ᐅ Today was the material and finish selection appointment, smile
Created on: 9 Mar 2017 13:40
N
Nordlys
Some leftover vacation days in March. We just had the selection appointment. This morning at nine. Selection appointment with the mid-sized company. Waiting for us were Mrs. L., the secretary, with a coffee; Mr. K., the master carpenter; and Mr. R., the head of masonry and roofing. Mr. K. starts. In front of him, the building plan of our house, next to him a laundry basket full of various bits and pieces. Let’s get started. With windows. He flips through the building specification. Ah, they’re from Poland. He rummages through the laundry basket and pulls out a profile sample. Veka, triple glazing, Roto fittings, Hoppe handles. The handles can also be lockable, costs extra. But then you just lose the keys, no one needs that, and if burglars want to get in, they will anyway; it just ends up broken... My wife examines the profile. Well, you can easily wipe off the dirt, can’t you? And colored, she asks? Mr. K., dryly: Yeah, it’s possible. But it’s a waste of money; it doesn’t make a difference when looking out either... So, it remains white. It goes on in that style with tiles, interior doors. When it comes to the exterior window sills, he really gets going. Yes, those are aluminum, white or nothing at all. He grins. And on the inside? Laundry basket. Granite slabs are brought to the table. Four pieces. Two disappear right away because they are polished high gloss. That’s nonsense, he says; anyway, you’ll just put flowers on them. My wife picks one from the remaining slabs. Done, moving on. The roofing expert chimes in. Hey, I need to take off some joints first, what’s the plan? He takes us outside. There lies a package from Braas with sample tiles. He picks out three. That one, that one, or that one is allowed in the building plan. We choose the dark red one. Gloss coating against moss? Doesn’t work, there are no trees here. In High German: You don’t need it because there are no trees where you are building. Okay, convinced. The roof is done. He storms off. Inside we go. Front door, Mr. K. says, now that’s a topic. So, here are the panels from Rodenberger; from K1 to K6 are included at no extra cost. The long handle costs 100 extra. The very long one 250. But that one is no good, it’s flimsy. Then take the short one for 100. We flip through. That one is good, he says. Stable, timeless, with K5 included, okay price, has some glass, lets some light into the hallway, but it’s not a department store door. Done... that’s the one. Now the interior staircase, he judges... Yeah, you take beech, it’s a hard, quiet wood. It’s coated with parquet lacquer, so it’s also durable. And as a railing, a handrail with metal rods. He grins, done. Can it be done differently? White? Hmm, he shakes his head. It’s possible. But... that costs more, you have to paint, sand, and fill more. You can see on his face what he thinks about white stairs. I give in. Beech, parquet lacquer. Matte. Then he and my wife decide where the towel radiator should go. Here or there! And how and where tiles will be installed... done. Oh yes, facade... we’ll do it like the garage, right? So, everything smooth and seamless. The plinth a little anthracite accent, everyone does that. He rummages for some color samples for the plinth from the basket. Yes, that will do.
Selection appointment with the mid-sized company. Two hours, one coffee, and not a penny extra paid.
Selection appointment with the mid-sized company. Two hours, one coffee, and not a penny extra paid.
Hello,
Great respect for the discipline! Getting through the selection process without spending a lot of extra money is not easy. For us, it was over a year ago now, and already back then it was exciting—the first time you really feel like “now it’s really starting.”
But two hours is really a sprint. We spent a solid 8-9 hours at the selection center and didn’t feel like we were wasting time. And tiles, flooring, and doors weren’t even part of it yet!
You’ll probably still have to spend more with the tiler and electrician...
Best regards,
Andreas
Nordlys schrieb:
Selection appointment at a mid-sized company. Two hours, one coffee, and not a penny extra paid.
Great respect for the discipline! Getting through the selection process without spending a lot of extra money is not easy. For us, it was over a year ago now, and already back then it was exciting—the first time you really feel like “now it’s really starting.”
But two hours is really a sprint. We spent a solid 8-9 hours at the selection center and didn’t feel like we were wasting time. And tiles, flooring, and doors weren’t even part of it yet!
You’ll probably still have to spend more with the tiler and electrician...
Best regards,
Andreas
Well, my wife already finalized the tiles with him today. We had chosen them a while ago. He gave us the names of three tile or building material suppliers where he has customer accounts, so you go there and pick out what you want. That part was done, now they just marked on the plans where my wife wants what.
As for the electrician, I’m relaxed about that since he’s a friend of ours who will do the work. The same goes for bathroom plumbing and heating. We will get that sorted. The two hours are only manageable because there’s no showroom beyond laundry baskets and suitcases. Thank goodness. I’m one of those people who feel overwhelmed when faced with choosing from 50 different options. My wife handles large selections better, but I prefer when someone shows me two handles and asks, “this one or that one?”
As for the electrician, I’m relaxed about that since he’s a friend of ours who will do the work. The same goes for bathroom plumbing and heating. We will get that sorted. The two hours are only manageable because there’s no showroom beyond laundry baskets and suitcases. Thank goodness. I’m one of those people who feel overwhelmed when faced with choosing from 50 different options. My wife handles large selections better, but I prefer when someone shows me two handles and asks, “this one or that one?”
Nordlys schrieb:
Regarding robson, cheapcheap, “cheap” has a negative connotation. I don’t see where he advised us to go for something cheap. Affordable, yes, cheap, no. Now, to be honest, that’s exactly how I meant it.
It runs through your posts and recommendations — you call it affordable, I call it cheap.
Maybe it’s because of age, but I want to build something nice, and if in the end the cost is €5,000 (about $5,400) more, then so be it, because that’s what I want. It should be a home for me and my family. If it’s different for you, that’s fine! If you just need it simple, that’s good too.
But personally, that wouldn’t be enough for me. And in my opinion, the provider is making it a bit too easy for themselves. If their response is just “this or that,” they really are taking the easy way out. They want to offer it as cheaply as possible to maximize their own profit margin.
My 2 cents
ypg schrieb:
I’m just questioning the argument of the "seller" here
They simply don’t want to deal with unconventional materials!
Best regards in shortIt’s quite possible—if the customer is happy with it, why not.
Uncommon usually also means a significant surcharge (small quantities, unfamiliar handling). Maybe they don’t want to get the reputation of being cheap up to the selection phase.
I’m just allergic to typical sellers who are obviously only after your best interest—in other words, your money.
You guys are really quite easygoing. Usually, people have some idea of what their future house should look like and don't wait until the day of the interior selection to decide whether the windows will be colored or what color the roof will be. Likewise, you normally think about what kind of staircase you want beforehand and don’t just end up agreeing to a painted beechwood staircase within a few minutes of discussion. For us, such decisions take veeeery long. By the way, your red concrete roof will be dirty after 10-15 years, even without trees around it.
Best regards
Sabine
Best regards
Sabine
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