ᐅ General contractor / prefabricated house supplier with an existing cost estimate (equivalent to HOAI Phase 4)
Created on: 16 May 2021 12:38
T
TommyNRW
Hello dear house building experts,
we would like to find the right partner for our house construction after obtaining the building permit / planning permission.
Background:
My wife and I have purchased a plot of land and initially searched for a general contractor or a prefab home provider who could offer us a finished move-in ready house at a fixed price. This is important to us, as we have heard many negative experiences from acquaintances regarding price surges when building with architects.
However, the companies we spoke with (and there were quite a few) were not able to address our specific requirements and the particularities of the site in enough detail, at least not before signing the construction contract.
Our plot has some special features: a narrow building envelope (tapering), a tightly defined floor area ratio / FAR, a slight height offset in length and width (about 1m (3 feet)), two parking spaces need to be created, and more. In our opinion, related external facilities such as garages, carports, storage rooms, parking spaces, driveways, etc. must already be planned from the start, as they also influence the actual house. At the latest with these external facilities, all providers referred to their own architectural services, which – as mentioned – are only available after signing.
Since we do not want to rely on the assumption that a satisfactory solution will be found then, we have now decided to work with a local architect. He knows the local conditions very well, has already designed another house in the new development area, and knows how to fully utilize the building permit / planning permission given his good contacts with the authorities.
After HOAI Phase 4, that is once the building permit / planning permission is granted, we would like to have the corresponding design implemented. The architect is absolutely fine with this and has successfully done so multiple times before.
Which providers would you consider most suitable in this case? We are not looking for the cheapest option, but definitely a reliable, experienced partner with a good price-performance ratio.
Thank you very much for your opinions and support.
we would like to find the right partner for our house construction after obtaining the building permit / planning permission.
Background:
My wife and I have purchased a plot of land and initially searched for a general contractor or a prefab home provider who could offer us a finished move-in ready house at a fixed price. This is important to us, as we have heard many negative experiences from acquaintances regarding price surges when building with architects.
However, the companies we spoke with (and there were quite a few) were not able to address our specific requirements and the particularities of the site in enough detail, at least not before signing the construction contract.
Our plot has some special features: a narrow building envelope (tapering), a tightly defined floor area ratio / FAR, a slight height offset in length and width (about 1m (3 feet)), two parking spaces need to be created, and more. In our opinion, related external facilities such as garages, carports, storage rooms, parking spaces, driveways, etc. must already be planned from the start, as they also influence the actual house. At the latest with these external facilities, all providers referred to their own architectural services, which – as mentioned – are only available after signing.
Since we do not want to rely on the assumption that a satisfactory solution will be found then, we have now decided to work with a local architect. He knows the local conditions very well, has already designed another house in the new development area, and knows how to fully utilize the building permit / planning permission given his good contacts with the authorities.
After HOAI Phase 4, that is once the building permit / planning permission is granted, we would like to have the corresponding design implemented. The architect is absolutely fine with this and has successfully done so multiple times before.
Which providers would you consider most suitable in this case? We are not looking for the cheapest option, but definitely a reliable, experienced partner with a good price-performance ratio.
Thank you very much for your opinions and support.
That may be true, but the purpose of the exclamation mark is usually not to indicate shouting, but (when in parentheses) to draw special attention to something. 😉 In this case, it was to point out that a general contractor (GU) is being sought here, not a main contractor (GÜ), which is often used synonymously.
What I still haven’t quite understood:
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
TommyNRW schrieb:This hurdle has now been overcome, the requirements specialist aka architect has been found. Was there really no company among the "quite a few" with which building could have started right away – what else stands in the way now (apart from my recommendation for a tender process and architect project management)?
The companies we spoke with (and there were quite a few) were not able to address our requirements and the specifics of the plot in enough detail, at least not before signing the construction contract.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
hanghaus200016 May 2021 22:36I would be interested to know where the truly unsolvable problems with the plot are.
Please upload the zoning plan / development plan and the site plan.
Please upload the zoning plan / development plan and the site plan.
N
nordanney17 May 2021 00:13TommyNRW schrieb:
My wife and I have purchased a plot of land and were initially looking for a general contractor or a prefabricated house supplier who could offer us a turnkey house at a fixed price. This is important to us because we have many negative experiences with price surges during construction projects involving architects among our acquaintances. Price surges are NOT caused by the construction method involving architects. Do you mean that a general contractor or similar can build cheaper? Material costs and labor expenses are more or less the same (many of them subcontract their work anyway, which you might have hired directly in a project with architects).
A general contractor or prefabricated house supplier is more advantageous and cheaper if you buy or build a standard design house. There is not much to plan, and the house has been built multiple times before. No new plans need to be drawn, no new structural calculations, etc.
If you take your architect’s design to a general contractor, they will give you a custom price and will likely add any potential cost increases. It definitely will not be cheaper.
Similar topics