I do not agree with my architect

Hello community
I am new here and hope for some advice.
Background:
We are building a solid duplex turnkey without a basement. Our neighbors are building a prefabricated wooden house.
In April we signed, after all planning discussions we submitted the building application in July, it was approved after 8 weeks. Then our construction company ordered a soil surveyor. The survey was so bad that our architect advised us to use strip foundations, our neighbors are getting 1 m soil replacement with geogrid and a slab. We were supposed to start construction.

After two construction start meetings we waited 5 weeks for the static calculations. Now our construction manager and architect told us that due to the weather it is not worthwhile to start this year.

Our neighbors then started building. This did not please our architect and he told us that we will definitely have to expect additional costs to ensure the stability of our house.

Can anyone tell me if there is any truth to this or if he just wants to make more profit.

Best regards
Markus

Hello,

...Background:
We are building a solid detached house turnkey without a basement. Our neighbors a prefabricated house in timber construction....

I would not expect this to go well overall in the long run ;-)
Both parties have practically given away significant cost advantages!

...After that, our neighbors started construction. Our architect did not like that and informed us that we would definitely have to expect additional costs to ensure the stability of our house...

That can certainly be the case! In the end, only a structural engineer can assess that!

Best regards

The one who builds second in a semi-detached house is at a disadvantage... However, you can hardly expect your neighbors not to build over the winter, especially since they probably don't have control over it. We had no influence on the construction date and were glad that work finally started... we only had 12 months of interest-free provision time. If your neighbor's prefabricated house manufacturer builds like ours, it doesn't matter at all to your neighbor when you build, because every wall is equipped as if no house would ever be attached there. But when digging the foundation pit, you must ensure that the neighboring house is not damaged or slips. That will cost you extra.

What some people get involved in... I'm really surprised. If it's a duplex, then from a developer and all at once. Am I seeing this wrong?

Yes, you are mistaken. A developer can be an option, but it is not a MUST for a semi-detached house. We did not have a developer for our semi-detached house. If you know your neighbor, or get to know them, you can also look for a general contractor, or an architect, or whatever together. It is advisable to award the trades together. This often saves costs and the coordination of trades that affect the other semi-detached house takes place internally within the subcontractors.