ᐅ Select a building planner, provide the scope of work to an expert evaluator
Created on: 14 Sep 2018 21:11
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Christian K.C
Christian K.14 Sep 2018 21:11Hello everyone,
We have been following this forum for some time now and have recently reserved a plot of land and obtained several quotes. So far, one quote looks promising, but we have read about many unreliable contractors, and some acquaintances of ours have had bad experiences with their general contractors.
Now we are considering the best ways to protect ourselves, especially regarding costs and quality. Simply put, it concerns points like the windows, for example. In the initial meeting, we mentioned that the windows should be colored on the outside, and we want to avoid a situation where someone shows up later and says that this is an additional cost. Of course, we can probably find such details in the quote, but when it gets more specific, for instance with the roof, we might not be able to estimate everything in advance. We want to avoid costs increasing later because the contractor initially calculated the offer based on good faith.
The provider is a building planning office with individual subcontracting. We are now considering having the offer and the construction specifications reviewed by a building surveyor to get a professional opinion. We also plan to have ongoing supervision during construction. Does this make sense, or is there a better alternative to ensure protection?
Thanks in advance.
CK
We have been following this forum for some time now and have recently reserved a plot of land and obtained several quotes. So far, one quote looks promising, but we have read about many unreliable contractors, and some acquaintances of ours have had bad experiences with their general contractors.
Now we are considering the best ways to protect ourselves, especially regarding costs and quality. Simply put, it concerns points like the windows, for example. In the initial meeting, we mentioned that the windows should be colored on the outside, and we want to avoid a situation where someone shows up later and says that this is an additional cost. Of course, we can probably find such details in the quote, but when it gets more specific, for instance with the roof, we might not be able to estimate everything in advance. We want to avoid costs increasing later because the contractor initially calculated the offer based on good faith.
The provider is a building planning office with individual subcontracting. We are now considering having the offer and the construction specifications reviewed by a building surveyor to get a professional opinion. We also plan to have ongoing supervision during construction. Does this make sense, or is there a better alternative to ensure protection?
Thanks in advance.
CK
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Christian K.15 Sep 2018 11:54It is a fixed price.
They operate more like architects, and their fee is somewhere between a general contractor and architects who manage individual subcontracting. I was a bit surprised at first, but this explanation was given:
They used to act as general contractors, but clients often doubted the prices and suspected they might be profiting unfairly. This approach is more transparent, and it also happens occasionally that clients want to have a trade done by an acquaintance, for example. This way, they are more flexible. For each trade, they usually work with 2-3 companies. They mostly prefer one, but depending on the requirements and workload, they can turn to the others. You can always include your own subcontractors as well.
I have come across this kind of building planning office a few times now. Usually, it is an engineer who handles the planning and supervision and then collaborates with a few firms. It’s somewhat more flexible than a general contractor. Some guarantee the price; others provide a cost estimate. We chose the fixed price because they also convinced us otherwise. They were very well prepared from the first meeting, appeared professional, and kept all appointments and promises. It might be hard to believe, but there were other companies that didn’t even meet the deadline for submitting their offers.
Architects are unfortunately too expensive for us because their fees exceed 50,000 euros. That results in a price per square meter of about 2,500€ (2,200 USD), while we are at 2,200€ (1,930 USD). The architects estimate about 360,000-390,000€ (316,000-342,000 USD) net for 200 square meters (2,150 square feet) of living space, with 12% plus VAT on top.
OK, that was a bit much and somewhat off-topic.
They operate more like architects, and their fee is somewhere between a general contractor and architects who manage individual subcontracting. I was a bit surprised at first, but this explanation was given:
They used to act as general contractors, but clients often doubted the prices and suspected they might be profiting unfairly. This approach is more transparent, and it also happens occasionally that clients want to have a trade done by an acquaintance, for example. This way, they are more flexible. For each trade, they usually work with 2-3 companies. They mostly prefer one, but depending on the requirements and workload, they can turn to the others. You can always include your own subcontractors as well.
I have come across this kind of building planning office a few times now. Usually, it is an engineer who handles the planning and supervision and then collaborates with a few firms. It’s somewhat more flexible than a general contractor. Some guarantee the price; others provide a cost estimate. We chose the fixed price because they also convinced us otherwise. They were very well prepared from the first meeting, appeared professional, and kept all appointments and promises. It might be hard to believe, but there were other companies that didn’t even meet the deadline for submitting their offers.
Architects are unfortunately too expensive for us because their fees exceed 50,000 euros. That results in a price per square meter of about 2,500€ (2,200 USD), while we are at 2,200€ (1,930 USD). The architects estimate about 360,000-390,000€ (316,000-342,000 USD) net for 200 square meters (2,150 square feet) of living space, with 12% plus VAT on top.
OK, that was a bit much and somewhat off-topic.
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HilfeHilfe15 Sep 2018 13:19I would prefer a fixed price. The calculations suggest that exceeding the budget is acceptable.
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Christian K.16 Sep 2018 12:47It is a fixed price. We are just looking for a way to ensure that the contractor is reliable. Should we have the offer reviewed by a building surveyor, or are there other options?
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