Initial meetings with construction companies

Hello everyone,

I have a conversation with a construction company regarding an initial meeting in the next few days. I have already searched for information on the homepage and found the attached [Bauleistungsbeschreibung]. What do you think about it? Is it conclusive or are there some pitfalls in it? Since I am still very inexperienced with the topic of house construction, I find it difficult to interpret this description.

Thank you in advance for your help.

What immediately strikes me...

- Very, very sparse electrical installation
- Very "simple" front door for the price (1420 EUR)
- Tile price set very low (25 EUR / sqm) – for example, all three of our suppliers have 30 EUR / sqm as standard
- Staircase very simple
- Painting work and textured wallpaper (ceiling) were standard with all our suppliers
- Construction power was also included as standard with all our suppliers

in the end, the scope of a construction service description is initially quite irrelevant. each of the listed items that are missing would only drive the price up. you can virtually book whatever you want; it just raises the price. I am surprised about the installation of the sewage pipes, which nobody has ever offered us before (not even for money).

many things are standard or rather secondary anyway. whether you have 8 or 10 sockets on the plan does not matter to a normal construction company, because more is always possible. one more socket won’t kill anyone. otherwise, there is the trick to only take single sockets and later “make them bigger” yourself (the cable is already there). the entire network is missing.

overall, there are quite a few things included that are not automatically standard. (e.g. OSB boards in the attic – especially good without a basement // in the earthworks, the driveway is already prepared // reasonable bathtub size, but ridiculously small washbasin size

the usual “extras” are missing:

- underfloor heating
- ventilation system
- information about KFW
- a 120-liter hot water tank is pretty much the limit for 3-4 people – solar? (with solar, there is usually always 300 liters)
- roller shutters are only mechanical, because the electric ones would definitely have been advertised (mechanical doesn’t last long, at least prepare electricity if you can’t or don’t want to spend the money right away)

all the mentioned “missing extras” add up roughly to 20,000 - 25,000€ again, depending on what still needs to be done for KFW.

what about insurance? which ones are included, which do you have to take out yourself?

much more important than what is included is the seriousness of the construction company. is this the original construction description or did you copy it yourself to avoid advertising? because the original would not seem very serious to me.

have them show you current construction projects. look at the houses directly, that way you get a direct view without “pre-cleaning.” check back a few weeks later and see if anything has happened. especially in the shell construction phase, a lot must have happened in 3 weeks, which even a blind person can immediately see. (with us it took 3 weeks from meadow -> topping out ceremony)

I thank you all in advance for the information.

I had already thought about the underfloor heating; roller shutters and the buffer tank. There is also nothing regarding solar or ventilation, although I have absolutely "zero" knowledge and idea about what these two things really bring. What I have obviously overlooked as well is the topic of networking.

Regarding the issue of seriousness, I can only say that the company has an excellent reputation here and I am currently watching a house that is "growing".

The performance description is copied 1:1.

I would like to bring the discussion back to a constructive level and ask the original questioner if he is familiar with the publications on the topic of construction and service description, e.g. from the [Bauherren-Schutzbund]? Maybe just try googling "checklist" and "Bau- und Leistungsbeschreibung." Otherwise, I also think it is not wrong to involve a professional who accompanies the entire construction process, i.e. later also inspects the construction and is present at the handover inspections. There are independent construction supervisors or those organized in associations such as [TÜV], [DEKRA], or [Bauherren-Schutzbund]. I think that is what the building expert wanted to convey to you in the admittedly somewhat casually formulated entries.

From personal experience, as a layperson, you can take the time to compare various construction and service descriptions. I spent hours back then comparing them in Excel spreadsheets. The more you compare, the more you notice what is missing. However, each one is missing something different. In the end, you may even be able to say what is missing, but you cannot evaluate it.

A small example from a layperson for laypersons:

Construction service description 1:
Tiles are included up to a value of 20 €/m.
Installation work for tiles up to a size of 40x40 cm with standard cross joints included.
Diagonal installation is possible. Grouting is done according to the builder’s choice.

Construction service description 2:
Tiles are included up to a value of 30 €.
Installation work for tiles up to a size of 33x33 cm with standard cross joints included.
Grouting is done in gray.

In the end, you choose a beige tile 20x40 cm for 40 €, diagonal installation with grout color matching the tile color.

With company 1, you pay a surcharge of 20€/m² for the more expensive tiles.
With company 2, you pay a surcharge of 10€/m² for the more expensive tiles, for the larger tile size, for the diagonal installation, and for the different grout color.

At first glance, construction service description 2 is more attractive due to the tile price; at second glance, construction service description 1 also has its advantages. From my own experience, I can tell you that grout color alone can quickly make a difference of 100 €. Which one is the more reasonable option for you now?

Which construction service description combined with the offer is the most reasonable for you can only be told by someone who is familiar with construction service descriptions and prices, and even they sometimes have to make assumptions because many things are not yet finalized at the time of contract signing.