ranseier
2012-01-20 15:47:42
- #1
Hello everyone,
I need some advice and opinions.
We would like to build a single-family house solidly, brick by brick/with a basement (white tank), the plot is available.
Since we are not professionals, it seemed best to us to hire a general contractor.
We had contact with several and had designs made, which were only really usable at a “first glance.”
Since we have an extremely crappy development plan and a tight building window, it is especially important that what is permitted is also implemented as optimally as possible.
Because a fixed price is actually important to us, we did not consider hiring an architect.
The GCs always seemed to have a draftsman at hand who put the designs on paper.
Besides the well-known “bickering” from most providers regarding intellectual property of the plans etc., we still had one GC in the running.
That this GC builds incredibly “efficiently and functionally” may be good and fine from a “Dipl.-Ing. perspective,” but as far as aesthetics, design and the feel-good factor are concerned, it tended more towards “nope… rather not.”
Also important to me is a certain flexibility during the build, i.e. I have some materials that I will provide to the respective craftsmen for installation as they are already available, and I would also like to know quite exactly what I will get for our money.
Statements like: “It will look nice, we’ll manage that… we build according to DIN, etc.” I don’t want or can’t hear anymore. I was also tired of constantly receiving independently changed plans from him (without informing us or pointing out changes) (for example, a door becomes a sliding door, suddenly the ceiling height changes, etc.).
When addressed, comments like: “The current ceiling height is sufficient, he finds a sliding door more visually appealing, etcetera blaaaaaaaaaaaaa” come up.
A few weeks ago on a business trip, I saw a house that exactly matches our ideas. I rang the bell and asked if I could look at this great house (about the same size as our plan)… I was allowed… and it almost blew me away. Open, bright, modern, straight lines almost perfect… so it is possible after all, but it’s an architect’s house. L
The architect (a close friend of the residents) lives a few houses away and came by immediately. Because of my enthusiasm, he offered me to send him our documents (with building regulations), which I did straight away.
The next day he called me and said: “If we like the house that much, we should completely forget our previous plans… (wrong proportions, narrow, cramped, etc.).
Since the architect lives at the other end of Germany, unfortunately he can’t supervise us. But he has “remodeled” his friend’s great floor plan for our house design, so now we have a submit-ready plan according to our wishes, but still no one to build the place.
The architect told us that he knows some construction companies that only do shell construction, but also offer to take over site management for the entire construction phase. They would put out tenders and gather quotes, organize, monitor processes etc.
The respective contracts for work would have to be concluded by the client themselves.
Disadvantages would be: You have more effort yourself because you have to inform yourself very precisely about what you want (which heating system, brand, model, etc.).
Advantage:
You can choose the companies yourself and also have a lot more personal contact with the craftsmen and can still make small changes in direct consultation in between, which were forgotten in the planning.
Now my questions to you:
1. Do you have experience with such an approach? (Good and bad)
2. How does it behave with the risk of meeting deadlines (completion of the house)? Is the date fixed via the contract with the site management?
3. Which trades come after the shell construction (after the house stands, roof is covered, windows are installed)? Off the top of my head I think of:
- Screed layers
- Plasterers (inside and outside – is that one trade?????)
- Electricians
- Heating and sanitation
- Bathroom builders (???)
- Drywall installers
- Tilers/floor covering
- Chimney builders
- Painters
- Outdoor landscaping
- Garage (prefabricated)
- (Insulation, roller shutters I can’t assign right now)
Did I forget anything and which should or can be combined?
How does warranty work in such a case at the “boundary area” where everyone blames the other?
4. How high will the costs of site management approximately be, or how are they calculated? Fixed amount or percentage of the total building price?
5. What are the cost differences compared to a GC, who understandably wants to earn (for that you would have site management costs here), but a GC would also include a corresponding “safety buffer” in a guaranteed fixed price, which falls away here?
6. Have I forgotten anything important?
I know these are a lot of questions and look forward to your answers.
