ᐅ Building a House with a Foreign Construction Company: Additional Planning Work?

Hello! I wanted to ask if anyone has completed a building project with a foreign construction company and could share their experiences regarding the planning and execution of the project.

Specifically, in our case, we have found a company that would build our house on a turnkey basis, but for example, the necessary documents for the building file must first be prepared by an architect from Germany. Our main question is which additional steps, planning tasks, or control measures we should involve to properly prepare and carry out the construction project.

As an example of such tasks, we would need to have the structural engineer’s plans created separately and arrange for on-site quality control during construction.

What steps did you take, or what points should definitely be considered?

Thank you very much in advance!

Just look up minimum wage / posted worker regulations before you even think that foreign companies might somehow be able or allowed to work miracles. Building a house with materials as affordable as in Germany is only possible to a very limited extent. Constructing a house using materials or systems that are only common abroad can be problematic: good luck finding a certified translator with specialized construction knowledge to translate a lummerland-type approval into German. Austria or Switzerland are comparatively easier foreign countries because of the language, but requirements for thermal insulation, fire protection, compression and tensile strength tests can still differ. In many Central and Eastern European countries, significant language barriers exist—Russian, for example, also has different characters. Bilateral chambers of commerce that could offer support are not always available. Cross-border legal expertise in warranty law is also not a trivial matter. The best way to demystify your question is to provide more details about the potentially straightforward facts: having Austrian porous bricks laid would probably not be worth mentioning as exotic. However, formwork blocks made of Maltese corn starch resin might mean that the experienced German structural engineer would be like a needle in a haystack.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Hello and thank you in advance for your response!

This concerns a Polish company, however, all materials/components are identical or already sourced from Germany (for example, Liapor is being considered here). My question is: To whom and how must it be proven that these blocks are identical in quality?

The plans and offers are also written in German, and the company is authorized here and has already completed several projects in Germany. We do not need an interpreter since we also speak Polish.

Basically, the question could also be phrased this way: What is required if you have to organize the work yourself that is often handled by a turnkey house provider or a company offering a complete package (for example, the architect, structural engineer, energy certification, etc.)?

The main reason for this project is not only to reduce costs but especially because German companies usually have long lead times since almost every provider is managing many projects simultaneously and can only start building after a considerable delay. The big advantage here is that construction can begin quickly.

However, I suspect there are still some differences because this is a foreign company, which is not quite the same as a fully local developer. I wanted to explore these differences and potential pitfalls, which may not be obvious before construction begins, through my question.

Best regards! 🙂

If you understand Polish, I would also consider including a Polish company in the selection of requested firms quite naturally. “Quite” because I am not familiar with the differences in warranty law – but I believe there is a bilateral Chamber of Commerce with relevant information on this. By interpreter, I meant sworn translations of foreign inspection documents, not communication for orders. If the blocks are truly “Liapor-equivalent” (that is, a licensed product from them), I don’t see any problems.

Inb4_Top schrieb:

What is required if you need to organize the work yourself that is otherwise often handled by a prefab house provider or a supplier offering a “turnkey package” (for example, the architect, structural engineer, quality control, etc.)?

Do you want to build based on a construction plan from the contractor? – In that case, I would also have them find a German structural engineer. Having an expert commissioned independently for quality control is always a good idea, even if there is no language barrier with the construction workers (I don’t know if Polish workers are more diligent in following the plans they are supposed to work from).

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Polish companies are also capable of building. The issue is more about the submission planning with the building authorities. This can cause difficulties. Therefore, the company suggested handling this process themselves. You might want to ask the company which architect has done the planning for them in Germany so far.

gutentag schrieb:

Polish companies are capable of building as well. The issue is more about the submission planning with the building authority / planning permission office. That can cause difficulties. Hence the company's suggestion to organize that part yourself. You might ask the company which architect has done their planning in Germany so far.

I once wanted to import a log house from Ukraine to Germany.
All the plans were in Russian.
Unfortunately, the building authority did not approve it due to issues with the energy saving regulations, structural requirements, and other factors.
The attempt was worth it though.
It would have cost around 30,000 euros for a 120 m² (1,292 sq ft) shell construction including assembly as a holiday home 😀