Hello.
I am currently reviewing the draft construction contract from the general contractor. We will also have it examined by experts.
I’m just curious about what else is typically agreed upon with the contractor after signing the construction contract. I’m not very familiar with what is already included in the contract and what is usually arranged later with the general contractor. A complete plan within the construction contract hardly seems feasible to me, or am I mistaken?
Here are a few examples of things I imagine might be agreed upon in a supplementary contract only after signing the construction contract:
1. Electrical planning
2. Whether or not to include a bathtub in the bathroom
3. Ordering a gravel bed as splash protection around the house
4. Which flooring finishes to have in each room
5. Whether to build a garage or a carport
6. Commissioning grading and filling of the plot
7. Having a wood stove installed
8. Which plaster quality (Q2 or Q3) is desired in which room and which type of plaster in each room
9. Whether to delegate the coordination of house connections (internal utilities)
10. Which specific sanitary fixtures (models/manufacturers) are preferred
11. Whether to commission a parking space
12. Whether to commission a terrace
Perhaps you have experience with other aspects that are only finalized after signing the construction contract.
Looking forward to your insights... 🙂
I am currently reviewing the draft construction contract from the general contractor. We will also have it examined by experts.
I’m just curious about what else is typically agreed upon with the contractor after signing the construction contract. I’m not very familiar with what is already included in the contract and what is usually arranged later with the general contractor. A complete plan within the construction contract hardly seems feasible to me, or am I mistaken?
Here are a few examples of things I imagine might be agreed upon in a supplementary contract only after signing the construction contract:
1. Electrical planning
2. Whether or not to include a bathtub in the bathroom
3. Ordering a gravel bed as splash protection around the house
4. Which flooring finishes to have in each room
5. Whether to build a garage or a carport
6. Commissioning grading and filling of the plot
7. Having a wood stove installed
8. Which plaster quality (Q2 or Q3) is desired in which room and which type of plaster in each room
9. Whether to delegate the coordination of house connections (internal utilities)
10. Which specific sanitary fixtures (models/manufacturers) are preferred
11. Whether to commission a parking space
12. Whether to commission a terrace
Perhaps you have experience with other aspects that are only finalized after signing the construction contract.
Looking forward to your insights... 🙂
Well, I would include anything where you see a cost risk or want cost certainty.
I can only recommend requesting as many detailed quotes as possible. When we built, we initially planned to use a general contractor (GC) as well, at least for the staircase, earthworks (different soil classes), electrical fixtures (number of outlets, switches, circuits, bus systems?), sanitary fixtures, and floor coverings. We sampled these and requested quotes beforehand to maintain cost control. If you have that, why not make it part of the contract?
Those items were important to me and ultimately showed that we would have ended up with a GC in the architect’s scope—or maybe even beyond that. The sanitary costs were extreme, and so were the electrical ones...
The responses from the GCs asked varied. Some said, “No, we only do that after the contract is signed”—you can only guess why [emoji6].
Others had no problem with it and were open to it.
I can only recommend requesting as many detailed quotes as possible. When we built, we initially planned to use a general contractor (GC) as well, at least for the staircase, earthworks (different soil classes), electrical fixtures (number of outlets, switches, circuits, bus systems?), sanitary fixtures, and floor coverings. We sampled these and requested quotes beforehand to maintain cost control. If you have that, why not make it part of the contract?
Those items were important to me and ultimately showed that we would have ended up with a GC in the architect’s scope—or maybe even beyond that. The sanitary costs were extreme, and so were the electrical ones...
The responses from the GCs asked varied. Some said, “No, we only do that after the contract is signed”—you can only guess why [emoji6].
Others had no problem with it and were open to it.
infors schrieb:
Perhaps some of you also have experience with what is only finalized after signing the construction contract.You should agree on most of the points mentioned beforehand. Otherwise, it can get surprisingly expensive later, since the contract is binding and no one else will be able to magically add the chimney flue for you.
Take the electrical planning as an example. Of course, you probably don’t have a detailed electrical plan yet. However, you can already specify the number of power outlets or fix the additional cost for extra outlets. The same applies to network sockets, satellite connections, or the number of two-way switches, for instance.
Details like plaster quality are, in my opinion, mandatory to agree on. Or the bathtub—make sure to include that directly (or have it priced as an optional extra if you’re not yet sure).
Items like a carport can be ordered separately at a later stage, so that is okay. But: You still need to decide soon and assign costs to it if you want to include it in your financing.
From the above list, only the quantities of sockets, etc., were mentioned in our construction service description; the contract was only a handshake agreement, so it was unclear where exactly the sockets were to be installed. The heating system was specified, including the brand and model. Sanitary fixtures were from Kalldewei, Duravit, or Villeroy & Boch, the tile price and size were included, as well as who was responsible for selecting them, and so on.
Where you want to ensure safety, include it in the plans. We finalized the electrical work with the electrician later on in detail, which was about 20% cheaper. The same goes for the balcony railing. At least that is our experience, which mostly aligns with what others in our network have encountered.
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