We are not building a house yet but are talking to as many homeowners as possible and reading extensively in this forum to prepare ourselves and at least avoid the biggest mistakes.
Yesterday, we had an interesting discussion with friends who have since abandoned their house construction because they became frustrated. I would like your opinion on one point from the discussion:
The architect prepared a tender for the brick facade. He calculated a certain area x and included this in the tender documents. The homeowners awarded the contract to a company. Only afterward did it become clear that the facade area was much smaller than stated in the tender. The facade company now wants to be paid for the difference. Who is liable here? The homeowners awarded the contract and initially face the problem. However, they relied on the architect’s professional expertise. Can they hold the architect liable?
How can such a misunderstanding be avoided? As homeowners, you can’t verify everything, can you?
Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Yesterday, we had an interesting discussion with friends who have since abandoned their house construction because they became frustrated. I would like your opinion on one point from the discussion:
The architect prepared a tender for the brick facade. He calculated a certain area x and included this in the tender documents. The homeowners awarded the contract to a company. Only afterward did it become clear that the facade area was much smaller than stated in the tender. The facade company now wants to be paid for the difference. Who is liable here? The homeowners awarded the contract and initially face the problem. However, they relied on the architect’s professional expertise. Can they hold the architect liable?
How can such a misunderstanding be avoided? As homeowners, you can’t verify everything, can you?
Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Since I work in the industry, I see the chaos on construction sites almost every day... When someone like Zaba is on site all day and spends the evenings going over the spontaneous changes before and after several times, it’s different than when someone just says, "Let's move the window," and the response is, "Sure, we’ll do it."
I mentioned that you need to be constantly on site.
However, even the shifted window, to stick with the example, does not seem like a potential source of chaos to me, as it is changed during the shell construction phase and the following trades work with the conditions then in place.
However, even the shifted window, to stick with the example, does not seem like a potential source of chaos to me, as it is changed during the shell construction phase and the following trades work with the conditions then in place.
In the worst-case scenario, a wastewater downpipe sits in front of a shifted window, with the chimney and the rainwater pipe on the outside, the carport support, and the bay window roof all somehow interfering. What might still be adjustable on one floor can become impossible with two or three floors.
What looks harmonious on the architect’s plans and goes unnoticed during rough construction can end up looking quite awful when completed. Suddenly, in the kitchen, the wall cabinet hangs in front of the window because it was overlooked, and due to the faucet, the window can no longer be opened.
Well, maybe this sounds exaggerated, but so many mistakes happen during construction – you can’t even imagine how careless things can get.
What looks harmonious on the architect’s plans and goes unnoticed during rough construction can end up looking quite awful when completed. Suddenly, in the kitchen, the wall cabinet hangs in front of the window because it was overlooked, and due to the faucet, the window can no longer be opened.
Well, maybe this sounds exaggerated, but so many mistakes happen during construction – you can’t even imagine how careless things can get.
Subcontracting individual trades, without a site manager. We still didn’t visit the construction site every day, since it’s a one-hour commute during rush hour and both of us have full-time jobs.
By the way, your example with the windows might require the structural engineer to get involved again and could potentially lead to a concrete column being necessary if the opening is made (much) larger; the shell builder will be happy when the wall is already in place.
By the way, your example with the windows might require the structural engineer to get involved again and could potentially lead to a concrete column being necessary if the opening is made (much) larger; the shell builder will be happy when the wall is already in place.
And of course, we didn’t move the windows after the wall was already finished.
Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves how to build and how much effort to invest.
However, contracting individual trades doesn’t have to be complicated and actually offers more flexibility.
Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves how to build and how much effort to invest.
However, contracting individual trades doesn’t have to be complicated and actually offers more flexibility.
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