ᐅ Looking for a construction company in the Greater Stuttgart area!

Schors.ch schrieb:

Köhler was also one of my top options for a long time. The contact was pleasant, Mr. Köhler took his time and was always available for questions.
In the end, I did not proceed with Köhler because the cost estimate was only roughly based on the building's gross volume. For a reliable offer, we would have had to move into detailed planning, which at Köhler costs several thousand euros. Although this fee would have been credited if the construction contract was signed, and the difference in cost estimates compared to, for example, FERMO, was not really significant, I decided against this upfront investment.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Unfortunately, most concrete builders only provide a fixed price after signing a planning agreement.
Who else was still in the running for you?

Mausimaus schrieb:

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Unfortunately, most solid construction companies only offer a fixed price after signing a planning agreement.
Who else was still in the running for you?

I also had discussions with Hauser and FERMO. The others I contacted were not interested in projects within the Stuttgart city area. What bothered me about Hauser was their rather limited creativity in interpreting the development plan. FERMO was definitely more innovative and also had experience in the building area. Unfortunately, none of them were particularly affordable.

Schors.ch schrieb:

I also had discussions with Hauser and FERMO. The others I contacted didn’t want to take on a project within the Stuttgart city area. What ultimately bothered me about Hauser was their rather limited creativity in interpreting the development plan. FERMO was noticeably more inventive and also had experience in the construction area. Unfortunately, none of them offered a bargain price.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Hauser didn’t convince us either.

Mausimaus schrieb:

I’m interested in hearing about your experiences with the company Köhler. We are currently searching in the Stuttgart area, and Köhler is among our top choices.
Best regards

Looking back, we can recommend the company Köhler. If you have any detailed questions, feel free to ask.

There are always some challenges or issues on every construction site. In the end, what matters is how the construction company handles them, and I can say that Köhler is very committed. You can always reach someone, and they try to resolve the problem until it’s fully fixed. I’ve heard very different stories from other builders who then become unreachable or shift the burden of proof onto the customer.

Köhler has its own structural shell team, which handles all the work around excavation, foundation slab, basement, etc., making things relatively straightforward since they are well coordinated. The tradespeople also come from the local area and have often worked with Köhler for many years.

Regarding cost estimation:
If I remember correctly, we first discussed a rough floor plan. Then all special features (blinds, ventilation system, etc.) were clarified, and a first cost estimate was created based on that. From there, we refined our requirements further, and Köhler continuously adjusted the cost estimate. For us, it definitely wasn’t just about the volume of space. It probably also depends on how seriously you take the planning process.

We personally found the separate planning fees more of an advantage. Köhler offers the option to have the architectural planning through a separate contract, and the cost is credited if you later proceed with them. So you initially invest only a small amount, plan the house with the architect, and receive all the planning documents. Based on this, the quotation is calculated in detail again. In theory, you could also take this planning to another builder. At that time, we even obtained a comparative cost estimate from Hauser based on the finished planning documents, and that was no problem.

At least at that time, FERMO was more than 10% more expensive than Köhler.

erazorlll schrieb:

Looking back, we can recommend the company Köhler. If you have any detailed questions, feel free to ask.

There are always difficulties or things that don’t work properly on any construction site. In the end, what matters is how the construction company handles these situations, and I can say that Köhler puts in a lot of effort. You can always reach someone, and they try to resolve the problem until the very end. I have heard very different stories from other construction companies, where they simply become unreachable or shift the burden of proof onto the client.

Köhler has their own shell construction team, which makes all the work related to excavation, foundation slab, basement, etc., relatively straightforward and well coordinated. The tradespeople also come from the region and often have a long-standing working relationship with Köhler.

Regarding cost estimation:
If I remember correctly, at our stage, we first discussed a rough floor plan. Then all the special features (shutters, ventilation system, etc.) were clarified, and based on that, a first cost estimate was created. From there, we further detailed our requirements, and Köhler continuously adjusted the cost estimate. For us, it was definitely not just the volume of space. I suppose it also depends on how seriously you take this process.

We personally saw the separate planning fees as an advantage. Köhler offers the architectural planning under a separate contract, and the cost is credited if you commission them later. So initially, you only invest a small amount, plan the house with the architect, and receive all the planning documents. On this basis, the offer is then calculated in more detail. Theoretically, you could also take these documents to another builder. We also obtained a comparative cost estimate from Hauser based on the completed planning at that time. That was not an issue.

At least at that time, FERMO was over 10% more expensive than Köhler.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such a detailed response.
This is very valuable for us.
Hauser has now dropped out of the running for us because they are not very flexible regarding the floor plan. In addition, we have several special requests that they are either unable or unwilling to accommodate as desired. Also, they are quite expensive, even though it is a standardized construction method. I think it is due to the special requests.
Currently, we are still considering Köhler, HeFa, and another smaller builder.
I find it interesting that all of them can basically start immediately during the permit approval process.
How long was your construction period?

As an additional note:
We have heard positive feedback from the residential area about b+m Massivhaus from Herrenberg. They designed a really beautiful house, and the process reportedly went smoothly without major issues. We never contacted them ourselves, but perhaps this information is helpful to you.