Building a house from a distance. New construction 300 km away.

Hello,

to all homeowners. I hope you can help me with your experience. My girlfriend and I have already had several consultation meetings with different companies. A plot of land is already available and once we have clarified the financing question, we could actually start with our preferred general contractor. However, there is a significant problem. Our current place of residence is about 300 km away from the new construction.

The consultants from some companies say it is absolutely no problem to build from a distance. I, on the other hand, have my doubts. Therefore, my question to you is to what extent the builder is involved in building a [SF-Haus] (appointments/tasks/etc.)?

Well, we did have 2-3 appointments on short notice with the general contractor on site. With the individual interior trades, short-notice meetings were also necessary for us. For example, grout color, whether the tile should be laid one row higher after all, whether the built-in lights should actually be aligned, etc. The ventilation was crazy: the general contractor assumed that we would ventilate - so we went there twice a day. Be sure to address this with the general contractor, everything else then by phone, WhatsApp, sending pictures, etc. Otherwise, everything with the general contractor runs relatively independently. However, I hold the opinion that the more often you take time for the craftsmen to have a chat, bring some cake and coffee, the more they will be at your beck and call. So I would definitely sacrifice some vacation days for the construction.

I have to say, I would also have some concerns. My husband was on the construction site almost every day because his route to work passed by there. Today, I wouldn’t have quite as many worries, but I would still keep an eye on certain trades. Tilers and electricians would definitely be at the top of my list. But I guess that varies from person to person.

Maybe you could hire someone on site who documents and oversees the matter for you?

You have to be able to trust. Our neighbor diagonally opposite has built, on the Baltic Sea, living in RAV, I think that means Ravensburg on Lake Constance. He is a man of feeling, calm, almost stoic, he has money and looked for a very reliable small company here as the general contractor, not the cheapest, but he said the chemistry with the boss was right. The result is a beautiful, practically flawless house. Problems, he says, were resolved by phone and photos, occasionally he flew up and took a look. Never jumped around upset, if something was wrong, addressed it calmly but clearly. So, whoever can do that, good. I couldn't stay that calm, would be more nervous, but it is possible. K.

I believe that is not possible.

It is possible, if you get the right people... but how are you supposed to know that beforehand. I wouldn’t have dared, was glad that we only lived 15km away.