Construction progress: Duplex with WU basement and developed attic

The purpose of reducing the defect rectification costs is quite simple

You can only take this route after the final acceptance has taken place, right?

Weird, why would he do that?

: In hindsight, I know that my EX-GC added 10% of the house price to the craftsmen's invoices. Here in the forum, I was told that this was far too little and was bound to go wrong. Take a look at your construction contract, maybe there is also a lump sum that he wants for his services. Did you receive a performance bond from the GC?

You can only take this path after the final acceptance has been completed, right?

That would be the case if he were going to finish building the house. But I don't assume that. He has already wasted €70,000 of his own money here due to his incompetence. For defect remediation, he received a loan of €50,000 from his heating engineer, who also only made a mess here. About €30,000 of that is probably still left. And the lawyers (1 and 2) also want their money.
It is nowhere near enough. He cannot finish the house and will either cancel the contract or we will cancel if he does not carry out the defect remediation within the specified deadline. And then the big settlement comes.

What kind of defects are being referred to?

What kind of defects are we talking about?

Do you really want to know? It could have led to sleepless nights.

If yes, then here you go. Weak nerves please skip this part.

[Masonry:]
- The masonry top surfaces (gable and dormers) were neither capped nor covered and not insulated. Cold air inflow occurs.
- In the dormers in the attic, there are loose bricks in the masonry, the masonry is pieced together and must be dismantled
- There are gaps up to 12 cm between the verge and the masonry on all 4 gables, these must be closed with masonry
- The single-leaf exterior masonry shows significant defects concerning the substrate for the facade plaster. To avoid cracks, the implementation of a decoupled plaster system is necessary (ultralight plaster for decoupling and full-surface fabric reinforcement, minimum plaster thickness of base coat 15 mm required, then approx. 5 mm fabric reinforcement and top coat, total thickness 20 to 25 mm). The minimum plaster thickness was not observed on the currently applied plaster surfaces. The facade surface is uneven.
- The holes and joints were not grouted as required.
- The rafters were not filled with masonry and were only clad with insulation. The connections to the rafters were executed without a movement joint. Necessary measures: - contractually compliant masonry filling
- Styrofoam and construction foam were used on the dormers on the upper floor; these must be removed and replaced with masonry
- The interior walls on the upper floor are incompletely built in the slopes

[Roof:]
- Despite contractual agreement, the under-roof membrane was not replaced after 7 months of weather exposure
- Underlay membrane not professionally installed and incomplete
- Tiles partially damaged/chipped
- Valleys crooked/skewed
- Bird protection loose and incomplete
- Lead tape under all windows loose
- Gutter hangs too high
- The roof windows are set too high and additionally at different heights
- Dormer insulation incomplete
- On the left dormer, the roof tiles do not reach the masonry
- Right dormer not completed
- The verge boards were not painted
- Verge boards on the rafters incomplete

[Attic:]
- Complete renewal of vapor barrier and drywall
- Consideration of apartment separation
- Renewal of electrical system
- Relocation of door openings

[Heating/Plumbing:]
- Completion of floor heating in basement – connection to both heating circuits
- The drainage pipe of the left apartment is not connected
- Installation must be renewed as the slope is in the wrong direction
- In all 4 bathrooms, the minimum screed thickness under the showers is not met
- Under the bathtubs, the minimum screed thickness is not met
→ Removal of screed in all 4 bathrooms, reduction of insulation under screed; removal of floor heating under the bathtubs, new screed installation

[Electrical:]
- Protruding sockets to be sanded down
- Renewal in the attic
- Garden power boxes missing

[Windows:]
- Lockable window handles and hinge covers missing
- Both terrace doors must be replaced (too short)
- Dormer window in the right apartment damaged
- Bathroom windows are not frosted
- Mouse guards missing on basement windows

[Window sills:]
- Due to the missing grouting of the external joints (see contract), insulating plaster must now be used
- Since this is thicker and the external window sills were already dimensioned too narrowly (see expert report), these must be replaced including upper drainage grooves
- Interior window sills incomplete
- Basement windows missing interior window sills

[Interior plaster:]
- The full-surface reinforcement required by contract is not present, the plaster shows cracks and must be renewed
- The surface quality does not correspond to quality level Q3 in parts
- The concrete walls in the basement are not plastered
- No cove cut / separation cut was made at the connection to the concrete ceilings. The plaster is already breaking out in places. Necessary measures: - Production of separation cuts - Installation of the contractually agreed Magic Corner profiles
- The masonry behind the knee wall cladding and at the level of the wooden beams was not plastered or filled. Wind tightness is not guaranteed.
- The areas plastered by Mr. Langner must be chipped off and replastered because 1. no primer was applied and 2. overlapping sack material stored outdoors at -20 degrees and not dry was used
- Window reveals to be reopened, reinforcement to be worked in, Vediplatte to be set over the roller shutter box, close

[Putty work:]
- The ceilings and walls in the upper floor, puttied by the company Langner, were consistently not primed. Cavities are present in places, which chip off.
- The putty layer must be removed, the plaster inspected and if necessary removed as the required reinforcement is missing.

[Basement:]
- Ceiling penetrations to the basement are not sealed (fire resistant)
- The already puttied ceilings and walls were not primed
- Cladding of heating pipes missing
- Closure of ceiling and wall joints
- Cable ducts still open

[Miscellaneous:]
- Laying of empty conduit for photovoltaic system missing
- Defect correction of the shell construction not completed: plinth preparation