Decision aid for choosing the construction company

A few days ago, I recommended that you drive to new development areas in your town/region and take a look at the local construction companies there, ask around. Others recommended that - if you are already fixated on "big names" - you should visit actual examples of these prefabricated house providers and talk to the owners in order to get an unvarnished picture. Have you followed one or both of these recommendations since then? Why not?

Nonsense. Radio, navigation, onboard computer, cruise control are a system with the steering wheel. Why would you want a Mondeo steering wheel in an Insignia, what does that achieve? (I’m happy to learn, enlighten me). What benefit does it bring your family to have to live in a tent on the beautiful new property just because Dad can’t decide which house to order with a counting rhyme? Just look at it from the other side: how many people die every year from living in houses with non-test-winner walls? All of my schoolmates somehow found their way, and today I couldn’t say which back then belonged to the Geha faction and which to the Pelikan faction. Why the hell should this be so much more dramatically transferred to Viessmann vs. Vaillant – explain it to me!?

To be honest, I don’t understand why there is so much aggression in your post. Is this the normal tone here?

To answer your "question" or to address a statement: That means you either have to award each trade separately, preferably regionally, or just senselessly take the complete package. Interesting. But those are two extremes between which there might also be a middle ground.
If EVERYTHING is the same anyway and it makes no difference whether Stiebel Eltron, Viessmann, Vaillant, Buderus, etc., then I don’t understand why every second thread discusses exactly this. Why should that be wrong?
I’m not saying that heat pump 1 doesn’t heat and heat pump 2 does. That would again be black and white. But there are features like SmartGrid, smart home integration, water storage, COP, installation type/setup, etc.

By the way: There are even people who change the steering wheel in their car :)

If everything is the same anyway and it doesn't matter whether it's Stiebel Eltron, Viessmann, Vaillant, Buderus, etc., then I don't understand why every second thread is exactly about this.

I often don't understand that either. It's all (more or less) the same. But the "experienced" builder has to scrutinize every technical detail. Floor plans and planning not so intensely.

But there are also features like SmartGrid, SmartHome connection, water storage, COP, installation type/construction, etc.

But all manufacturers offer that. Overall, complaining at a high level. However, you also rank among the detail specialists. We still haven't received a floor plan, a life plan for the house, or similar.

Btw: There are even people who change the steering wheel in their car :)

I've done that too – but I was 18 and could still do it myself then. Today I choose my car according to my needs and not according to technical features. So it’s sometimes the BMW, then the van, and now a star hybrid. I do the same with the house/apartment.

By the way: During our current attempt, to my own surprise, we were completely open regarding massive or timber frame construction. It ended up being the former, which was mostly due to financial aspects. Now the house tends to be less energy-efficient, but everything else fits for us. Therefore, my advice: Approach the selection openly, and don’t put the cart before the horse or approach it from the side if you want to ride it properly later.
PS: In our case, the heating does not come from any of the three mentioned providers.

I had exactly the same experience this time. At first, a bungalow in timber frame construction was planned; I had already found nice floor plans as a basis; everything was already settled in my head… but only there o_O.
While searching for the best possible implementation, I then encountered a small, regional company with which now practically everything is different: no bungalow, massive construction, a completely different heating system, etc., and I feel great about it, although far from the original idea.

No matter which provider, no matter which technology for walls, heating, or general approach: everywhere you hear 90% only bad reports.

NOT in this forum, here all kinds of construction projects are posted and mostly discussed factually—from wood to stone, prefab houses and everything else. Show me where you generally read that here.
Building is a process, fill out the questionnaire, preferably more extensively and in detail, or “open up,” then help can be given. Unfortunately, there is often only piecemeal tactics here, which can’t help anyone and may cause such a feeling. There is no universally valid opinion here that prefab houses are bad or massive is good, wood worse than stone, etc. That is not true.
Please post your project completely, showing the current status, and then you will see.

