ᐅ Comparison of the Scope of Construction Work: What Should We Prioritize?
Created on: 3 Feb 2014 15:16
K
kochones
Hello!
I have already read a lot here, but unfortunately many use abbreviations like WU basement or similar… I can’t really tell what they mean. But that’s not the only issue.
The starting point is that we want a basement. We have a sloping site, the street level is at 0 m (0 ft), the building envelope starts at about -1.5 m (-5 ft) and ends around -2.7 m (-9 ft). We want a partial separate apartment, about one-third of the total size… approximately 35 m² (375 sq ft)! The rest of the basement will not be living space and should be completely underground.
The fact is, we own a building plot and we don’t know who we will be building with, as it’s not possible to compare offers. One construction company writes in their building and scope of work description about strip foundations and steel fiber reinforced concrete, poured concrete exterior walls… others specify a reinforced concrete slab with 15 kg/m² (3 lb/sq ft) steel reinforcement or masonry with hollow clay bricks.
Since there are semi-detached houses from the 1960s in the neighborhood, I have taken a closer look at them. Some have cracks in the basement exterior walls. Now I don’t know which type of basement or which construction materials we should choose.
Thank you in advance for your experiences and suggestions!
I have already read a lot here, but unfortunately many use abbreviations like WU basement or similar… I can’t really tell what they mean. But that’s not the only issue.
The starting point is that we want a basement. We have a sloping site, the street level is at 0 m (0 ft), the building envelope starts at about -1.5 m (-5 ft) and ends around -2.7 m (-9 ft). We want a partial separate apartment, about one-third of the total size… approximately 35 m² (375 sq ft)! The rest of the basement will not be living space and should be completely underground.
The fact is, we own a building plot and we don’t know who we will be building with, as it’s not possible to compare offers. One construction company writes in their building and scope of work description about strip foundations and steel fiber reinforced concrete, poured concrete exterior walls… others specify a reinforced concrete slab with 15 kg/m² (3 lb/sq ft) steel reinforcement or masonry with hollow clay bricks.
Since there are semi-detached houses from the 1960s in the neighborhood, I have taken a closer look at them. Some have cracks in the basement exterior walls. Now I don’t know which type of basement or which construction materials we should choose.
Thank you in advance for your experiences and suggestions!
@milki and @doc.schnaggels
You are both absolutely right!!!
It won’t work again. We really have to move away from the idea of a bungalow.
Now the question is, how tall? One and a half or two full stories, with an unfinished attic as usual, plus a basement!
Damn it... this is really frustrating.
Well... there’s no way around it.
Thank you for your suggestions!!!
PS: Doc.Schnaggels... we’ve already been to Fellbach as well. We really liked Schwörerhaus; at least with Schwörerhaus, you get a noticeably higher quality and more premium feel. But we want to build with solid construction... simply because of the old way of thinking... solid is solid, and timber frame construction just feels too “wooden.”
You are both absolutely right!!!
It won’t work again. We really have to move away from the idea of a bungalow.
Now the question is, how tall? One and a half or two full stories, with an unfinished attic as usual, plus a basement!
Damn it... this is really frustrating.
Well... there’s no way around it.
Thank you for your suggestions!!!
PS: Doc.Schnaggels... we’ve already been to Fellbach as well. We really liked Schwörerhaus; at least with Schwörerhaus, you get a noticeably higher quality and more premium feel. But we want to build with solid construction... simply because of the old way of thinking... solid is solid, and timber frame construction just feels too “wooden.”
D
Doc.Schnaggls6 Feb 2014 11:52Well, whether to have 2 full stories or one and a half, no one can make that decision for you.
It might even be determined for you depending on the local zoning plan for your preferred plot...
At the start of our “decision-making process” regarding the type of house construction, I thought similarly, but during our very thorough research phase, I completely changed my mind.
Since I found out that a (high-quality) timber frame prefabricated house, with the same wall thickness, actually provides better thermal insulation than a solid masonry house, and banks value both construction methods equally, I ultimately decided on a prefabricated house.
What I especially liked was the subtly noticeable wood scent.
After all, some of the oldest houses here are timber-framed—structurally, a timber frame prefab house isn’t that different...
Questions/comments are very welcome.
Best regards, Dirk
It might even be determined for you depending on the local zoning plan for your preferred plot...
At the start of our “decision-making process” regarding the type of house construction, I thought similarly, but during our very thorough research phase, I completely changed my mind.
Since I found out that a (high-quality) timber frame prefabricated house, with the same wall thickness, actually provides better thermal insulation than a solid masonry house, and banks value both construction methods equally, I ultimately decided on a prefabricated house.
What I especially liked was the subtly noticeable wood scent.
After all, some of the oldest houses here are timber-framed—structurally, a timber frame prefab house isn’t that different...
Questions/comments are very welcome.
Best regards, Dirk
Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:
... and since the banks rated both building plans as having equal value, I ultimately decided on a prefab house.Most banks differentiate between prefab houses. There are the solid prefab homes (Weberhaus obviously included), which are fully financed, and the less solid ones (usually the more affordable prefab houses).
Doc.Schnaggls schrieb:
Well, whether to build two full stories or one and a half, no one can make that decision for you.
It might even be dictated by the zoning plan for your desired plot...
At the beginning of our decision-making process regarding the type of house, I thought similarly, but during our very extensive research phase, I changed my mind completely.
Since I learned that a (high-quality) timber frame prefab house, with the same wall thickness, provides better thermal insulation than a solid masonry house, and that banks value both building methods equally, I ultimately chose a prefab house.
I especially liked the subtle natural scent of the wood.
After all, some of the oldest houses around here are half-timbered – so structurally, a timber frame prefab house isn’t that very different...
Questions or comments are very welcome.
Best regards, Dirk Hello!
May I ask what the estimated costs are? What exactly is your project? Single-family house with one and a half stories, dormers, garage, landscaping, etc.?
Can someone explain the securities provided by property developers? Most of them mention 5% backed by a bank guarantee... is that meant to cover potential damages that occur after moving in? What am I supposed to do with just 5%??? That's hardly anything! Or is this only applicable to project completion, like a kind of penalty clause? I'm really confused here... then there are, for example, the town & C**** who talk about something like 20%... that sounds good and secure, right? Or is that just a sales trick?
Guys, I’m scared.
Guys, I’m scared.
D
Doc.Schnaggls6 Feb 2014 16:35Hello,
I assume you mean a type of completion guarantee. This means that you can claim those 5% of the construction cost from the issuing bank if the company does not finish the house (for example, due to insolvency).
Since the payment is usually made based on construction progress, this can be a very good solution.
I only know Town & Country by reputation – but you can find quite a bit about it here in the forum...
However, there’s no need to worry – if you prepare properly and consistently keep an eye on everything happening on and around your construction site, you can manage the risks quite well.
Regards,
Dirk
I assume you mean a type of completion guarantee. This means that you can claim those 5% of the construction cost from the issuing bank if the company does not finish the house (for example, due to insolvency).
Since the payment is usually made based on construction progress, this can be a very good solution.
I only know Town & Country by reputation – but you can find quite a bit about it here in the forum...
However, there’s no need to worry – if you prepare properly and consistently keep an eye on everything happening on and around your construction site, you can manage the risks quite well.
Regards,
Dirk
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