ᐅ Looking for a General Contractor in the East Berlin Area – Are the Requirements Realistic?
Created on: 2 Oct 2024 15:30
I
IMM0rtalis
Hello,
we have purchased a small plot of about 380m2 (20x19m) in East Berlin and are now looking for a general contractor for a single-family house.
We are planning a footprint of approximately 8.5x9.5 meters (28x31 feet), with exterior walls of 30cm+ (12 inches) aerated concrete and solid interior walls made of calcium silicate bricks. On the ground floor, we want a toilet, a study, and an open living-dining-kitchen area (plus a utility room, of course). On the upper floor, there should be two children’s rooms with a dormer (centered), a bathroom with a bathtub and walk-in shower, and a bedroom with a small walk-in closet. No basement, but electric roller shutters throughout. Bathrooms, utility room, and kitchen tiled, all interior walls smoothed to Q2 level.
This is roughly our idea so far, and we have contacted Heinz von Heiden and Town & Country (to whom we sent detailed plans).
Heinz von Heiden seems quite inflexible regarding special requests, whereas Town & Country operates in Berlin as an independent building company and basically a franchisee and appears more flexible. We plan to work fully with our own construction expert during the build and want to have the service offers reviewed externally in detail later.
I have a few questions:
- Can you recommend local builders in Berlin & Brandenburg who are more similar to Heinz von Heiden than Viebrockhaus?
- Does the exterior wall design we described make sense? Heinz von Heiden wants to sell us a 40cm+ (16 inches) exterior wall with hollow bricks and insulation, Town & Country offers 24cm (9.5 inches) aerated concrete.
- Do solid interior walls on the upper floor make sense? Town & Country says they do them but don’t recommend them due to frequent cracking. They suggest double-layer gypsum boards instead.
Apart from needing to be extremely careful with the specifications, Town & Country seems very professional because they are a building company here (just Town & Country branded). However, Town & Country generally seems to have a bad reputation. So far, I feel more like I am negotiating with a local builder rather than a rigid large player. What do you think?
I am looking forward to your thoughts.
Best regards!
we have purchased a small plot of about 380m2 (20x19m) in East Berlin and are now looking for a general contractor for a single-family house.
We are planning a footprint of approximately 8.5x9.5 meters (28x31 feet), with exterior walls of 30cm+ (12 inches) aerated concrete and solid interior walls made of calcium silicate bricks. On the ground floor, we want a toilet, a study, and an open living-dining-kitchen area (plus a utility room, of course). On the upper floor, there should be two children’s rooms with a dormer (centered), a bathroom with a bathtub and walk-in shower, and a bedroom with a small walk-in closet. No basement, but electric roller shutters throughout. Bathrooms, utility room, and kitchen tiled, all interior walls smoothed to Q2 level.
This is roughly our idea so far, and we have contacted Heinz von Heiden and Town & Country (to whom we sent detailed plans).
Heinz von Heiden seems quite inflexible regarding special requests, whereas Town & Country operates in Berlin as an independent building company and basically a franchisee and appears more flexible. We plan to work fully with our own construction expert during the build and want to have the service offers reviewed externally in detail later.
I have a few questions:
- Can you recommend local builders in Berlin & Brandenburg who are more similar to Heinz von Heiden than Viebrockhaus?
- Does the exterior wall design we described make sense? Heinz von Heiden wants to sell us a 40cm+ (16 inches) exterior wall with hollow bricks and insulation, Town & Country offers 24cm (9.5 inches) aerated concrete.
- Do solid interior walls on the upper floor make sense? Town & Country says they do them but don’t recommend them due to frequent cracking. They suggest double-layer gypsum boards instead.
Apart from needing to be extremely careful with the specifications, Town & Country seems very professional because they are a building company here (just Town & Country branded). However, Town & Country generally seems to have a bad reputation. So far, I feel more like I am negotiating with a local builder rather than a rigid large player. What do you think?
I am looking forward to your thoughts.
Best regards!
