Hello,
we built in a new development area where the roads had not yet been properly constructed.
Our construction company poured the foundation slab relatively high (about 50cm (20 inches) higher than the other buildings). The driveway paving was not included at that time. We hired a paving company to install the driveway. Now that the local authority has started road construction, it turns out that our driveway cannot be connected to the road. The driveway is about 15-20cm (6-8 inches) too high. The paving company wants to adjust the driveway for €2000. But is this reasonable? Shouldn’t the construction company have aligned with the other houses and coordinated with the local authority regarding the road? I was never asked to provide any documents related to the road. Does anyone have experience with this?
we built in a new development area where the roads had not yet been properly constructed.
Our construction company poured the foundation slab relatively high (about 50cm (20 inches) higher than the other buildings). The driveway paving was not included at that time. We hired a paving company to install the driveway. Now that the local authority has started road construction, it turns out that our driveway cannot be connected to the road. The driveway is about 15-20cm (6-8 inches) too high. The paving company wants to adjust the driveway for €2000. But is this reasonable? Shouldn’t the construction company have aligned with the other houses and coordinated with the local authority regarding the road? I was never asked to provide any documents related to the road. Does anyone have experience with this?
STREUSALZ schrieb:
The plasterer didn’t ask about it. But actually, he should have, right?Is it the responsibility of the client or the contractor? What does logic say? 😉
If you want something specific— a certain paving material, a particular length or width, a specific height—then you need to take care of it and communicate it, at least that makes sense.
STREUSALZ schrieb:
Ok, but he should have asked me first. A good contractor certainly would have asked you! Whether he HAS to – I don’t think so.
Why did your builder set the concrete slab 50 cm (20 inches) too high already? That’s where the real trouble begins,...
You say: "Make a driveway."
He makes a driveway.
Whether you now want it higher, lower, wider, like a castle wall, or with a moat, he can’t possibly know that.
Without further details, in my opinion, the paver has fulfilled his contract.
Of course, he COULD have asked.
Apparently, you didn’t even notice it until the road construction work started. How was the paver supposed to know?
He makes a driveway.
Whether you now want it higher, lower, wider, like a castle wall, or with a moat, he can’t possibly know that.
Without further details, in my opinion, the paver has fulfilled his contract.
Of course, he COULD have asked.
Apparently, you didn’t even notice it until the road construction work started. How was the paver supposed to know?
H
HilfeHilfe18 Aug 2016 10:49How long was the period for paving and road construction?
S
STREUSALZ18 Aug 2016 11:17It was about 6 months ago. I had already suspected that it might get tight. However, I am an amateur and have no knowledge of the trade. I thought the rework would then make everything alright. But I find the rework cost of about 25–30% of the original value quite expensive.
This then raises the question of whether it could have been prevented beforehand. In my opinion, it could have.
What I did not consider is that some tradespeople might not think linearly from noon.
This then raises the question of whether it could have been prevented beforehand. In my opinion, it could have.
What I did not consider is that some tradespeople might not think linearly from noon.
H
HilfeHilfe18 Aug 2016 11:39STREUSALZ schrieb:
It happened about 6 months ago. I had already suspected that things might get tight. But I am not a professional and have no knowledge of the trades. I thought that with some rework everything would be fine. However, I find the cost of the rework—about 25-30% of the original value—quite expensive.
This raises the question of whether it could have been prevented earlier. In my opinion, it could have. I just didn’t consider that some tradespeople don’t work conceptually from noon onwards.Hmm, so the tradespeople should think that through for you? That’s quite an ambitious statement :p I’ll throw the ball back to you—back then you suspected that it would get tight, but didn’t say anything. Why wasn’t the construction manager, architect, or project supervisor involved? Or were you just under too much stress?
Sender/receiver principle. Or in IT terms, garbage in, garbage out. The tradesperson only does what you tell them to do, no more and no less.