Construction company halts work despite overpayment

Good morning to you too,

I looked over the entire conversation yesterday. What some people say here is on one hand unproductive, offensive, and on the other hand not helpful to you. You have already gone through a very long ordeal. And some people's schadenfreude is not appropriate here.
On the other hand, it is nice that you have a construction manager by your side who supports you in completing the house.

But like many others, I do not believe that you can expect anything more from the BU. Perhaps you waited too long. Fortunately, you still have the retention, and with that, the construction can probably be completed with the remaining money.

If you now commission other companies with the work, the contracts should be properly concluded. However, you cannot transfer your past failures to the other companies, especially not the warranty.
I would also commission the defect rectification based on effort, as on one hand it is not calculable for the contractor what else may come up, and on the other hand it is better for the client because he does not have to pay for unused hours.
Of course, you do not have to pay for coffee breaks, and it is very commendable if you bring coffee. The construction workers appreciate that.
If this company calls up only 440 hours for rectifying all the botched work of the other contractor, I find that okay.

You should only keep in mind that good companies are rare and the first impression usually counts. They are then also not the cheapest. And a certain basic trust should exist despite your bad experience; otherwise, the whole further work makes no sense.
From my own construction experience, I know that inexpensive companies I took from appropriate platforms were not the best. I had to pay a lot of tuition for that, even though they assured me they were skilled workers. They also had neither a master craftsman nor a license, as it turned out later.

I really hope you get the construction under control and everything ends well for you.
Finally, I want to point out here that as a hunter and forester, I always need camouflage. But I do not need a warning.
Instead of making assumptions, you should focus on completing the house. That requires your full attention and all your strength so that you do not experience a setback again.
You certainly do not deserve that. Nor does your family.

I wish you much strength and luck. Please keep me updated here.

PS: I think I now know who the BU is.

Who the ex-BU is is stated quite precisely in one of my other topics.

I would also commission the defect rectification based on effort, as on the one hand it is not calculable for the contractor what else will come up, and on the other hand it is better for the client because they do not have to pay for unnecessary hours.

The advice is a bottomless pit in the current situation. Of course, the easiest solution for a contractor, but incalculable for the customer. I wouldn’t accept it like that and would also risk simply not coming to an agreement. Either have it lump-sum calculated and accept a risk surcharge or find another company. But the fact is, I don’t see any warranty on taken-over work. If I were the contractor, I would have something like that signed given the many unknowns. Apart from that, the speculation about who is who here or who is writing is irrelevant and rather makes me smile.

If you write it like that, it sounds like a reputable company.

Of course, travel times, setup times, and breaks are working hours with all the associated additional wage costs. But insofar as the OP currently perceives it differently depending on the situation, congratulations probably do not give her the feeling of being understood.

Since when are break times periods that I have to pay for? My understanding ends when 5 workers are on the construction site at 11:00 am and leave again at 2:00 pm, and I am then charged 30 working hours (5 x 6 hours) at €54 = €1,620. For 1 day, or rather 3 hours per employee including smoke breaks etc.

What does the boss say about the invoice?