Well, there are quite a few things to consider when choosing the provider itself:
- only select if the provider comes from your home country (otherwise you can be pretty sure that warranty claims will end at the border, at least if it goes towards Poland and co.)
- Ask the provider questions about: company size, annual turnover, number of permanent employees, references, check which authorizations the company actually has registered in the commercial register => often cheap companies do not have authorization to actually build! (as silly as that sounds); have them tell you which and how many construction machines the company owns
- Check how long this company has existed
- Search the internet for the provider and their references. With a reputable company, you may also read negative things, but in the end there will be something towards settlement or damage repair.
These are already the most important points you should consider when choosing a provider. If the company shuts its ears to some questions or gives unbelievable answers => better leave it alone.
When it comes to the offer itself, you should pay attention to the following:
What costs are included and which are additionally charged on top of the contract price for the house?
What materials do I buy? If it only says: exterior wall KG 10cm but not the data (which material, which properties) you can always expect that the provider will choose the cheapest available option in case of doubt.
All changes you want should be documented in writing with signature and date (and if possible also the costs for these) in writing in case problems arise.
Depending on the building’s energy efficiency, it should be recorded what airtightness (blower door test) the building must meet and what options exist if it is not reached to get what you ordered. So record everything as precisely as possible in order to have legal certainty.
Well, about the dear money: in solid construction, it is actually usual to pay only what has been delivered (accordingly afterwards according to the construction progress) => so not everything at the beginning, because otherwise you have no money left in hand and thus no leverage if the company stops building or goes bankrupt. How best to implement this with prefabricated houses, I do not know. The company Elk, for example, only demands the planning and submission costs before construction and the full amount only after completion. How others handle this, I don’t know, but one should not really agree to anything else.
I know, this may all sound ridiculous, but many people give the companies all their money and then wonder why the companies do nothing after the shell construction or do not take care of possible damages but rather go bankrupt and open a new company under a different name (happened often enough).
Two things should never be too expensive for a builder, yet unfortunately are still used far too rarely:
- legal expenses insurance => what happens if there are disputes, but you can’t enforce your rights due to lack of financial means?
- construction supervision by an expert => if everything goes smoothly during construction, no expensive report has to be made, but he should at least always be on site from time to time to detect possible errors early before damages occur. