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
There may be companies that initially offer you 5 designs for free. But if they do, it usually means they really need to, which doesn’t reflect well on them...
As a practical comparison: imagine going to a bakery and asking for one roll from each variety to try for free, or better yet, two rolls because your wife wants to try too... You then wish the two rolls were a bit bigger, and in the end, 20 cents (per roll) seems too expensive.
Hardly anyone would think this way.
As a practical comparison: imagine going to a bakery and asking for one roll from each variety to try for free, or better yet, two rolls because your wife wants to try too... You then wish the two rolls were a bit bigger, and in the end, 20 cents (per roll) seems too expensive.
Hardly anyone would think this way.
And I still say
... and the confirmation comes straight away ...
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Requesting quotes has become a kind of national pastime. There are (unfortunately, not rarely) people who just want to know how much their dream house costs,
... and the confirmation comes straight away ...
GelbesT schrieb:
I have completed our floor plan and created a PDF with all our requirements, which I provide to the companies in advance. This way, some can already give me a quote at the first meeting, saving me time. I don’t want to feel like I haven’t done enough comparison, so in the end, I’ll probably have around 20 quotes in front of me.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
And what does he gain from that? Twenty quotes, all different, offering different services—does he really know if he’s getting the best value, which doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest?
It’s different with a proper tender process. There, I define very precisely what should be done, how, and where. Then three offers are enough.
And comparing a prefabricated wooden house with one faced with sand-lime bricks doesn’t really help either. K.
It’s different with a proper tender process. There, I define very precisely what should be done, how, and where. Then three offers are enough.
And comparing a prefabricated wooden house with one faced with sand-lime bricks doesn’t really help either. K.
Nordlys schrieb:
And what does he gain from that? 20 quotes, In the "first instance," in my opinion, five quotes are enough to get an idea of the price range. Compared to the remaining fifteen, he benefits from being unreasonable—simply by putting them in a difficult position: either they take the trouble to prepare a proper quote, even though the chance of winning the contract is low; or they submit a reasonably superficial quote and then end up criticized in a forum for providing a superficial offer. The cost of the other nineteen quotes that go unused instead of just four must be spread out, which is then paid by the prudent customer.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I
Illexchubby22 Jun 2017 23:56...the discussion has probably gotten a bit out of hand
I also work professionally with CAD, so I can roughly estimate how much work this involves. I've read in construction diaries that there are indeed companies that plan a custom house in advance (at least roughly) and place it on the plot.
For me, it's "just" about this:
We were able to reserve one of the last plots in our desired location and now have six months to decide for or against it. The plot has a slight slope (approx. 1.5m (5 feet) over about 30m (98 feet)) and a predefined driveway. To us as "laypersons," everything looks great. Still, we keep asking ourselves why this particular plot was left. Coincidence? We don't know.
The building experts here probably know immediately how to handle such a plot, what is feasible, and what is not. But we simply don’t know—and I don’t think that’s a problem. What’s much more important is being aware of this and understanding that we have to seek information and advice in this case!
Ultimately, we “wish” for a reliable company that would look at the plot with us in advance and then say: You can do this here, but not that... The orientation only makes sense this or that way... You need to build with a basement here... and so on.
Then just sketch a few ideas onto the floor plan, and that’s it!
And I still believe that this should simply be included with projects of this size. I just hope, as I said at the beginning, that this is not wishful thinking on our part...
I also work professionally with CAD, so I can roughly estimate how much work this involves. I've read in construction diaries that there are indeed companies that plan a custom house in advance (at least roughly) and place it on the plot.
For me, it's "just" about this:
We were able to reserve one of the last plots in our desired location and now have six months to decide for or against it. The plot has a slight slope (approx. 1.5m (5 feet) over about 30m (98 feet)) and a predefined driveway. To us as "laypersons," everything looks great. Still, we keep asking ourselves why this particular plot was left. Coincidence? We don't know.
The building experts here probably know immediately how to handle such a plot, what is feasible, and what is not. But we simply don’t know—and I don’t think that’s a problem. What’s much more important is being aware of this and understanding that we have to seek information and advice in this case!
Ultimately, we “wish” for a reliable company that would look at the plot with us in advance and then say: You can do this here, but not that... The orientation only makes sense this or that way... You need to build with a basement here... and so on.
Then just sketch a few ideas onto the floor plan, and that’s it!
And I still believe that this should simply be included with projects of this size. I just hope, as I said at the beginning, that this is not wishful thinking on our part...
For example, I advised you to consult an architect. This is the usual approach, especially with challenging plots or for clients who want to be absolutely certain.
We could now go in circles over how you describe your issue, which you already shared in your initial post.
We cannot change the facts.
Best regards, Yvonne
We could now go in circles over how you describe your issue, which you already shared in your initial post.
We cannot change the facts.
Best regards, Yvonne