ᐅ Construction complete – now time to get the mess under control!

Hello everyone,

I have a few quick questions about paperwork and such: When you think back to the purchase contract, land register entry, structural engineering report, site plan, cadastral map, floor plan, energy certificate (?), utility connections, cable installation plans, heating system, numerous expert reports, photos, invoices, own work, quotes, warranties, and so on... All of this was once recorded, agreed upon, documented, and now it’s scattered around in various places (at least in my case). Most of it is in paper form.

I’m interested in how you approach this:
- What has been the biggest challenge for you?
- How have you handled it?
- How do you keep track of everything?

Does anyone else get similar worries with thoughts like “When exactly does my heating system’s warranty expire? Who will remind me to have it checked before then?” … I can’t be the only one xD

I hope to learn something useful from your answers. I’m really not a neat-freak, but at this point, I think: organization is essential. Thanks for your experiences and tips 🙂

There are these things from Leitz called binders. I think you might need 2-3 of them for house construction to organize everything thematically.

So, we have everything neatly organized into folders. One of them is just for appliances (including the kitchen). The seller has already come by twice for our heating system to maintain and adjust the settings proactively. For the rest, we’re just waiting for them to break down. 😱

There’s also one folder for
- contractor services,
- authorities / offices / notary,
- financing,
- ongoing costs,
- plans / drawings / building permit (planning permission),
- appliances,
- preliminary building inquiry.

I think there are three more that I can’t remember right now. It’s already quite a full little cabinet. 😕

We have only just started constructing, but we bought a "very useful box" (just ask Google). The advantage is that it can hold not only binders but also hanging files!

To be honest, I saved everything in Google Drive..

hausbaunerd schrieb:
"When exactly does my heating system warranty expire?

I enter dates into a digital calendar and set reminders. For example: 2 years ahead, minus 3 months (notice period), minus 14 days (consideration time): entry for mobile contract expiration. This works for everything, and you can always choose to "ignore" the reminder (or tap, depending on the device).

Knallkörper schrieb:
To be honest, I’ve stored everything in Google Drive..

I assume the authorities send you notices on paper, and loan and notary contracts also came in paper form. For us, these documents are bound in such a way that they’re practically impossible to digitize. Even if you do, do you then destroy the paper versions?