(...) But of course, both can also be combined. You can seek an informal conversation, get input from the GU, and still go to a specialist lawyer afterwards.
No. There is no informal conversation between a builder who is completely at the end of their nerves because they fear for their economic existence and a GU who holds a contract in their hand and can say, "You signed it, didn’t you? Where you get the money from is none of my business." I have been through something like this because for months we didn’t know if and how much a price adjustment would be. You are not capable of a factual conversation in this situation, believe it or not. If it had really been about existence for me, because I couldn’t have paid the €25,000 price adjustment that came in the end... no idea if I would even be sitting here today. Those were the worst months of my life. Never be without a neutral expert person in such a situation. Especially not if you would prefer to withdraw or reduce the construction. Because then you depend on the goodwill of the GU; accusations, lack of objectivity, etc. are deadly there.
I thought the black bitumen coating is called a black tank. Hmm...
Not as good as you think. Here, without a basement, quite a lot of soil accumulated. Over 100 cubic meters of loose soil. We had to hurry to get rid of it because the neighbors also wanted to start. We found a buyer via eBay Classifieds: but the property was about 20km away, so with a day of commuting by truck not much was moved. My husband then simply asked a contractor at a construction site who then disposed of the soil for €2500. That was 10 years ago and basement excavation nowadays surely costs €8,000-10,000. Maybe a reader here will know more. Unfortunately, I can't think of anyone here who is active and has built with a basement. (Except on a slope, like . Exactly because of the horrendous costs, basements are now left out by many.
Can help with prices from 5.5 years ago: Basement 55m2 with white tank: €70k extra (had originally planned without a basement), soil excavation and removal, backfilling: €40k at Z1.
No. There is no casual conversation between a client who is completely at the end of their nerves because they fear for their economic existence and a general contractor who holds a contract and can say, "You signed it anyway? Where you get the money from is none of my business?" I’ve been through something like this because for months we didn’t know if and how much a price adjustment would come. In this situation, you are not capable of a factual conversation, believe it or not. If it had actually been about my existence, because I couldn’t have paid the 25,000 EUR price adjustment that ultimately came... I have no idea if I would even be sitting here today. Those were the worst months of my life. In such a situation, never without a neutral expert. Especially not if you want to withdraw or reduce the construction. Because then you depend on the goodwill of the general contractor, accusations, lack of objectivity, etc. are deadly.
You should never calculate too tight. I always only told the GCs our "half budget," so we could also calmly switch to a basement plan.
Can help with prices from over 5.5 years ago: Basement 55m2 with a white tub: 70k additional cost (initially planned without basement), excavation and removal of soil, backfilling: 40k at Z1.
40000 euros for soil removal? That’s crazy! I requested a quote nearby and they said about 20000 euros.