Massive house provider or architect in Corona times

Option 2: local architect/site manager who uses local trades because: - has known many trades in our region for decades - very good reputation/experience - can plan flexibly in case of illness/material shortage (has several shell builders, carpenters, electricians, etc. on hand) - feels personally committed to the construction project.

Do I hear the naive dream of "too big to fail"? - Philipp Holzmann was bigger
Do you know the company's equity ratio?

Find the keyword

Is that really the case? Despite the franchise and several independent construction companies?
Then preferably with an architect and individual trades. If one craftsman fails, you take the next one. If Viebrockhaus fails, everything is screwed.

Oh yes, Viebrockhaus also has to purchase its materials and cannot build if there are no windows available. And if there is Corona on the construction site, it doesn't matter who stops the work anyway.

I’m sending greetings to the "neighborhood". Are you also building in Berkenthin?

We also want to build in the Lübeck area.
However, our choice would always fall on an architect. We had many visits to home construction companies (Team Massiv, Viebrockhaus, ECO, etc.), and the pure construction performance of these companies in our region is relatively low. They do the planning and coordination, for which, in my opinion, you have to pay too high markups.
At the same time, these companies handle quite a lot of money since the entire construction project is managed through them. Here, I don’t see the default risk as low at all.

I’d rather pay the individual trades myself in separate contracts.

Best regards from Bad Oldesloe.

I know someone who is building with V (Hamburg area) and things are currently progressing there. However, they will also have a 2-3 week delay. That can happen to you anywhere, since not only workers (there and healthy) but also materials are needed.

We are currently facing similar questions. A lawyer advised us to initially only commission the planning phase with the building application, since no one knows how long that will take now (plus risks that the price lock expires, the company goes bankrupt, everyone in the company dies, etc... lawyers are naturally pessimists...) and only then sign the rest. The disadvantage is that prices negotiated now without a 2020 surcharge will surely no longer apply.
Crystal ball guessing can go wrong both ways. The advantage might be that you keep the reins in your hand.

Aside from Corona, I would never build with a prefab house provider... All the changes we made during the construction phase or did differently ourselves

The big ones are not exactly more solvent either. On construction sites, I would say the small ones are doing better than the big ones. The "big" players around here have invested the money they earned in new equipment/machines and capacity expansions. I don't think they could bridge even half a year of downturn quickly.

Besides, construction continues despite Corona. At least on the construction sites I know.