ᐅ Are project phases 1 to 4 sufficient, or is phase 5 also necessary?

Just thinking about the drawings for the ridge and other connection points from your eaves height thread, I strongly advise against letting the structural carpenter work based solely on the submitted plans. After all, we are talking about a multi-family house.

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I didn’t build an entire house, but only dormer windows according to design phases 1–4, and even for this small project, detailed planning was definitely missing. Without plans, contractors always try to carry out their work as simply as possible. This is inconvenient for the following trades, as no consideration is given to them at all. As a layperson, you always realize afterwards where the planning could have been better. But by then, the facts have already been established. What I definitely missed were the detailed plans showing how to better integrate the roller shutter boxes so that unattractive surface-mounted boxes would not be necessary. I think we found a solution, but with design phase 5 it would have been much better and less stressful.

A standard house handed over completely to a general contractor usually does not necessarily require design phase 5, as the contractor handles this themselves.

If the work is divided into separate trades (here, for example, the structural shell), design phase 5 is required—not only for the architectural design but also for the structural engineering (engineer).

Tassimat schrieb:

Without plans, craftsmen always try to carry out their work as simply as possible.

I would put it differently: For craftsmen, "no plan" or "no detailed specification in a plan" is not simply "no instruction," but rather an instruction meaning "follow your usual routine." The problem is: jazz musicians can improvise, but symphony musicians absolutely need sheet music (and a conductor, which is why having a site manager who actively oversees the project—not just on paper—is so important!).

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We are currently facing the exact same decision. What Lumpi mentions—phase 5 of the service stages not being necessary for the general contractor (GC)—is also stated in Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausf%C3%BChrungsplanung#Planungsprozess One of the GCs also said exactly that: it saves money to commission only up to the building permit/planning permission stage; they don’t need more. In a simple single-family house, everything is standard anyway; Ytong blocks here, gypsum boards there...

However, we do wonder how sensible it is to purchase an individual building permit/planning permission design expensively from the architect and then rely on the GC to implement it exactly as intended.

Phase 5 of the service stages costs a significant 25% according to HOAI, but maybe it could be done more affordably afterward by a younger colleague—if the GC still needs something?

bobbelche schrieb:

One of the general contractors said [...] he didn’t need it.

I interpret this as an honest statement meaning: "My team wouldn’t even look at such plans; they always follow a standard template." From this, it also follows...

bobbelche schrieb:

– in case the general contractor is missing anything?

...that the general contractor will not speak up if, from your perspective, something is missing – because in their opinion, it can be improvised without prior agreement.

bobbelche schrieb:

However, we do wonder how sensible it is to purchase an expensive custom permit planning from the architect and then trust that the general contractor will implement it as intended. [...] Maybe it could then be done more cheaply afterwards by a younger colleague.

I would almost certainly say that trusting the outcome to be as expected is misguided here. In my opinion, detailed construction planning is indeed better done by the person who developed the design. But in principle, you can also assign this to a "younger colleague." I would strongly advise not only having them produce the drawings but also entrusting them with construction management. If you only have plans made that the general contractor’s rushing workers don’t even look at, that would be money wasted (money you’d probably be better off taking to a claims lawyer). Hire both a detailed planner and construction manager, as well as an accompanying expert. How often the expert needs to be involved depends on the complexity: for each bay window and roof area, more often than for a standard build.

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