Good morning dear colleagues,
I am in the fortunate situation of having found our personal dream plot for our first own house. However, I only decided to start building four weeks ago and began searching two weeks ago – and now I need to act quickly, or the plot will be gone! I’m a bit overwhelmed because everything is moving so fast; I’ve already made one mistake and would therefore be extremely grateful for professional help and experience.
-----
1. Question about the builder:
We would like to build with TAFF-Haus, or rather have to, because the broker involved was until two weeks ago still part of the management team and since February has been an independent broker (during the viewing we were told he only works for the owner… which was true at that time but already feels a bit questionable). Now, there is no information or reviews about TAFF-Haus or the other companies in the parent group "Uwe Köhn Unternehmensgruppe," such as ALLEGRO-Haus (only two negative reports about ALLEGRO here in the forum). This is perhaps not surprising, considering the following from the commercial register regarding the entire company structure:
So, there is practically no experience in housebuilding! Or am I mistaken?
Fortunately (?), TAFF does not handle the construction itself but hires a large number of local subcontractors for the individual trades. You could almost say that they only organize. But I’m not certain about that; the walls are patented (prefabricated house/timber frame construction).
That doesn’t worry me too much yet, although I would prefer a company with many years of experience. But I probably just have to make sure that every tiny detail is documented in writing from the start – as it should be for contracts involving such sums.
-> What do you think? Can TAFF-Haus be trusted?
-----
2. About my mistake:
I, a naive fool, of course told the seller my budget. Quite surprisingly, our desired house now fits exactly into that budget – what a wonderful coincidence!
To partly fix this and to create a basis for negotiation, I’m considering, as mentioned above, asking for a detailed breakdown of every single item and comparing them online. It would be best to also get reference projects with addresses/contact details and compare prices with those. It can’t be too long since they built those...
-> What should I absolutely pay attention to now?
Is there a checklist or something similar in this forum? I will definitely read the section "Buyer assistance before signing the contract" here in the housebuilding guide, but maybe there is more or something that fits my situation.
-----
3. Alternative for the brave:
The plot is a dream, and we really want to have it. I have managed to find the owner and am seriously considering making him an offer. In the worst case, I’d pay the “hidden” broker’s commission but would then own the plot and no longer be tied to TAFF. We would also like to change some things about the house, which TAFF with their fixed floor plans cannot offer us.
-> Would you consider this option in my situation? Are there risks?
-----
Normally I’m someone who research many things extensively myself, but in this case I simply don’t have the time. I am grateful for any answer because the next meeting with TAFF is still this week, when the house is supposed to be planned. Feel free to bombard me with helpful links (as far as allowed) or similar topics, as I simply don’t have time to search and sort – mea culpa!
I am in the fortunate situation of having found our personal dream plot for our first own house. However, I only decided to start building four weeks ago and began searching two weeks ago – and now I need to act quickly, or the plot will be gone! I’m a bit overwhelmed because everything is moving so fast; I’ve already made one mistake and would therefore be extremely grateful for professional help and experience.
-----
1. Question about the builder:
We would like to build with TAFF-Haus, or rather have to, because the broker involved was until two weeks ago still part of the management team and since February has been an independent broker (during the viewing we were told he only works for the owner… which was true at that time but already feels a bit questionable). Now, there is no information or reviews about TAFF-Haus or the other companies in the parent group "Uwe Köhn Unternehmensgruppe," such as ALLEGRO-Haus (only two negative reports about ALLEGRO here in the forum). This is perhaps not surprising, considering the following from the commercial register regarding the entire company structure:
- VSC Vertriebs Service Consult GmbH has existed since January 2006.
- Meißner Bau Management GmbH, like Allegro-Haus GmbH, was founded in December 2012.
- TAFF-Haus GmbH has only existed for two years, since May 2015.
So, there is practically no experience in housebuilding! Or am I mistaken?
Fortunately (?), TAFF does not handle the construction itself but hires a large number of local subcontractors for the individual trades. You could almost say that they only organize. But I’m not certain about that; the walls are patented (prefabricated house/timber frame construction).
That doesn’t worry me too much yet, although I would prefer a company with many years of experience. But I probably just have to make sure that every tiny detail is documented in writing from the start – as it should be for contracts involving such sums.
