Botch on the interior staircase or do I have to accept it like this?

Without this guarantee, you won’t get a contract with most GU anyway. It’s not fair either, both sides are allowed and should demand securities ;) But that leverage is mostly gone, apart from a few cosmetic corrections the staircase will remain as it is. Because there is no proof at all that something explicitly different was agreed upon in detail with the staircase builder.

Well, by now I could imagine that the GUs would make concessions. The market has shifted a bit. Or rather, such a guarantee can also be adjusted. Then the defect-free condition just has to be confirmed beforehand by an independent expert or something like that. But three years ago, sure, you’re right, back then you had to take what you could get.

My statement was actually nonsense anyway, because I wouldn’t work with GU/GÜ anymore. At most with the one from , but they’re quitting now and are on the other side of the country anyway.

What about the staircase now - are you taking it because it was ordered that way or not?

No sampling protocol is not a free pass for the contractor to deliver whatever he thinks is right.

The standard of the general contractor would be an argument but I don't believe it says "beech in Frankenstein look"...

Meaning, both parties protect themselves with the protocol and if there isn't one, the contractor also has evidence problems...

My statement was actually nonsense anyway, because I wouldn’t work with GU/GÜ anymore. At most with the one from , but he’s quitting now and is anyway on the other side of the republic.

After the tag, I browsed through the thread here and once again am endlessly grateful that we were so lucky. Also simply because we are one of his last houses. We didn’t approve a proper execution plan for the stairs either (unlike the first house). But we also discussed the framework conditions – with our GU, an oral agreement with him usually sufficed, or directly via chats with the subcontractor – and the result satisfies us very much. We gave the GU a nice bottle of Craigellachie for Christmas. =)