ᐅ Initial Consultation Appointment with the Prefabricated House Manufacturer
Created on: 19 Jun 2017 18:38
I
Illexchubby
Hello everyone,
My girlfriend and I have decided to fulfill our dream of owning a home. We chose to build a prefabricated house and have already provisionally reserved a plot of land that meets our location and price expectations.
Our plan was (and is) to sit down with prefab house manufacturers, show them our development plan and regulations, and then work together on possible floor plans that meet our individual wishes. We also hoped to get some initial quotes to help us plan and estimate the financing of the whole project.
It’s quite a rough approach for the beginning, I know, but this was primarily meant to help us decide for or against the reserved plot and, of course, to better estimate whether we can afford it.
Over the last few months, we have visited many model home parks and have narrowed down to 3-4 preferred manufacturers.
We recently scheduled our first appointment for a consultation. By the way, it was with a “top” manufacturer, at least according to recent reviews from sources like FocusMoney.
At the start of the meeting, the representative neither introduced herself nor her company in any way. It quickly became clear that the main purpose of the meeting was just to present us with an initial offer. We had sent our plot plan in advance, requesting a review and feedback regarding the location and orientation, but we received no response on that. When I asked about it, she just said she showed it to an architect, who did not see any issues. We flipped through some catalogs, and when I pointed out a floor plan that roughly matched our ideas, it was immediately noted for inclusion in the offer. Then she asked me which heating system I wanted. But who would know that at the first meeting? She then mentioned that for this size, about 160m² (1720 square feet) over two floors, it basically only makes sense to build to KfW55 standards and use an air-source heat pump. When I asked how flexible the floor plans could be, she said we would handle that with the architect later, when the time comes. However, it turned out that I can only see the architect if I sign a preliminary contract because, according to her, the planning involves high costs and the company needs a certain level of security. I also learned that this manufacturer does not have in-house architects but commissions them externally.
Is this the usual process? I feel like I can't buy a plot without at least a floor plan or rough draft, right? At the kitchen showroom, they design my kitchen for the space before I sign anything! I always thought you first look at the building site with the architect in person…
Am I mistaken? Is this just wishful thinking on my part? What can I realistically expect?
Thanks a lot for your answers.
Best regards,
Dennis
My girlfriend and I have decided to fulfill our dream of owning a home. We chose to build a prefabricated house and have already provisionally reserved a plot of land that meets our location and price expectations.
Our plan was (and is) to sit down with prefab house manufacturers, show them our development plan and regulations, and then work together on possible floor plans that meet our individual wishes. We also hoped to get some initial quotes to help us plan and estimate the financing of the whole project.
It’s quite a rough approach for the beginning, I know, but this was primarily meant to help us decide for or against the reserved plot and, of course, to better estimate whether we can afford it.
Over the last few months, we have visited many model home parks and have narrowed down to 3-4 preferred manufacturers.
We recently scheduled our first appointment for a consultation. By the way, it was with a “top” manufacturer, at least according to recent reviews from sources like FocusMoney.
At the start of the meeting, the representative neither introduced herself nor her company in any way. It quickly became clear that the main purpose of the meeting was just to present us with an initial offer. We had sent our plot plan in advance, requesting a review and feedback regarding the location and orientation, but we received no response on that. When I asked about it, she just said she showed it to an architect, who did not see any issues. We flipped through some catalogs, and when I pointed out a floor plan that roughly matched our ideas, it was immediately noted for inclusion in the offer. Then she asked me which heating system I wanted. But who would know that at the first meeting? She then mentioned that for this size, about 160m² (1720 square feet) over two floors, it basically only makes sense to build to KfW55 standards and use an air-source heat pump. When I asked how flexible the floor plans could be, she said we would handle that with the architect later, when the time comes. However, it turned out that I can only see the architect if I sign a preliminary contract because, according to her, the planning involves high costs and the company needs a certain level of security. I also learned that this manufacturer does not have in-house architects but commissions them externally.
Is this the usual process? I feel like I can't buy a plot without at least a floor plan or rough draft, right? At the kitchen showroom, they design my kitchen for the space before I sign anything! I always thought you first look at the building site with the architect in person…
Am I mistaken? Is this just wishful thinking on my part? What can I realistically expect?
Thanks a lot for your answers.
Best regards,
Dennis
11ant schrieb:
Usually, the client expects more detailed information than just a final approximate total. Multiplying the floor area by the height and the price per cubic meter is quickly done. The result is often shocked faces and confusion about how the total was calculated and how it can be "realistically reduced." Resolving this takes much more time.And for the naive “wishful thinking without knowing” type, this is enough to bring some back down to earth.
toxicmolotow schrieb:
A daycare center was supposed to be built here, but nobody applied for the contract. Alex85 schrieb:
In my experience, if there are no bidders at all, it usually points to unreasonable requirements in the tender that cannot be met. For example, when applying for such contracts, you must prove (EU-wide!) that you have not evaded taxes or social contributions in the past several years, among other things – gathering these certificates (and getting them officially translated, haha) takes time. Plus long lists of references and so on. For a daycare group, the profit margin is about the same as for a semi-detached house, but the standards to comply with fill folders as thick as for a nursing home. That means only specialists bother with it, and they only take on such difficult clients as municipal administrations (or hypocritical church organizations) if they would otherwise have gaps in their order books.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Illexchubby schrieb:
...basically, my question is whether I can expect a prefab house manufacturer to design a floor plan for me (it would be great to see it all in 3D, of course) and provide comprehensive advice before I have to sign a preliminary contract?I think the question has been answered.