-> What do you think? Can TAFF-Haus be trusted?
-----
2. About my mistake:
I, a naive fool, of course told the seller my budget. Quite surprisingly, our desired house now fits exactly into that budget – what a wonderful coincidence!
To partly fix this and to create a basis for negotiation, I’m considering, as mentioned above, asking for a detailed breakdown of every single item and comparing them online. It would be best to also get reference projects with addresses/contact details and compare prices with those. It can’t be too long since they built those...
-> What should I absolutely pay attention to now?
Is there a checklist or something similar in this forum? I will definitely read the section "Buyer assistance before signing the contract" here in the housebuilding guide, but maybe there is more or something that fits my situation.
-----
3. Alternative for the brave:
The plot is a dream, and we really want to have it. I have managed to find the owner and am seriously considering making him an offer. In the worst case, I’d pay the “hidden” broker’s commission but would then own the plot and no longer be tied to TAFF. We would also like to change some things about the house, which TAFF with their fixed floor plans cannot offer us.
-> Would you consider this option in my situation? Are there risks?
-----
Normally I’m someone who research many things extensively myself, but in this case I simply don’t have the time. I am grateful for any answer because the next meeting with TAFF is still this week, when the house is supposed to be planned. Feel free to bombard me with helpful links (as far as allowed) or similar topics, as I simply don’t have time to search and sort – mea culpa!
P
PowerBauer17 May 2017 11:32Caspar2020 schrieb:
I forgot to mention the external connection points for water and electricity. Also a nice little extra for an additional cost. We literally have a different source for water; electricity is a good point. We definitely need that – thanks!
Caspar2020 schrieb:
According to their website, the exterior wall is constructed as follows:
8 mm silicone resin topcoat and base coat with reinforcing mesh
60 mm wood fiberboard
200 mm timber frame made of structural solid wood (KVH)
200 mm sound and thermal insulation made of mineral wool
15 mm OSB board, sealed to be windproof
60 mm battens as an installation cavity
60 mm sound and thermal insulation made of mineral wool
10 mm gypsum fiberboard
Vapor retarder, sealed airtight
12.5 mm gypsum plasterboard
That looks fine to me. It’s double-layered. Does the building specification say anything different? The building specification actually only states the following:
8 mm exterior plaster with full-surface mesh reinforcement (seems like the cheaper variant to me?)
60 mm wood fiberboard WLG046 used as plaster baseboard (same?)
200 mm timber framing made of structural solid wood (same)
200 mm mineral wool WLG035, fitted in the stud cavities (same)
15 mm OSB board, sealed airtight, forming the first layer of windproofing (same)
60 mm battens serve as installation cavity (same)
The rest is completely missing. However, there is a sentence that I noted earlier and found odd: "After completion of the exterior wall by the builder, using the materials specified by TAFF-Haus at the indicated thicknesses, the U-value is 0.132 W/m2K and the total thickness of the exterior wall is approximately 37 cm (15 inches)."
Completion of the exterior wall by me? What?
Luckily, the drywall section includes the rest with 60 mm mineral wool, gypsum board, SD100 foil, and another gypsum board. However, the drywall thicknesses are not specified; I should note that.
Caspar2020 schrieb:
Regarding the interior walls: they are only covered with OSB boards on one side. That’s not great; OSB plus gypsum board together would be better. But OSB does provide much more support than just gypsum board. Soundproofing mainly depends on what insulation is placed inside the stud wall. Also, the question is how thick the OSB boards are. Does the building specification mention that? Building specification:
Interior walls are covered on one side with OSB boards. The other side of the interior walls remains open. Assembly:
100 mm timber frame made of structural solid wood (possibly also 120 mm (5 inches) or similar, e.g., for structural requirements)
15 mm OSB board
Again, the phrase: "After completion of the interior wall by the builder, ..." and in the drywall section: 100 mm mineral wool insulation, gypsum board on the open side, and gypsum board on both sides. Again, no thicknesses specified, only the total wall thickness of about 15 cm (6 inches).
I assumed the covering refers only to the OSB boards, meaning double-sided covering would only apply if both sides have OSB...?
P
PowerBauer17 May 2017 11:48It’s unfortunate that posts can no longer be edited after such a short time. I wanted to correct that for the interior wall on the open side, a gypsum fiberboard is planned, not a gypsum drywall board.
