ᐅ Builder’s Diary: Choosing the Right Construction Company
Created on: 19 Feb 2012 13:48
T
traumvomhausT
traumvomhaus19 Feb 2012 13:48Dear future homeowners, or those planning to build,
With this post, we want to highlight some important points that we may have overlooked. First of all, choosing a construction company is very challenging – should I build with solid masonry, a wood-based solid construction, or a prefabricated house with a timber frame structure?
We focused our search on solid masonry as a KfW-70 house due to available subsidies...
For this, we developed our own floor plan and sent it with detailed specifications, such as a heat pump, underfloor heating, triple glazing, etc., to 10 selected house providers, asking for quotes – followed by discussions with these providers. Here is what we recommend:
1. Have the construction contract reviewed by a specialized lawyer; otherwise, you may face unexpected additional costs.
For example, HS-Bau’s wording: “resulting quantity changes due to floor plan alterations that deviate from the standard model are not included in this position.” In our case, the interior walls were longer than in the base model, but this wasn’t yet recorded as an additional service in the contract. Insist on having the contract clearly state that only changes made after signing the contract can lead to price increases, and that prices are fixed until the house is completed (except for tax increases).
2. Avoid construction companies that use “mixed calculations” or refuse to credit you the previously calculated price if you want to handle certain trades yourself. For example, an extra door costs €277.45, but if you want to install all 7 doors yourself, you would only receive a credit of €1,294.76 instead of €1,942.15 (7 x €277.45). Another example: The base floor plan used for the price calculation has a living area of 111.98 m² (about 1,205 sq ft), with a base price of €110,900; our floor plan only has about 84 m² (about 905 sq ft) of living area. They credited us €6,138.80 for downsizing the house, but it should have been €8,176.46. Or, for the base house, tiles at €15.00/m² (plus about €40 labor per m²) were planned for the kitchen (floor and backsplash), bath (walls and floor), and hallway (floor); however, they credited us only €1,833.64 instead of well over €3,000.
3. Steer clear of builders unwilling to modify the payment schedule or contract based on a lawyer’s recommendations. For example, they may refuse to split the earthworks to avoid losing planned profit, possibly claiming that it prevents warranty separation. In our case, we wanted to remove the topsoil, have 40–50 cm (16–20 inches) of topsoil excavated, and then add and compact gravel sand according to a soil report—with compaction proof—so the builder could then pour the planned foundation slab. This was refused. The additional earthwork costs offered by HS-Bau were about €2,000 higher than the quote we obtained from another company.
4. Be cautious during sales discussions. As described above, carefully check that the sill height and finished room height are accurately specified, and that the heating system is compatible with connections such as solar or photovoltaic systems. Compare providers and don’t rely solely on sales staff. For us, planned roller shutters suddenly became unfeasible, forcing changes to window sizes. We were not informed about the actual finished room height. The architect also missed this, then sent us an offer to raise the ceiling height by 12.5 cm (5 inches), which meant additional costs of €1,251.50. We were told the window sill height was 79.5 cm (31.3 inches) if we did not raise the ceiling, but legally 80 cm (31.5 inches) is required. Neither the architect nor the builder proposed cost-neutral solutions to fix this issue. After several weeks, we made a suggestion to the architect for a solution. The HS-Bau management saw no need to act, even though they confirmed the door and window height of 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) in the contract, which was not achievable.
As you can see, there are many points to consider. We hope you have better luck with your builder/construction company.
We have now submitted the building permit / planning permission and hope that the realization of our project will proceed flawlessly and on schedule.
Further updates are planned.
With this post, we want to highlight some important points that we may have overlooked. First of all, choosing a construction company is very challenging – should I build with solid masonry, a wood-based solid construction, or a prefabricated house with a timber frame structure?
We focused our search on solid masonry as a KfW-70 house due to available subsidies...
For this, we developed our own floor plan and sent it with detailed specifications, such as a heat pump, underfloor heating, triple glazing, etc., to 10 selected house providers, asking for quotes – followed by discussions with these providers. Here is what we recommend:
1. Have the construction contract reviewed by a specialized lawyer; otherwise, you may face unexpected additional costs.
For example, HS-Bau’s wording: “resulting quantity changes due to floor plan alterations that deviate from the standard model are not included in this position.” In our case, the interior walls were longer than in the base model, but this wasn’t yet recorded as an additional service in the contract. Insist on having the contract clearly state that only changes made after signing the contract can lead to price increases, and that prices are fixed until the house is completed (except for tax increases).
