ᐅ We are looking for a construction company for building a house in Hamburg.
Created on: 18 Jun 2020 15:20
R
Rookie5Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and I are looking for a company to build our house. Let me start with some information about our project.
We will receive a plot of land next year (about 750 m² (8,073 sq ft)) and want either to renovate the existing house on the property (built sometime in the 1950s) or build a new one. Since the house is still occupied, we don’t know if it’s worth investing more money in the current building. That’s why we started gathering information, asking homeowners about their experiences, and so on.
Because we can only have the house assessed next year, we are already trying to find a reliable company so we don’t have to start from scratch if we decide to build new. What we want is a detached house with about 140 m² (1,507 sq ft), preferably with a basement. Yes, I’ve been reading for months that this is often requested but probably not realistic with our budget. Hope dies last...
We don’t have specific preferences regarding the design, meaning whether it’s a pitched roof, modern villa, or something else. What’s important is at least 4 rooms and a minimum energy standard of KfW 55 (preferably 40+). The kitchen should not be too small and, if possible, not open-plan. A sliding door separating it from the dining and living room would be sufficient. A covered terrace would also be nice, and we prefer a solid construction method.
We are budgeting around €25,000 (about $27,000) for demolishing the old house and about €60,000 (around $65,000) for additional costs. By additional costs, we mean not kitchen, garage, garden work, or similar things, but rather notary fees, probably necessary (new) property connections or replacing pipes, site costs, etc. For the house alone, we want to spend around €300,000 (about $325,000). It could be €10,000 to €20,000 (roughly $11,000 to $22,000) more, but preferably not. An additional €10,000 to €20,000 for upgraded finishes (is that the right term?) is also planned.
Well, all this is still somewhat secondary. Now I’m getting to the point! I am looking for potential candidates who can fulfill our dream. We do not want to do any work ourselves and want to have only one contact person. That means planning the project, having it carried out, paying, and moving in. Yes, I would assemble the furniture and mount the TV on the wall, but nothing related to the building process. I just want it to work and not cause too much stress.
For months, I have been reading online, including a lot in this forum. Whenever someone mentions a company they were satisfied with, I immediately google them. But I almost always end up with negative reviews and blogs, so I’m starting to lose hope and preparing for a lot of stress. From what I understand, everything depends heavily on the subcontractors, construction manager, and many other factors I probably cannot influence much.
I also think that many unhappy customers are more likely to post online than satisfied ones, but aside from one company (at least that’s the feeling), there isn’t a single one I would sign with without hesitation. For that one company, people mostly say it’s more expensive than the others.
I kindly ask you to honestly tell me how the real situation looks. Am I overthinking this? Is the internet simply full of negativity? Can you recommend a company without reservation that meets our requirements, or how should we proceed? Is our budget realistic? Why are there so many negative reports and blogs? Am I too scared? Others have built and live happily in their homes.
Now you might rightly ask why we don’t just choose that one provider. The thing is, I want to compare prices, and my girlfriend insists on having a basement. We had one with the old house, and I’d rather build new. So, maybe a basement is still possible with a more affordable provider. Even a partial basement would be enough. It would basically “only” need to include the utility room and laundry room. My better half doesn’t want to outsource these.
I’m a bit desperate and grateful for any suggestions, ideas, and even criticism. I hope to benefit from your experience, as I don’t know anyone in Hamburg who has built a house in the last 15 years. The last people who got their own home either bought an older house or built with a company that doesn’t build in Hamburg because they are based further away.
My girlfriend and I are looking for a company to build our house. Let me start with some information about our project.
We will receive a plot of land next year (about 750 m² (8,073 sq ft)) and want either to renovate the existing house on the property (built sometime in the 1950s) or build a new one. Since the house is still occupied, we don’t know if it’s worth investing more money in the current building. That’s why we started gathering information, asking homeowners about their experiences, and so on.
Because we can only have the house assessed next year, we are already trying to find a reliable company so we don’t have to start from scratch if we decide to build new. What we want is a detached house with about 140 m² (1,507 sq ft), preferably with a basement. Yes, I’ve been reading for months that this is often requested but probably not realistic with our budget. Hope dies last...
