ᐅ Advance payment for the window installment (or window payment)

11ant schrieb:

And that also explains why the subcontractor treats the entire layout variance as excluded from the payment schedule between you and the general contractor.

Because of such isolated services, the building owner has effectively become a private client for the tradesperson.

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11ant schrieb:

Well, that really has implications for warranties.

Yes, this is especially tricky with the electrical work, where the same cable routes or wall chases are used for both the general contractor and the additional work. Another example: If the electrical panel causes problems, is then my customized part (e.g., extra kitchen outlets, underground cable to the garden, exterior lighting on the house...) to blame?

HoisleBauer22 schrieb:

Yes, it’s quite funny right now with the electrical work, where the same cable routes or the same chases are used for both general contracting and upgrade work.

I think you misunderstood me. This is actually the opposite of having difficulties proving something—everything that "your" craftsman has done has effectively taken place following an implied partial acceptance that was brought forward as a result. In the worst case, this work interferes with the trades still left with the main contractor and causes issues. That’s why I said, "Good luck with that."

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HoisleBauer22 schrieb:

For us, the electrician is contacted directly. At Heinz von Heiden, any upgrades requested after the planning meeting are settled directly with the tradespeople without going through Heinz von Heiden first.

Our general contractor (GC) explained it the same way that @11ant described here. He said that the payment needs to be made through him as a proforma, but he passes it on 1:1 to his electrician (which is not really my concern) because our contract is with him, not the electrician. Basically, if I pay the electrician for 20 extra sockets and then one breaks, the electrician can say "that was included by the GC," and vice versa.
He actually mentioned it’s for warranty reasons and because we are his customers for the house.

It was different with the photovoltaic system. We ordered that afterward, directly from the electrician. It’s not part of the house contract, and the electrician bills me directly for it. However, I made sure that the GC is informed and okay with the photovoltaic system being installed on "his" house. We have not yet accepted the installation.

11ant schrieb:

EVERYTHING your tradesperson does is effectively carried out after an implied partial acceptance, brought forward accordingly.

Good point. Since "my" tradesperson has been a longtime partner of Heinz von Heiden, they work well together, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Because Heinz von Heiden allows these additional inspections, they do bear a certain responsibility and owe me a flawless overall building. It might be different with external tradespeople who have no connection to Heinz von Heiden. But even then, the Heinz von Heiden site manager can assist and act as a mediator. You just have to stay optimistic.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been away for a few days.

kati1337 schrieb:

But your general contractor will probably not pay for these windows before they are delivered either (or is that explicitly stated in the terms of the offer?), so I wonder why the general contractor wants you to pay the money upfront.
Approximately how much is that? I think our window advance invoice (also Drutex) was over €40,000.

I see that this is explicitly mentioned on the Drutex website. It must be paid by the end of this month. So I think she would transfer the money directly to the supplier.

And yes, it’s almost that amount (~€42,000).

kati1337 schrieb:

For example, we have tiles up to price X in the contract. When choosing the tiles, more expensive ones are still possible without extra cost if others below that price are used elsewhere. He basically balances that with tiles that are below amount X. He doesn’t have to, but he does.

I think that’s a different issue. We have the same arrangement. The contract specifies that wall and floor tiles have a material value of €40 (about $43) per square meter (or square yard). If we choose something cheaper (for example, in the basement), we get the difference credited back, which we can then use for other services.

HoisleBauer22 schrieb:

What was agreed in the construction contract? It should say “payment according to construction progress.” Your general contractor is liable for what is contractually guaranteed in the scope of work or construction contract (fixed price? price escalation clauses, etc.)?

Yes, we are supposed to pay according to construction progress. The general contractor only offers this as a “favor” to help save some money.

11ant schrieb:

And first of all, forget the idea that you could negotiate this guarantee retrospectively.

Yes, we asked the general contractor to provide such a guarantee just for this early payment, but they are not interested in doing so. From their perspective, this was just a friendly offer that can be accepted or declined.

11ant schrieb:

Female owners of construction companies exist, but very rarely, usually daughters of the founder whose father started the business. They are generally very solid, so there’s little cause for concern. Much more common—especially where there are reasons to worry—is a Mr. “Four and a half times bankrupt” putting his secretary or partner forward as a figurehead.

At the moment, there is no reason to doubt this (and nothing we could do about it at this stage).

kati1337 schrieb:

Our general contractor explained it to us just as @11ant wrote here. He said the payment has to go through him pro forma but he passes it 1:1 to his electrician (which is really none of our business), because our contract is with him, not with the electrician. Basically, if I pay the electrician directly for 20 extra sockets and one breaks, the electrician can say “that one was supplied by the GC,” and vice versa?

It’s almost the same here. The electrician (or another subcontractor) submits a quote to the general contractor responsible for our house. We pay the general contractor directly.