ᐅ General Procedure / Workflow

Yes, that's exactly how the responses are.

I experienced the same. One company had a contract clause that we didn’t like.

The firm answer: Our contracts are not negotiable.

Why should a company deal with someone who has different requests at this stage when there are hundreds of others who just accept it?

You can even notice this when quotes are prepared; many companies don’t follow up if you don’t respond.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

and not pay 10-20% more for subcontractors

So, direct awarding. Subcontracting outside of direct awarding is common practice.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

What I mean is that a basement commissioned through a prefabricated house provider and subcontracted accordingly costs 10-20% more than a basement I would commission directly from the basement builder.

That is just a myth. On the one hand, the prefabricated house provider works with batch sizes >100 compared to your batch size of 1. So they get a significantly better price from the basement builder. Back then, we had a price from Hanse including the basement, itemized separately. For that amount, you wouldn’t get a basement on the open market as an individual builder.
On the other hand, I know from the handful of prefab house providers I’m familiar with that none of them build on a basement supplied by the owner, mainly due to warranty and interface issues.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

And I don’t believe the prefabricated house provider will let us go just because I commission the basement externally.

You think so? Have you already contacted companies and outlined your plans?

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

The planning is done for the whole house, including the basement.

If you order from the prefab house provider without the basement, why would they plan the basement as well?

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

Then the housebuilding industry must be doing extremely well.

Yes, the housebuilding industry is really doing extremely well—thanks to low interest rates, government grants for families, and KfW funding being handed out. But this has been the case for several years now.

Basically, we have had a supplier market for quite some time. That means the low-hanging fruit is preferred, and with some special requests, you’re simply not part of that. Prefab construction is highly standardized both in terms of process and construction technology, and deviations from the standard first require resources that can be more profitably used elsewhere.

So no, right now no one is going to “go the extra mile” for you.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

Let me think: we’re talking about an amount between 350,000€ and 400,000€, where most of the costs are actually incurred during the shell construction phase (which progresses quite quickly). Now I come along and say, Point A38 scaffolding is not provided by the builder! Do you really think they would say no?

Yes, but not out of arrogance or because the market is booming, rather because your contractor makes their profit from the difference between construction cost and sale price. If the client arranges the scaffolding and it’s not available at the right time or doesn’t meet the required quality, it significantly eats into the margin. Without profit, the prefabricated house manufacturer doesn’t need the revenue either. This is a matter of risk assessment.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

2. Looking for an expert who can simply support us during the construction. Maybe someone from a homeowners’ protection association or someone like the "prefab house expert"?

We had the scope of work from the prefab house expert reviewed. We haven’t yet decided who we will take as a construction supervisor.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

3. Getting quotes from prefab house companies, basement builders, the photovoltaic system installer, etc. I have already created a list of points to make sure that not too many additional costs appear during the selection of materials and features, but that they are included in the initial offer (otherwise comparison would be difficult).

Despite trying with identical specifications and a lot of effort and discussions, we were unable to obtain comparable quotes from the prefab house manufacturers. My impression is that the sales representatives “just do their own thing.” I also think that comparability of offers is generally not encouraged in this industry.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

Of course, we will conduct a preliminary selection of materials and features to be absolutely sure.

Unfortunately, we did not find any prefab house provider that allowed this. It would be great if you manage to do so.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

What order makes sense here? So: first prefab house supplier, then basement builder, then photovoltaic company, then finishing trades, then staircase builder?

I would start with the prefab house supplier.

Eigenheim_2011 schrieb:

5. Then the price negotiation. Should you also seek professional help for this, and if so, who? Would this person also be involved during the process?

There appear to be professionals for this. You already mentioned the "prefab house experts." According to their website, they are transparent regarding costs.

A brief addendum regarding the batch size @MayrCh We don't intend to work with a provider that builds over 1,000 houses per year anyway, but with a smaller one around 200.

Since many build without basements or are located in other federal states, the batch size is definitely not over 100. You may be right that we could end up paying more, but I can find that out by doing a price comparison. Additionally, I have seen that my four favorites don’t offer their own basement option. I will provide feedback on this once I know more.

Well, just because 3-4 large housing companies don’t build on external basements doesn’t mean that is the standard. I think the bigger companies generally don’t do that, but I don’t want to work with them anyway. I’m just a tiny grain of sand to them. Besides, it doesn’t make much sense because the basements are also contracted out externally. So there is absolutely no difference except who the client is.

I haven’t had any contact yet, but as I said, I will provide an update. That should be ready within the next 1-2 months.

Yes, the industry is probably doing well. But as I already mentioned, I don’t want to work with suppliers building over 1,000 homes because that way my wishes carry more weight. You also have to consider that right now perhaps some people are hesitant about building a house due to Corona. Child building subsidies and construction grants are disappearing anyway, so I don’t believe all order books will be full in the coming years. That’s just my opinion… or is there actual evidence for that — real evidence or just personal opinions and theories?

Thank you @Pinkiponk Now I have another question. What were the results of the construction service description and contract review? Of course, comparisons are not welcome, but didn’t you have any options?

My idea was to send a floor plan along with an exterior view, then list many small special requests such as a 70cm (28 inches) roof overhang, windows and doors in RC2 security class or optionally RC3, wood fiber insulation, venetian blinds, snow guards, “barrier-free” design with doors (90cm x 211cm (35 inches x 83 inches)), and much more. Then I should receive an offer. Afterwards, a preliminary sampling or a visit to the construction studio should be possible (which is offered without any problems). There I can note everything I want, compare it with the offer, and adjust or add points. Then submit it again to the company and ask for an update.

Here you find many factual, well-founded tips based on experience and knowledge. Unfortunately, this is not what you want to hear. Therefore, you either ignore them or "refute" them only with assumptions and "belief"... try to reflect on that.