Hello,
We are building a house with a reputable construction company. We personally know 10 clients who have been very satisfied with them.
However, there is one issue that is really bothering me right now.
The house price includes a budget of €17,000 (about $18,000) for tiles (145sqm (1560 sq ft)). The material cost is €20 (about $22), with the entire bathroom fully tiled.
The tile we like costs €45 (about $48) online. At a local supplier, it’s €75 (about $80), but they would sell it to me for €52 (about $55).
The tile supplier used by the builder, also for the sample selection, charges €95 (about $102) for the tile. No discount is possible since our builder is a partner of theirs.
This gives me the impression that there is a double markup here. I pay €95, while the company probably buys it for around €50 (about $54). In the end, this results in additional costs of several thousand euros.
Am I really required to buy the tiles from the supplier specified by the builder?
Best regards,
Coletrickle_7808
We are building a house with a reputable construction company. We personally know 10 clients who have been very satisfied with them.
However, there is one issue that is really bothering me right now.
The house price includes a budget of €17,000 (about $18,000) for tiles (145sqm (1560 sq ft)). The material cost is €20 (about $22), with the entire bathroom fully tiled.
The tile we like costs €45 (about $48) online. At a local supplier, it’s €75 (about $80), but they would sell it to me for €52 (about $55).
The tile supplier used by the builder, also for the sample selection, charges €95 (about $102) for the tile. No discount is possible since our builder is a partner of theirs.
This gives me the impression that there is a double markup here. I pay €95, while the company probably buys it for around €50 (about $54). In the end, this results in additional costs of several thousand euros.
Am I really required to buy the tiles from the supplier specified by the builder?
Best regards,
Coletrickle_7808
Coletrickle_7808 schrieb:
Yes, I pay the construction company. In the end, though, it doesn’t really matter. The company probably gets the tiles at a completely different price. The question is whether they pass on a certain discount, at least partially. No, it is not irrelevant. How is the retailer supposed to know at what price the construction company sells the tiles to you?
If you manage individual contracts yourself, you might visit a wholesaler’s or intermediary’s showroom. They show you tiles and can tell you the normal retail price, basically the recommended retail price (RRP). But whether your tiler gives you a discount, and if so, how much, the retailer doesn’t know either.
It shouldn’t be different in your case. I’m still missing the answer to whether you have even discussed the additional cost with the construction company yet... it sounds like you haven’t. If not, then the whole discussion is pointless. Ask your construction company what surcharge they charge for the tiles—anything else is nonsense. You’re speculating about a hypothetical additional cost.
Coletrickle_7808 schrieb:
Here, functionality (wet room = moisture) meets aesthetics. No, here moisture meets “that’s how it was done in the past.”
For functionality, it is actually better not to tile the entire wall up to the ceiling in wet rooms. Tiles cannot absorb moisture. That’s why most people only tile showers up to the full height or to a certain level. Everything else should be tiled only as high as necessary (splash water/cleaning).
By the way, that wouldn’t have been the case with my general contractor. He would have passed on all tile and/or sanitary fixture price increases exactly as they were. Or, if the scope of work included up to 20 EUR (about 22 USD) — which mine did not — he would simply have deducted that amount from the retailer’s recommended retail price (RRP).
Whether he would have actually paid that price himself, or if I would have paid the retailer and the contractor received a commission, I don’t know and didn’t really care. In any case, it was all way too expensive, which is why I’m now handling it as a self-managed project / doing the work myself.
Whether he would have actually paid that price himself, or if I would have paid the retailer and the contractor received a commission, I don’t know and didn’t really care. In any case, it was all way too expensive, which is why I’m now handling it as a self-managed project / doing the work myself.
Yes, that’s true, especially since even with my general contractor, it was handled differently depending on the trade.
The civil engineer, mason, windows, and plumbing were all managed through the general contractor. The staircase and doors were managed through the staircase and door specialists. The door specialist even wanted the additional charge for the detailed measurements upfront, which made it easy for me to decide to dismiss that trade.
@Coletrickle_7808 ,@face26 is right, ask your house builder, but have a tissue ready.
The civil engineer, mason, windows, and plumbing were all managed through the general contractor. The staircase and doors were managed through the staircase and door specialists. The door specialist even wanted the additional charge for the detailed measurements upfront, which made it easy for me to decide to dismiss that trade.
@Coletrickle_7808 ,@face26 is right, ask your house builder, but have a tissue ready.
Tolentino schrieb:
By the way, this wouldn’t have been the case with my general contractor. They would have passed on all tile and/or bathroom upgrade costs exactly as they were. Or if the work description included up to 20 EUR (which it didn’t in my case), they would have simply deducted that amount from the supplier’s recommended retail price.In my long-standing experience on forums, the difference between a general contractor (GC) for a solid-built house and a prefabricated house builder is often as follows: A GC usually gives the subcontractors in interior work (electricians, plumbers, tilers, drywall installers, and stair builders) free rein when it comes to upgrades. Meanwhile, a prefab house manufacturer tends to handle everything through their own accounting.
This also applies to tiles with the GC: any tiles that are rejected are managed by the tiling subcontractor.
H
hampshire5 Aug 2021 10:54Coletrickle_7808 schrieb:
Live and let live. Yes, the company is excellent and affordable, just as you would expect. This is confirmed by everyone we know and even those we don’t. Just look at the whole picture and don’t get stuck on details. If the overall package is right, then it’s right—you don’t need to haggle over the margin just because you think you can clearly spot it in one item. If you want to negotiate individual items, you shouldn’t buy a complete package.
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