However, I don’t quite understand the problem. There are countless floor plans available. A custom house design specifically for you takes time. It’s not something you just whip together in an hour. It is developed over weeks – and you are not willing to wait for that either.
What you get within an hour is basically what they already have as a standard model in their portfolio and present to you. This can be used very well as a basis for calculation. Every homebuilder offers a 160sqm (1,722 sq ft) urban villa, a 120sqm (1,292 sq ft) semi-detached house, a 114sqm (1,227 sq ft) bungalow, and a 140sqm (1,507 sq ft) gable roof house. With standard specifications, you can plan well and find out, for example, that Weberhaus is too expensive and Scanhaus Marlow is too cheap for you. Or that you need an extension for a fifth room. This way, you get straight to the point of building... later comes the detailed construction specification, but that is a different matter. Your gut feeling about the provider is also important.
In my opinion, going into the depths of the house design is too much at this stage, when nothing is fixed yet. That work costs a high four to five-figure sum, just to put it into perspective compared to a purchase of approximately 250,000€ (around $270,000). I think you are underestimating this service.
Illexchubby schrieb:
We only started looking at all these prefab house providers because I like timber construction and they all advertise how flexible everything is. But actually, we don’t want a house from a catalog. Then the question will really arise if we might get along better with a regional general contractor.A regional general contractor will have standard house models just like the bigger companies that they use for calculations. (As an architect, often only a draftsman is employed who nicely draws everything within a 38-hour workweek. The architect may work on a fee basis, but only for the general contractor and only hourly. For one house, they have a certain number of hours available… and someone has to pay for that.)
There is the basic specification with the general contractor, that costs a certain amount, and then a better one at another price. The client explores their financial limit. This applies both nationally and regionally. Heinz von Heiden operates across all of Germany just like a small company north of Hamburg.
And honestly: the value of the homebuilder company cannot be judged by the design/floor plan/3D visualization alone, but by other factors (gut feeling, construction specifications, good reputation, quality, etc.). If needed, you can get a good floor plan through other means (architect and then general contractor), and a plan is not better just because it has 3D.
What you want is the service of an architect who sees you personally as a client. They can also plan in prefab construction and then find a subcontractor who will carry out the building later.
11ant schrieb:
Requesting quotes has become something like a national sport. There are (unfortunately quite often) people who just want to know what their dream house costs, who don’t even have a plot yet (or don’t understand what a building permit / planning permission is, how to read it, or whether construction is even possible there). Some haven’t even had a discussion about what loan amount they qualify for. Just because among a handful of dreamers there is a serious buyer “hiding,” would you really send a quote to everyone?Exactly.
And never underestimate the salesperson! You can both overestimate and underestimate them.
I find some posts frustrating, as they seem to perpetuate prejudices. In my professional life, I have been involved in expanding a daycare center, completely renovating one, and constructing a nursery. Not by myself, but with the help of architects and building consultation from the youth welfare office, and I was responsible for the costs. We did not have excessive demands in the tender documents, had no difficulty finding bidders, were neither difficult nor hypocritical, and paid the invoices within four weeks after the architect’s approval. However, we insisted on correcting any defects. We did not go looking for defects, but having them fixed is our rightful expectation, in my opinion. Karsten
Nordlys schrieb:
I’m frustrated by some posts Having repairs done is of course a valid right. By “petty,” I meant that city administrations and similar authorities can be extremely sensitive, while contractors, even with relatively minor questions in the bureaucratic process, are no less entitled to play hardball than the citizens. And by “hypocritical,” I meant that church-influenced clients often give pious speeches, but as clients, they can be just as cunning as anyone else—no more Christian than the ruthless private sector.
The tender texts themselves may be reasonable, but the special regulations for daycare centers have an unfavorable ratio compared to the contractor’s assumed profit, who earns more from a private duplex than from a two-group daycare building.
With a small health insurance fund (actually not a government agency, but acted like one), I declined an offer of a consulting contract— they had completely unrealistic expectations of the extent to which one would have to expose themselves. Some aspects of the EU tender culture seem to me hardly compatible with data protection.
Based on experiences like these (mostly my own), a public client would not get an appointment from me for a hundred years. That’s not a criticism of the employees, as I am also a freelancer.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Regarding daycare centers and special regulations: of course, these exist. But isn’t that primarily the responsibility of the architect hired by the client? The tender documents will specify these requirements—for example, special child toilets instead of standard ceramics, toilet partitions with additional finger protection instead of regular ones, linoleum instead of laminate or vinyl flooring. Instead of one front door, there might be two, plus fire protection, escape routes, and so on. The contractor will then adjust their prices accordingly.
Building a nursery with a group room, sleeping area, small kitchen, hallway, cloakroom, children’s restroom, and staff restroom cost around 300,000 euros in 2010. Back then, you could have gotten two small solid concrete houses for that price. Why would the companies have earned less?
Building a nursery with a group room, sleeping area, small kitchen, hallway, cloakroom, children’s restroom, and staff restroom cost around 300,000 euros in 2010. Back then, you could have gotten two small solid concrete houses for that price. Why would the companies have earned less?
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