Hello dear forum community,
We are currently building a detached house with a regional solid construction company.
We are just about to have the screed installed. Problem: we live 400 km (250 miles) away from the construction site.
Now some issues have come up that are not really being addressed.
1) As requested and shown in the execution plan, we wanted a dormer. Instead, we received a cross gable.
The construction company is now apparently trying to get the cross gable retroactively approved, but this was absolutely not what we wanted. Because the house is built on a slope, the cross gable makes it look even more like a block.
For the construction company, it seems that once the approval is obtained, the matter is settled.
2) Again about this dormer/gable:
The rafter at the top of the dormer was delivered too short. Because of this, it does not rest on the perpendicular wall below it, but a kind of concrete column was poured instead, on which a beam rests, which in turn supports the rafter. However, about 1 m (3 feet) further, there is the bedroom door, and now the concrete column stands exactly in the walking path.
3) We are building with a ventilation system. The ventilation outlets in the attic are not shown in the execution plans because they are supposed to be installed in the floor (at least, that's what we were told). However, the walls planned by the architect, which are 17.5 cm (7 inches) thick, seem to be too thin for the ventilation pipes and exhaust outlets. Only the supply air goes into the floor. Therefore, drywall boxes have to be installed along the walls everywhere to cover these pipes.
These are the three things that bother me the most. Do I really have to just accept it “as is”? Allegedly it’s “not a big deal,” but it bothers me quite a bit.
How is this usually handled in such cases?
Thank you!
Best regards and have a nice evening.
Raffaderalte
We are currently building a detached house with a regional solid construction company.
We are just about to have the screed installed. Problem: we live 400 km (250 miles) away from the construction site.
Now some issues have come up that are not really being addressed.
1) As requested and shown in the execution plan, we wanted a dormer. Instead, we received a cross gable.
The construction company is now apparently trying to get the cross gable retroactively approved, but this was absolutely not what we wanted. Because the house is built on a slope, the cross gable makes it look even more like a block.
For the construction company, it seems that once the approval is obtained, the matter is settled.
2) Again about this dormer/gable:
The rafter at the top of the dormer was delivered too short. Because of this, it does not rest on the perpendicular wall below it, but a kind of concrete column was poured instead, on which a beam rests, which in turn supports the rafter. However, about 1 m (3 feet) further, there is the bedroom door, and now the concrete column stands exactly in the walking path.
3) We are building with a ventilation system. The ventilation outlets in the attic are not shown in the execution plans because they are supposed to be installed in the floor (at least, that's what we were told). However, the walls planned by the architect, which are 17.5 cm (7 inches) thick, seem to be too thin for the ventilation pipes and exhaust outlets. Only the supply air goes into the floor. Therefore, drywall boxes have to be installed along the walls everywhere to cover these pipes.
These are the three things that bother me the most. Do I really have to just accept it “as is”? Allegedly it’s “not a big deal,” but it bothers me quite a bit.
How is this usually handled in such cases?
Thank you!
Best regards and have a nice evening.
Raffaderalte
N
Neubau202223 May 2022 21:18Raffaderalte schrieb:
I’m checking in again.
I didn’t have the energy to explain myself before. We are building four hours away by car. Daily supervision or anything similar is not possible. The roof structure has already been paid for because, according to the neighbor, it was already installed.
There is only a final inspection, no interim inspections. So far, nothing has been officially approved. As soon as I realized the roof structure wasn’t correct, I informed the construction company. They still don’t consider it a problem.
You say that regardless of any timing consequences for us, we should stop the construction. For every further delay, we pay 1500 euros rent plus approximately 1000 euros in availability interest, in addition to the usual interest and the full installment of the KfW loan. An additional monthly burden of 2500 euros cannot simply be ignored.
Chronologically regarding the roof structure again:
- Invoice for the roof structure arrives, but the roof structure is not there yet
- Notification to the construction company that payment will not be made since the roof structure is missing. No response from the construction company
- Neighbor reports that the roof structure is installed and sends pictures. We pay the invoice.
- We drive to the house and notice that there is no dormer window.
- Email to the construction company + call to the site manager. The site manager apparently does not know the difference between a gable and a dormer but says he will take care of it
- Construction company is on company holiday, so no response
- Insisted on a meeting with the site manager
- Site manager says it will be approved afterward
- The retrospective approval is still in progress.
Our contract has no fine print either. Is the neighbor now hired as an external construction supervisor? If you live four hours away, hire an external supervisor. Otherwise, in my opinion, it’s negligent.
R
Raffaderalte23 May 2022 21:22No, he is just the neighbor. We are bringing an expert with us for the inspection.
It is also the case that the building plans cannot be implemented because it is technically not feasible. Poor planning by the architect. Only a dormer with very small windows would be possible due to the knee wall height. Therefore, the execution plans cannot be carried out. The dormer cannot be realized without us losing a significant amount of natural light.
It is also the case that the building plans cannot be implemented because it is technically not feasible. Poor planning by the architect. Only a dormer with very small windows would be possible due to the knee wall height. Therefore, the execution plans cannot be carried out. The dormer cannot be realized without us losing a significant amount of natural light.
Raffaderalte schrieb:
The detailed execution plans cannot be implemented. Execution plans are usually derived from design plans, preferably after obtaining the building permit / planning permission, to also include fixtures. With a professional approach, this situation should not occur at all. Consulting a specialized lawyer will be inevitable; afterwards, the construction supervisor should ideally be present even before the "final acceptance."
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
N
Neubau202223 May 2022 21:30Raffaderalte schrieb:
No, he is just the neighbor. We are bringing an expert with us for the inspection.
Also, the building plans cannot be implemented because it is technically impossible. Poor planning by the architect. Only a dormer with very small windows would be possible due to the knee wall height. So, the execution plans cannot be carried out. The dormer cannot be realized without us losing a lot of light.For the inspection? I hope not the final acceptance. The most important is the foundation slab. Ideally, there should be an independent construction supervisor, paid by you, not the building company, overseeing everything.
11ant schrieb:
In this case, consulting a specialist attorney will be unavoidable; after that, the construction supervisor should also be involved before the final inspection.@Raffaderalte Have you already engaged a lawyer and a construction supervisor or an expert? If not, will you manage to arrange that this week despite the holiday?Similar topics