Good evening,
as the title says, our new build (shell construction) was completely botched in autumn 2018 and now needs to be repaired. In the course of this renovation, we are considering changes to the staircase (which should be carried out by a third party).
1. In June 2019, the basement was flooded with nearly 50 cm (20 inches) of groundwater in the solid concrete basement for about 2 weeks.
2. Bricks not laid according to Wienerberger guidelines (instead of thin-bed mortar, 5 mm (0.2 inches) or wider joints).
3. Flat roof was executed incorrectly – tapered insulation not installed according to the installation plan and then cut afterwards to create a slope.
4. Basement was excavated over 50 cm (20 inches) too shallow – consequence: the house is too high according to the allotment garden law and is not consolidated.
Suing the company is not an option – costs for legal proceedings would be enormous and lengthy – lasting for years – and the company could file for bankruptcy at any time. The result would be that we would still be stuck with the court costs. We have already consulted six construction law attorneys. We cannot afford to demolish and rebuild the house, although we will always be uncertain about water leakage in the basement. We live near a river, and high groundwater is a recurring issue every spring after the snow melt. We are completely desperate.
The building authority does not help: despite the clearly wrong height. According to a new submission plan by the construction company, it is supposedly approved, even though it is clearly too high (according to recent surveying by a certified surveying office). It all sounds like a bad movie, but it is true.
The defects became apparent starting in summer 2019, and since then we have had an expert involved.
Our only option is to play along and reach a consensus with the construction company. We have already paid about 250,000 EUR (approximately) for the shell construction.
The floor plan is an external dimension of 8.3 m x 6.15 m (27.2 ft x 20.2 ft).
The staircase from the ground floor to the basement is about 4 m (13 ft) long and 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) wide, very uncomfortable concrete steps. (26 cm (10 inches) tread, 18 cm (7 inches) riser).
We are considering hiring an architect again to change the staircase to possibly a 2 x 2 m (6.5 ft x 6.5 ft) half-turn or slightly rotated. We have no joy with the whole house anymore. The stair width should also be a maximum of 90 cm (3 ft), not 130 cm (4 ft 3 in).
On one short side there is a 4 m (13 ft) kitchen and a 1.5 m (5 ft) WC. Then the dining area faces the long side and the living area is there. There would be a 3 x 2.2 m (9.8 ft x 7.2 ft) lift-and-slide door on the other short side.
In the middle of this whole mess, doubts arise about the floor plan and the staircase. We have two schoolchildren and a toddler and wanted to be living in the house since last autumn.
Sorry for the long post. I can only upload the plan next week.
Please share your opinions on changing the staircase (this would involve demolition of the existing one and widening but shortening the stairwell).
as the title says, our new build (shell construction) was completely botched in autumn 2018 and now needs to be repaired. In the course of this renovation, we are considering changes to the staircase (which should be carried out by a third party).
1. In June 2019, the basement was flooded with nearly 50 cm (20 inches) of groundwater in the solid concrete basement for about 2 weeks.
2. Bricks not laid according to Wienerberger guidelines (instead of thin-bed mortar, 5 mm (0.2 inches) or wider joints).
3. Flat roof was executed incorrectly – tapered insulation not installed according to the installation plan and then cut afterwards to create a slope.
4. Basement was excavated over 50 cm (20 inches) too shallow – consequence: the house is too high according to the allotment garden law and is not consolidated.
Suing the company is not an option – costs for legal proceedings would be enormous and lengthy – lasting for years – and the company could file for bankruptcy at any time. The result would be that we would still be stuck with the court costs. We have already consulted six construction law attorneys. We cannot afford to demolish and rebuild the house, although we will always be uncertain about water leakage in the basement. We live near a river, and high groundwater is a recurring issue every spring after the snow melt. We are completely desperate.
The building authority does not help: despite the clearly wrong height. According to a new submission plan by the construction company, it is supposedly approved, even though it is clearly too high (according to recent surveying by a certified surveying office). It all sounds like a bad movie, but it is true.
The defects became apparent starting in summer 2019, and since then we have had an expert involved.
