ᐅ Price Increase – Our Construction Company Wants 21.4% More

@Pinkiponk I have to strongly disagree with you here:
You can’t just change who you are, and a conflict will never be that simple or quiet—at least not in your own life. You could at least have a consultation with consumer advice, but that’s up to you.

From an outside perspective, I would say you should have handled some things differently, but at the same time, I want to acknowledge that we have both been stuck in similarly difficult situations. It’s always easy to solve other people’s problems; in theory, we all think we’re experts, but when it comes to our own challenges, many of us fail repeatedly.
Your situation affected both of us deeply, especially since we went through a different yet equally difficult experience here. We also trusted too much, already paid a substantial amount, and were even living in “our” huge apartment when the owner suddenly changed their mind, despite our money already having been spent. They looked at the current developments in the real estate market and disregarded all previous agreements (pre-contracts, etc.); suddenly, they want us to pay a high rent.
Unfortunately, the legal issues around zoning, access, and so on were still unresolved and, due to changeover, completely confusing... long story short.
In brief, we trusted what was contractually promised to us and then—boom—everything changed.
My wife probably suffered for a long time, but I had to get out of that grip quickly and suddenly... now we’re building. The time pressure led us to make mistakes and, apparently, trust too much or not question things firmly enough again. However, I also believe that the “department of distrust” just faces different problems, not fewer ones.
Anyone claiming they never face problems simply can’t be taken seriously.
I’m aware that I bear much responsibility here because most of these things can only happen if I allow them or if I’m not paying attention.
BUT:
Being “that way” also has many important advantages that can’t be calculated or bought. You meet different types of people, feel more comfortable with like-minded individuals, and usually develop deeper relationships because you don’t just go through life superficially.
In my life so far, I’ve met plenty of hard-headed, know-it-all calculators—people I’m rarely friends with. I prefer the “lost,” the “stumbled” ones—that includes me too—and when we openly and honestly share that, you don’t feel quite as lonely or, as you put it, “stupid.”
From the many subtle hints, I understand your basic outlook on life, which I find very sympathetic. As a fellow “stupid” person, you’re always invited to join us “stupid” folks for afternoon coffee, and you’ll see you’re not alone with your “stupidity.”
I get frustrated by those sometimes costly mistakes; I wouldn’t want to be different in my basic approach to life either.
I’d only offer this to a few people here, which you could take as a compliment—it means your “stupidity” also comes with the advantages I mentioned, which the other calculating types will never experience.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

You really have to be that foolish first.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

Thanks, I appreciate your understanding.

I would call it less understanding.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

So your "foolishness" actually has the mentioned advantages,

Now I have to say something again:
You’re not foolish for trusting. People whose instinct is to trust rather than those whose instinct is distrust are not foolish.
I also belong to the first group and sometimes wonder about statements here and actions there – more money is spent on legal protection and lawyers, more time wasted on disputes, to the point it almost seems intentional.
Sometimes it makes sense. But often I think: with a little less stubbornness, with a small “foolish” step like a down payment, an advance, or an initial offer, you often get further than if you “cleverly” respond with defensive behavior. As I said: I consider myself foolish, but I have always gotten what I wanted.
At the hardware store, at my age, I am now also one of the “foolish” ones. When I act like that, I get all the help and information I need. If I presented myself harshly like a broom (the builder with the slaughterhouse), I would face many walls and barriers.
@Pinkiponk : Naivety and inexperience are not foolishness and not something to be ashamed of. However, one should not turn that into submissiveness.

I can also admit to making some mistakes myself: I hired a gardener to create the garden and paid him in cash. As you might expect, he never came back to do the work and was never seen again.

When I wanted to sell my condominium, it didn’t work out at first. I met with several real estate agents and eventually chose one who sold the apartment well below market price. Strangely enough, the sale went through immediately after that. The agent also promised me a discount if the apartment sold “quickly” (no more than three viewings). The discount turned out to be 200 euros from a total of nearly 9,000 euros 😱 — and I thought I was actually getting a discount. 🙄

Last year, due to my own naivety during the sale, I lost about three-quarters of a year’s salary. Well, it bothers me only a little. Of course, I was upset with myself, but only briefly, because the hindsight bias—thinking you should have known better—is misleading. Everyone makes the best decisions they can in the moment. You did the same. And then things turn out differently.

Don’t be discouraged. Look at what suits you best now: whether it’s to consider legal action or, as they like to say here in Flanders, “just lie down next to the problem” (here they literally lie down themselves instead of trying to lie the problem away. 😀).

Good luck,

This morning, I thought of something I want to share with you: how incredibly important and helpful this forum is. I reflected on who I reached out to first when I received the disturbing news. Even before my husband, friends, or experts/professionals, I thought of you. You have supported me both factually and emotionally, and I want to thank you once again for that. From my perspective, this forum plays a very important role, and I especially want to thank everyone whose building project/life planning related to construction is already completed and who still dedicate their time, energy (and yes, sometimes nerves ;-) ) to contribute here.

That makes me feel less alone with all our troubles...

What I want to tell you is: put aside the idea that an existing house would carry less risk or anything like that. I thought the same and ended up getting badly burned...

So don’t waste any more thought on that...

Regarding the whole consumer protection discussion, I also find it unbelievable how poorly protected you are.

When you receive the final invoice from a tradesperson and pay it, the work is considered accepted within two weeks. That’s just crazy.

What am I supposed to do when the invoice for the roof arrives? Not pay and tell the contractor that I want to thoroughly inspect everything after moving in six months later?

The stair builder also wanted his money immediately, even though the stairs hadn’t even been unpacked yet... We argued with him, saying we couldn’t know if everything was fine with the stairs... but at some point, I didn’t have the energy or patience to keep arguing with multiple parties involved in individual contracts. We trusted him; he promised he would be there for us if anything were wrong with the stairs. No such luck.

Since you’ll have to do without the divided-light windows anyway, how about installing the muntins only on the front? That way, you’ll still get the expected visual appeal when you approach your property. You can add the shutters later.