Hello everyone!
We are currently considering three companies as potential builders. One of them is Laux Fertigbau from Saarland. They have offered to design our house according to our wishes (we sent them a list in text form). They have their own draftsmen but also work with architects.
The agreement would be that we pay €1500 (about $1600) for this planning work if we decide NOT to choose the company in the end. However, we would receive the plans and drawings and could have the house built by another company if we wanted to. If we decide in favor of Laux, then this planning is part of the project and costs nothing extra.
Overall, I find this arrangement fair, and I think it’s interesting to see what a local architect comes up with if given free rein. Still, I have some reservations about paying this money upfront because I worry it might create a sort of "pre-selection" for the builder and that we might then feel influenced to go with them, just so we don’t waste the €1500.
The second company (currently ranked third in my mind) is called DHI, and the third one is a very local provider with no website or brochures but has been building houses in the region for over 20 years and relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. I had a long phone conversation with them, and it was all very likeable. However, I don’t have a price estimate yet, and their aversion to anything digital (no smartphone, no website) puts me off a bit. On the other hand, their workload despite having no advertising clearly speaks in favor of the builder.
Best regards,
Kati
We are currently considering three companies as potential builders. One of them is Laux Fertigbau from Saarland. They have offered to design our house according to our wishes (we sent them a list in text form). They have their own draftsmen but also work with architects.
The agreement would be that we pay €1500 (about $1600) for this planning work if we decide NOT to choose the company in the end. However, we would receive the plans and drawings and could have the house built by another company if we wanted to. If we decide in favor of Laux, then this planning is part of the project and costs nothing extra.
Overall, I find this arrangement fair, and I think it’s interesting to see what a local architect comes up with if given free rein. Still, I have some reservations about paying this money upfront because I worry it might create a sort of "pre-selection" for the builder and that we might then feel influenced to go with them, just so we don’t waste the €1500.
The second company (currently ranked third in my mind) is called DHI, and the third one is a very local provider with no website or brochures but has been building houses in the region for over 20 years and relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations. I had a long phone conversation with them, and it was all very likeable. However, I don’t have a price estimate yet, and their aversion to anything digital (no smartphone, no website) puts me off a bit. On the other hand, their workload despite having no advertising clearly speaks in favor of the builder.
Best regards,
Kati
C
Costruttrice5 Mar 2022 18:4011ant schrieb:
Unfortunately, the references are limited to three-line customer testimonials from Ms. Hinz and Mr. Kunz from [place name], without any pictures of the completed houses.I agree, the website is not very informative. There are pictures on Facebook; judging by the photos, it seems to be a relatively young team, which might also explain the preference for Facebook.I have already been quoted by 11ant. Yes, it’s true. We built our house with Specht Bisdorf Fehmarn. It’s a very local builder without any website, completely digital-free, without a selection center, brochures, or catalogs. He still simply builds one house after another, keeps his promises, doesn’t cause trouble, isn’t petty as long as you’re honest, and everything is affordable. Why shouldn’t there be such builders in the Southwest as well? Give them a chance. These companies still remember you when everything is finished and there is a complaint. At least our builder from Fehmarn even gifts his clients a Nordmann fir tree for Christmas to decorate the living room. Quite nice, isn’t it?
11ant schrieb:
To me, this smells like a builder that both @Nordlys and I would be satisfied with, and therefore deserves a well-earned second place in your favor.I think so too. Actually, he almost shares first place with Laux at the moment. In the end, it’s also a question of price—we still don’t know anything concrete from him, just that his pricing approach seems fair. He once told us that he finds it ridiculous how many general contractors always demand a price X “per square meter.” He said a house that’s 20 m² (215 sq ft) bigger doesn’t necessarily cost proportionally more. He thinks companies that simply multiply the area by a flat rate are just making more profit on larger houses, and he finds that misleading clients. I can’t disagree with him there.11ant schrieb:
If I remember correctly, these are the ones with experience in split-level designs, which would be beneficial for your project.Exactly. Although most companies in the region have that experience—there are more sloped plots than flat ones here.Costruttrice schrieb:
Take a look at HausbauSaar; they include architect planning as part of their service package, but you can also come with a completed architectural design. They build using solid construction, wood, and Hebel (a type of aerated concrete) houses, and have several major trades in-house. Their website isn’t very informative, but their Facebook page has more details. I can’t speak from personal experience, it was just recommended to us.Thank you, I’ll check them out. I didn’t know about them before.Nida35a schrieb:
