New window lintels on the ground floor are too low.

Very reserved - I took the white lines as an intentional hint on your part

Hey, it's a solid 5 cm. Of course intentionally done that way, in reality they look very neat on the exterior plaster. Even the plaster color appears almost bluish in the phone photos, although it is classic gray.

Small interim status:
You will surely understand that I cannot/will not disclose every detail here, as the process is currently ongoing. As of today; an offer will be made by the general contractor (GU), we have set a deadline until mid next week. The decision to involve our lawyer was the right one; he specializes in construction law and was already able to give a rough direction after reviewing the files, should it come down to a financial settlement. Contrary to some comments, based on his many years of experience, this is purely a matter of negotiation. It is common to propose percentages x of the total house price and then negotiate. But as already mentioned, we are waiting for the GU’s proposed solutions and are open to both directions, defect remediation or financial compensation.

Because people often ask about the kitchen. We have commissioned a very individually planned kitchen, which can still be adjusted in height by the kitchen installer (thank God). The GU is of course informed about this and includes the change costs in his offer. Contrary to some interjections, the kitchen does not have to be lowered by 20cm. Incorrect lintel height and final dimension of the parapet height are indeed quite different matters.

Best regards.

I also come from mechanical engineering. It is handled exactly the same way there. When it comes to important product launches, you can't just tear everything down again. Instead, you accommodate each other next time.

That is also a good thing. Only whether there will be a next time with this general contractor, I do not know yet today. I want to at least want to live in my first house first . Of course, I understand what you want to say with that.

Hello,

In the pictures, it actually still looks quite okay. Everything basically depends on the kitchen window. And of course, the size of the people living there. A 195cm tall man won’t be happy if he has to bend down to look outside...

I see it similarly. It doesn’t look really bad. Now the question is how tall the OP is and whether it bothers when looking outside.

Best regards,

Andreas

Hi,
I see it similarly. It doesn’t look really bad. Now the question is how tall the original poster is and whether it bothers them when looking out.

Best regards,

Andreas

Hi Andreas. Whether it looks "not bad" is an emotional thing, but that should be ignored. There is a fixed house order with defined measurements; what was delivered is "something else." That is the primary issue here.

In other words: You order a new car with leather interior and, due to others’ mistakes, you have to settle for a fabric interior at the same price. It doesn’t look bad either, right? You probably understand what I mean.

Morning Andreas. Whether it "doesn't look bad" is the emotional issue, which should however be disregarded. There is a fixed house order with specified dimensions, but "something else" was delivered. That's what it's all about in the first place.

Put differently: You order a new car with leather upholstery and, due to others' mistakes, have to settle for fabric upholstery at the same price. It doesn't look bad either, right? You surely understand what I mean.

Of course, it's initially "only" about the appearance and how badly the builders perceive it. Even if there were a solid €10,000, it would hardly console you if every time you look out of the window you see the wall and still regret it after 20 years. And the resale value will also be lowered, so you have 20 years of frustration, but the savings are lost in the end due to the lower resale value.
If you can't accept the windows being too low, no financial offer will be accepted. And that's what it's all about here in the first place.
If both builders are 175 cm tall and also don't plan to build new in 20 years, one could certainly be happy with a substantial compensation.