ᐅ Prefabricated House – Removing Plumbing Services from the Contract?
Created on: 31 Jan 2023 16:17
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Fertighaus123
Hello everyone,
We have our final selection appointment with our house provider tomorrow, so I would really appreciate hearing your opinions today.
Our project manager pointed out to us that, to save costs, we could exclude the plumbing work from the contract. This way, we could buy the fixtures and related items cheaper online and save a lot of money—provided we find a willing plumber. When we asked if they would still handle the connections and piping (timber frame construction), the answer was yes: everything would be ready for connection, so only the fixtures would need to be installed. One additional note was that the shower drain needs to be installed in time before the tiler comes.
This sounds almost too simple to us, which makes us suspicious again. We estimate we could save several thousand euros, but is it really that easy? What do you think? And how would you assess the warranty situation if water leakage occurs somewhere?
We do have a plumber in our circle of friends, but of course, we would have to talk to them, which unfortunately isn’t possible before tomorrow.
I would be very, very grateful for any replies...
Best regards
We have our final selection appointment with our house provider tomorrow, so I would really appreciate hearing your opinions today.
Our project manager pointed out to us that, to save costs, we could exclude the plumbing work from the contract. This way, we could buy the fixtures and related items cheaper online and save a lot of money—provided we find a willing plumber. When we asked if they would still handle the connections and piping (timber frame construction), the answer was yes: everything would be ready for connection, so only the fixtures would need to be installed. One additional note was that the shower drain needs to be installed in time before the tiler comes.
This sounds almost too simple to us, which makes us suspicious again. We estimate we could save several thousand euros, but is it really that easy? What do you think? And how would you assess the warranty situation if water leakage occurs somewhere?
We do have a plumber in our circle of friends, but of course, we would have to talk to them, which unfortunately isn’t possible before tomorrow.
I would be very, very grateful for any replies...
Best regards
So if the selection appointment is tomorrow, choose the options you can imagine having. You probably won’t get any pricing at this stage anyway, right? Afterwards, you can compare what you would save, discuss with your plumber from your personal network, and then make a decision.
Also, make sure to take photos of everything you have chosen. In my case, the offer later listed everything differently, even though the items were exactly the same. It is very exhausting to sort all that out again.
Also, make sure to take photos of everything you have chosen. In my case, the offer later listed everything differently, even though the items were exactly the same. It is very exhausting to sort all that out again.
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WilderSueden31 Jan 2023 17:40Fertighaus123 schrieb:
I am especially worried about the concealed fittings in the shower... This obviously can’t be arranged separately, since it needs to be coordinated with the tiler and others. A simple washbasin is less of an issue. In the kitchen, you only get angle valves, and the kitchen installer connects to those.
Don’t let anyone rush you. Take a close look at everything during the selection appointment, get the results in writing, also ask for a quote for installation only up to the angle valves, and then decide.
Items like mirrors or toilet paper holders, I would also buy and install myself. For us, the limit was anything that requires drilling into tiles. If the plumber damages something, that’s not my problem.
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Osnabruecker31 Jan 2023 17:45Anything that does not need to be coordinated with other trades, I would confidently remove, as long as the effort is financially worthwhile.
Anything related to the tiler (including the shower drain) should remain with that contractor. And your acquaintance probably doesn’t want to come just for the drain on one day...
Anything related to the tiler (including the shower drain) should remain with that contractor. And your acquaintance probably doesn’t want to come just for the drain on one day...
Built-in fixtures are challenging – we did the same (i.e., removed them), but the coordination effort is quite high. If the tilers are also supposed to come from the house manufacturer (we commissioned this separately), it becomes doubly difficult – the built-in installation units must be installed at the right time to ensure the sealing is done correctly. Your acquaintance needs to be able to arrive exactly on schedule to carry out the installation; otherwise, you will face constant delays and disruptions affecting the construction process. The same applies to wastewater/drainage areas.
What I find hard to believe, however, is that you can selectively remove specific fixtures (e.g., shower by the house manufacturer, washbasin done independently) – most likely, the decision will be all or nothing.
What I find hard to believe, however, is that you can selectively remove specific fixtures (e.g., shower by the house manufacturer, washbasin done independently) – most likely, the decision will be all or nothing.
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Fertighaus12331 Jan 2023 19:06Thank you for all your feedback!
@Pacmansh and @WilderSueden
Thanks for the tip about the photos!
We won’t let ourselves be pressured and will have everything shown to us tomorrow, then get the price afterwards and recalculate. Removing something hastily now would definitely be the wrong move.
@Osnabruecker and @Harakiri
We’ll try it that way tomorrow—leaving the unsightly items like the drain in and just trying to remove the simple things. But it probably won’t work like that. I don’t really know much about drains, but I’ve watched a few videos. It sounds a bit complicated and really requires coordination. And yes, our acquaintance works full time, so for him to take a day off at short notice just to quickly do the drain before the screed installer comes will never work...
We’ll take a look at it tomorrow and then I’ll get back here again! Thanks again and have a good evening! I’m curious to see what tomorrow will bring...
@Pacmansh and @WilderSueden
Thanks for the tip about the photos!
We won’t let ourselves be pressured and will have everything shown to us tomorrow, then get the price afterwards and recalculate. Removing something hastily now would definitely be the wrong move.
@Osnabruecker and @Harakiri
We’ll try it that way tomorrow—leaving the unsightly items like the drain in and just trying to remove the simple things. But it probably won’t work like that. I don’t really know much about drains, but I’ve watched a few videos. It sounds a bit complicated and really requires coordination. And yes, our acquaintance works full time, so for him to take a day off at short notice just to quickly do the drain before the screed installer comes will never work...
We’ll take a look at it tomorrow and then I’ll get back here again! Thanks again and have a good evening! I’m curious to see what tomorrow will bring...
Fertighaus123 schrieb:
We have the selection appointment with our house provider tomorrow, so I would really appreciate hearing your opinions today.
Our project manager informed us today that, to save costs, we could exclude the plumbing services from the contract. That way, we could buy the fixtures and fittings cheaper online and save a lot of money if we manage to find a willing plumber.
[...] We just have no idea what the worst-case scenario might look like: no pipes inside the walls; no proper connection point; the wrong fittings for these fixtures...That’s a fantastic idea—to quickly check online forums for homeowners the night before your selection appointment. An even more fantastic idea is to find a naive builder who is tempted by quick savings and ends up with the problem of having to find the plumber themselves.Standards are not the issue; I don’t know of any house manufacturer using custom-made parts. I advise against offloading the contractor in this way. In your area, subcontractors probably have long waiting times for appointments, and the manufacturer wants to have the project ready for final invoicing soon after the installation phase. Causing serious harm or encouraging it is illegal, so just tell them calmly and politely that you’re already familiar with that tactic.
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