Our only option is to play along and reach a consensus with the construction company. We have already paid about 250,000 EUR (approximately) for the shell construction.
The floor plan is an external dimension of 8.3 m x 6.15 m (27.2 ft x 20.2 ft).
The staircase from the ground floor to the basement is about 4 m (13 ft) long and 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) wide, very uncomfortable concrete steps. (26 cm (10 inches) tread, 18 cm (7 inches) riser).
We are considering hiring an architect again to change the staircase to possibly a 2 x 2 m (6.5 ft x 6.5 ft) half-turn or slightly rotated. We have no joy with the whole house anymore. The stair width should also be a maximum of 90 cm (3 ft), not 130 cm (4 ft 3 in).
On one short side there is a 4 m (13 ft) kitchen and a 1.5 m (5 ft) WC. Then the dining area faces the long side and the living area is there. There would be a 3 x 2.2 m (9.8 ft x 7.2 ft) lift-and-slide door on the other short side.
In the middle of this whole mess, doubts arise about the floor plan and the staircase. We have two schoolchildren and a toddler and wanted to be living in the house since last autumn.
Sorry for the long post. I can only upload the plan next week.
Please share your opinions on changing the staircase (this would involve demolition of the existing one and widening but shortening the stairwell).
L
Laurasstern10 Feb 2020 11:11Pinky0301 schrieb:
In Austria, is it allowed to live in allotment gardens?
I would appreciate it if you could show us the floor plan sometime. I'm also wondering how it’s possible to live on that space with three children. Yes – in Austria, you are allowed to build/live in allotment gardens.
80 m² (860 sq ft) basement + 50 m² (540 sq ft) ground floor + 50 m² (540 sq ft) upper floor + possibly 50 m² (540 sq ft) roof terrace (if desired).
We built a flat roof with a 50 m² (540 sq ft) walkable terrace.
Ground floor: open layout – kitchen, dining area, living area
Upper floor: 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom with shower
Basement: utility room, 1 bathroom with shower and bathtub, open space (possibly children’s room, living area, etc.)
L
Laurasstern10 Feb 2020 11:16Zaba12 schrieb:
I just noticed a waterproof concrete basement. How is the basement constructed now? It seems to be done incorrectly or something has shifted!
Our basement walls are 25 cm (10 inches) thick waterproof concrete, with two layers of bitumen membranes on the outside, both of which are torched on. (Not correct, because light wells were added and not torched.)
The foundation slab is 30 cm (12 inches) waterproof concrete, with, I believe, 20 cm (8 inches) of insulation below.
Actually, for a waterproof basement, 30 cm (12 inches) wall thickness would be required (according to the expert, though 25 cm (10 inches) with two layers of torching is acceptable if done correctly).
A coworker built a waterproof basement 10 years ago and recently, for the past three months, has had water leaking into the basement. It’s really frustrating— you build it to be watertight, and then this happens. L
Laurasstern10 Feb 2020 11:20Lumpi_LE schrieb:
Really bad.. don’t you have the option to just sell all that stuff and get out of it with a small five-figure amount? Five figures???
We’ve already invested a six-figure sum!!!
Selling would definitely be easy – I have received several inquiries from property investors before – but owning land in Vienna would then be unaffordable. The garden was leased by my family for 50 years, and we bought it when the opportunity arose. You can never acquire something like that again... We are close to the subway and in the green belt Grüner Prater. Five minutes by subway from the city center at Stephansplatz. The location is great. Selling would be quick.
L
Laurasstern10 Feb 2020 11:26We thought that exceeding the building height by 50 cm (20 inches) would NEVER be approved and that the house would have to be demolished and rebuilt at the builder’s expense. This would have solved the issue of the leaking basement. But we were very wrong.
Laurasstern schrieb:
5 digits????
We have already invested a 6-digit amount!!!Yes, you’re not supposed to give it away.. Sale proceeds - investment = a small 5-digit amount- fine, if there’s no other way to get ownership, okay
W
Wugler197810 Feb 2020 12:44What does the construction company say? Complaining is always the last resort. You have a warranty, and the shell builder is allowed to make corrections first.
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