DaSch17
2020-05-17 13:14:21
- #1
Hello everyone,
I would like to provide another update today.
In the meantime, we have had two more initial meetings as well as a second appointment (site visit) with Büdenbender.
The initial contact with Büdenbender has significantly raised our expectations for the other companies.
At our first appointment with a small carpentry company, which specializes in timber frame construction for single-family and two-family houses, the managing director initially showed us around the assembly hall and explained the wall structure in detail. A good conversation atmosphere quickly developed. Overall, the appointment lasted 5 hours.
In short:
Positive:
- small and thus very personal company with a good atmosphere; as a customer you are not just a number but personally known – this makes the support highly individual
- our contact person is the managing director of the company and at the same time salesperson, architect, and construction manager all in one. So, you are cared for exclusively by one person from the first contact to moving in and thus have the same contact person for all concerns
- open pricing: The core business of the carpentry is logically the sale and completion of the timber shell. Of course, you can also get a turnkey single-family house here. Then, the remaining trades are subcontracted by the carpentry to local craftsmen. The carpentry is ultimately responsible for any defects – so again, only one contact person. For this, the carpentry adds a margin of 5 to 6% on the trades subcontracted to local craftsmen.
- we set the pace. This is very important to us. No pressure is applied, and – according to their own statement – a holistic house concept is developed over numerous conversations (essentially like with Büdenbender)
Negative:
- perhaps lack of experience? The managing director – a trained carpenter – has been working in this all-around function for 10 years. The company builds only 9 to 12 houses per year.
- should the managing director be absent for a longer period during the construction phase, we have a pretty big problem.
Tomorrow we have the second meeting. Our floor plan, which I have already posted here, served as the basis and has been optimized over the past two weeks (we would like, among other things, a pantry). He would like to discuss and further develop the optimized floor plan with us tomorrow.
What speaks strongly in favor of the carpentry from our point of view is that you can actively contribute to the design. There is no limited equipment, as is the case with the large prefab house manufacturers.
We are currently seriously considering purchasing just a shell house here and subcontracting a large part of the interior finishing ourselves. Through family, we know many good local craftsmen whom we would trust (stair construction, heating and sanitary installation, and tilers). Would something like this be feasible as a layperson – with the support of a building expert as a construction supervisor –? Can this actually save a significant amount compared to a turnkey single-family house from a large prefab house manufacturer?
The second initial contact was with a local planning office that works with Massivhaus Mittelrhein. After initial difficulties, the conversation progressively improved. In the course of a four-hour needs analysis, all our wishes and ideas were compiled.
Positive:
- here too, a lot of time was taken.
- at MHM you get everything from a single source. Subcontracting is not possible; own contribution is possible by arrangement (but we only want to do wallpapering, painting, flooring, and landscaping ourselves anyway). Similar to Büdenbender, you have a "full-service" support here.
- we set the pace.
Negative:
- the planning office is only barely responsible for us after the house construction contract is signed.
- although the pace is said to be set by us, the procedure is more standardized and thus less individual than with the other two providers.
At a second meeting next Tuesday, they want to present us with numbers. We are curious about the amount called. Only then will they probably work on a floor plan. We are surprised by this procedure but are curious how it will proceed.
The second appointment with Büdenbender took place on the site. There is actually much to tell here. It was important to our supervisor to see the site before we can start planning. In mid-June, we have the third appointment and will then start together with the floor plan and equipment planning.
Interim conclusion:
The last three contacts (carpentry, MHM, and Büdenbender) all went exactly as we imagined: all three took a lot of time for us and exerted no pressure. We may set the pace and the further approach. Everyone knows that under no circumstances will we sign anything before the end of this year or early next year; nevertheless, the commitment is very high.
It is particularly important for us to find a partner for our construction project who speaks to us on an equal footing and develops a holistic and individual concept with us. This means a lot of upfront work for the companies we are talking with without any real compensation – we are aware of this.
Therefore, we decided to forgo a second appointment with Fingerhaus. We truly can say nothing negative about Fingerhaus and the saleswoman. Fingerhaus certainly builds beautiful houses at good prices, but overall, the company philosophy somehow did not fit us. We also had the feeling that we were not the typical Fingerhaus customer. In the end, it was our gut feeling that led to the decision.
In the next two weekends, we also have initial appointments with Schwörerhaus, Hanse, and Bien-Zenker. We will attend the appointments anyway but think that the approach of these large prefab house manufacturers does not fit what is important to us.
Therefore, it will probably come down to the four local providers in the end (2x timber frame; 2x solid construction), but we are also happy to be surprised by the large prefab house providers.
Regarding our updated house concept:
After the first talks, it became clear to us that we probably do not need 190 m² but could also do well with 160 to 175 m² (depending on the layout).
Furthermore, we will definitely build with 2 full floors.
We are still not quite agreed on the roof shape. My wife likes the city villa type with a hip roof; I find an offset shed roof more appealing. We have now moved far away from the gable roof.
