Construction defects yes or no? Experiences

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and not very experienced with house construction, so I am seeking advice. We have purchased a condominium that is currently being built and where we can express various special requests. Last week there was a shell inspection and, in our opinion, some things have gone wrong and I would like to know what you think about them:

1. A shaft through which pipes run for the entire building has an opening that is too large in the ceiling. Just before the ceiling, a drain pipe bends diagonally so that it extends about 5 cm into our apartment. The whole thing was rather clumsily covered with a rectangular box. The architect acknowledges his mistake but also says that this can no longer be changed. Is that true? Do we now have to accept it as it is?

2. The underfloor heating manifold is mounted on the wall in our apartment. In all other apartments, it has been integrated into the wall. The contract only states that it will be "located at a suitable place." Unfortunately, the plan shows it on the wall, but we assumed this was just for better legibility. Is there any chance to argue that this is not "state of the art"? A metal box right at the entrance to the living room (with double glass swinging doors) is really far from attractive.

3. We have consistently requested that the shower tray be installed flush with the floor. Among other things, we have shown this in a plan and sent it along with requests for fittings, etc. However, this request was not explicitly mentioned in the sanitary confirmation. It only lists fittings, etc., but not their location or installation. A tray carrier for the shower was confirmed, which the sanitary company considers confirmation that it will be installed on the screed (1. is that correct? 2. can a layman be expected to recognize this mistake?). The screed has now been laid and no recess has been left for the shower tray. Who do you see as responsible here?

I just want to get some opinions from others. Thanks in advance!

Sascha

Now only what you have in black and white really counts... if something was discussed at some point but not put on paper, then you are out of luck.

1. There is a building services plan for this and it applies... no matter what the architect claims... the lines/pipes etc. must be laid exactly as the routing is shown in the plan... and if it does not fit for structural reasons, a solution must be found... however, simply building a box without prior consultation is not allowed.

2. Well, again here a building services plan... surface-mounted heating distributors are still very much state-of-the-art, at least for now...

3. Again, here expressing wishes and putting them on paper are two completely different things... without a signed document stating something is on the ground floor, I see little chance...

Thank you for the quick response. A few addenda maybe:

1. The architect also sees that there is an error. The question is rather whether this error can be corrected or if the architect hands us a 100 and says, "sorry, but changing this now would be disproportionate."

2. Ok thanks, then the only option here seems to be to appeal to the architect that this is nonsense. How complicated would it be to have the distributor relocated?

3. Well, the problem was that the plumber didn’t respond for weeks. So in the end, we went to the architect and had them confirm that a level execution of the shower is possible. We then gave this order to the plumber. As I said, the location of the shower, bathtub, etc. were also not confirmed, yet I do expect that my request is either fulfilled or that a response comes that it will not be done. But simply ignoring it?

1. Well, it's up to you... I wouldn't even consider the 100er... 2. I can't see the effort from here... it depends on many different factors... is the wall, for example, load-bearing? 3. Well, as long as you have something from the architect... it's his problem

Hello Sascha,

Last week there was a shell construction inspection and in our opinion some things went wrong and I would like to know what you think about it:

1. A shaft through which the pipes for the entire house run has an opening that is too large in the ceiling. Just before the ceiling, a drain pipe bends diagonally so that it protrudes about 5 cm into our apartment. The whole thing was rather clumsily covered with a rectangular box. The architect admits his mistake but also says that this can no longer be changed. Is that true? Do we now have to just accept it?

No, this can still be relatively easily fixed in the shell construction phase.

2. The underfloor heating distributor is mounted on the wall in our apartment. In all other apartments it has been integrated into the wall. The contract only states that it will be "located in a suitable place." Unfortunately, it is drawn on the wall in the plan, but we assumed this was only to improve readability. Is there any chance to argue here that this does not correspond to the "state of the art"? A metal box right at the entrance to the living room (with double glass swing door) is really anything but nice.

No. If I remember correctly, the distributor box is not allowed to be placed "inside" the solid wall; in the attic with drywall walls, it looks different again.

2. Ok thanks, then I guess here we can only appeal to the architect that this is crap. How complex would it be to have the distributor relocated?

see above.

3. We have consistently expressed the wish that the shower tray should be installed flush with the floor. Among other things, we also marked this in a plan and sent it along with the wishes for fittings etc. However, this wish was not explicitly mentioned in the confirmation of order from the plumber. Only fittings etc. are listed there, but not their position and execution.

You should have complained here.

For the shower, a tray carrier was confirmed, which according to the plumber is confirmation of execution on the screed (1. is that correct? 2. can a layperson be expected to recognize this mistake?). The screed has now been laid and no recess was left for the shower tray. Who do you see as responsible here?

You, because you did not complain about the plumber’s order confirmation.

3. Well, the problem was that there was no reply from the plumber for weeks. So in the end we went to the architect and had it confirmed that a flush-level execution of the shower is possible. We then gave this order to the plumber. As I said, the position of the shower, bathtub, etc. was also not confirmed, but I do expect either my wish to be fulfilled or feedback that this will not be done. But simply ignoring it?

Regarding plumbing, the plumber is your contractual partner and not the architect!

"In a completely tiled shower area, drainage is carried out with a flat floor drain or with a flush-level shower channel. Tiles can be laid with or without an underfloor element. The underfloor element can be a waterproof rigid foam board or another installation frame. Underfloor elements have an integrated slope and can be tiled with ceramic, natural stone, or mosaic tiles. Various sizes and shapes are available, as well as custom designs and panels with pre-assembled drainage units or built-in drain channels."

Best regards from the Rhineland