I would talk to the small company without a website—sounds like a family business. Get to know them, show your plans, share your timeline and budget expectations. Check if the subcontractors are local tradespeople (important for warranties and fulfilling future requests). The general contractor has a reputation and will still have it in 10 years. The €1500 (about $1600) for planning would be worth it to me.We will definitely talk to them, yes. I also think we will invest the €1500 (about $1600) for the planning—almost out of curiosity alone.Nordlys schrieb:
I was already quoted by 11ant. Yes, it’s true. We built with Specht Bisdorf Fehmarn—a very local builder without any website, completely analog, no showroom, no brochures or catalogs. He simply builds one house after another, keeps his word, doesn’t cause trouble, isn’t petty as long as you’re honest, and everything is reasonably priced. Why shouldn’t there be such people in the southwest as well? Give them a chance. These kind of companies still remember you when everything is finished and if there’s ever a complaint. At least our Fehmarn builder even gives his clients a Nordmann fir for Christmas to decorate the living room. Quite nice, isn’t it?I don’t know if he still gives out fir trees, but he definitely has a good reputation. From what we know, he is very present on site and stands by his work—even after construction is finished. A “takes care of you” type. However, he also doesn’t have a showroom, so I can’t yet imagine how you would choose tiles, flooring, and so on (as a previous general contractor client). But it must work somehow. He also offered that we could visit some of his finished houses. I find that exciting, especially if they are occupied. 😀
kati1337 schrieb:
He once told us that he finds it silly that many general contractors always charge a certain price “per square meter.” He said a house that’s 20 m² (215 sq ft) larger doesn’t necessarily become proportionally more expensive. He said companies that simply multiply the square meters by a fixed price end up earning more on bigger houses, and he thinks that’s misleading people. I don’t disagree with him on that. Well, that’s an understandable and likeable viewpoint, but in my opinion, his explanation misses the mark. The fact is, there are clients like Princess @Shiny86 who want to turn the stairs twenty-odd times, move the partition wall between the master and kid’s bathrooms, deliberate over every centimeter (inch) of wardrobe depth with a nursery rhyme, and redesign the pantry sliding door to be sometimes inside the wall and sometimes behind it. By the eighth time of asking whether this variant would cost five hundred bucks more or less, the general contractor is simply annoyed. It’s only a matter of time before, for the next client, the contractor decides to stick to the rule that with the same floor area, the price remains the same. The contractor isn’t adding any extra margin here but is simply saving himself the effort of doing fourteen price calculations for one and the same potential project. There are really clients no builder wishes on their competitors — in this sense, I can understand the general contractors. I wouldn’t call it “misleading” but rather “pragmatic self-defense” ;-)
kati1337 schrieb:
In the end, it’s also a question of the price. We don’t have any concrete info from him yet, only that his pricing approach seems fair. Where does your impression come from, or how does he price then?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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HilfeHilfe6 Mar 2022 06:14If you have it designed for €1,500, I would not expect the new general contractor (GC) to adopt it exactly as is.
Every GC has their own building style that they try to implement.
Every GC has their own building style that they try to implement.
M
motorradsilke6 Mar 2022 07:13kati1337 schrieb:
I think so too. Right now, he almost shares first place with Laux. In the end, it also depends on the price—we don’t have any concrete information about that yet, only that his pricing approach seems fair. He once told us he thinks it’s nonsense that many builders always ask for a certain price per square meter. He said a house that is 20m² (215 sq ft) larger doesn’t necessarily cost proportionally more. He believes companies that simply multiply the square meters by a fixed price end up making more profit on bigger houses, and he thinks that’s misleading people. I can’t say he’s wrong about that.
Exactly. Although most companies in this area do it that way—there are more sloped plots here than flat ones.
Thanks a lot, I’ll take a look at that. I didn’t know about it before.
We will definitely talk with him, yes. I also think we’ll spend the 1500€ (about $1600) on the planning. Mostly out of curiosity, really.
I don’t know if he actually gives away fir trees afterward, but he definitely has a good reputation. From what we know, he is very present on the construction sites and stands behind his work—even after the construction is finished. A “takes care of everything” kind of guy.
However, he doesn’t have a selection center, so I can’t quite imagine how you would choose tiles, floor coverings, etc. (as someone who has built with a general contractor before). But it must work somehow.
He also offered for us to visit finished houses of his, which I find quite exciting, especially if they are lived in. 😀 He simply gives you a list of suppliers where you can pick tiles and everything you want to select. They then send an offer to the general contractor, who passes it on to you. There is a fixed price included in the offer for, for example, the cheapest interior doors; if you want better ones, you pay extra.
It was the same for us and I’m sure it’s like that with all small general contractors.
The downside for us was that the affordable sanitary ceramics included in the price weren’t actually displayed in the suppliers’ showrooms—we could only see them in the warehouse. The problem is that on these markups, the supplier, the craftsman, and the general contractor all make a profit. For example, with our toilet: the supplier’s markup was 35€, the installer’s 60€, and the GC’s 85€.
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