Hello everyone,
At the end of March, we had initial discussions with several providers. However, we have only received an offer (and further appointments) from one provider so far. At the first contact, all of them immediately mentioned that it would take some time because demand is currently very high.
Therefore, my question is: On average, how long did you have to wait before you could develop a floor plan and a project with a provider, which then resulted in a first offer? I am slowly becoming impatient, as we would like to start building next spring.
At the end of March, we had initial discussions with several providers. However, we have only received an offer (and further appointments) from one provider so far. At the first contact, all of them immediately mentioned that it would take some time because demand is currently very high.
Therefore, my question is: On average, how long did you have to wait before you could develop a floor plan and a project with a provider, which then resulted in a first offer? I am slowly becoming impatient, as we would like to start building next spring.
Naturliebhaber schrieb:
So my question is: On average, how long did you have to wait before you could work with a provider to develop a floor plan and project concept, resulting in an initial offer? Naturliebhaber schrieb:
I’ve been wondering all the time whether we should still contact an architect. If I interpret the headline and the opening post correctly, you only contacted the companies to express interest; and now you expect to be invited to meetings to develop floor plans, from which each provider should then create their offer?
Well, we know from https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/positionierung-des-hauses-auf-nordgrundstueck.38896/ that you already have a plot of land. Do the companies you contacted know that as well, or might you already be quietly buried under other "just expressed interest" notes? – in that case, the natural course would be that they only get back to you again during slow periods.
Contacting an architect would clearly be the best approach in my opinion, the first choice. Especially due to the split lot with dual access, you would overwhelm someone just doing draft work, but also because having your own planner to guide you is indispensable. Several forum users have already reached out to me – either way, it seems you need a guide.
Whether through an architect or another way, you need one building design, which must be found or developed. In three preliminary meetings – at a time when everyone tends to wait until a "post-COVID normality" develops – you would otherwise be developing three different building designs as the basis for offers, meaning you end up comparing apples, pears, and oranges at the design level – combined with different foundations at the scope of work description level. Then you get the price figures, from which famously only the unwise make cuts.
A "common denominator" makes the comparison truly meaningful. If the design is developed together with an architect, you simultaneously gain the person who also knows or can find the suitable contractors and can handle construction supervision.
Naturliebhaber schrieb:
If we could submit the building notification (which is probably sufficient for us) by the end of the year, I would be completely satisfied. That’s definitely still within the realm of possibility. I’ll say this: right now it’s still May, and I’m not yet under pressure with vacation scheduling. If you want to build a roof over your head – even if it’s going to be a nice one – you need to stick to the timetable. For extra rounds of reading up on countless heating technologies, time might already get a bit tight – so I hope that for various details you can trust the respective experts. The fact that you generally asked for a general contractor suggests you’re probably not hardcore building fashion maniacs who want specialized options in every little detail ;-)
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
motorradsilke12 May 2021 16:41Everything moved very quickly for us. The initial ideas about building came up in November 2020. In December, we developed the floor plan and contacted several companies. From the start, we made it clear that they would only be considered if we could finish by autumn 2021. That ruled out all prefabricated house providers, as they could only start in autumn 2021. We received the first offers still in December. We then chose a company, signed the contract in January, and made some adjustments to the floor plan. In February, we submitted the building permit application/planning permission, and in March, we received approval. Construction could have started then, but COVID-19 caused a two-week delay.
The demolition has been ongoing for three weeks (we stripped the interior ourselves); today, everything is cleared, and the excavation has been filled. Construction will begin on Monday. I am optimistic that we will move in by autumn.
The demolition has been ongoing for three weeks (we stripped the interior ourselves); today, everything is cleared, and the excavation has been filled. Construction will begin on Monday. I am optimistic that we will move in by autumn.
N
Naturliebhaber12 May 2021 16:59@motorradsilke that is really incredibly fast... I didn’t even expect something like that 😉
@11ant We had similar initial meetings with all the providers. Our requests were noted, and we brought a floor plan template that was to be adapted to our needs. We don’t have any unusual demands, just a solid, sensible masonry house of about 160sqm (1,722 sqft). Everyone also knew that a plot of land exists; they received the necessary dimensions including the site plan. All of them said that our desired timeline for starting construction was realistic and that they could serve us as customers. Furthermore, our specific ideas were "praised," so I actually thought things would move a bit faster.
Basically, at first it was helpful for us to get input from different sides, as each provider made certain remarks that helped us advance in developing our personal ideas.
We generally want to do as little work ourselves on the house as possible and have no prior experience with such a project, so it initially seemed more reasonable to put the whole thing in the hands of a general contractor. But slowly I am starting to have some doubts. That’s how the idea of hiring an architect came into play, along with the fear that this might make the costs a bit harder to control.
@11ant We had similar initial meetings with all the providers. Our requests were noted, and we brought a floor plan template that was to be adapted to our needs. We don’t have any unusual demands, just a solid, sensible masonry house of about 160sqm (1,722 sqft). Everyone also knew that a plot of land exists; they received the necessary dimensions including the site plan. All of them said that our desired timeline for starting construction was realistic and that they could serve us as customers. Furthermore, our specific ideas were "praised," so I actually thought things would move a bit faster.
Basically, at first it was helpful for us to get input from different sides, as each provider made certain remarks that helped us advance in developing our personal ideas.
We generally want to do as little work ourselves on the house as possible and have no prior experience with such a project, so it initially seemed more reasonable to put the whole thing in the hands of a general contractor. But slowly I am starting to have some doubts. That’s how the idea of hiring an architect came into play, along with the fear that this might make the costs a bit harder to control.
Naturliebhaber schrieb:
And this is where the idea of involving an architect comes in, along with the concern that this might make the costs a bit harder to control. Since you are online right now, before I focus on other aspects, a quick question regarding this point: why or what makes you worried about this?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
C
chamäleon12 May 2021 18:56We contacted 13 local architects. Nine of them showed no interest or will only have availability to start planning in a year. We had personal meetings with four and then chose one. The first phone call was in September, and the excavator arrives next week.
N
Naturliebhaber12 May 2021 19:5311ant schrieb:
Since you're online right now, before I deal with other aspects, just a quick question about this point: why / on what basis do you have this concern? To be honest, I can’t really explain it. Just a feeling.
Do architects even offer fixed prices? Honestly, I haven’t looked into that yet, since it hasn’t been an issue for us so far.
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