ᐅ Cost Transparency in Prefabricated Home Companies – Which Providers Are There?
Created on: 19 Sep 2018 14:21
M
Mojo77
Hello everyone,
My wife and I are currently in the process of selecting a contractor. To make a well-informed decision later on whether and to what extent doing some of the work ourselves is worthwhile, we have asked for a breakdown of the costs into labor and material expenses (as recommended in various specialized literature). So far, we have only received negative responses.
Do you know of any providers who are truly transparent in this regard? What are your experiences?
Thank you in advance for your replies!
My wife and I are currently in the process of selecting a contractor. To make a well-informed decision later on whether and to what extent doing some of the work ourselves is worthwhile, we have asked for a breakdown of the costs into labor and material expenses (as recommended in various specialized literature). So far, we have only received negative responses.
Do you know of any providers who are truly transparent in this regard? What are your experiences?
Thank you in advance for your replies!
H
HilfeHilfe20 Sep 2018 06:33haydee schrieb:
It exists. We built with Wir Leben Haus and received about a 40-page detailed cost breakdown with every offer. Not only what you had chosen, but also other options.
This way, you could compare at home what, for example, the interior walls would cost as solid wood walls, exposed walls, or timber frame walls, or the towel holder.but that is quite rare. It was certainly after signing the contract, not before.
montessalet20 Sep 2018 07:16Mojo77 schrieb:
I was also surprised that most companies did NOT provide a "model" of the planned house on the computer or at least on a "drawing board" before signing the contract... Apparently, my expectations are too high...
Based on your experience, are there any providers you would recommend in terms of transparency/quality?I fundamentally see this differently:
I definitely would not sign a contract if I don’t know what “my” house will cost—meaning without a drawn plan, discussed specifications, and included features. And yes, there are providers who actually do this as part of my evaluation process—and those are exactly the companies I tend to trust more (of course also because of reviews and experiences shared by other homeowners). When it comes to a house, in my opinion, we are dealing with a price range where buying a pig in a poke no longer makes sense.
It is quite normal, even expected, that there will be adjustments during the final selection of finishes and fittings. But if you already know from the start what you want (and roughly understand the “included” scope of services), clearly state it, and the builder provides a cost breakdown accordingly, then you will be able to stay within your self-imposed budget.
Pure “house salespeople” wouldn’t even get into my home.