We don’t have specific preferences regarding the design, meaning whether it’s a pitched roof, modern villa, or something else. What’s important is at least 4 rooms and a minimum energy standard of KfW 55 (preferably 40+). The kitchen should not be too small and, if possible, not open-plan. A sliding door separating it from the dining and living room would be sufficient. A covered terrace would also be nice, and we prefer a solid construction method.
We are budgeting around €25,000 (about $27,000) for demolishing the old house and about €60,000 (around $65,000) for additional costs. By additional costs, we mean not kitchen, garage, garden work, or similar things, but rather notary fees, probably necessary (new) property connections or replacing pipes, site costs, etc. For the house alone, we want to spend around €300,000 (about $325,000). It could be €10,000 to €20,000 (roughly $11,000 to $22,000) more, but preferably not. An additional €10,000 to €20,000 for upgraded finishes (is that the right term?) is also planned.
Well, all this is still somewhat secondary. Now I’m getting to the point! I am looking for potential candidates who can fulfill our dream. We do not want to do any work ourselves and want to have only one contact person. That means planning the project, having it carried out, paying, and moving in. Yes, I would assemble the furniture and mount the TV on the wall, but nothing related to the building process. I just want it to work and not cause too much stress.
For months, I have been reading online, including a lot in this forum. Whenever someone mentions a company they were satisfied with, I immediately google them. But I almost always end up with negative reviews and blogs, so I’m starting to lose hope and preparing for a lot of stress. From what I understand, everything depends heavily on the subcontractors, construction manager, and many other factors I probably cannot influence much.
I also think that many unhappy customers are more likely to post online than satisfied ones, but aside from one company (at least that’s the feeling), there isn’t a single one I would sign with without hesitation. For that one company, people mostly say it’s more expensive than the others.
I kindly ask you to honestly tell me how the real situation looks. Am I overthinking this? Is the internet simply full of negativity? Can you recommend a company without reservation that meets our requirements, or how should we proceed? Is our budget realistic? Why are there so many negative reports and blogs? Am I too scared? Others have built and live happily in their homes.
Now you might rightly ask why we don’t just choose that one provider. The thing is, I want to compare prices, and my girlfriend insists on having a basement. We had one with the old house, and I’d rather build new. So, maybe a basement is still possible with a more affordable provider. Even a partial basement would be enough. It would basically “only” need to include the utility room and laundry room. My better half doesn’t want to outsource these.
I’m a bit desperate and grateful for any suggestions, ideas, and even criticism. I hope to benefit from your experience, as I don’t know anyone in Hamburg who has built a house in the last 15 years. The last people who got their own home either bought an older house or built with a company that doesn’t build in Hamburg because they are based further away.
I haven’t built a house myself yet.
Take a look at Kagebau from Hohenlockstedt.
If a traditional gable roof house is sufficient for you, I would recommend the Klassik model under their Premium range.
This includes flooring and painting work.
The knee wall is solid (in many others, it’s only made of wood), the roof is insulated (not just the staircase), and the shower is already tiled.
The house starts at around €284,000 in the KfW55 brick veneer version.
The basement is always estimated at about €100,000 there.
Excavation and disposal costs are quite expensive.
Take a look at Kagebau from Hohenlockstedt.
If a traditional gable roof house is sufficient for you, I would recommend the Klassik model under their Premium range.
This includes flooring and painting work.
The knee wall is solid (in many others, it’s only made of wood), the roof is insulated (not just the staircase), and the shower is already tiled.
The house starts at around €284,000 in the KfW55 brick veneer version.
The basement is always estimated at about €100,000 there.
Excavation and disposal costs are quite expensive.
PyneBite schrieb:
Quick question:
Where in Hamburg – south or north? That probably doesn’t make much difference, right? It’s maybe only 30-40 km (20-25 miles)...
Rookie5 schrieb:
We’ll be getting a plot next year (about 750 m² (8,070 sq ft)) and want to either renovate the house currently on the lot (built sometime in the 1950s) or build a new one. Since the house is still occupied, we don’t know if it’s worth investing money into it. That’s why we’ve started gathering information, asking homeowners about their experiences, and so on. Nice plot size for sure. For the house, I’d suggest getting a building inspector or surveyor in if you’re considering renovation.
Since we can only have the house evaluated next year, we’re already trying to find a trustworthy company so we’re not starting from scratch if we decide on new construction. What we want is a single-family home with about 140 m² (1,500 sq ft), ideally with a basement.
