Hello!
Does anyone have experience with franchise companies?
We received a "good" offer from a graduate architect who probably works through a franchise. We are a bit skeptical because we lack references... only many planning offers available online. What do you think?!?
Does anyone have experience with franchise companies?
We received a "good" offer from a graduate architect who probably works through a franchise. We are a bit skeptical because we lack references... only many planning offers available online. What do you think?!?
B
Bauexperte21 Oct 2010 12:34Hello,
I consider this statement a bold claim; a poor decision when selecting a franchisee can always happen, despite good creditworthiness. However, reputable franchisors usually identify “their problem cases” relatively quickly through feedback from their clients and take corrective action, which often results in terminating the business relationship soon after.
In general, the old saying “the fish always rots from the head” applies here as well. For providers where recurring problems with franchisees happen—regardless of the federal state—the assumption above is akin to playing “Russian roulette.” You can safely assume that their franchisee selection criteria have no special requirements.
There is hardly anything that can be excluded with certainty; generally, however, it can be said that satisfied homeowners rarely, if ever, visit these forums—much to my regret. Therefore, in my opinion, the only viable way to get reliable reviews about local providers is to visit new residential developments.
The topic of “discount prices” is always quite explosive—literally. Many homeowners go to their local hardware store like a home improvement center and then compare those prices with the specialized trade prices from the hired craftsmen, often forgetting that there are quality differences. Craft workers generally have to cover wages—and they probably want to make a reasonable living as well …
What does “reasonable prices” mean to you? See above.
If you want to hire an architect, you should—although some here might strongly disagree—always keep in mind that very few of them can guarantee a fixed price. If they do, they are implicitly acting as general managers; in reality, you pay the invoices of each trade separately, and the architect’s liability is limited—except for their architectural part and possibly other contractual elements such as construction supervision.
Whether you take over the tendering and coordination yourself (if the above applies) depends crucially on your knowledge and ability to evaluate and, if necessary, correct interim invoices => listing each individual item by type and scope / varying by trade => retention of security deposits => deductions from net amounts, etc.; starting with the civil engineer and ending with the door installation trade.
What is your profession? Professional qualification? Available time?
Thanks for the compliment—it’s always nice to receive a small bouquet 🙂
I certainly won’t provide any kind of rating concerning competitors in the market; only hints on what you should pay attention to. The choice will follow on its own—provided you actually verify what I write virtually. Not all providers are equally recommendable for every client, and not every decision depends on financial reasons; above all is the chemistry between both contracting parties and the willingness to act as partners rather than little kings. Remember: if you want to be treated like a king, you must behave like one!
Kind regards
K-BN schrieb:
That’s exactly what I mean— even if a franchisor has a pretty good reputation, it can still lead to a very poor choice in certain regions due to differences among franchisees.
I consider this statement a bold claim; a poor decision when selecting a franchisee can always happen, despite good creditworthiness. However, reputable franchisors usually identify “their problem cases” relatively quickly through feedback from their clients and take corrective action, which often results in terminating the business relationship soon after.
In general, the old saying “the fish always rots from the head” applies here as well. For providers where recurring problems with franchisees happen—regardless of the federal state—the assumption above is akin to playing “Russian roulette.” You can safely assume that their franchisee selection criteria have no special requirements.
K-BN schrieb:
But is the assumption that, if there is nothing about a general contractor / building contractor in the relevant forums, it is risky, as long as the company is not operating nationwide? Smaller companies probably don’t appear so quickly in online forums.
There is hardly anything that can be excluded with certainty; generally, however, it can be said that satisfied homeowners rarely, if ever, visit these forums—much to my regret. Therefore, in my opinion, the only viable way to get reliable reviews about local providers is to visit new residential developments.
K-BN schrieb:
…Most companies I have talked to generally do not rule out the possibility of owner participation. Then you still have to consider whether the allowed ‘price reduction’ is reasonable.
The topic of “discount prices” is always quite explosive—literally. Many homeowners go to their local hardware store like a home improvement center and then compare those prices with the specialized trade prices from the hired craftsmen, often forgetting that there are quality differences. Craft workers generally have to cover wages—and they probably want to make a reasonable living as well …
K-BN schrieb:
…I wonder how to find local (I think I should have said better) general contractors (instead of building contractors), who build turnkey and work at reasonable prices and good quality. You hear a lot about nationwide franchisees, but finding smaller local providers seems more difficult.
What does “reasonable prices” mean to you? See above.
K-BN schrieb:
…So this could really only be done meaningfully with an architect who at least prepares the tender documents. Then you could handle requesting offers and selecting as well as coordinating the internal trades yourself?
If you want to hire an architect, you should—although some here might strongly disagree—always keep in mind that very few of them can guarantee a fixed price. If they do, they are implicitly acting as general managers; in reality, you pay the invoices of each trade separately, and the architect’s liability is limited—except for their architectural part and possibly other contractual elements such as construction supervision.
Whether you take over the tendering and coordination yourself (if the above applies) depends crucially on your knowledge and ability to evaluate and, if necessary, correct interim invoices => listing each individual item by type and scope / varying by trade => retention of security deposits => deductions from net amounts, etc.; starting with the civil engineer and ending with the door installation trade.
K-BN schrieb:
…The detailed inspection of the construction work should then be handled by the architect; I could probably do a rough error check myself. Any potential savings from choosing individual trades would probably be quite small.
What is your profession? Professional qualification? Available time?
K-BN schrieb:
…You seem quite familiar with what’s happening in the Rhineland area; maybe you have some suggestions or warnings regarding franchisors and their franchisees in the Cologne-Bonn region in the mid-price segment? And regarding local providers for turnkey construction? Feel free to PM me.
Thanks for the compliment—it’s always nice to receive a small bouquet 🙂
I certainly won’t provide any kind of rating concerning competitors in the market; only hints on what you should pay attention to. The choice will follow on its own—provided you actually verify what I write virtually. Not all providers are equally recommendable for every client, and not every decision depends on financial reasons; above all is the chemistry between both contracting parties and the willingness to act as partners rather than little kings. Remember: if you want to be treated like a king, you must behave like one!
Kind regards