ᐅ Comparison of the Scope of Construction Work: What Should We Prioritize?
Created on: 3 Feb 2014 15:16
K
kochones
Hello!
I have already read a lot here, but unfortunately many use abbreviations like WU basement or similar… I can’t really tell what they mean. But that’s not the only issue.
The starting point is that we want a basement. We have a sloping site, the street level is at 0 m (0 ft), the building envelope starts at about -1.5 m (-5 ft) and ends around -2.7 m (-9 ft). We want a partial separate apartment, about one-third of the total size… approximately 35 m² (375 sq ft)! The rest of the basement will not be living space and should be completely underground.
The fact is, we own a building plot and we don’t know who we will be building with, as it’s not possible to compare offers. One construction company writes in their building and scope of work description about strip foundations and steel fiber reinforced concrete, poured concrete exterior walls… others specify a reinforced concrete slab with 15 kg/m² (3 lb/sq ft) steel reinforcement or masonry with hollow clay bricks.
Since there are semi-detached houses from the 1960s in the neighborhood, I have taken a closer look at them. Some have cracks in the basement exterior walls. Now I don’t know which type of basement or which construction materials we should choose.
Thank you in advance for your experiences and suggestions!
I have already read a lot here, but unfortunately many use abbreviations like WU basement or similar… I can’t really tell what they mean. But that’s not the only issue.
The starting point is that we want a basement. We have a sloping site, the street level is at 0 m (0 ft), the building envelope starts at about -1.5 m (-5 ft) and ends around -2.7 m (-9 ft). We want a partial separate apartment, about one-third of the total size… approximately 35 m² (375 sq ft)! The rest of the basement will not be living space and should be completely underground.
The fact is, we own a building plot and we don’t know who we will be building with, as it’s not possible to compare offers. One construction company writes in their building and scope of work description about strip foundations and steel fiber reinforced concrete, poured concrete exterior walls… others specify a reinforced concrete slab with 15 kg/m² (3 lb/sq ft) steel reinforcement or masonry with hollow clay bricks.
Since there are semi-detached houses from the 1960s in the neighborhood, I have taken a closer look at them. Some have cracks in the basement exterior walls. Now I don’t know which type of basement or which construction materials we should choose.
Thank you in advance for your experiences and suggestions!
I spoke with an architect a few minutes ago and will receive an offer for their fee and details on how the process works. I feel somewhat uninformed and uncertain about the whole thing, so I hope for a smooth and worry-free building experience… hopefully everything goes well and I won’t be taken advantage of.
The architect should always act in your best interest! If you feel they are not doing so, consider hiring someone else.
For example, this is how we handled it:
A structural engineer (we have one in the family) prepared the drawings, specifications, and building permit/planning permission documents for us.
After that, we sent the specifications to various companies. The bids we received (only about 30% actually submitted offers) had to be reviewed and compared. You can either do this yourself or hire the architect/engineer again. After a few contractors tried to take advantage of us, I would recommend having a professional check this as well.
Once all the bids were in, we selected the two lowest and invited them for a personal meeting. During this meeting, we refined the detailed scope of work and renegotiated the price, including any discounts. The company that seemed the most reliable and offered an acceptable price was awarded the contract. Here, we always chose a fixed-price contract based on the VOB (German construction contract procedures) to avoid unexpected surprises.
The inspection and acceptance of the work before payment was again carried out by our structural engineer.
For example, this is how we handled it:
A structural engineer (we have one in the family) prepared the drawings, specifications, and building permit/planning permission documents for us.
After that, we sent the specifications to various companies. The bids we received (only about 30% actually submitted offers) had to be reviewed and compared. You can either do this yourself or hire the architect/engineer again. After a few contractors tried to take advantage of us, I would recommend having a professional check this as well.
Once all the bids were in, we selected the two lowest and invited them for a personal meeting. During this meeting, we refined the detailed scope of work and renegotiated the price, including any discounts. The company that seemed the most reliable and offered an acceptable price was awarded the contract. Here, we always chose a fixed-price contract based on the VOB (German construction contract procedures) to avoid unexpected surprises.
The inspection and acceptance of the work before payment was again carried out by our structural engineer.
D
Doc.Schnaggls4 Feb 2014 12:14Hello,
as Koempy already mentioned, you can find out from the soil report what type of basement you need.
An architect can already charge a fee for an initial consultation; it is important to clarify exactly which costs the client will incur if the architect is involved.
You can get a first overview from the architects’ fee schedule.
A useful first step would also be to get a quote from a company that offers turnkey construction.
Best regards,
Dirk
as Koempy already mentioned, you can find out from the soil report what type of basement you need.
An architect can already charge a fee for an initial consultation; it is important to clarify exactly which costs the client will incur if the architect is involved.
You can get a first overview from the architects’ fee schedule.
A useful first step would also be to get a quote from a company that offers turnkey construction.
Best regards,
Dirk
D
Doc.Schnaggls4 Feb 2014 15:48Michalko schrieb:
The problem with turnkey contractors, however, is that their offers are not comparable.I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. Sure, it’s definitely more complex than individual tenders. But if you take the time to closely examine the scope of work descriptions, you can actually make meaningful comparisons here as well.
In our experience, building with an architect and individual contracts is even more expensive than building with a single company.
Michalko schrieb:
In addition, I would also recommend hiring an expert to inspect and approve the individual trades.That is always advisable, of course.
Regards,
Dirk
How detailed are the specifications from the turnkey provider? Nowhere does it say how much screed, for example, will be required.
Provider 1: Additional payment is due because more was needed.
Provider 2: Credit is given because less was required.
How were you able to compare the offers in advance?
In a tender, everyone bids on the same scope of work.
When I see what people pay for houses here, I bet that you can get a better price with a custom-designed house and separately tendered work. For example, I am at 156m² (1,680 sq ft) with high-quality finishes for under €250,000 including land (€23,000) and ancillary construction costs, but excluding landscaping and garage.
Provider 1: Additional payment is due because more was needed.
Provider 2: Credit is given because less was required.
How were you able to compare the offers in advance?
In a tender, everyone bids on the same scope of work.
When I see what people pay for houses here, I bet that you can get a better price with a custom-designed house and separately tendered work. For example, I am at 156m² (1,680 sq ft) with high-quality finishes for under €250,000 including land (€23,000) and ancillary construction costs, but excluding landscaping and garage.
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