Hello,
we are interested in a semi-detached house from the developer. We like everything very much, but find the scope of the construction specification unusually brief. It consists of less than eight A4 pages. The developer has already built a few houses nearby following the same design, which we have inspected and they "look good." Unfortunately, none of them are occupied yet.
Example of the construction specification regarding the windows:
All vertical windows in the living areas will be installed as white uPVC windows with multi-chamber profiles, triple glazing, and three seals. The windows will feature tilt and turn hardware with white plastic handles.
Configuration of elements: windows and patio and balcony doors according to the plan
Standing elements on the ground floor as patio doors
Standing elements on the upper floor and attic as windows with fixed lower sections
Double-wing windows will be divided in the middle
In the basement, basement windows with uPVC frames will be installed, also with triple glazing (size according to plan)
And here is an example for the basement:
The basement exterior walls will be constructed as system-formed reinforced concrete with 12 cm (5 inches) perimeter insulation rated WLG 040.
Construction joints will be sealed with elastic joint tape.
Is something like this common? The construction specification for my condominium apartment was over 50 pages long.
Is it possible to buy a property with such a brief specification?
In case of problems, wouldn’t you be left without clear recourse since the specifications are so vague?
we are interested in a semi-detached house from the developer. We like everything very much, but find the scope of the construction specification unusually brief. It consists of less than eight A4 pages. The developer has already built a few houses nearby following the same design, which we have inspected and they "look good." Unfortunately, none of them are occupied yet.
Example of the construction specification regarding the windows:
All vertical windows in the living areas will be installed as white uPVC windows with multi-chamber profiles, triple glazing, and three seals. The windows will feature tilt and turn hardware with white plastic handles.
Configuration of elements: windows and patio and balcony doors according to the plan
Standing elements on the ground floor as patio doors
Standing elements on the upper floor and attic as windows with fixed lower sections
Double-wing windows will be divided in the middle
In the basement, basement windows with uPVC frames will be installed, also with triple glazing (size according to plan)
And here is an example for the basement:
The basement exterior walls will be constructed as system-formed reinforced concrete with 12 cm (5 inches) perimeter insulation rated WLG 040.
Construction joints will be sealed with elastic joint tape.
Is something like this common? The construction specification for my condominium apartment was over 50 pages long.
Is it possible to buy a property with such a brief specification?
In case of problems, wouldn’t you be left without clear recourse since the specifications are so vague?
notmaksen schrieb:
Is something like this common? The specification for my condominium unit is over 50 pages long.A good exercise would be to compare it point by point with the new scope of work.For example, you mentioned the windows. What additional details would you have expected to see?
E
erazorlll16 Oct 2020 11:27Our scope of work description is 30 pages long, but it also includes many detailed descriptions and, for example, a picture of the staircase. If you were to summarize it briefly, it could probably fit into 15 pages. Here, quality clearly takes precedence over quantity.
I would recommend reading the scope of work description carefully and mentally reviewing every single point. If anything is unclear to you, write it down and discuss it with the general contractor. Then you can decide together what should be included additionally and what should not. Also, consider what is stated in the plans and what might be missing from the scope of work description. For example, in our case, the porch was shown in the drawings but not mentioned in a single sentence in the scope of work description. We then had the execution, materials, etc., added there.
If in doubt, you can also have the scope of work description reviewed by an independent expert. They can tell you exactly what is good from their point of view, what should be changed, and what is still missing. We once requested a review from an expert who charged about 400 euros (roughly $430) for the assessment of the scope of work description—just as a rough reference.
I would recommend reading the scope of work description carefully and mentally reviewing every single point. If anything is unclear to you, write it down and discuss it with the general contractor. Then you can decide together what should be included additionally and what should not. Also, consider what is stated in the plans and what might be missing from the scope of work description. For example, in our case, the porch was shown in the drawings but not mentioned in a single sentence in the scope of work description. We then had the execution, materials, etc., added there.
If in doubt, you can also have the scope of work description reviewed by an independent expert. They can tell you exactly what is good from their point of view, what should be changed, and what is still missing. We once requested a review from an expert who charged about 400 euros (roughly $430) for the assessment of the scope of work description—just as a rough reference.
M
MichaelH8216 Oct 2020 12:58I am currently having the construction performance specification reviewed as well, which will take about 2 hours in discussion. I am happy to invest the money for this.
I have heard this tip many times and gladly follow it.
I have heard this tip many times and gladly follow it.
There are also cases where installation/assembly is described according to the general rules of technology, and then in a separate scope of work description, these general rules of technology are fully detailed. This alone can easily increase the required scope by a factor of ten...
Tolentino schrieb:
and in another scope of work description, the general technical standards are then spelled out. I’ll summarize it in two simple points:
1. A general contractor (GC) or construction manager (CM) who you can work with on the handshake basis that @Nordlys and I appreciate doesn’t talk nonsense in the scope of work description.
2. Similarities between the wordiness of the scope of work description and the excuses in a complaint are unfortunately neither coincidental nor rare.
A scope of work description is never a guarantee of success. The one from the GC of @R.Hotzenplotz was emailed to me at the time, and it was probably also carefully reviewed by several other second-opinion parties – yet that didn’t prevent the wisdom that “the first house is built for an enemy” from being perfectly demonstrated.
Besides, especially untrustworthy construction partners are never shy about collecting the most impressive-sounding quality phrases from the vastness of the internet.
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