Experiences with companies that offer complete renovation.

Hello everyone,

The ground floor of a two-family house is to be renovated. The upper floor is still occupied with residential rights by the aunt and is completely self-sufficient (own heating, gas, electricity connection, etc.).
The grandfather lived on the ground floor (75 sqm), and the entire house is now being sold within the family.
The problem is that hardly anyone is known who can help or knows how it works. Therefore, the idea is to commission a company to do everything.

What needs to be done: electricity from the meter, sewage and water pipes, windows, complete heating, complete bathroom including relocating the bathroom door. Room doors and a new apartment entrance door.

There used to be a pigsty in the basement ages ago. In this basement room, the ceiling is now 1 meter higher than the rest of the basement, which takes away space from a room above in the apartment. The concrete ceiling (12 sqm) must be demolished and a new ceiling put in one meter lower. In addition, a breakthrough in the wall in the apartment with a steel beam to combine two rooms. The new ceiling is not yet included in the offer.

The floor is fine. Things like painting and wallpapering are no problem and will be done ourselves.

Offers have already been obtained from companies.
Company 1 approx. 120,000€ with a very questionable offer and demeanor. No good feeling, and very vague statements about execution, measurements, quality, and method were made during the appointment.
Company 2 approx. 90,000€ sounded very competent. The offer is attached. In this case, a family business. She is the interior designer and he the practical part (master in gas, water, heating construction). This company does everything with their own people. No external companies or subcontractors.

Questions:
What do you think about the offer?
What should you pay attention to with such companies in advance? Was something overlooked? Are there experiences from anyone who has already handled it this way?
What should be considered during the renovation? Where could there be traps or pitfalls?

We would be very happy about suggestions of any kind!

Best regards, Frank

And the last two pages...

Are you being dazzled by the price?

Otherwise, offer 2 sounds interesting because they do everything from a single source. Let's compare both offers to see if no.2 has forgotten anything?

Unfortunately, they cannot be compared. The first provider kept everything very, very unclear.

For example, the type and number of electrical installations. It was not mentioned which brand or number per room or anything else. Only "the standard will be installed" was stated. With offer 2, there are a total of 100 items for this apartment. That gives you something to start with.

What I notice: The quantity specifications are inconsistent. For many items (e.g. tiles), there should either be somewhat appropriate quantity specifications (10% +- is within reason, you then pay more or less according to the measured quantity, anything beyond that could be renegotiated) or it should say "1 lump sum". But definitely not 1 m² for €400! Conversely, sometimes it says 3 lump sums and in the long text: billing according to weighing (for disposal, for example). Or something like: 6x "Deliver and install new radiators without radiators" and then later the position of the radiators themselves, I have never tendered like that before... (by the way, I find €700!! for one radiator ridiculously expensive... what are you installing there?). Yeah... I would have the whole thing straightened out again. At least these 1 m² positions, which if they come back to you later with nonsense, they could actually interpret as unit prices and you end up paying a cheap €260,000 for spackling 100 m² of ceiling.

So the submitted offer is so good that you should look at it more closely. The hints from Tamster are already the first step on what you should pay attention to. Print it out, and then read - understand - check quantity and unit of measure position by position (for plausibility, not 12 or 14 m2...) - tick off or put a question mark next to it. Then go through it with the company over a coffee. Many things are on the client's side. Make sure that this is also what you want.