Unfortunately, one doesn’t hear the many satisfied ones—it’s very comparable to Amazon reviews. Either 5 stars “top, great” or 1 star “never again, complete disaster.”

I have been here for quite a while and have published my project here and have received extremely helpful thoughts. Show me these Amazon-like reviews here… maybe some individual ones. Yes, but not generally! Most builders here are satisfied with their projects. You are completely mistaken there.

That there are probably 95% of people in between, who only had minor issues but were overall quite satisfied, is not seen.

That probably applies to every house; every builder here knows that too. I really don’t know where you get this feeling from.

€: There is a reason why the "big players" in the industry have been on the market for 30-40 years plus…

...which one would that be in your opinion...?
You have to like criticism; I find it purely constructive, even if I realize that I do NOT want to do it that way—it was helpful.
Therefore, again: POST YOUR PROJECT HERE and just try it. Behind the curtain, it’s difficult.

Have you followed one or both of these recommendations since then?
Why not?

Yep, I also gave you hints. Reaction = zero, even if they were poor. I rather assume that you already have things fixed for yourself and expect more approval.

Honestly, I don’t understand why there is so much aggression in your post. Is this the normal tone here?

When you have to drill through thicker components, sometimes you change the drill bit to get through...

But there are also features like SmartGrid, SmartHome connection, water storage, COP, type of installation/construction, etc.

We are now on page TWENTY-TWO and from you, there is neither a filled-out questionnaire nor a floor plan, development plan/site plan, etc. to be seen. Maybe that’s why we go around in circles here. You recently wrote that the floor plan and location of the house are fixed… huh… so where is it then? At the same time, you admit that you are a layperson… Respect, I am a repeat house builder; so such a statement surprises me somewhat.
You deal rather with arbitrarily interchangeable nonsense like writes.

But there are also features like SmartGrid, SmartHome connection, water storage, COP, type of installation/construction, etc.

So: Finally post your already finished floor plan here, the questionnaire, so that your needs are understood, further information about the building plot, budget, etc., and then it can work. Otherwise, I see this soon on page 122. Or what is the reason you withhold such fixed things like the floor plan, etc.?
Whether it’s SmartGrid or a floating kitchen usually decides in a trivial way anyway—namely by the wallet, definitely much later.

Hi,
I think a local general contractor can build everything exactly as you want.
WP from XY, roof tiles from XX, walls as thick as a bunker, windows with black panes and so on, he will do everything you order - and pay for.
A developer or prefab house manufacturer won’t be able or willing to do that, because their calculations are certainly based on corresponding delivery quantities from individual manufacturers, leaving no room for individual solutions.
Where the reinforcing steel in the foundation slab comes from (China, India, Essen or somewhere) you have no influence on with either of them...
...although, you could certainly contractually agree that with the general contractor - for money.
Both can build houses that work.
Regards, Olli

Hi,
I think a local general contractor can build everything for you as individually as you want.

I think a layperson has the problem of orienting themselves and first understanding what they actually want.
Surely that is also the reason why wullewuu approached the forum. The fact that he now feels like he hasn't made any progress is due to the uncertainty after having read 20 pages of various, partly opposing opinions, etc.
Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the matter or a forum :)

That he is under time pressure (?) and has a family breathing down his neck adds to the "nervousness." At least that’s how it was/is for me.

What really urgently needs to do is to start orienting himself concretely and decide step by step. Otherwise, you will sink into the jungle of advertising/offers, opinions, thoughts, and worries and still be stuck in the same place half a year later.

As far as I could see, everyone so far agrees that in the end, with "all providers", whether with wood or stone, beautiful houses can be built.

If the floor plan etc. is already fixed, then take it to the individual providers and start talking, feeling, and filtering. Afterwards, you can still gather opinions here on -concrete- providers and topics and form your opinion and make decisions from that....


From my, so far somewhat theoretical experience, some prefab house manufacturers can indeed "build individually as you want," at least in the broadest sense. Just enough that it is completely sufficient for the vast majority of builders.