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
I think I’m just afraid that something will go wrong or I’ll make the wrong decision – after all, it’s a decision for life, even more critical than getting married, in my opinion 😀 I understand..
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
The land purchase contract is already signed, and now we want to renegotiate or switch providers. That’s a mistake. The planning will be expensive for you: €10,000 (about $11,000) in cancellation costs plus a 10% penalty fee?!
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
As a layperson, you don’t see anything wrong with it. That’s why I advised you to talk directly to the homeowners.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
The question is: How can I minimize the risk? Gather information broadly, not just from one source. Gathering means: keep the information yourself.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
He’s basically managing us, Okay.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
Right now, I’m already approaching construction companies with a floor plan and requirements that are interesting for us so far. Well, you’re already casting the line. Whether the bait is attractive, that’s another question.
If you are from Berlin, you might want to check out Almondia. They are building consultants/intermediaries. They have a large database of regional general contractors. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I can only give a recommendation against them.
@Nida35a, I believe, was very satisfied with their general contractor.
@Nida35a, I believe, was very satisfied with their general contractor.
I
IMM0rtalis2 Oct 2024 21:49ypg schrieb:
That is also a mistake. The planning is going to cost you dearly: 10,000€ demolition costs plus a 10% penalty fee?! No, no, I haven’t signed any construction contract. Therefore, no penalty fee applies. At most, the 10,000€, although I have also heard from some sources that this would probably not hold up in court.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
I haven’t signed any construction contract.Good! IMM0rtalis schrieb:
that this would probably not hold up in court.Well, you did receive consultation and a house design. It will probably be difficult to get out of that.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
In the end, the seller offered a house construction service for a plot of land from a real estate agent. We signed a reservation agreement with the seller for €10,000 (about $10,000) for consulting services, which would not apply if we build with him or do not buy the land. We used the offer to arrange financing but never signed a construction contract with the seller. Now the land purchase contract is signed, and we want to renegotiate or change the provider. I'm starting to realize what the vague term "project consultant" really means here: apparently a commission broker for construction contracts who attaches himself to a real estate agent’s land offer, inserts himself in between, and "sells" the prospective builder to a general contractor (GC) or home builder. He helps a bit with the design phase and charges extra for this added-value brokerage as consulting services. So he bundles the land, the mediated construction contract, and some additional guided support for the land buyer. With a skilled defense lawyer or an overloaded public prosecutor’s office, this might be a legal gray area or result at most in a fine or case dismissal with conditions. This is not a reputable approach — I assure you that independent building consulting can be done with full integrity, as proven by myself and many competitors.
IMM0rtalis schrieb:
No, I have not signed any construction contract. Therefore, no penalty clause applies. At most, the €10,000 (about $10,000) fee, although I have heard from various sources that this probably wouldn’t hold up in court. ypg schrieb:
Well, you have received consulting and a house design. So it’s probably hard to get out of that. So the land has been purchased, and you do not have to get out of a construction contract because none was signed. But he would have arranged one for you, though you find the terms too high. I can only repeat that it is generally too early to discuss contract details before an independent plan is created. If you have accepted his "consulting services," you will at least have to negotiate some form of compensation. From my experience — and I believe I can speak for my competitors as well — a €10,000 (about $10,000) consulting fee would only be justified for a multi-family house with a golden trash bin. I really need to raise my prices, thanks for the reminder!
Tolentino schrieb:
If you are from Berlin, take a look at Almondia. They are building consultants/brokers with a large network of regional general contractors.
Unfortunately, I can only strongly advise against them from my experience. Did they also arrange your GC?
Tolentino schrieb:
I believe @Nida35a was very satisfied with their GC. Nida35a schrieb:
Five years ago, we built with "Mein Haus" from Nauen, a small general contractor specializing in solid masonry houses, family-run, and we’re still very satisfied today.
@motorradsilke also built with the company under time pressure. If I remember correctly, this is even one of the few reliable GCs who refuse to plan for poor-quality subcontractors. So go for it—but remember: first to a freelance architect!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/