Hello everyone,
We built our house about 2 to 2.5 years ago. We also purchased a prefabricated garage with strip foundations from the same prefab company that assembled the house, with the following description in their offer:
Garage:
Single prefab garage 3 x 6 m (10 x 20 ft) with gravel-covered flat roof, galvanized roof edge protection, white garage doors, strip foundations based on level ground, building permit/planning permission design, working drawings, and structural engineering.
During construction, additional costs arose:
Formwork for the rear strip foundation of the prefab garage due to the existing terrain.
Now, two years after the garage was set up (February 2017), we received the invoice for the excavation of the garage foundations from the excavation company.
We informed the excavation company that the invoice should be addressed to the prefab company since we purchased and paid for the complete garage package from them.
The excavation company contacted the prefab company regarding payment, but this was refused on the grounds that the earthworks for the garage foundations were not included in the contract.
Who is correct in this situation? To me, excavation is part of the strip foundation offer. Additionally, the prefab company hired the excavation company themselves without our knowledge, consultation, or approval.
If it were really the case that we were responsible for the earthworks, then first, we would have done this along with the house excavation to save on additional travel costs, and second, we would have probably carried out the excavation ourselves.
Thank you in advance for your help!
We built our house about 2 to 2.5 years ago. We also purchased a prefabricated garage with strip foundations from the same prefab company that assembled the house, with the following description in their offer:
Garage:
Single prefab garage 3 x 6 m (10 x 20 ft) with gravel-covered flat roof, galvanized roof edge protection, white garage doors, strip foundations based on level ground, building permit/planning permission design, working drawings, and structural engineering.
During construction, additional costs arose:
Formwork for the rear strip foundation of the prefab garage due to the existing terrain.
Now, two years after the garage was set up (February 2017), we received the invoice for the excavation of the garage foundations from the excavation company.
We informed the excavation company that the invoice should be addressed to the prefab company since we purchased and paid for the complete garage package from them.
The excavation company contacted the prefab company regarding payment, but this was refused on the grounds that the earthworks for the garage foundations were not included in the contract.
Who is correct in this situation? To me, excavation is part of the strip foundation offer. Additionally, the prefab company hired the excavation company themselves without our knowledge, consultation, or approval.
If it were really the case that we were responsible for the earthworks, then first, we would have done this along with the house excavation to save on additional travel costs, and second, we would have probably carried out the excavation ourselves.
Thank you in advance for your help!
T
Turmbauer20 Jan 2019 20:33I am not an expert in construction, but I have a lot of professional experience working with tradespeople.
Regardless of who is to blame for the situation:
Ask the excavation company who gave them the contract.
If they say it was you, ask for the written order.
If they say it was the garage company, first request proof of service and who signed it.
If you did not sign it at the time, they can’t really claim anything since they cannot prove the work was completed.
Important: Stay polite and act unaware ;-) They should sort this out among themselves.
Regardless of who is to blame for the situation:
Ask the excavation company who gave them the contract.
If they say it was you, ask for the written order.
If they say it was the garage company, first request proof of service and who signed it.
If you did not sign it at the time, they can’t really claim anything since they cannot prove the work was completed.
Important: Stay polite and act unaware ;-) They should sort this out among themselves.
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