Hello everyone,
We’re starting to feel quite desperate and don’t know how to move forward. Here is the initial situation:
My husband and I want to build a new house on my parents’ property, where their house already stands. At the beginning of the year, we met with a local construction company. They referred us to an architect they work with. After he took two months to submit a preliminary building inquiry to the building authority (he simply forgot us twice!), we no longer want to work with him. The preliminary inquiry was just to get approval to extend the building envelope, so we could even build a second house on the property. We told the construction company that we didn’t want to continue with that architect, but they don’t seem very interested in working with us anymore, as they haven’t offered any next steps or suggested another architect. I suspect the construction company will only get involved if we come to them with a finished plan plus a building permit / planning permission.
Since we weren’t making progress, we turned to a large German builder specializing in solid construction, and we have already had several discussions with them. In the meantime, we received positive feedback on the preliminary inquiry, allowing us to build a one-and-a-half-story house with a pitched roof. So far, so good. The builder now wants to submit the building permit / planning application, but nothing is really finalized yet. We have a quote for a standard house from their catalog for €240,000. The sales advisor said we should first submit some basic details (external dimensions, position on the property, roof pitch, etc.), and the interior layout can be changed later. But if I realize the room layout doesn’t work inside, I’d have to change the external dimensions again, and that’s not so easy if it has already been approved differently, right? He also wants us to sign the construction contract before submitting the building permit application because the authorities need all details finalized. But I don’t want to sign a contract when the basic floor plan isn’t even clear, and the contract even lists individual electrical outlets!
I understand that they have already invested time and want to get paid eventually, but we feel a bit uneasy here. The advisor said they will include clauses in the contract so that if the permit is rejected or costs “explode” (which is subjective), we would not be bound by the contract.
I wanted to know if this is the “normal” procedure? Somehow I have the feeling we are on the completely wrong track... We already have a floor plan we like, which just needs to be refined, thus determining the external dimensions and so forth. But I get the impression the builder doesn’t want to deal with that because it’s too much work without knowing if they will actually get the contract. Or would it be better to look for an architect on our own, develop a concrete plan, and then approach building companies with that? We’re overwhelmed and already very frustrated because we’re not getting anywhere :-( We hoped to have a building permit by the end of the year with regard to the homebuyer subsidy, but somehow it looks like that’s slipping away...
Many thanks to everyone who read this, and maybe you have a tip on how we can move forward quickly and sensibly?
We’re starting to feel quite desperate and don’t know how to move forward. Here is the initial situation:
My husband and I want to build a new house on my parents’ property, where their house already stands. At the beginning of the year, we met with a local construction company. They referred us to an architect they work with. After he took two months to submit a preliminary building inquiry to the building authority (he simply forgot us twice!), we no longer want to work with him. The preliminary inquiry was just to get approval to extend the building envelope, so we could even build a second house on the property. We told the construction company that we didn’t want to continue with that architect, but they don’t seem very interested in working with us anymore, as they haven’t offered any next steps or suggested another architect. I suspect the construction company will only get involved if we come to them with a finished plan plus a building permit / planning permission.
Since we weren’t making progress, we turned to a large German builder specializing in solid construction, and we have already had several discussions with them. In the meantime, we received positive feedback on the preliminary inquiry, allowing us to build a one-and-a-half-story house with a pitched roof. So far, so good. The builder now wants to submit the building permit / planning application, but nothing is really finalized yet. We have a quote for a standard house from their catalog for €240,000. The sales advisor said we should first submit some basic details (external dimensions, position on the property, roof pitch, etc.), and the interior layout can be changed later. But if I realize the room layout doesn’t work inside, I’d have to change the external dimensions again, and that’s not so easy if it has already been approved differently, right? He also wants us to sign the construction contract before submitting the building permit application because the authorities need all details finalized. But I don’t want to sign a contract when the basic floor plan isn’t even clear, and the contract even lists individual electrical outlets!
I understand that they have already invested time and want to get paid eventually, but we feel a bit uneasy here. The advisor said they will include clauses in the contract so that if the permit is rejected or costs “explode” (which is subjective), we would not be bound by the contract.
I wanted to know if this is the “normal” procedure? Somehow I have the feeling we are on the completely wrong track... We already have a floor plan we like, which just needs to be refined, thus determining the external dimensions and so forth. But I get the impression the builder doesn’t want to deal with that because it’s too much work without knowing if they will actually get the contract. Or would it be better to look for an architect on our own, develop a concrete plan, and then approach building companies with that? We’re overwhelmed and already very frustrated because we’re not getting anywhere :-( We hoped to have a building permit by the end of the year with regard to the homebuyer subsidy, but somehow it looks like that’s slipping away...
