Finding the right house-building partner

Well, honestly, we didn't know it like that yet. The service was billed by the engineering firm through the home builder. So basically free for us.

That does indeed sound very innovative.

We would have paid the planning service anyway through the home builder. This way we could still plan freely.

However, free planning is an advantage that not all homebuilders actually need.

This is a rigged game here. Both are foxes here…

This is a rigged game here. Both are foxes…

Thank you :-( for your misjudgment. I do assume that is "connected" ;-) to the mentioned provider, but that does not stop me from praising the approach of an engineering firm I had never heard of until an hour ago. I gladly admit that, despite my nationwide activity, I do not know all players (and in this case probably some competitors) who deviate somewhat from the beaten paths. I often hear that clients today want a different profile of expert support in the planning process than was common in previous generations. with his expectation as a "consumer architect’s client" is not exactly representative, but increasingly "not an isolated case" either. When I published my "house-building roadmap, also for you: the HOAI phase model!" I did not least want to explain the architect’s systematic approach to those clients who want to try the planning themselves. Many responses I received, however, dealt with the disappointment that many architects are not willing enough to follow this "formula F" less "biblically" and thus sometimes develop customer-focused offers of new paths. The mentioned provider seems to be more open in that regard, and if someone mentions that in advertising, then I willingly grant that to the provider. My similarly structured consulting and coaching offers have also been initiated based on demand (substantially by seekers in this forum). I could quite well just enjoy my retirement as a former window manufacturer :)

The self-marketing is quite acceptable. The market is free and everyone is allowed to advertise their service with valid arguments. An active exchange in the forum certainly leaves room for interpretation regarding available capacities, which is already a clue for short-term consulting.

Thank you very much for the remaining tips! We will probably now start compiling a list of subjectively "sympathetic" providers (prefabricated houses, engineering offices, and general contractors) for us and inquire them one by one with our concerns and requests for offers including construction and service descriptions. My hope would be to create a comparable list from this and, together with the price, already get a clear indication for further discussions (here the IT person in me comes out). What do you think about that?

Self-marketing is fine. The market is free and everyone is allowed to advertise their services with valid arguments. An active exchange in the forum, however, certainly leaves room for interpretation regarding available capacities, which is already an indication for short-term consultation.

Tell me, where personally have you seen the valid arguments for my services or for those of the mentioned Weinheim engineering office. I’m not sure whether you wanted to tell me that my schedule must be too empty if I can give so much advice here ;-) but in fact, there would still be some free time for you …

Thanks for the remaining tips!

You’re welcome – do you mean these here and/or have you browsed on Baulotse?

We will probably now start compiling a list of providers who are subjectively “sympathetic” to us (prefabricated houses, engineering offices, and general contractors) and then ask them one by one with our concerns and request offers including construction and service descriptions. My hope would be to create a comparable list from this and already get a clear indication for further discussions together with the price (here the IT person in me comes out). What do you think about that?

I don’t think much of that, and I think this mostly reveals the Excel enthusiast in you. The IT person beyond that will be disappointed how little progress you make in searching for a building partner this way. General contractor yes-men are bad bug-fixers for customer’s own designs; and before you wear yourself out on code cleaning the various construction service descriptions, you’d write (y)our own faster. If construction service descriptions were for example graded on thoroughness, the big names would regularly come out ahead; however, those things are also texted by legal departments there, which doesn’t have to be “an advantage” for the builder. Regarding engineering offices, the one recently mentioned here is probably a worthwhile ray of hope, otherwise I would rather prefer the classic architect in this area. In your place, I would start there and take care first of what one should start with anyway: namely the basic evaluation (service phase 1). Once this framework (land, needs vs. budget, development plan) has been clarified, I would discuss with the architect (or similar consultant) whether to proceed further by adapting an off-the-shelf or catalog design or by an individual plan. It should be considered that catalog designs are provider-specific, and a catalog design from company A built by company B for company B would be an individual design again. Choosing a catalog house is therefore best done as if service phase 2 (preliminary draft) were in Königswinter: not before and not after. Since there are quite a few differences in construction, it should already be clarified at this point which faction(s) of general contractor (Steiner and/or Holzer) you want to approach: NEUTRAL and INDIFFERENT are NOT the same here! (because they already have a say in which “documents” you request).