Hello,
I don’t want to write a long story about everything that has happened so far, so I will try to keep it brief.
We have already signed a contract with Hanse Haus (mid-May 2021). According to the contract, the price guarantee is valid for 15 months. Unfortunately, the architect is more than just incompetent, and we don’t know if we should already prepare for potential future problems. After all, this is not something you do every day.
- Our plot is not simple, as it is located in the old town center and there is no zoning plan (building permit / planning permission).
- It took ages just to get an appointment at the construction site with the architects at the beginning—1 to 2 months.
- After the first visit to the site, we hired surveyors, which went quite quickly. After one month, I asked the architect for a status update, but didn’t get a reply for two weeks, then on a Friday I received an email:
Hello, I will be on vacation for four weeks starting Monday and will contact you afterwards.
- I am basically doing the architect’s work by pointing out the parking regulations, asking everything possible at the local building authority in my municipality, and then at the responsible city building authority, and passing this information on in an organized way.
- He seemed to want to rush me into submitting the building application directly and skip the preliminary building inquiry, or at least that was my impression.
- In early November, the site plan finally arrived, of course completely confusing and incorrect (e.g., gray arrows overlapping gray areas, incorrect windows, the wrong address listed instead of mine, parking regulations ignored, etc.)
- At the end of November, the preliminary building inquiry was actually submitted, but was promptly rejected because it was submitted incorrectly. The building authority’s response: not processable in this form.
- It was resubmitted at the beginning of December, but was again rejected, still not processable.
- Mid-December it was finally successfully submitted. The worst part was that a particular sentence was missing that I had provided earlier to the architect after asking the building authority. So all the effort could have been avoided.
And all this was just for a preliminary building inquiry. I have documented everything in writing, always with CC to my Hanse Haus advisor. I wrote to the architect in a factual tone that his preliminary building inquiry was faulty (which it was) and not processable, and asked him to handle it urgently. Then he called me and said it wasn’t like that and that I should watch my tone (?); he hadn’t even sent an invoice yet. Unbelievable.
I already feel abandoned by Hanse Haus. Apparently, the architect cannot be changed; only when the 15-month period is approaching would they arrange a meeting with all parties and maybe extend the price guarantee by a few months. Of course, I haven’t described everything; this is just the most important part in my opinion. I would appreciate any advice...
I don’t want to write a long story about everything that has happened so far, so I will try to keep it brief.
We have already signed a contract with Hanse Haus (mid-May 2021). According to the contract, the price guarantee is valid for 15 months. Unfortunately, the architect is more than just incompetent, and we don’t know if we should already prepare for potential future problems. After all, this is not something you do every day.
- Our plot is not simple, as it is located in the old town center and there is no zoning plan (building permit / planning permission).
- It took ages just to get an appointment at the construction site with the architects at the beginning—1 to 2 months.
- After the first visit to the site, we hired surveyors, which went quite quickly. After one month, I asked the architect for a status update, but didn’t get a reply for two weeks, then on a Friday I received an email:
Hello, I will be on vacation for four weeks starting Monday and will contact you afterwards.
- I am basically doing the architect’s work by pointing out the parking regulations, asking everything possible at the local building authority in my municipality, and then at the responsible city building authority, and passing this information on in an organized way.
- He seemed to want to rush me into submitting the building application directly and skip the preliminary building inquiry, or at least that was my impression.
- In early November, the site plan finally arrived, of course completely confusing and incorrect (e.g., gray arrows overlapping gray areas, incorrect windows, the wrong address listed instead of mine, parking regulations ignored, etc.)
- At the end of November, the preliminary building inquiry was actually submitted, but was promptly rejected because it was submitted incorrectly. The building authority’s response: not processable in this form.
- It was resubmitted at the beginning of December, but was again rejected, still not processable.
- Mid-December it was finally successfully submitted. The worst part was that a particular sentence was missing that I had provided earlier to the architect after asking the building authority. So all the effort could have been avoided.