P
PowerBauer17 May 2017 14:13I’ve reached the terms and conditions. It’s not looking good.
- 15% after completion of the foundation slab
- 55% after completion of the shell / structural frame
- 10% after finishing the exterior plaster and roofing
- 5% after final completion of all services
The client must provide the contractor with an assignment declaration from their financing institution covering the total contract price no later than one month after the contract becomes legally binding. This assignment secures all contractual payment obligations of the client toward the contractor. Payments to the contractor will be made according to the conditions agreed here.
If the client asserts rights under §§ 320, 273 of the Building Code and these are disputed between the parties, the outstanding amount must be held by the lending institution, provided the client enforces their claims in court within 4 weeks of the initial notification. If the client does not take legal action within this period, the remaining amount becomes payable. This regulation does not imply a reversal of the burden of proof.
If the total contract price increases due to a later extension of the order, the assignment declaration must be increased accordingly or the difference paid as an additional payment.
The client alone bears the costs for issuing the assignment declaration or financing confirmation.
Assignment of Credit
If the client wants to pay the total contract price from their own funds (equity), or if only part of the contract price is financed, the client is obliged to assign the claim for payment of the equity portion of the total contract price to the contractor to secure the contractor’s interests.
This doesn’t sound very reassuring. Or is this normal?
- Payment terms:
- 15% after completion of the foundation slab
- 55% after completion of the shell / structural frame
- 10% after finishing the exterior plaster and roofing
- 5% after final completion of all services
- No completion date for the construction is specified.
- There is an assignment declaration included. The house building guide recommends requesting a performance bond covering the entire contract sum in return. I can’t find anything like that in the contract. I’m not sure what exactly “entire contract sum” means here, but here is the related text:
The client must provide the contractor with an assignment declaration from their financing institution covering the total contract price no later than one month after the contract becomes legally binding. This assignment secures all contractual payment obligations of the client toward the contractor. Payments to the contractor will be made according to the conditions agreed here.
If the client asserts rights under §§ 320, 273 of the Building Code and these are disputed between the parties, the outstanding amount must be held by the lending institution, provided the client enforces their claims in court within 4 weeks of the initial notification. If the client does not take legal action within this period, the remaining amount becomes payable. This regulation does not imply a reversal of the burden of proof.
If the total contract price increases due to a later extension of the order, the assignment declaration must be increased accordingly or the difference paid as an additional payment.
The client alone bears the costs for issuing the assignment declaration or financing confirmation.
Assignment of Credit
If the client wants to pay the total contract price from their own funds (equity), or if only part of the contract price is financed, the client is obliged to assign the claim for payment of the equity portion of the total contract price to the contractor to secure the contractor’s interests.
This doesn’t sound very reassuring. Or is this normal?
C
Caspar202017 May 2017 14:23PowerBauer schrieb:
- 55% after completion of the shell constructionDifficult phrasing. This would mean that approximately 85% is already paid at that point. But since you want them to do the interior finishing, you have paid well above the value at this stage.
Ideally, a supplier should be able to provide a properly tailored payment schedule for the specific shell construction / ready-to-move-in house.
P
PowerBauer17 May 2017 14:44The exact wording is:
"55 percent of the contract sum after the shell construction is completed, at which point the building structure is erected, windows, shutters, and the front door are installed, and the roof is weatherproofed."
This roughly corresponds to about 55% to a maximum of 60% of the work, which is paid with 85%.
The guide also states that the initial installment before groundbreaking should be no more than 3%, and after the foundation slab, no more than 10%. From what I can see, the entire interior finishing (around €90,000, roughly one third of the costs) is covered in the final 5%. I find that quite extreme and can’t imagine this being standard practice.
"55 percent of the contract sum after the shell construction is completed, at which point the building structure is erected, windows, shutters, and the front door are installed, and the roof is weatherproofed."
This roughly corresponds to about 55% to a maximum of 60% of the work, which is paid with 85%.
The guide also states that the initial installment before groundbreaking should be no more than 3%, and after the foundation slab, no more than 10%. From what I can see, the entire interior finishing (around €90,000, roughly one third of the costs) is covered in the final 5%. I find that quite extreme and can’t imagine this being standard practice.
Similar topics