Many thanks to everyone who read this, and maybe you have a tip on how we can move forward quickly and sensibly?
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Your previous posts are probably just a snapshot of the moment, and I hope I don’t come across as presumptuous. But if it is already mentally and emotionally this exhausting for you, I actually think a prefab house would be a good choice. I’m not entirely objective, though; we ourselves decided on a prefab house but haven’t started building yet. Hopefully, we will start soon. As you wrote, it is a snapshot from a day that just completely frustrated me. I think that’s normal from time to time. We have been dealing with this topic mentally for three years now, and at some point, you really want to make progress (why and which steps we took in those three years is another question). I would be very happy about your email. Unfortunately, I can’t send you a private message yet. The system says I’m too new :-( Maybe you would like to write to me? I would really appreciate it!
Alverde schrieb:
Unfortunately, I can’t send you a private message yet. The system says I’m too new :-(I can’t receive them either. You could meet up with me; I have a group called 11ant Housebuilding in a blue CatContent portal that I won’t name here. It’s great that you already thought of starting a new thread yourself, since the questionnaire and the plot of land were so far away from post #1:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/Grundriss-efh-1-5-geschosse-ca-160m-neben-bestandshaus-eltern.35904/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I’ll share how we did it.
- As a first step, we found a project online that served as our starting point.
- Then we contacted several builders to arrange appointments.
- At the meetings, we listened to many proposals and implemented some of them.
- Now we have received two offers. One included floor plans that we discussed on site. The builder had their architects prepare the drawings. The second was based on our rough planning. We really liked the floor plan from the first builder.
- Using the builder’s floor plan, we are now visiting other builders, having discussions, and making comparisons.
This probably isn’t the perfect process, but at least it’s ours.
- As a first step, we found a project online that served as our starting point.
- Then we contacted several builders to arrange appointments.
- At the meetings, we listened to many proposals and implemented some of them.
- Now we have received two offers. One included floor plans that we discussed on site. The builder had their architects prepare the drawings. The second was based on our rough planning. We really liked the floor plan from the first builder.
- Using the builder’s floor plan, we are now visiting other builders, having discussions, and making comparisons.
This probably isn’t the perfect process, but at least it’s ours.
P
Pinkiponk24 Jul 2020 09:0811ant schrieb:
Unfortunately, also for receiving. You can meet with me; in that blue CatContent portal, which I won’t name here, I have a group called 11ant Housebuilding. Great, thanks for offering that. Are you referring to “FaceBook” with your description? I’m not on there yet.
I’m now going to test whether I can forward the content of my sample email to the construction companies through conversations to Alverde. I hope that’s allowed, since I have already received two warnings (even though, like probably most “offenders,” I don’t believe I’m at fault).
P
Pinkiponk24 Jul 2020 09:25Alverde schrieb:
I would really appreciate receiving your email. Unfortunately, I can’t send you a private message yet. The system says I’m too new :-( Maybe you could write to me? I would be very happy!I just tried using the conversations feature, but I’m not sure if it works. I have started two conversations with you: one test, and one sample email to house building companies.P
Pinkiponk24 Jul 2020 09:5411ant schrieb:
Then ask very politely again – the church probably won’t require more than what is needed for the preliminary building inquiry. Regarding the lease agreements (when exactly did your parents build—20 or 39 years ago?), it works like this: there is a fixed term, after which two options exist. Renewal is more common, but non-renewal is also possible. In the latter case, you or your heirs would receive some form of compensation for the value of the house—neither would it be demolished due to contract termination nor would it be left behind as a gift. Extending 80-year contracts to 99 years should be unproblematic; anything beyond 99 years (counted from when your parents started) is generally avoided.
This is not presumptuous, just simply confusing: the prefabricated house is finished exactly as complete as the filling is inside a dog biscuit, meaning only just sufficient. It is not shorter here, nor simpler. A large part of the shell construction takes place in the factory, which is why this is not yet visible at the assembly site. I believe if you earned one euro every time you were right, you could soon move into an even larger house with a bigger lot.
For reasons of female solidarity, however, I forbid you from citing me on this to your wife, possibly your daughters, your mother, and possibly your sisters.
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