And all this was just for a preliminary building inquiry. I have documented everything in writing, always with CC to my Hanse Haus advisor. I wrote to the architect in a factual tone that his preliminary building inquiry was faulty (which it was) and not processable, and asked him to handle it urgently. Then he called me and said it wasn’t like that and that I should watch my tone (?); he hadn’t even sent an invoice yet. Unbelievable.
I already feel abandoned by Hanse Haus. Apparently, the architect cannot be changed; only when the 15-month period is approaching would they arrange a meeting with all parties and maybe extend the price guarantee by a few months. Of course, I haven’t described everything; this is just the most important part in my opinion. I would appreciate any advice...
G
Gerddieter15 Jan 2022 10:24Welcome to the "Architect Trap"
If you only have a contract with Hanse, from now on communicate everything directly with them – let them handle getting their superstar architect back on track...
If you only have a contract with Hanse, from now on communicate everything directly with them – let them handle getting their superstar architect back on track...
I think the architect receives a standard flat fee, as for a house in a new development area with a building permit / planning permission, and simply does not want to take on the extra work required for your project.
What exactly makes the plot so challenging? A slope? Surrounding buildings? Setback requirements? …? I just want to understand why a preliminary building inquiry is being made. If it’s not a straightforward plot, the inquiry should have been done before choosing the building partner, or are you only requesting it because there is no building permit / planning permission and the house needs to fit into the surroundings? Such an inquiry can also be submitted without an architect, although an architect can be helpful in asking the right questions.
Since things are not going very well, I would approach your contractual partner, explain your concerns, and ask for a meeting with all three parties involved. Then you can clarify how to resolve the situation quickly.
What exactly makes the plot so challenging? A slope? Surrounding buildings? Setback requirements? …? I just want to understand why a preliminary building inquiry is being made. If it’s not a straightforward plot, the inquiry should have been done before choosing the building partner, or are you only requesting it because there is no building permit / planning permission and the house needs to fit into the surroundings? Such an inquiry can also be submitted without an architect, although an architect can be helpful in asking the right questions.
Since things are not going very well, I would approach your contractual partner, explain your concerns, and ask for a meeting with all three parties involved. Then you can clarify how to resolve the situation quickly.
G
GeradeSchräg15 Jan 2022 10:58Make it absolutely clear to them who’s in charge! To the architect and Hanse Haus. Tell the management of Hanse Haus directly that the architect is useless.
That kind of business behavior is especially appreciated there.
Personally, I know a family who built with Hanse. Everything went smoothly there except for minor issues. You cannot accuse the company of intentional wrongdoing.
That kind of business behavior is especially appreciated there.
Personally, I know a family who built with Hanse. Everything went smoothly there except for minor issues. You cannot accuse the company of intentional wrongdoing.
G
GeradeSchräg15 Jan 2022 11:03A quick addendum...
The fact is that most companies, especially the usual suspects, are fully booked with orders! To remain competitive, however, delivery times must be similar to those of other manufacturers, even if production capacity actually does not allow for it. Skilled labor shortages, quarantine, workplace COVID regulations, rising raw material prices, and so on, do not make things any easier.
The fact is that most companies, especially the usual suspects, are fully booked with orders! To remain competitive, however, delivery times must be similar to those of other manufacturers, even if production capacity actually does not allow for it. Skilled labor shortages, quarantine, workplace COVID regulations, rising raw material prices, and so on, do not make things any easier.
hanse987 schrieb:
I think the architect receives a standard flat fee, similar to that for a house in a new development with a zoning plan, and simply doesn’t want to take on the additional work he would have to do for you.However, preliminary investigations are not additional work but the core of the essential service phase 1.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
P.S.: This thread reminds me of issues faced by another "prefabricated house" builder:
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Kalibri schrieb:
We are building a prefabricated house. The architect’s fee is set as a fixed percentage of the purchase price. So far, so good.
The house matches the building plan and was supposed to be submitted through the permit exemption process (planning permission exemption).
Our architect included a flat-roof garage in the building plan. It also matched the house well in the drawings, so at first we didn’t think much of it.
A few weeks later, the architect called us to say we need a special permit for the garage due to the local zoning plan.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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