ᐅ Recommendations for General Contractors in the Heidelberg Area
Created on: 14 Nov 2021 17:14
P
Peter_81
Hello everyone,
We are planning to build a turnkey solid construction house (with a basement) in the Heidelberg area (Schwetzingen, Oftersheim, ...). Initially, we considered building with a large provider like Kern-Haus or Viebrockhaus. However, the reviews here in the forum have changed my mind.
Therefore, we want to find a local general contractor (GC).
Can you recommend any good GCs in the Heidelberg area?
Thank you very much in advance.
We are planning to build a turnkey solid construction house (with a basement) in the Heidelberg area (Schwetzingen, Oftersheim, ...). Initially, we considered building with a large provider like Kern-Haus or Viebrockhaus. However, the reviews here in the forum have changed my mind.
Therefore, we want to find a local general contractor (GC).
Can you recommend any good GCs in the Heidelberg area?
Thank you very much in advance.
The problem I see with hiring an architect through individual contracts is that, without personal recommendations, it is very difficult to make a good choice. In contrast, with general contractors (GCs) and prefab home providers, there are plenty of, including recent, reviews available. The fact is that in the single-family home sector, significantly fewer houses are built with architects through individual contracts—I don’t know anyone in my network who has done so—so there are no concrete recommendations either. Part of the issue lies in the fee model itself. Apart from a free, one-hour initial consultation, architects generally do not engage in active client acquisition, unlike GCs and prefab providers. However, nobody wants to test 2-3 architects for a few thousand euros to find out if their ideas and concepts align with their own. You can look at their references, but ideally you want to see concrete proposals or suggestions for your specific project. I believe if architects were more open in this regard, more homes would be built with their involvement. The second problem I see with architects is that they build significantly fewer single-family houses than a GC. Since we are currently facing an extreme shortage of raw materials and skilled labor, it is assumed that a GC more likely has proven supply chains and craftsmen ready to go. This also speaks in favor of using a general contractor.
The GCs already mentioned here are certainly recommendable, and in the sought-after region, a remarkable number of projects are being built with Weton. This means many private builders choose them, which at least says something about their effective sales. Viebrockhaus is also very popular, but it appears they have struggled during the coronavirus crisis, according to a social media group. Wonnegau currently seems to have no capacity for new customers. If you have further questions, you can provide a contact option here. Unfortunately, I cannot send you a private message.
The GCs already mentioned here are certainly recommendable, and in the sought-after region, a remarkable number of projects are being built with Weton. This means many private builders choose them, which at least says something about their effective sales. Viebrockhaus is also very popular, but it appears they have struggled during the coronavirus crisis, according to a social media group. Wonnegau currently seems to have no capacity for new customers. If you have further questions, you can provide a contact option here. Unfortunately, I cannot send you a private message.
doubleTT schrieb:
You can look at their references, but ideally, you want to see concrete proposals or suggestions for your specific building project. I believe that if architects were more open here, more projects would be built with architects. You’re probably right, but otherwise, it seems to me that some naive assumptions need to be cleared up: only a few general contractors (GCs) maintain a large permanent workforce or cover all or most trades themselves; usually, there is a relatively small core team and (more often than some might think) changing subcontractors. How well an architect knows their reliable subcontractors largely depends on whether the architect is locally based. I can read a lot online about a GC—but whether they will use the same subs on my project is anyone’s guess. This doesn’t provide more certainty or transparency.
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Peter_81 schrieb:
General contractors (GCs), which have been mentioned in a few places in this forum:
- Weton
Has anyone had positive experiences with them?Yes, but only up to signing the contract in Frankenthal.
That should also be the area of responsibility for you in Heidelberg. Limburg itself is probably a bit different.
We were also impressed at first. Years ago, they were probably still good. Nowadays, not so much...
We would no longer build with Weton.
SuahUab schrieb:
Yes, but only up to the signature in Frankenthal.
That should then also be the area of responsibility for you in Heidelberg. Limburg itself is probably something different again.
We were also misled. They were probably still good years ago. Not anymore nowadays...
We would no longer build with Weton. Could you please explain that in more detail?
doubleTT schrieb:
Could you please explain that in more detail? I assume the reference is to https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/nasse-stellen-an-aussenmauerwerk.41832/
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