ᐅ Clarification Question: Shell Construction of a Condominium Unit and Customized Electrical Planning

Hello everyone,

The floor where our condominium is located has just been completed with the concrete exterior walls and the internal load-bearing concrete walls.

We submitted a custom electrical plan in advance, which also involves changes to the exterior walls. However, during a brief inspection, we noticed that all the boxes in the exterior walls are positioned according to the original plan, and our individual changes have not been taken into account.

What we are wondering now is: should we raise an alarm, or is it normal practice to build first without individual adjustments and then install the boxes afterward? It’s a bit surprising because many empty boxes in the concrete would then be unnecessary, and new holes might need to be drilled elsewhere. Also, empty conduits could potentially be missing...

Thank you very much for a brief clarification!

Best regards!

This is not normal. Communication solves many problems. So discuss your concerns calmly with your site manager and, if necessary, provide them in writing. It is not a defect yet, but it seems that the electrical planning was not passed on to the executing trade responsible for the structural work.

Hello Wastl,

thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, this is what I expected. We actually pointed this out again beforehand and discussed it with the site manager and electrician, emphasizing that the changes also involve the exterior walls. The response was: “we will take care of it.”

How would the technical process proceed now: will grooves be cut into the concrete, new drillings made, and old ones patched with plaster? Wouldn’t the building structure already be compromised, and wouldn’t this be considered a defect?

Thanks again and best regards!

I am not a construction expert. As a layperson, I would try to have an open conversation with the site manager. The building structure should not be compromised—unless all the pipes are completely misplaced and numerous channels need to be newly cut. You don’t just cut channels in concrete without reason. That’s why in precast concrete elements, the conduits are often planned during manufacturing. It would only be considered a defect if the structural integrity were affected—which cannot be judged from a distance.

Perhaps this approach is normal for your developer? It is not easy to understand, though.