Hello everyone,
After purchasing a plot of land, we are currently gathering quotes from both conventional masonry house builders and prefab home suppliers. From the first offers we received, it became clear that they are very difficult to compare:
1. We don’t know what to pay attention to in the quotes (what is essential, what can be omitted, what must definitely be considered).
2. The offers are incomplete or partly inaccurate, meaning they differ from what was agreed. One example of incompleteness was an offer where the basement was shown as resting directly on the soil because excavation work, frost protection, and gravel were missing. We didn’t notice this at first in the lengthy proposal until another provider reviewed it and pointed this out to us.
3. So far, no provider has factored in that the plot needs to be “filled” because it lies below street level.
4. We decided to build without a basement, as the zoning plan requires a waterproof basement. However, the conducted geotechnical soil report warns that costly additional measures may be necessary (e.g., foundations on ductile cast pipe driven piles or ground improvements) if building only with a slab-on-grade foundation. There are very settlement-prone peat soils, and after periods of heavy rain, rising subsurface and groundwater can increase up to the surface level.
Of course, we want to avoid unforeseen costs as much as possible and, on the other hand, minimize any regret later because we forgot something important about the house. I’m sure we are not the only ones dealing with such or similar questions. What experiences have you had, and what things should we definitely pay attention to?
Best regards, metalex
After purchasing a plot of land, we are currently gathering quotes from both conventional masonry house builders and prefab home suppliers. From the first offers we received, it became clear that they are very difficult to compare:
1. We don’t know what to pay attention to in the quotes (what is essential, what can be omitted, what must definitely be considered).
2. The offers are incomplete or partly inaccurate, meaning they differ from what was agreed. One example of incompleteness was an offer where the basement was shown as resting directly on the soil because excavation work, frost protection, and gravel were missing. We didn’t notice this at first in the lengthy proposal until another provider reviewed it and pointed this out to us.
3. So far, no provider has factored in that the plot needs to be “filled” because it lies below street level.
4. We decided to build without a basement, as the zoning plan requires a waterproof basement. However, the conducted geotechnical soil report warns that costly additional measures may be necessary (e.g., foundations on ductile cast pipe driven piles or ground improvements) if building only with a slab-on-grade foundation. There are very settlement-prone peat soils, and after periods of heavy rain, rising subsurface and groundwater can increase up to the surface level.
Of course, we want to avoid unforeseen costs as much as possible and, on the other hand, minimize any regret later because we forgot something important about the house. I’m sure we are not the only ones dealing with such or similar questions. What experiences have you had, and what things should we definitely pay attention to?
Best regards, metalex
metalex schrieb:
2. The offers are incomplete or partly incorrect, meaning they differ from what was agreed.I would be surprised if the offers were tailored individually. It takes too much effort to prepare specific quotes for clients who do not sign. You will most likely receive the standard description. Your issue with the ground is specific and will be factored in after signing the contract.
metalex schrieb:
3. No provider has so far included the fact that the plot needs to be “filled” because it lies below street level.See above.
metalex schrieb:
However, the geotechnical report carried out points out that costly additional measures (e.g., foundation on ductile cast pipe ram piles or soil improvements) may be necessary if only a slab foundation is used (there are very settlement-prone peat soils, and after heavy rain periods, rising groundwater and capillary water can reach up to the surface level).Oh dear!
As mentioned above: a general contractor has to push a groundworks contractor to provide an offer. Since you have not signed yet, it may be that the effort of both was wasted.
That’s how I see it.
Tina mit K13 Jun 2019 22:16I can share a recent example of costs for a pile foundation to give an idea:
Our bungalow has a slab foundation of 136 sqm (1,463 sq ft), and we needed 22 micropiles drilled 14 meters (46 feet) deep into the ground. A team of 5 people worked on this for a week, and it cost us 29,500 euros gross. Additionally, because of this, we required a stronger slab foundation, which cost another 10,000 euros. In comparison, the 1,500 euros extra for the structural engineer to calculate where the pile points had to be placed was just a small amount.
We actually had the offer for the pile foundation before signing the contract with the house builder, and the company still honored their fixed price more than six months later.
Our bungalow has a slab foundation of 136 sqm (1,463 sq ft), and we needed 22 micropiles drilled 14 meters (46 feet) deep into the ground. A team of 5 people worked on this for a week, and it cost us 29,500 euros gross. Additionally, because of this, we required a stronger slab foundation, which cost another 10,000 euros. In comparison, the 1,500 euros extra for the structural engineer to calculate where the pile points had to be placed was just a small amount.
We actually had the offer for the pile foundation before signing the contract with the house builder, and the company still honored their fixed price more than six months later.
Basti-ac schrieb:
Silly question, but if you sign the contract first and then the general contractor demands exorbitant amounts for these works, is there any way to back out? (Like doing the work yourself or something similar?) Bad situation. It’s like chasing your own tail.
Our general contractor provided us with a complete offer including all earthworks before signing the contract. This also included a fill layer of 80cm (31.5 inches) across the entire property, with topsoil nicely spread everywhere—everything was included. This way, no additional costs arose later. I also met a family who paid 80,000 euros for their pile foundations, so it can get very expensive.
Best regards,
Sabine
Best regards,
Sabine
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