ᐅ Solid Wood House: Different Start Dates for Construction
Created on: 16 Mar 2022 22:09
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blacktschery
Good evening dear forum members and a warm hello,
We have owned a 1400m² (15,070 sq ft) plot of land in southern Germany for over a year now. Since our first architect dropped out, we are now about to submit the building permit/planning permission application for the second time. Over the past weeks, we have been in talks with potential construction companies. Mainly regional providers, but also a general contractor (GC) offering 100% timber construction and Kaufmann Bau. What stands out is that only Kaufmann Bau still has an available date this year (09/22) for erecting the house. All other providers have quoted a timeframe of Q2/23 to Q2/24. Why is that? We wonder why this provider still has so much capacity. (We also asked Baufritz today; they are fully booked until Q2/24.)
Especially Kaufmann Bau’s online presence and their rather "aggressive" advertising strike me as somewhat odd or give a strange impression.
In terms of price, the rough estimates so far have all been around €3500/m² (about $325/sq ft). Is that realistic for a solid timber/timber frame KfW 40 house with good fittings in southern Germany?
We simply don’t know if it’s worth waiting until next year to take advantage of the KfW subsidies, or if the rising interest rates would just negate these subsidies anyway. Unfortunately, we don’t know anyone who has built with Kaufmann Bau and would appreciate hearing about any experiences.
We have owned a 1400m² (15,070 sq ft) plot of land in southern Germany for over a year now. Since our first architect dropped out, we are now about to submit the building permit/planning permission application for the second time. Over the past weeks, we have been in talks with potential construction companies. Mainly regional providers, but also a general contractor (GC) offering 100% timber construction and Kaufmann Bau. What stands out is that only Kaufmann Bau still has an available date this year (09/22) for erecting the house. All other providers have quoted a timeframe of Q2/23 to Q2/24. Why is that? We wonder why this provider still has so much capacity. (We also asked Baufritz today; they are fully booked until Q2/24.)
Especially Kaufmann Bau’s online presence and their rather "aggressive" advertising strike me as somewhat odd or give a strange impression.
In terms of price, the rough estimates so far have all been around €3500/m² (about $325/sq ft). Is that realistic for a solid timber/timber frame KfW 40 house with good fittings in southern Germany?
We simply don’t know if it’s worth waiting until next year to take advantage of the KfW subsidies, or if the rising interest rates would just negate these subsidies anyway. Unfortunately, we don’t know anyone who has built with Kaufmann Bau and would appreciate hearing about any experiences.
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blacktschery29 Apr 2022 09:36haydee schrieb:
When it comes to solid wood, I recommend Wir-Leben-Haus in this context. Small, but not only active regionally. We are satisfied. I cannot say how the current delivery times are or how they act due to the volatile markets. Thanks for the recommendation. What is the price per m² for Wir-Leben-Haus?
Where do the craftsmen come from if they don’t build locally?
Thanks 🙂
blacktschery schrieb:
Thanks for the recommendation. What is the price per square meter for wir-leben-haus?
Where do the craftsmen come from if they don’t build locally?
Thank you 🙂 Wir Leben Haus is local for us; most of the craftsmen really come from around the church tower area. They are actually the ones I would have chosen if I were managing individual contracts myself. The farthest, as far as I remember, was the scaffolder from the Fulda region. Many craftsmen come from our region with them. If that doesn’t work out, as far as I know, they look for local tradespeople on site. So no open tenders where the cheapest bid wins and communication is difficult. You also have a dedicated site manager who is your main contact and runs the construction site.
In 2017, we paid 2,000 euros per square meter without the foundation slab and retaining wall behind the house, ready to move in. It really depends a lot on the level of finish. They are extremely flexible. They can install anything from a standard hardware store shower head to a designer concealed rain shower.
No idea about current prices. It’s best to call them directly.
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blacktschery29 Apr 2022 09:56haydee schrieb:
Our prefabricated house company is local to us, so most of the contractors really come from the immediate area. They are the ones I would have chosen for individual contracting as well. The farthest, I believe, was the scaffolder from the Fulda region. Many contractors are brought in from our local area. If that doesn’t work out, they try to find locally based ones on site, as far as I know. So there are no public tenders, no lowest bid automatically getting the contract, and no communication problems. You also have a dedicated site manager who is truly your point of contact and manages the construction site.
In 2017, we paid 2,000 euros per square meter (about 186 USD per square foot) without the foundation slab and the retaining wall behind the house, turnkey. It really depends a lot on the fittings. They are extremely flexible in this regard. They can install anything from a basic DIY store shower head to an under-tile designer rain shower.
No idea on current prices. It’s best to call them directly. Thanks, I’m quite familiar with your area as well. My extended family is from Römershag and haven’t moved much ^^. You probably even know some of the local contractors.
We live about 4 hours away, so it’s hard to go back and forth quickly.
I looked through some brochures, and the concept looks good so far. I’ll just give them a call later and find out more.
Thanks!
blacktschery schrieb:
Thank you, I’m quite familiar with your area as well. Most of my extended family comes from Römershag and hasn’t really spread out much ^^. You probably even know one or two local tradespeople there.
We live about 4 hours away, so it’s difficult to make quick trips back and forth.
I’ve looked through some brochures, and the concept seems good so far. I’ll just call them later to get more information.
Thanks again That’s true, 4 hours is a long way. At first, they came to us. You just have to talk to them. Römershag really isn’t far.
Just speak with the company. You have nothing to lose. Two users who built with them and are no longer active can be found by searching for “Autark with Passive House.” They documented a lot, and there is also @Anitra here in the forum.
blacktschery schrieb:
Oh no, that doesn’t sound very reliable. We were told that the fixed price is guaranteed for 1 year. Was it the same for you?
May I ask what the total cost of the entire house is? Just to get an idea regarding the extra 50k. blacktschery schrieb:
Oh no, that doesn’t sound very reliable. We were told that the fixed price is guaranteed for 1 year. Was it the same for you?
May I ask what the total cost of the entire house is? Just to get an idea regarding the extra 50k. We have a fixed price up until move-in, so without any time limitation, which was important to us at the time. But currently, the fixed price is of no use to us since Kaufmann is not abiding by the contract. Kaufmann also refuses to cover 50% of the additional costs.
Your offer probably already includes anticipated price increases.
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Neubau202229 Apr 2022 14:08Lioness schrieb:
We have a fixed price until move-in, so without a time limit, which was important to us back then. But currently, the fixed price doesn’t help us at all because Kaufmann is not adhering to the contract. Kaufmann also refuses to share 50% of the additional costs.
Your offer surely already includes some price increases. If that is correct, I would definitely involve a lawyer and claim damages.