Timber frame house built in 2012 - Renovate the weather-exposed side and/or add an extension

Hello everyone,

I hope this post is in the right section. We built with a home construction company from Lower Bavaria in 2012. Due to poor workmanship on the window sills, French balconies, finishing strips, etc., rainwater penetrated on the weather-exposed side. As a result, the facade had to be partially opened in 2014 and the visible damage repaired. Already in 2017, we faced the same situation again. The construction company tried to solve the problem again, but as it now turns out, again inadequately. Despite involving various experts and legal advice, we were unlucky on this level as well. We should have gone to court in 2017. Unfortunately, we did not do this and continued to believe in the capabilities of the construction company. But the lawyer should also have presented the situation better. Anyway – this way we not only have the damage but also have to have it repaired at our own expense.

Now we are facing the situation where we either just have the facade opened, the damage repaired, and professionally sealed. Or whether we use the situation and extend. For this, an approved building application is available.

Since the wood in the facade is partially damp, we urgently need to act. Who can recommend a construction company for this (renovation/extension)?

Many thanks and greetings from Bavaria!

hope this post is in the right section.

I have not come across a category "Hellseherlounge" here yet, that must be very new. You have to tell much more - also figuratively. What kind of "timber frame house" is it - a classic timber frame panel "prefabricated" house? Do we know the manufacturer, i.e. has he already appeared here in the section "Experiences with house building companies"?

Hello - "Hellseherlounge";-) - well, I’d rather not mention the name of the construction company here. It is certain that this well-known housebuilding company from Lower Bavaria, which is also active in hall construction among other things, has repeatedly failed to reliably seal one side of the house against the weather. It is a timber frame/large panel construction. The designation of the walls was "Trend" with a wall thickness of 34.3 cm. During the repair attempts in 2014 and 2017, the insulation was partially removed and the wet/damp wooden parts were replaced. Essentially, it was the areas around the patio doors (from top to bottom, from left to right), as well as at the brackets of the French balconies and at the windows in the corners of the window sills. Also, all windows/doors show diagonal cracks in the plaster at the upper corners. This is probably due to the materials used expanding differently with temperature fluctuations, causing tensions. The insulation (Styrofoam) has an aluminum rail installed underneath when viewed from below. Unfortunately, it is not made in one piece. Along the house length of about 10 meters, there are several rails, causing cracks in the plaster at the joints as well. In short, botched work everywhere you look. This company is incapable of making one side of the house watertight despite several attempts.

To finally find peace and have the side professionally done, we have two options.
1. We find a company specialized in the renovation of timber frame constructions to properly repair the side.
2. We build an extension along the mentioned house wall over the full width. We already have an approved building application for this. This extension can very well be built in brick construction. Afterwards, the current exterior wall would become an interior wall, which would have to be opened and the damaged spots repaired. But then it would no longer be exposed to the weather.

Sad, you specifically choose a seemingly reputable company and then are so deeply disappointed. A house from the same company just a few meters away with the same orientation also has these problems. So it doesn’t seem to be a one-off defect, but rather a flaw in their planning/execution.

Anyway, we want to finally close this matter and implement one of the two above-mentioned options.

Best regards and thank you