First consultation appointment with the prefabricated house manufacturer

For me, it is somehow important to know before buying the plot whether the house I imagine fits well on it. Because I have my ideas and wishes that should be implemented. The plot is as it is. But maybe it’s also a matter of perspective. Otherwise, I do understand your argument with the architect, but I believe that the risk of a possible “free planning” should be borne by the construction company. After all, we are talking about pretty large sums here. But reality has shown that this is not the case. Maybe it really is that their order books are so full that they don’t currently need to.

Your recommendation sounds good. That actually was once our consideration as well, if the further discussions go that way. Can you maybe name some general contractors from your area? Just so I can browse their homepage and see how such companies are structured, then I’ll know better what to look for.

The way you described it with the company Talbauhaus is actually how we imagine it. What kind of provider are you exactly looking for? If I understood correctly, there are also small construction companies that build complete houses, meaning everything from planning to interior design included, right?

Our sales consultant at our solid house company has already made an effort and went through several rounds of floor plan drafts. We also had the impression that he was responsive to our wishes and tried to plan cost-effectively. Nevertheless, after signing the contract, we had to completely redesign for various reasons.

Hello Karsten,

thank you also for your reply.
We are allowed 2 full floors. The plot has a slope of about 2m. The soil is not the best; according to the soil report, with a construction (without a basement on a slab), about 1.5m of soil replacement must be done. But this will be covered by the municipality. We also have this in writing. Ridge direction flexible. The roof shape is actually a gable roof with a certain degree angle. But in this settlement, flat roofs have also already been built. After inquiry, one is also relatively flexible on this point. These are roughly the key data I put together off the top of my head. What do you think about it?

We actually only came across all the prefabricated house providers because I like the timber construction method and all the providers advertise how flexible everything is. But actually, we do not want a catalog house. Then the question really arises for us whether we might get along better with a regional general contractor.
Thank you very much for the opinions! Definitely helps me quite a bit for now!

We have already spoken with several GCs in our area, with one we received a free draft that was changed several times at our request. However, even after the 5th change, the architect did not manage to somewhat meet our wishes. The price was also far from our expectations and I would definitely describe our budget as sufficient. The company never sent us the construction service description as promised nor did they get back to us. I had the impression that they were not very interested in building a house with us. In which region of Baden-Württemberg would you like to build? Feel free to contact me via private message.

We went through roughly everything we wanted with our provider beforehand (from heating to [raffstores]) and went through our desired floor plan with him. We walked through the house for this and considered whether it could work. Without a preliminary contract, he then packed everything up, and we got an appointment for the factory tour and house presentation. Three weeks later, we were shown our individual floor plan, with some improvements regarding the floor plan, façade planning, and 3D view. We were delighted.

So it can be done differently. The consultant did ask us again at the first appointment whether we were really serious, which we affirmed. The budget was asked about and the feasibility confirmed.

We had 3 providers to choose from, and this one convinced us by far.

I also see it this way, that acquisition comes with risks, but that was probably in the past. Nowadays, providers can pick their customers.

Hello ONeill,

just as you say, that's what we wish for as well. Which somehow also confirms to me that it is possible. And since we have no time pressure with the whole topic, we can start looking...