ᐅ Unexpected Changes to the Building Plans by the Structural Engineer
Created on: 28 Jun 2020 21:41
T
Thomas7
Hello everyone,
We have just started building our single-family house – the foundation slab is completed and the first row of hollow bricks has been laid. I thought trust is good, but checking is better, so I measured all the rooms and brick positions. Compared to the construction plan as drawn up by the architect and approved by the building authority (building permit / planning permission), I noticed several deviations and immediately informed my general contractor. He told me everything was correct – the structural engineer had only made some changes for structural reasons. Indeed, it seems all changes are due to structural requirements, but now many walls are 17.5 cm (7 inches) thick instead of 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) (the architect had previously specified some load-bearing walls with 17.5 cm (7 inches), but not as many). Overall, we lose 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft), and some walls were shifted by 6 cm (2.4 inches) to avoid recesses.
This caught me off guard and is frustrating in some areas (for example, the narrower dormer – fitting a table was already tight in terms of width, and now we are short by another 12 cm (4.7 inches)). We were never informed that there might be changes, and even after the structural calculations, we were not told that definite changes would take place.
My questions are:
- Is this normal? Has this happened to you as well, or were you informed in advance?
- Do I have any claims for defects, or do I have to accept this? This is a bit general, but maybe someone has had similar cases? Losing 0.5 square meters (5.4 sq ft) roughly corresponds to about 1000 euros in construction costs...
Thank you very much in advance for your input...
We have just started building our single-family house – the foundation slab is completed and the first row of hollow bricks has been laid. I thought trust is good, but checking is better, so I measured all the rooms and brick positions. Compared to the construction plan as drawn up by the architect and approved by the building authority (building permit / planning permission), I noticed several deviations and immediately informed my general contractor. He told me everything was correct – the structural engineer had only made some changes for structural reasons. Indeed, it seems all changes are due to structural requirements, but now many walls are 17.5 cm (7 inches) thick instead of 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) (the architect had previously specified some load-bearing walls with 17.5 cm (7 inches), but not as many). Overall, we lose 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft), and some walls were shifted by 6 cm (2.4 inches) to avoid recesses.
This caught me off guard and is frustrating in some areas (for example, the narrower dormer – fitting a table was already tight in terms of width, and now we are short by another 12 cm (4.7 inches)). We were never informed that there might be changes, and even after the structural calculations, we were not told that definite changes would take place.
My questions are:
- Is this normal? Has this happened to you as well, or were you informed in advance?
- Do I have any claims for defects, or do I have to accept this? This is a bit general, but maybe someone has had similar cases? Losing 0.5 square meters (5.4 sq ft) roughly corresponds to about 1000 euros in construction costs...
Thank you very much in advance for your input...
S
Stephan180729 Jul 2020 08:46Hello everyone! I need to bring this topic up again.
We purchased an end-of-terrace house through a developer (BPD), which is currently under construction.
We have now been informed by the contracting construction company (Weisenburger) that the soil in the development area is not as load-bearing as initially expected and that structural changes (in particular, the installation of a 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 inch) support column that extends from the basement up to the second floor) must be made to the house.
The question is whether we are simply required to accept this. The support column runs through the hallway and the bathroom, which is very disruptive to us.
The developer’s contract includes a clause allowing for modifications if they are necessary and do not reduce the property's value or are considered reasonable for the buyer.
There is no doubt that the change is necessary. We certainly don’t want our house to collapse one day or develop severe cracks, but in my opinion, the modification does reduce the value or at least limits the usability. Therefore, I would consider a slight purchase price reduction to be appropriate. Unfortunately, the developer is unresponsive to this, so I am considering consulting a lawyer and possibly withdrawing from the purchase.
Before taking that step, I wanted to ask here if anyone has had similar experiences. I was unable to find court rulings related to structural changes via Google. Also, I wonder whether the soil report should not have already ruled out certain structural requirements before construction began.
Thank you in advance!
We purchased an end-of-terrace house through a developer (BPD), which is currently under construction.
We have now been informed by the contracting construction company (Weisenburger) that the soil in the development area is not as load-bearing as initially expected and that structural changes (in particular, the installation of a 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 inch) support column that extends from the basement up to the second floor) must be made to the house.
The question is whether we are simply required to accept this. The support column runs through the hallway and the bathroom, which is very disruptive to us.
The developer’s contract includes a clause allowing for modifications if they are necessary and do not reduce the property's value or are considered reasonable for the buyer.
There is no doubt that the change is necessary. We certainly don’t want our house to collapse one day or develop severe cracks, but in my opinion, the modification does reduce the value or at least limits the usability. Therefore, I would consider a slight purchase price reduction to be appropriate. Unfortunately, the developer is unresponsive to this, so I am considering consulting a lawyer and possibly withdrawing from the purchase.
Before taking that step, I wanted to ask here if anyone has had similar experiences. I was unable to find court rulings related to structural changes via Google. Also, I wonder whether the soil report should not have already ruled out certain structural requirements before construction began.
Thank you in advance!
N
nordanney29 Jul 2020 09:48Stephan1807 schrieb:
There is no doubt that the change is necessary. We certainly don’t want our house to collapse one day or develop severe cracks, but in my opinion, the change does reduce the value or imposes some limitation. Therefore, I would consider at least a slight reduction in the purchase price to be reasonable. Unfortunately, the developer is not responsive, so I am considering consulting a lawyer and possibly withdrawing from the purchase. In my opinion, you have no claim to anything. Where is the loss in value? 25x25cm (10x10 inches) is practically nothing—that’s 1/16 of a square meter (approximately 0.17 square feet)! As a developer, I wouldn’t agree to anything at all.
Are you sure it’s a developer? In that case, you would buy the finished house as a whole, not have two companies as contract partners as you described.
If not, why didn’t you commission a soil survey beforehand?
Otherwise, with construction costs of approximately 2500 euros per square meter and 0.0625 square meters (0.67 square feet) over two floors, we’re talking about a depreciation of around 200 euros... if that turns out to be the worst mistake in your construction project, you can consider yourself lucky.
If not, why didn’t you commission a soil survey beforehand?
Otherwise, with construction costs of approximately 2500 euros per square meter and 0.0625 square meters (0.67 square feet) over two floors, we’re talking about a depreciation of around 200 euros... if that turns out to be the worst mistake in your construction project, you can consider yourself lucky.
S
Stephan180729 Jul 2020 10:03Scout schrieb:
Are you sure it’s a developer? Then you would buy the finished house as a whole and not have two companies as contracting parties, as described.
If not, why didn’t you commission a soil report beforehand?
Otherwise: With construction costs of approximately 2500 euros/m2 (230 dollars/sq ft) and 0.0625 m2 (0.67 sq ft) over two floors, we are talking about a depreciation of around 200 euros (220 dollars)... if that will be the worst problem in the project, you can count yourself lucky. Yes, definitely. Weisenburger is the contractor carrying out the work for our contractual partner BPD. Essentially, we have no direct dealings with Weisenburger and didn’t have to commission a soil report, because we bought the finished house en bloc, as you said.
In my opinion, the loss in value is not due to the reduction in floor area, but simply due to the presence of the support column.
S
Stephan180729 Jul 2020 10:23I consider a visible support beam, "standing in the room," to be a significant disadvantage compared to a smooth wall, which I originally purchased.
I have no idea how to quantify this, but for me, it is definitely a drawback. With any other product, I also only buy exactly as described or agreed upon.
I have no idea how to quantify this, but for me, it is definitely a drawback. With any other product, I also only buy exactly as described or agreed upon.
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