General contractor / prefabricated house provider with an existing BG (HOAI Phase 4)

After HOAI Phase 4, meaning after the building permit has been granted, we would like to have the corresponding design implemented. This is absolutely fine with the architect. He has already successfully practiced this several times.

That can be done this way. Then the architectural service provided is credited by the prefab house builder if you come with finished plans. There are practical examples for this. Of course, depending on the building project, it can happen that the prefab house provider is too clueless to read the plans correctly or simply overwhelmed with the implementation; there are practical examples of that, too.... They usually only build their own stuff and an external planning might fall outside their usual scope. It is very important to scrutinize the prefab house provider carefully before signing. The other option—signing first and then seeing if the prefab house provider can deliver a design acceptable to you for the plot—I find much riskier in this case. The architects working for the prefab house providers are not necessarily the experienced and creative top talents from their guild; otherwise, they would probably work in their own planning office. They rather work in a routine, by-the-book manner.

At least you have a certain price guarantee over a specific period in advance (e.g. 12-24 months fixed price guarantee), which you don’t have when building with the architect.

However, you buy this fixed price guarantee with a flat-rate surcharge, because the effort can only be estimated in one direction in advance: upwards. And exactly for this reason:

The companies we spoke with (and there were quite a few) were not able to adequately address our requirements and the special features of the property in detail, at least not before signing the construction contract.

General contractors are expected to pull details out of thin air in the free offer phase for which the architect earns good money?? Execution planning and preparation of the tender make up 35% of the architect’s fee. More than phases 1-4 all together!

I can truly only recommend continuing with the architect who also planned the house.

This fixed price guarantee is paid for by a flat-rate surcharge, because the effort can only be estimated in one direction in advance: upwards.

I rather believe that this is a "healthy" mixed calculation. A large provider can afford this and has corresponding experience if they have been on the market for years/decades and build hundreds of houses per year in some cases...

I don't want to only support pro-prefabricated house providers with this, but also relativize the often generalized contra statements.

Then the provided architectural service is credited by the prefabricated house builder if you come with finished plans.

unfortunately not everywhere. We discussed this approach with a few prefabricated house builders, not all of them offered it to us. On the other hand, a few did, and for a discount of 7-10,000 € you could take the architectural planning with you.

unfortunately not everywhere. We discussed this approach with a few prefabricated house builders, not all of them offered it to us. But conversely, with a few, for a discount of 7-10,000 €, you could include the architectural planning

Of course. You can't just convert a masonry plan directly into wood.

Then the acquaintances must have done something wrong, and you apparently want to imitate it right now: namely not to tender the planning architect and also not to have him manage the construction.

By the way, NRW is large – as several prime ministers have painfully had to realize, it is enough from NR to W – you would have to specify more precisely where we should help you search. But my royal road would clearly be as stated above.

We want a fixed-price guarantee, which the architect cannot give us (and neither can anyone else), but a general contractor/prefabricated house provider definitely can. Therefore, we want to combine the best of "both worlds" and advance the planning with a local architect, then carry out the construction with a general contractor or prefabricated house provider. The architect has already chosen this path several times with other clients.