Best regards
I need some advice and opinions.
We would like to build a single-family house solidly, brick by brick/with a basement (white tank), the plot is available.
Since we are not professionals, it seemed best to us to hire a general contractor.
We had contact with several and had designs made, which were only really usable at a “first glance.”
Since we have an extremely crappy development plan and a tight building window, it is especially important that what is permitted is also implemented as optimally as possible.
Because a fixed price is actually important to us, we did not consider hiring an architect.
The GCs always seemed to have a draftsman at hand who put the designs on paper.
Besides the well-known “bickering” from most providers regarding intellectual property of the plans etc., we still had one GC in the running.
That this GC builds incredibly “efficiently and functionally” may be good and fine from a “Dipl.-Ing. perspective,” but as far as aesthetics, design and the feel-good factor are concerned, it tended more towards “nope… rather not.”
Also important to me is a certain flexibility during the build, i.e. I have some materials that I will provide to the respective craftsmen for installation as they are already available, and I would also like to know quite exactly what I will get for our money.
Statements like: “It will look nice, we’ll manage that… we build according to DIN, etc.” I don’t want or can’t hear anymore. I was also tired of constantly receiving independently changed plans from him (without informing us or pointing out changes) (for example, a door becomes a sliding door, suddenly the ceiling height changes, etc.).
When addressed, comments like: “The current ceiling height is sufficient, he finds a sliding door more visually appealing, etcetera blaaaaaaaaaaaaa” come up.
A few weeks ago on a business trip, I saw a house that exactly matches our ideas. I rang the bell and asked if I could look at this great house (about the same size as our plan)… I was allowed… and it almost blew me away. Open, bright, modern, straight lines almost perfect… so it is possible after all, but it’s an architect’s house. L
The architect (a close friend of the residents) lives a few houses away and came by immediately. Because of my enthusiasm, he offered me to send him our documents (with building regulations), which I did straight away.
The next day he called me and said: “If we like the house that much, we should completely forget our previous plans… (wrong proportions, narrow, cramped, etc.).
Since the architect lives at the other end of Germany, unfortunately he can’t supervise us. But he has “remodeled” his friend’s great floor plan for our house design, so now we have a submit-ready plan according to our wishes, but still no one to build the place.
The architect told us that he knows some construction companies that only do shell construction, but also offer to take over site management for the entire construction phase. They would put out tenders and gather quotes, organize, monitor processes etc.
The respective contracts for work would have to be concluded by the client themselves.
Disadvantages would be: You have more effort yourself because you have to inform yourself very precisely about what you want (which heating system, brand, model, etc.).
Advantage:
You can choose the companies yourself and also have a lot more personal contact with the craftsmen and can still make small changes in direct consultation in between, which were forgotten in the planning.
Now my questions to you:
1. Do you have experience with such an approach? (Good and bad)
2. How does it behave with the risk of meeting deadlines (completion of the house)? Is the date fixed via the contract with the site management?
3. Which trades come after the shell construction (after the house stands, roof is covered, windows are installed)? Off the top of my head I think of:
- Screed layers
- Plasterers (inside and outside – is that one trade?????)
- Electricians
- Heating and sanitation
- Bathroom builders (???)
- Drywall installers
- Tilers/floor covering
- Chimney builders
- Painters
- Outdoor landscaping
- Garage (prefabricated)
- (Insulation, roller shutters I can’t assign right now)
Did I forget anything and which should or can be combined?
How does warranty work in such a case at the “boundary area” where everyone blames the other?
4. How high will the costs of site management approximately be, or how are they calculated? Fixed amount or percentage of the total building price?
5. What are the cost differences compared to a GC, who understandably wants to earn (for that you would have site management costs here), but a GC would also include a corresponding “safety buffer” in a guaranteed fixed price, which falls away here?
6. Have I forgotten anything important?
I know these are a lot of questions and look forward to your answers.
Best regards