How long does the search phase take? Claims against construction companies

Hello everyone,

we have decided to build for about a year now.
In May/June we started gathering initial research on prefab house companies and visited several model home exhibitions. The first talks with companies took place.

Due to an unfortunate event in the family, we let the topic rest a bit and picked it up again at the end of September. Since then, we have been trying to find someone who will build with us or with whom we want to build.

And this is exactly the sticking point in the story. Slowly I am starting to believe that no one wants to build with us. We don’t have any crazy expectations (single-family house 150 sqm), the plot is available and the budget of 400K (incl. ancillary construction costs and others) is in my opinion not that small. We know quite well what we want by now, so we are only undecided about small details and would preferably like to start building as soon as we feel certain about someone.

But sometimes we have to chase the advisors to finally get an offer. When asking about a preliminary sampling, they just casually say that there will be no possibility in the next 2-3 months. And these are all good companies that I would actually like to build with.
Apart from those who completely ignore our wishes or those who are immediately unsympathetic. So now there are actually only 2.5 (0.5 with a lot of goodwill) left in the running and we are sometimes still waiting for more detailed figures.

Do we have too high demands on the quality of the advice? I am simply not willing to sign a contract after the second appointment without, for example, a preliminary sampling. Or sign anything until most things are planned and presented the way we imagine them.
How many appointments did you have with your building company before you agreed?

By now I am even at the point where I think "No matter if he is unsympathetic, as long as the house fits" – although this conflicts strongly with my gut feeling. How important is the personal level with the seller?

How long did this finding phase take for you?
I am sometimes quite frustrated and occasionally think that we will never find someone with whom we can/want to build.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences.

In my opinion, you are a candidate for the direct awarding of trades. Then you have the plot, the control, and you are not subject to arbitrariness.

Hi Herann,

unfortunately, what you are experiencing is probably not unusual. The companies are jam-packed with orders; they don’t chase after individual customers. However, you also inquired with quite a few companies at once. It’s quite possible that you initially came across very casually and non-committally in the conversations (even unconsciously). A good salesperson notices that and immediately classifies you as a B-customer.

That’s unfortunate for you but understandable from the company’s perspective. The (always scarce) resources are then directed toward the customers who are already waving money around.

For our selection (which began in July and for which the building application documents are currently being prepared), we limited ourselves to companies that were local and had successfully built houses in our immediate neighborhood. That was 7 companies, of which two declined right away quite openly: “Sorry, no time.” One was eliminated because he wanted €3500 for a quote, leaving 4 in the running with whom we really had intensive talks. We did have to nudge them occasionally, but at least something came of it. However, it was really tedious and exhausting.

And of those, the winner was the one who put together the best overall package of consulting, openness, transparency in pricing, and fairness in calculating additional or reduced costs compared to the initial offer.

He also offers a large sample center 50 km from here, which you can visit calmly at any time, even before any contracts. However, you have to go through the process alone; having someone with a calculator running alongside all day would be too much to expect before signing a contract.

Btw: I will still send the other companies a really polite and friendly rejection along with our heartfelt thanks for their efforts. People work there too…

If someone refuses a preliminary sampling (which you do alone), you can safely file the provider away.

It goes without saying that the draft and the offer should fully reflect your wishes.

However, it will never be possible down to the very last detail. I made an effort to clarify a lot and secure the major cost items. But for every detail, such a project is simply too complex to resolve everything before signing.

How much I have forgotten, I can tell you in a year when, hopefully, we live in the new house.

With the company we are now going with, there were a total of 4 personal appointments plus 2 that took place two years ago (we had already inquired then but didn’t buy the land in the end). In addition, probably 5-10 hours of phone calls with the salesperson and planner. The offer version that is now being implemented is version number 7 of the house design. However, several versions involved only marginal changes.

Best regards,

Andreas

We have also gone through some prefabricated house providers, but a preliminary sampling was actually never a problem, we visited Fingerhut, Fingerhaus, Hanse, Schwörerhaus, Massivhaus Mittelrhein, Heinz-von Heiden and looked at the sampling centers. I would also have Fingerhaus make me an offer, they are somewhat cheaper than Hanse and, if it fits the region, Massivhaus Mittelrhein from Mendig, where I also had a very good impression

For us, it actually went relatively quickly. In February/March 2015, the idea of building a house came up. We looked around, visited various companies and model parks. We always had the feeling that no one wanted to push us into anything. At two companies, we could look at the sample selection unannounced and without a consultant. The prices for extras were listed directly at both, so you could roughly calculate what additional costs would come up. By mid-April, we had already signed. I am writing this from the completed house.
We then decided on a large regional provider known for good quality in all trades and who basically builds the shell themselves. The managing director made us an offer, laid all contract documents on the table and gave them to us to take home and read. He said right away that there were no major changes in it. From our current neighbors who had also built with him, we learned that there were no problems. We immediately received the construction time guarantee without any hassle, clarified 2-3 points, and then signed. The construction contract was very proper and had no real points of contention. During the entire construction period, there were basically only 2 tiny "disputes." First, we had to pay for a static proof on site, which Schleswig-Holstein requires (€450). Second, the arrangement of the tiles in the bathroom was only included in the simplest way, not in a pattern of choice. However, since we had quite a few extras in the tiles, we agreed with the tiler accordingly. There is nothing about this in the construction description. Otherwise, everything went as expected. We can only give the company a perfect 1 (top grade).
You spend a lot of money and there are masses of construction companies. Every consultant is actually interested in not losing you. Unless they suspect that they are wasting their time with you. But that would already be quite presumptuous. The companies currently have a lot to do, but because of the always tremendously high order value, a reasonable company never simply lets a potential order go.
So if people act stupid or don’t want to send you an offer – next!