ᐅ Experiences with General Contractors in Saarland and Surrounding Areas
Created on: 22 Feb 2020 12:31
T
Taube05
Hello everyone,
We are planning to build a single-family house in Saarland soon through a general contractor. We would be interested in hearing some experiences and comments from homeowners. We would therefore be very grateful if you could share your experiences (positive/negative) with us.
There are already extensive discussions in this forum about the general contractors DHI-GmbH and RKR Systemhaus.
Thank you very much in advance.
We are planning to build a single-family house in Saarland soon through a general contractor. We would be interested in hearing some experiences and comments from homeowners. We would therefore be very grateful if you could share your experiences (positive/negative) with us.
There are already extensive discussions in this forum about the general contractors DHI-GmbH and RKR Systemhaus.
Thank you very much in advance.
M
Mog-Pharau11 Nov 2023 15:59I would be very interested in any experience reports about Spektral. Our impression during the initial discussions was actually very positive ...
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
I would be very interested in hearing about experiences with Spektral. Just enter the company name in the forum search, and you will find 45 results in total, nine of which are even in this thread. Also, here are the titles of other threads where the company is mentioned several times: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/spektral-haus-preise-erfahrungen-massivhaus-oder-fertighaus.4107/ # https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/rkr-systembau-hoeheischweiler-erfahrungen.13162/ # https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/erfahrungen-mit-spektral-haus-in-bexbach-saar.24597/
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
Our initial impression from the first discussions was actually quite positive... Then you could at least explain more about the “but” implied by the word “actually.” Unfortunately, in this section most posts are questions—that is, users looking for answers—and the balance between those seeking and those offering information is very lightly weighted. I have seen this company’s name here several times and remembered it, but have yet to see any actual customers sharing their experiences. So my impression is that it is “worth considering,” but not yet supported by concrete experience.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Mog-Pharau11 Nov 2023 19:0211ant schrieb:
Then just enter the company name in the forum search. The result is, first, 45 hits in total, and second, the finding that nine of those are even within this thread. And third, the titles of other threads where the company is often mentioned multiple times: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/spektral-haus-preise-erfahrungen-massivhaus-oder-fertighaus.4107/ # https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/rkr-systembau-hoeheischweiler-erfahrungen.13162/ # https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/erfahrungen-mit-spektral-haus-in-bexbach-saar.24597/
Then you could at least say something about the “but” implied by your “actually.” Unfortunately, this section is dominated by questions, meaning thread visitors are mainly “seeking” answers, and the balance with those “offering” answers is very weak. I have seen this company’s name here repeatedly and noted it, but so far no customers have come forward. So my impression is “worth considering,” but not yet backed by concrete experience. I already knew the other posts, thanks. My impression at least was not negative (delays in the start of construction were the most commonly mentioned complaints). But the last two posters before you clearly hinted at negative experiences without going into detail. That was what my “actually” referred to; we have not gone beyond the initial discussions mentioned and have nothing negative to report so far. Of all the general contractors we have spoken with, Spektral even made the best impression and has so far been our favorite (although it is still very early and no decision has been made at all). So I am especially interested in details from @KuhElsa and @BiffBiff.
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
We have not gone beyond the initial discussions yet and so far have nothing negative to report; of all the general contractors we have spoken with, Spektral made the best impression and has therefore been our favorite up to now (although it is still very early and no decision has been made yet)Who were the other general contractors, how did their initial discussions differ, and based on what (a preliminary design by your architect?) did you even start talks with them? The best way to make a decision is usually through a tender process (in which general contractors are also allowed to participate).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Mog-Pharau12 Nov 2023 10:4411ant schrieb:
Who were the other general contractors, how did their initial discussions differ, and based on what (preliminary design from your architect?) did you even start talks with them?
The best way to decide is usually through a tender process (in which general contractors are also allowed to participate). We also talked to Werko (which was mentioned positively here in the thread), Wabau, Novum, Town & Country, and Helma. All were initial introductory meetings. We don’t have our own architect (I’m familiar with your home-building roadmap), but we believe that with our relatively average requirements and standard floor plans (with slight modifications) we can find a suitable option.
With Novum and Town & Country, we found the approach of their representatives quite unpleasant, Wabau is rather inflexible (only minimal changes to their catalog homes are possible – which don’t suit us very well). Regarding Helma, there’s nothing positive to read about their financial situation.
Werko is still in the running. We mostly agree with your initial impression there:
11ant schrieb:
The website gives the impression of a friendly, owner-managed company, but unfortunately didn’t lead me to any detailed description of construction services. All images suggest they build exclusively custom designs, with one woman handling both architecture and sales, but I couldn’t find any registered architects or draftsmen in the "team": so it seems to be purely a construction company without its own model range. We did receive a construction services description. However, so far the "architecture and sales" lady really hasn’t made a good impression. They asked for our room program, but then came back with a proposal that didn’t meet it at all (to the extent that entire rooms we requested were simply missing). We will continue talks with them anyway; maybe more can come of it after discussing the proposal in person (the first one was based on brief email communication).
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
Unfortunately, I can't contribute much, but I’d still like to ask a question: Who did you build with in the West Palatinate? Maybe @kati1337 from the Southwest Palatinate can put in a good word for you with her gem of a general contractor (GC) (?)
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
We also spoke with Werko (mentioned positively here in the thread), Wabau, Novum, Town & Country, and Helma. All were just initial get-to-know-you meetings. We don’t have our own architect (I’m familiar with your homebuilding roadmap), as we believe we can find suitable options with our relatively average requirements in standard floor plans (with minor adjustments). I’m glad you know my (currently being expanded) homebuilding roadmap, and thank you for the mention. But I’m also curious how you came to the mistaken idea that having your own architect is only necessary for those looking for unique floor plans. While the architect’s service in this respect is not a standard phase-model task (hence the new “Reloaded” episodes), an architect can potentially improve the adaptation of a catalog design much more effectively than the sales consultants at the general contractors. I might soon include this in my service offering, driven by client demand. Initial meetings really gain meaningful value when they happen during the planning/decision phase (see the latest episode). Choosing a GC “on the sly” (without a independent architect or other unbiased support and without a tender) is usually a case of “there’s a smarter way to do it.” You don’t save anything this way—not the architect’s fee, certainly—not to mention security and efficiency.
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
With Novum and Town & Country, we found the approach of the contacts rather unpleasant; Wabau is quite inflexible (only very minimal adjustments to their catalog homes are possible—which don’t suit us well). You don’t hear anything good about Helma’s financial situation. All the big names—Helma, Town & Country, Heinz von Heiden included—“convince” (or not) through widely varying quality of their regional representatives or franchisees. What exactly about Wabau’s catalog homes made them unsuitable, considering you generally rely on the suitability of standard models?
Mog-Pharau schrieb:
Werko is still in the running. We basically agree with your initial impression: [quote from https://www.hausbau-forum.de/goto/post?id=548556] [...] We will still continue talks with them; maybe more will come of it when the proposal is discussed in person (the first was based on brief email communication). Superficial “cold approaches” almost always lead to underwhelming results. Take a look at the five-point list in my post with the prison window regarding the keyword “builder search.” Without a preliminary design (or reference to a specific construction proposal from the catalog of the respective provider), sales reps see you as an “unqualified lead.” You can’t get anything but unsatisfactory answers that way—this phenomenon is called “causal connection” ;-)
I’m increasingly convinced that what prospective builders really need when searching for builders is some sort of “flirting coach.” 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/