Construction project with architects

2015-11-10 20:51:31

Cut him some slack - he's still in the shell stage, where the world is (mostly) still rosy ;).

By now we are a month behind schedule because the roofers didn’t get moving - and that delay keeps pushing everything back.

And now everything is hitting at once - interior plaster, roof insulation (which had a 3-week delivery time), drywall. And for all of this, own labor was planned :D. I have now quickly subcontracted the insulation and drywall work, the guy is coming by on Friday and the builder’s pulse is calming down again ;).

The neighbors are building with a general contractor, everything runs like clockwork, you actually only see the builders on Sundays checking the construction in their nice clothes, while you yourself stand covered in dust in a hole in the ground :rolleyes:. Still, I would never want to trade with them...

You’re delivering your own answers. Instead of comparing a general contractor with an architect, you should rather compare a project without own labor to one with own labor. BTW: You’ll only see me on site during the day in a suit too....Zero own labor -> Less risk, less delay. On the contrary, the architect supports me with issues many general contractors wouldn’t have taken responsibility for.

In our case, too, the companies know each other very well - just like it goes with many architects - because everyone has their pool of craftsmen and knows exactly how the others tick.

2015-11-10 20:55:56

A GÜ and even more so a GU have well-rehearsed people on board – even if they are only subcontractors – you only get that with single trade awarding by chance or if the architect always works with the same people and you only take what he suggests to you. But that is not the rule...

Mistakes can happen anywhere, but that was not the point – it’s about coordinated trades including scheduling. And that is much shakier with single trade awarding than a general construction plan with trades already fixed in advance.

And no, I won’t give you an answer – because the delay does not come from in-house work :).

Do you really go to the construction site in a suit? Seriously meant tip: Don’t do it...

2015-11-10 21:22:47

...A general contractor (GÜ) and even more so a main contractor (GU) have experienced people on board - even if they are only subcontractors - ...
--> architects have that too; at first there is no difference.

...you only get that with single trade awarding by chance or if the architect always works with the same people...
--> GÜ and GU also work - especially across regions - sometimes with less or not at all experienced teams. This is not due to direct awarding. The architect usually always works with the same people because the price-performance ratio is right... The client can hardly interfere here because he does not have nearly the same experience with companies. You simply assume here that direct awarding would be mixed companies. On the contrary, a GU or GÜ tends rather to choose the cheaper one and neglect matching - after all, he mainly wants to see a big plus at the bottom line.

...and you only take what he suggests to you. But that is not the rule...
--> But that has been the rule for us and many other clients I have spoken to, for the reasons mentioned above.

...Mistakes can happen anywhere, but that was not the point - it’s about trades that are coordinated with each other including scheduling. And that is much shakier with individual trade awarding than with an overall construction plan with trades already predetermined...
--> I can only say little here because I find your statement little substantiated. That the trades are scheduled shortly after contract signing with GU and GÜ, I tend to doubt - basically because a construction cannot be planned down to the day. For example, our architect has already informed the tradesmen of the tender in good time - as he does with his projects he manages as GÜ and GU.

...And no, I’m not giving you an answer - because the delay does not come from in-house work :)...
--> It looked like that in the above context. But I think this is due to improvable coordination of the project and not the system. GÜ and GU usually contractually allow themselves more time than is needed. For example, I have a contract from a renowned GU/GÜ in my region which allows 11 months from construction approval.

...Do you really go to the construction site in a suit? Seriously: Don’t do it...
--> As you know, I’m still at an early stage; at the moment everything is still green and only a retaining wall has been built. I wear the suit for work reasons and cannot change for site visits. But other sites I have visited were also easily accessible in leather shoes and trousers. Who knows, maybe in the next months I’ll also have the other cleaning rounds :D.

2015-11-10 21:32:08

I didn't mean your snazzy outfit in terms of site accessibility, but that the craftsmen think you’re a snobby monkey :)

You probably don’t care, but then they tend to work accordingly, which you won’t notice at all...

And very interesting that you certify my construction project as "expandable coordination" - you seem to know more about it than I do.

When a roofing company reschedules in the middle due to a change in priorities, I, as the client, can inquire there as often as I want - the further scheduling is simply worthless.

My experiences relate to regionally active general contractors and subcontractors, and they mostly work with regional craftsmen here.

2015-11-10 21:39:43

I didn't mean your snazzy outfit in terms of the walkability of a construction site, but rather that the tradesmen think you're a posh snob :)
--> das glaube ich nicht

Surely you don't care, but accordingly, work is sometimes done in a way you won't even notice at first...
--> das glaube ich auch nicht, weils der Architekt prüft und seine Handwerker kennt

And very interesting that you describe my construction project as "developable coordination" - you seem to know more about it than I do.

If a roofing company replans halfway through due to a reprioritization, I as the client can inquire there as often as I like - but further scheduling is simply messed up.
--> wenn das das einzige ist, dann funktioniert es doch im Wesentlichen; ansonsten sind wir wieder beim Thema "fundiert Antworten"

My experiences relate to regionally active general contractors and main contractors, and they mostly work with regional tradesmen here as well
--> so auch unser Architekt und die anderen Architekten die ich gesprochen hatte

2015-11-10 21:42:12

What you are writing are assumptions that can occur with the general contractor just as much as with the direct awarding of trades with the support of the architect. Specifically, however, it is not justified in the direct awarding. Very few general contractors operate with 100% their own employed manpower.

If the construction is poorly coordinated, it is due to the people involved... and in my opinion, it is not caused by the system. Just as there are bad apples among general contractors, there are also some among architects.

This is my experience from almost 20 years in the real estate industry, not an assumption!

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Construction project with architects

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