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Bommeraner8 Jun 2016 21:40Hello everyone,
I hope I’m posting my questions in the right place.
The first question is whether we simply have to accept the increased costs for the foundation slab without consultation. At first, we were told that 40 cm (16 inches) of excavation would be needed. After the soil report, it was 70 cm (28 inches), and during excavation, it turned out to be 92 cm (36 inches)... all without prior notice. The whole foundation slab is now about 9,000 euros more expensive than initially quoted. What bothers us is that we were presented with a fait accompli.
Then there is the telecommunications provider. The road will have to be reopened for this connection, and of course, we are expected to pay for that as well. The basic connection also costs around 700 euros. The civil engineer who opens the road for the telecom provider invoices separately, and we don’t understand why all these tasks have to be done multiple times instead of being better coordinated.
The surveyor or the architect—we’re not quite sure—also made a mistake. Our house was planned 37 cm (14.5 inches) too low and now has to be set higher. This means we’ll have to bring in more soil in the garden to maintain the planned ground-level access to the terrace. Again, more costs that were not anticipated. Do we just have to accept this as well?
We checked with our local utilities about what applications are required to connect a new build to the supply network. They sent us applications for electricity and water, costing nearly 7,000 euros. Then, last week, we heard from several neighbors (in a complete new development) that the drainage work must be done by a subsidiary of the utilities. One neighboring property had to pay an extra 11,000 euros on top of the house connections for this—and the invoice came from the utilities, not the subsidiary. We feel quite taken advantage of. For us, this means about 8,500 euros more on top.
Do we just have to accept all of this, or what can we do? At the moment, we’re quite desperate, and the cost spiral keeps turning. We are not in a position to judge whether all this is justified or what’s still coming. We thought we had planned well. We even consulted various advisors and friends with building experience... but right now, we really feel lost, and more financing is looming.
Best regards
I hope I’m posting my questions in the right place.
The first question is whether we simply have to accept the increased costs for the foundation slab without consultation. At first, we were told that 40 cm (16 inches) of excavation would be needed. After the soil report, it was 70 cm (28 inches), and during excavation, it turned out to be 92 cm (36 inches)... all without prior notice. The whole foundation slab is now about 9,000 euros more expensive than initially quoted. What bothers us is that we were presented with a fait accompli.
Then there is the telecommunications provider. The road will have to be reopened for this connection, and of course, we are expected to pay for that as well. The basic connection also costs around 700 euros. The civil engineer who opens the road for the telecom provider invoices separately, and we don’t understand why all these tasks have to be done multiple times instead of being better coordinated.
The surveyor or the architect—we’re not quite sure—also made a mistake. Our house was planned 37 cm (14.5 inches) too low and now has to be set higher. This means we’ll have to bring in more soil in the garden to maintain the planned ground-level access to the terrace. Again, more costs that were not anticipated. Do we just have to accept this as well?
We checked with our local utilities about what applications are required to connect a new build to the supply network. They sent us applications for electricity and water, costing nearly 7,000 euros. Then, last week, we heard from several neighbors (in a complete new development) that the drainage work must be done by a subsidiary of the utilities. One neighboring property had to pay an extra 11,000 euros on top of the house connections for this—and the invoice came from the utilities, not the subsidiary. We feel quite taken advantage of. For us, this means about 8,500 euros more on top.
Do we just have to accept all of this, or what can we do? At the moment, we’re quite desperate, and the cost spiral keeps turning. We are not in a position to judge whether all this is justified or what’s still coming. We thought we had planned well. We even consulted various advisors and friends with building experience... but right now, we really feel lost, and more financing is looming.
Best regards
B
Bauexperte9 Jun 2016 00:12Good evening,
I understand that, and it doesn’t reflect well on your temporary construction partner; however, the additional charges billed are likely covered by the contract.
That falls under typical ancillary construction costs (Baunebenkosten), which in NRW usually amount to around 40,000 euros (+/-).
If the public utilities ever manage to complete all their work in one existing open trench, let me know.
That’s frustrating—but you would have had to pay these costs sooner or later anyway, as part of the ancillary construction costs.
If I were you, I’d approach your construction partner and ask why they didn’t provide a reliable breakdown of the ancillary costs.
Yes, and in addition to around 40,000 euros for ancillary costs, you should include a buffer—or consider buying a finished property from the builder.
Regards, Bauexperte
Bommeraner schrieb:
The first question is whether we have to accept the increased costs for the foundation slab without any prior consultation. At first, they said 40 cm (16 inches) needed to be excavated. After the soil report, it was then 70 cm (28 inches), and during excavation 92 cm (36 inches)... without any prior information. The entire foundation slab is now nearly 9,000 euros more expensive than originally quoted. We’re upset about being presented with a fait accompli.
I understand that, and it doesn’t reflect well on your temporary construction partner; however, the additional charges billed are likely covered by the contract.
Bommeraner schrieb:
Then there’s Telekom.
That falls under typical ancillary construction costs (Baunebenkosten), which in NRW usually amount to around 40,000 euros (+/-).
Bommeraner schrieb:
The road will be reopened for this connection, and of course, we’re supposed to pay for that. The basic connection also costs about 700 euros. The civil engineer who opens the road for Telekom also invoices separately, but it’s hard for us to understand why all this has to be done multiple times and isn’t better coordinated.
If the public utilities ever manage to complete all their work in one existing open trench, let me know.
Bommeraner schrieb:
The surveyor—or the architect; we’re not quite sure—also miscalculated. Our house was planned 37 cm (15 inches) too low, so it has to be set higher. This means we need to add more soil in the garden to maintain the planned level with the terrace. Again, costs that were not planned in advance. Do we just have to accept this?
That’s frustrating—but you would have had to pay these costs sooner or later anyway, as part of the ancillary construction costs.
Bommeraner schrieb:
It feels like we’re being taken advantage of. For us, that means roughly an additional 8,500 euros on top.
If I were you, I’d approach your construction partner and ask why they didn’t provide a reliable breakdown of the ancillary costs.
Bommeraner schrieb:
Do we just have to accept all this, or what should we do?
Yes, and in addition to around 40,000 euros for ancillary costs, you should include a buffer—or consider buying a finished property from the builder.
Regards, Bauexperte
B
Bieber08159 Jun 2016 06:28Bommeraner schrieb:
Do we just have to accept this? It depends! The key question is what was originally agreed upon. For example, what exactly does "measured incorrectly" mean...
Maybe it would help if you outline the particularly unclear or disputed points in a separate thread in a more structured way. Especially the contractual side of your construction project is missing. That would make it easier to form an opinion on whether you are being treated unfairly or not.
Bauexperte schrieb:
You would have had to pay the costs anyway Changes almost always lead to additional costs. Starting with "+37 cm" (about 14.5 inches) right from the beginning is probably cheaper than initially planning for "+0 cm" and then having to measure/check again (which involves costs), only to later increase to "+37 cm" (appointments, delays, second trip, etc.). Ultimately, in my opinion, the information provided here is by far insufficient to reliably assess the situation even to a partial extent.
H
HilfeHilfe9 Jun 2016 07:35Typical example of being too cheap.... Afterwards, I made everything smaller but more refined and at a normal price.
I should show the forum to Henrik sometime.
I should show the forum to Henrik sometime.
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