Yes, I’ve been reading for months that this is a common request, but probably not really realistic with our budget. Still, hope dies last...
Rookie5 schrieb:
We don’t have specific preferences, meaning whether it’s a pitched roof, townhouse style, or something else. Important are at least 4 rooms and a minimum energy standard of KfW 55 (preferably 40+). Why?
Rookie5 schrieb:
A covered terrace would also be nice and solid (masonry) construction. If you’re not talking about building anything solidly (masonry) now, then that’s really an investment you might want to make 1-2 years later.
Rookie5 schrieb:
We’re budgeting around €25,000 (about $27,000) for demolishing the old house and about €60,000 (about $64,000) for additional costs. That could work.
Rookie5 schrieb:
We don’t want to do any DIY ourselves and only want to deal with a single point of contact. Meaning plan the construction project, have it executed, pay, and move in. Yes, I would still assemble the furniture and hang the TV on the wall, but nothing related to the building itself. I just want it to work smoothly without too much stress. Building a house is stressful in 99% of cases. What you want is what everyone wants, but something always happens, and you think it only happens to you. Unfortunately, that’s quite normal in construction.
I would suggest looking into companies like Viebrockhaus (just as an example). Their houses are usually €30-40K ($32-43K) more expensive than competitors, but in most cases, the work is clean and accurate. Disputes are rare because you pay upfront accordingly.
Rookie5 schrieb:
But I mostly come across negative reviews and blogs. That’s unfortunately typical these days. How often do you write a review when a product works well? Certainly not as often as when something goes wrong. A 1-star Google review is still mild compared to some things.
Rookie5 schrieb:
I’m preparing myself for a lot of stress. Better to be prepared than not.
Rookie5 schrieb:
As far as I understand, everything depends on the subcontractor, the site manager, and many other factors I probably can’t influence much. Unfortunately yes. Then there’s the building authority, which sometimes doesn’t cooperate, someone from the utilities dragging their feet and connections not arriving, deliveries being delayed, or a global pandemic stopping construction altogether. None of that can be planned for…
Rookie5 schrieb:
I also think many of those dissatisfied with the services tend to speak up online more than satisfied customers. But apart from one company (at least it feels that way), there’s no one I would sign with without hesitation. That one firm is mostly said to be more expensive than others. You already said it yourself... Let me guess – Viebrockhaus?
Rookie5 schrieb:
Am I overthinking? Is the internet just full of negativity? Overthinking is hardly wrong with such a project – and yes, in my opinion the internet is pretty useless for this topic.
Rookie5 schrieb:
Can you recommend a company without reservation that meets our requirements, or how should we proceed? In my opinion, you’ll have the least stress with a good architect and awarding contracts directly to individual trades. That way, you meet each company separately and can form an opinion based on their professional behavior. If we build again in 10-15 years, that will probably be our approach. Unfortunately, it’s also more expensive.
Rookie5 schrieb:
Is our budget realistic? Definitely doable. But you can forget about a basement.
Rookie5 schrieb:
Why are there so many negative reports/blogs? Am I too scared? I think it’s because you have to deal with this problem long-term. When something works, it’s checked off and done. But if there’s a problem, you sit in front of the computer googling, looking for solutions, making phone calls, writing emails, etc. A review—written in 2 minutes—is the easiest thing to do.
Rookie5 schrieb:
My partner insists on a basement, we had one with the old house, but I prefer building new.
Maybe a basement could still be possible with a cheaper provider. A partial basement would be enough. It “only” needs to fit the technical room and a laundry area. My other half doesn’t want to outsource that. You won’t get a basement for that price unless you renovate an existing building. A basement isn’t just a hole in the ground. The shell alone costs a lot, plus the technical installations, floor construction, painting, etc.
Rookie5 schrieb:
I’m a bit desperate and grateful for any advice, ideas, or criticism. I’m hoping for your experience here because none of my friends or acquaintances have built in Hamburg in the last 15 years. Our neighbors crammed their entire technical room into 4 m² (43 sq ft). Every installer cursed a lot, but somehow it worked. You can definitely plan something like that, and then it’s out of sight. Visit some model home parks and have a look. You can also install equipment in the attic if you don’t want it visible at all.
By the way, we built with Kage. It got tough towards the end because communication between the office/site manager/customers was, in my opinion, terrible. But otherwise, the guys build good houses.
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