2. Avoid construction companies that use “mixed calculations” or refuse to credit you the previously calculated price if you want to handle certain trades yourself. For example, an extra door costs €277.45, but if you want to install all 7 doors yourself, you would only receive a credit of €1,294.76 instead of €1,942.15 (7 x €277.45). Another example: The base floor plan used for the price calculation has a living area of 111.98 m² (about 1,205 sq ft), with a base price of €110,900; our floor plan only has about 84 m² (about 905 sq ft) of living area. They credited us €6,138.80 for downsizing the house, but it should have been €8,176.46. Or, for the base house, tiles at €15.00/m² (plus about €40 labor per m²) were planned for the kitchen (floor and backsplash), bath (walls and floor), and hallway (floor); however, they credited us only €1,833.64 instead of well over €3,000.
3. Steer clear of builders unwilling to modify the payment schedule or contract based on a lawyer’s recommendations. For example, they may refuse to split the earthworks to avoid losing planned profit, possibly claiming that it prevents warranty separation. In our case, we wanted to remove the topsoil, have 40–50 cm (16–20 inches) of topsoil excavated, and then add and compact gravel sand according to a soil report—with compaction proof—so the builder could then pour the planned foundation slab. This was refused. The additional earthwork costs offered by HS-Bau were about €2,000 higher than the quote we obtained from another company.
4. Be cautious during sales discussions. As described above, carefully check that the sill height and finished room height are accurately specified, and that the heating system is compatible with connections such as solar or photovoltaic systems. Compare providers and don’t rely solely on sales staff. For us, planned roller shutters suddenly became unfeasible, forcing changes to window sizes. We were not informed about the actual finished room height. The architect also missed this, then sent us an offer to raise the ceiling height by 12.5 cm (5 inches), which meant additional costs of €1,251.50. We were told the window sill height was 79.5 cm (31.3 inches) if we did not raise the ceiling, but legally 80 cm (31.5 inches) is required. Neither the architect nor the builder proposed cost-neutral solutions to fix this issue. After several weeks, we made a suggestion to the architect for a solution. The HS-Bau management saw no need to act, even though they confirmed the door and window height of 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) in the contract, which was not achievable.
As you can see, there are many points to consider. We hope you have better luck with your builder/construction company.
We have now submitted the building permit / planning permission and hope that the realization of our project will proceed flawlessly and on schedule.
Further updates are planned.
B
Bauexperte20 Feb 2012 01:15Hello,
Kind regards
traumvomhaus schrieb:
With our post, we want to highlight some key points that we may have overlooked.
traumvomhaus schrieb:What you are describing here is the complete exclusion of earthworks. On this point—that you were not satisfied with how your builder handled your request—I agree with you. Regarding the introduction to point 3, I would like to point out that any change to the contract inevitably causes problems for the provider. That is why reputable contractors refuse to change their contracts; I personally do the same and rather decline the job than modify our contracts (note that this applies to changes, additions are different).
3. Stay away from construction companies that are unwilling to modify the payment schedule or the contract based on recommendations from a specialized attorney, or for example, refuse to split up earthworks ...
traumvomhaus schrieb:That is incorrect; the legally required guardrail height is 90 cm. Whether you construct it from masonry, a parapet element, or a combination of both is secondary.
According to the law, a guardrail height of 80 cm is required.
traumvomhaus schrieb:I think that is good, especially that you want to make prospective homeowners aware of possible sources of errors.
Further reporting is planned.
Kind regards
P
perlenmann20 Feb 2012 08:15Wow,
when I read the text, I thought the construction was already completed. But then, the building permit / planning permission was applied for... So many problems even before starting construction... well, good luck with that!
But there will be many other issues to come that, as a construction layperson, you wouldn’t have fully considered.
Good luck with your build!
when I read the text, I thought the construction was already completed. But then, the building permit / planning permission was applied for... So many problems even before starting construction... well, good luck with that!
But there will be many other issues to come that, as a construction layperson, you wouldn’t have fully considered.
Good luck with your build!
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