I would like to provide another update today.
In the meantime, we have had two more initial meetings as well as a second appointment (site visit) with Büdenbender.
The initial contact with Büdenbender has significantly raised our expectations for the other companies.
At our first appointment with a small carpentry company, which specializes in timber frame construction for single-family and two-family houses, the managing director initially showed us around the assembly hall and explained the wall structure in detail. A good conversation atmosphere quickly developed. Overall, the appointment lasted 5 hours.
In short:
Positive:
- small and thus very personal company with a good atmosphere; as a customer you are not just a number but personally known – this makes the support highly individual
- our contact person is the managing director of the company and at the same time salesperson, architect, and construction manager all in one. So, you are cared for exclusively by one person from the first contact to moving in and thus have the same contact person for all concerns
- open pricing: The core business of the carpentry is logically the sale and completion of the timber shell. Of course, you can also get a turnkey single-family house here. Then, the remaining trades are subcontracted by the carpentry to local craftsmen. The carpentry is ultimately responsible for any defects – so again, only one contact person. For this, the carpentry adds a margin of 5 to 6% on the trades subcontracted to local craftsmen.
- we set the pace. This is very important to us. No pressure is applied, and – according to their own statement – a holistic house concept is developed over numerous conversations (essentially like with Büdenbender)
Negative:
- perhaps lack of experience? The managing director – a trained carpenter – has been working in this all-around function for 10 years. The company builds only 9 to 12 houses per year.
- should the managing director be absent for a longer period during the construction phase, we have a pretty big problem.
Tomorrow we have the second meeting. Our floor plan, which I have already posted here, served as the basis and has been optimized over the past two weeks (we would like, among other things, a pantry). He would like to discuss and further develop the optimized floor plan with us tomorrow.
What speaks strongly in favor of the carpentry from our point of view is that you can actively contribute to the design. There is no limited equipment, as is the case with the large prefab house manufacturers.
We are currently seriously considering purchasing just a shell house here and subcontracting a large part of the interior finishing ourselves. Through family, we know many good local craftsmen whom we would trust (stair construction, heating and sanitary installation, and tilers). Would something like this be feasible as a layperson – with the support of a building expert as a construction supervisor –? Can this actually save a significant amount compared to a turnkey single-family house from a large prefab house manufacturer?
The second initial contact was with a local planning office that works with Massivhaus Mittelrhein. After initial difficulties, the conversation progressively improved. In the course of a four-hour needs analysis, all our wishes and ideas were compiled.
Positive:
- here too, a lot of time was taken.
- at MHM you get everything from a single source. Subcontracting is not possible; own contribution is possible by arrangement (but we only want to do wallpapering, painting, flooring, and landscaping ourselves anyway). Similar to Büdenbender, you have a "full-service" support here.
- we set the pace.
Negative:
- the planning office is only barely responsible for us after the house construction contract is signed.
- although the pace is said to be set by us, the procedure is more standardized and thus less individual than with the other two providers.
At a second meeting next Tuesday, they want to present us with numbers. We are curious about the amount called. Only then will they probably work on a floor plan. We are surprised by this procedure but are curious how it will proceed.
The second appointment with Büdenbender took place on the site. There is actually much to tell here. It was important to our supervisor to see the site before we can start planning. In mid-June, we have the third appointment and will then start together with the floor plan and equipment planning.
Interim conclusion:
The last three contacts (carpentry, MHM, and Büdenbender) all went exactly as we imagined: all three took a lot of time for us and exerted no pressure. We may set the pace and the further approach. Everyone knows that under no circumstances will we sign anything before the end of this year or early next year; nevertheless, the commitment is very high.
It is particularly important for us to find a partner for our construction project who speaks to us on an equal footing and develops a holistic and individual concept with us. This means a lot of upfront work for the companies we are talking with without any real compensation – we are aware of this.
Therefore, we decided to forgo a second appointment with Fingerhaus. We truly can say nothing negative about Fingerhaus and the saleswoman. Fingerhaus certainly builds beautiful houses at good prices, but overall, the company philosophy somehow did not fit us. We also had the feeling that we were not the typical Fingerhaus customer. In the end, it was our gut feeling that led to the decision.
In the next two weekends, we also have initial appointments with Schwörerhaus, Hanse, and Bien-Zenker. We will attend the appointments anyway but think that the approach of these large prefab house manufacturers does not fit what is important to us.
Therefore, it will probably come down to the four local providers in the end (2x timber frame; 2x solid construction), but we are also happy to be surprised by the large prefab house providers.
Regarding our updated house concept:
After the first talks, it became clear to us that we probably do not need 190 m² but could also do well with 160 to 175 m² (depending on the layout).
Furthermore, we will definitely build with 2 full floors.
We are still not quite agreed on the roof shape. My wife likes the city villa type with a hip roof; I find an offset shed roof more appealing. We have now moved far away from the gable roof.