Error in house construction - How did you deal with it?

  • Erstellt am 2019-04-14 13:10:01

berny

2019-04-28 11:41:06
  • #1

Well Yvonne, you might see it that way. Others see it differently. I’ll attach a few example pictures below. I’m a very strange, extremely complicated, demanding type: I give error-free, crack-free banknotes and would like error-free, crack-free walls in return. That’s it. I actually don’t think this is an exaggerated demand in the sense of a high-quality architect house; I would actually consider crack-free ceilings and walls standard. Now I have the pictured walls/ceilings. The general contractor says: Not my problem, I didn’t plaster the walls/ceilings for you?! You as the client had that done yourself on site? He’s right: I asked him as the general contractor for a quote for plastering them in "smooth quality" and also painting them white. Along with all floors in vinyl. His "quote": 30 K. Me: Oh! Him: But just ask my subcontractor, who’s going to screw the drywall panels to the ceiling anyway on my order. I would commission him anyway. Unfortunately, I would have to add a surcharge on the price because of administrative costs and such. He does it much cheaper if you commission him directly. I (idiot!!!) directly asked the painter subcontractor: He: No problem, we do that all the time, costs 8 K. Me: Where do I sign? The results are shown in the pictures... So now I’m standing there. Painter says: I did everything as usual, I can’t be responsible for the cracks. General contractor says: Sorry, 1. the painting work was done on site by the client and 2. maybe the construction wood of the floor above shrank afterwards through drying out at night. That’s explainable, but what am I supposed to do as a layman? The general contractor could have told me at contract signing that for 2 - 3 K more, up there they could have done a concrete ceiling that doesn't shrink or cause cracks. That wouldn’t have been a problem for me, but he says nothing. That’s what we always do. Now I have just reduced the final invoice (this is only one of several minor points) and he’s suing. We’ll see.
Our construction has further annoying, fortunately not very serious defects. I know there are really bad cases sometimes. Still, I feel totally screwed in some respects and won’t accept that. And I can only advise everyone to fight back as best as they can. It’s partly an outrageous impertinence what the general contractor and most of the subs allow themselves. Unfortunately, exceptions only prove the rule. I wish them all that the construction boom slows down strongly again. Then they’ll all come down from their high horse and maybe put more effort into their customers once more. I really wish that for all future clients. But it will probably take a few more years.


 

guckuck2

2019-04-28 12:22:27
  • #2
Berny, I can understand your frustration. But what exactly are you criticizing the general contractor (GU) for now? That he didn’t tell you the concrete ceiling was better? And because of that, you’re withholding money?

It should also be clear that he does not provide a warranty for services that were not commissioned.

At least in the case described to you, I don’t understand what the GU did wrong at all.
Wooden ceilings are nothing unusual, and the fact that different building materials shrink differently = risk of cracking is just how it is. You can put mesh in the plaster and hope it’s enough, but even that is no guarantee to avoid cracks.
Concrete ceilings are also no guarantee for crack-free transitions to the masonry.


The problem is that quality is expected as if it were an industrial product. But it’s craftsmanship.
 

LuckyDuke

2019-04-28 12:42:53
  • #3


And craftsmanship can be performed according to the rules of technology and DIN standards or not. This is not about excessive demands but precisely about that. That should be made clear again so that nothing gets mixed up here. Of course, I can kindly ask if the craftsman can paint over here or there, patch up a dent or build up a few more centimeters here... but that is not what this is about at all.

Some apparently believe that the world can be saved with homemade cake. Sorry, but one really can’t be that naive. The boss laughs to himself that you take over his work, and the craftsmen of course appreciate the cake, but they don’t learn the rules of technology from that either. To believe they would have laid my drainage correctly, built Berny’s walls crack-free if you had brought them a cake, sorry, I really can no longer take that seriously... and I can only hope that other readers here do not take that as a measure to become masters of their defects.

If everyone makes it that easy for their colleagues in construction, there is no reason to be surprised that over time they take more and more liberties. But go ahead and keep baking your cake.

PS: A general contractor usually builds the shell himself and not through a subcontractor, what you mean is a general planner, who only coordinates. So the investment flowed exactly to the right place...



Although I do not agree with this in terms of content, I can only say the problem comes solely from the fact that prices have risen so much recently. This logically results in a proportionally increasing number of high earners among the builders, such as engineers. The fact that demands rise with prices should not really surprise anyone...
 

berny

2019-04-28 13:13:01
  • #4
@guckguck2: But what exactly are you criticizing the general contractor for? Exactly what I described as his behavior – trickily referring to the oh-so-cheap subcontractor and then acting as if it’s none of his concern anymore. That method ran throughout the entire construction. Afterwards, as the client, you’re left standing there not knowing who to turn to. Besides: the general contractor could have said, for example, that after ceiling construction you have to wait a year or something... no idea. In any case, now I am supposed to pay for the repair of the cracks, which I simply refuse to do; I didn’t cause these cracks.?! As I said: wrinkle-free banknotes for him >>> so please wrinkle-free walls for me.
Wooden ceilings are nothing unusual and the fact that different building materials shrink differently = risk of cracks is just how it is. You can embed mesh while plastering and hope it will be enough but even that is no guarantee to come out without cracks. So you’re also trying to tell me I just have to live with such cracks as a customer? Then you could actually be a contractor yourself. By the way, the painter embedded mesh everywhere, I have complete photo documentation of that. So the general contractor is responsible in some way for a shift of the building materials underneath the plaster. I’m not interested in details; I don’t want cracks, no matter where they come from. Is that really so unusual??

: I see it the same way you do, the thing with the homemade cake. Some companies only react if they see a lawyer’s letterhead. That’s unfortunately my experience.
 

Snowy36

2019-04-28 13:21:08
  • #5


I just googled 5 of my craftsmen from the region: none have a Google listing. The one who did have a listing we reviewed and do you know what happened? He got the review deleted on Yelp with the reason that he had not received an order from us. We wrote to Yelp saying that this was not true, but if he threatens them with a lawyer, what will they do? Exactly, they delete the listing.

In line with that, then 5-star reviews from his own site managers, really big spectacle.
 

Snowy36

2019-04-28 13:25:15
  • #6
We contacted the chamber of crafts with the information that he never builds according to the rules of the trade (in several new constructions) and just builds whatever he thinks. They didn’t care at all. Even the manufacturer of the materials had promised to provide additional training to the craftsman because he was so bad, but he still claims he is the best under the sun. And the other two institutions might help you with communication and enforcing the claims, but in fact the craftsman suffers no “punishment” whatsoever. You simply can’t defend yourself against it, unfortunately that’s what I had to learn from experience. You always think there are so many options like reviews, courts, chamber of crafts etc.… but when you actually need them, no one is there.… And I completely agree with Berny… if certain construction methods have disadvantages (for example increased possibility of cracks) then I want the craftsman to tell me! Then I can decide for myself whether I accept the disadvantages or not. But simply doing it, when you yourself have no idea, and afterwards saying: well, that’s just how it is with wooden ceilings… well thanks, then I don’t need a general contractor and can just hire someone myself and hope everything works out.
 

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