Hello. In about a month, we will start building a new single-family house. Other houses in the development are being constructed by the same general contractor. We recently visited the site where some of the others have already started building. I was a bit confused when I tried to talk to two construction workers, but they didn’t understand a word. Now I wonder how our site manager (general contractor) plans to communicate with them. What have your experiences been when the craftsmen have no German language skills? If the builder goes bankrupt, I also imagine it would be difficult to hold subcontractors based in Ukraine or elsewhere accountable for defects. Or am I overthinking this?
Egon12 schrieb:
Is the sentence structure from Google Translate or something?
Otherwise, building a house in Poland is exactly the same as in Germany; for everything else, there are warranties and lawyers. Uh, no... or are you from the same country? Then you probably wouldn’t give such an answer.
S
Steffen804 Feb 2019 14:23It was important to us that we only hired craftsmen from the local area and no cheap labor from Poland or elsewhere. We communicated this directly, and we exclusively had local workers. Small companies (such as one-man roofing businesses) as well as larger firms. All very nice people who also all spoke German. Very pleasant... and generally, they were well paid (at least those whose wages I discussed).
Steffen80 schrieb:
It was important to us to hire ONLY tradespeople from the local area and not cheap labor from Poland or similar. We communicated this clearly and only had those workers. Small companies (for example, one-man roofing businesses) up to larger firms. All very nice people who also all spoke German. Very pleasant... and generally they were well paid (at least those whose wages I discussed). I can only confirm that here as well, and of course, I pay more for it than if the workers were from Eastern Europe, obviously.L
Leon1305118 Mar 2019 15:52ypg schrieb:
There are builders who communicate directly with the lead craftsman.
There are general contractors (GCs) who communicate with the German-speaking managers or directors of the subcontractor companies.
Why should the subcontractor's headquarters be located abroad?
I think if you think about it more carefully, you’ll realize that these things are hardly related.
Many technicians at Audi or VW speak German with an accent. That doesn’t stop you from ordering a VW.
Basically, the construction manager from the GC is your main contact, not the craftsman. If you think it’s necessary to communicate with certain individuals, you will need to try to explain your point clearly to them.
At Danwood, a Polish company, it’s common for homeowners to clearly explain their ideas and special requests, which are then carried out by the Polish workers. Have a look at Danwood construction diaries—they take it with humor and appreciate that the craftsmen carry out special requests for a relatively small amount of money. They certainly don’t have to.
As for German craftsmen: there are also some who just throw up their hands and refer to their boss. They don’t want to take responsibility, even though or maybe precisely because they understand everything, including their rights. L
Leon1305118 Mar 2019 16:02The funny thing is, when you build a Danwood house, no one speaks German, and instead of a construction manager, you have an assistant construction manager who also doesn’t speak German.
My advice:
Hire an interpreter (to avoid misunderstandings like “I didn’t understand...”);
Get a sworn building expert involved; take as many photos as possible; have a good lawyer; and be on-site every minute from the assembly of the house until completion.
Report defects immediately in writing and with photos, and demand their correction.
Standard replies are things like, “we’re not finished yet,” or “you have a 5-year warranty...”
How are you supposed to prove construction defects after 5 years?
And after completion, you get a phone number to call if there’s a problem… Ha ha, the number belongs to a company in Poland, and if you’re lucky, someone speaks German there…
My conclusion: no thanks, never again.
My advice:
Hire an interpreter (to avoid misunderstandings like “I didn’t understand...”);
Get a sworn building expert involved; take as many photos as possible; have a good lawyer; and be on-site every minute from the assembly of the house until completion.
Report defects immediately in writing and with photos, and demand their correction.
Standard replies are things like, “we’re not finished yet,” or “you have a 5-year warranty...”
How are you supposed to prove construction defects after 5 years?
And after completion, you get a phone number to call if there’s a problem… Ha ha, the number belongs to a company in Poland, and if you’re lucky, someone speaks German there…
My conclusion: no thanks, never again.
There are some opinions here that are borderline. Anyone who has seen the old town of Gdańsk, which Poland even rebuilt under socialist conditions, would wish to have Polish craftsmen on their construction site. Especially when it comes to bricklaying and carpentry work, they are excellent. K.
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