exactly that – and make it legally secure.

• For example, one of around 20,000 building-related regulations sets an internal temperature of 24 degrees Celsius for bathrooms with a bathtub or shower – this can hardly be achieved with underfloor heating alone. That’s why craftsmen usually add a towel radiator.
• Or with sockets: Various standards prescribe a minimum number per room size – small living rooms need at least four, larger ones at least five.
• When it comes to sound insulation, many buildings have so far voluntarily met a higher standard than is legally required.

More comfort sounds good to builders at first, but it drives up costs – even if they don’t need or want this comfort.

This is exactly where the new building type E comes into play. The federal government explains: The “E” stands for “simple” – meaning simpler, cheaper construction in which builders can consciously do without extras that are not legally required.

• New law for faster construction: The Union doesn’t like that

If the planned draft law goes, builders will in future be able to expressly agree with their chosen construction company to build according to the building type E basic standard. This option is voluntary – no one has to build this way. If builders do not make such an agreement, the usual, usually higher standard applies as before.

If builders decide on building type E, the principle “enough is enough” applies: they only have to comply with what is required by law – no more. If, for example, a state technical building regulation stipulates a certain floor height, this is exactly what is sufficient. It doesn’t matter whether neighboring houses have higher ceilings or whether a DIN standard actually requires more.