Construction company - start of construction, communication. Tips, experiences?

Hello everyone,

I am slowly at the end of my rope dealing with our construction company (GÜ). We signed our construction contract in October 2019. Since August 2020, we have had the building permit, and since then we have been waiting for the start of construction... Our frustration has been building up ever since, as we feel that no one there really cares when our construction will begin. Unfortunately, we did not set a fixed start date in the contract, only a construction time guarantee of 11 months from the completion of the foundation slab. So now we are still waiting for something to happen on our property, and it has now been 15 months since the signature and 5 months since the building permit.

The second point here is related to the first: the general communication with the site manager and the subcontractor. There is no, absolutely no written response to any email. When you call, they call back, but we are always brushed off with general phrases ("we are trying to start soon," "the weather has to be right," "we’ll get it done soon," etc.). Before, they said they were waiting for the surveyor, then it was the weather, then "it wasn’t worth it because of the upcoming holidays," and so on. We now suspect that they are waiting until April because of the weather, although we were told before that they could start in January. Somehow, no one is being straightforward with us!

Everyone is very friendly on the phone, we as clients are too, but frankly, we are starting to feel simply "screwed over" and not taken seriously. Calls with more (friendly) pressure to improve communication, to focus more on our project, etc., have not improved anything either. So we now feel powerless and completely at the mercy of the construction company regarding the start of construction—it’s frustrating and somehow not what we are used to professionally or in private dealings. Is this how things are handled in the construction industry?

[*]What are your experiences?
[*]How did communication with the construction company, site manager, and trades go for you?
[*]How long did it take from the building permit to the start of construction for you?
[*]Did any of you start construction in winter? Do you really need 2-3 weeks of temperatures above +5°C, which is not realistic in a normal winter, or was it done in stages?
[*]Did you contact the site manager quite often? Were you being annoying? We actually want to have a good relationship with the site manager since we need him for the construction. That’s why we find it hard to "pester" or to get tougher in tone.

Overall, I don’t think the company is unprofessional or anything like that, but they just feel disorganized and do everything by the book. We always try to be friendly and patient, but it is starting to wear on our nerves, and we wonder how things will go during construction.

Thanks for your answers, I look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Do you have someone knowledgeable on your side? "Your" site manager is unfortunately the site manager of the general contractor and therefore does not necessarily have your interests in mind.

August building permit, then the company probably did not wait for you and the books are full. Then winter comes very quickly.
In which region are you located? Is it winter where you are? But the temperatures are correct, with all the rain/frost earthworks make no sense, concrete work cannot be carried out in frost without additional services.

Communication is always different, sometimes the shell builder including EXCAVATOR is back the day after a defect, or the electrician doesn’t show up for 4 weeks because of a faulty socket...

Hey,

signed the contract in September 18 (GU, solid) with reservations, which were then lifted in November 18
in February 19 the sample selection took place
beginning of April submission of the building application
beginning of June issuance of the building permit and thus scheduling with the GU with a maximum of 8 weeks
end of August the initial meeting took place on the property with the BLin
beginning of September the earthworks started
construction then continued until shortly before Christmas and then resumed in the 2nd week of January

the contract included a planned handover date, the house was scheduled with 8 months (1 month more due to underfloor heating) construction time. Ultimately, it was about 3 weeks over the deadline, due to delays with trades on other construction sites. Due to the delay, there was then also a fixed "compensation".

so all in all I would say a well-organized process. The BLin was always reachable, if not, there was an immediate callback, at the latest the next day. Emails were also responded to promptly.

Unfortunately, we did not specify a fixed construction start date in the contract, only a construction period guarantee of 11 months from the completion of the foundation slab.

So a maximum of eleven months, but starting from who knows when. Yes, that was stupid. Have a lawyer read the contract to see what the situation would be regarding cancellation (or whether the contract is formulated in such a way that it would be immoral due to gross imbalance). A lawyer also knows how to put a contractor in default for a work performance.

The building permit has been in place since August 2020,

However, by then "Corona" was already around – maybe the contractor applied for short-time work and currently does not have enough people to handle the orders. If you have the impression that they are making only you wait, I would have my father-in-law follow their construction crews early in the morning to see which sites they are active on.

They do not answer any, really any email in writing.

Could they be ending up in the spam folder, or have you ensured already that you are known as the nagging brats?

Overall, I don’t think the company is unserious or anything, but they just feel disorganized and do everything by the book.

What exact facts speak to the assumption that the company is "basically good" (quote from moms of teenage police acquaintances), and: what makes you hope it will develop to your satisfaction later? I would definitely consider cancellation rather than further begging here.

It is strange that you do not get clear statements.
For us, it took 1 year from the building permit to the start of construction, but we knew beforehand that the contractor's order book was so full.
Incidentally, no construction has been going on at any site here since December. How could it with 20cm of snow and ice and subzero temperatures.
But of course, it could be different for you.

I would ask more specifically again when it will start in reasonable weather. They have to have an answer as to what the reason is.

Our contract states that they will start construction within 3 months after the building permit is issued and once all obligations of the builders have been fulfilled. It actually started after 2 months, but since they had previously given us the impression that “we can start immediately at any time,” this waiting period was met with incomprehension on our part as well. Hope that it starts for you soon!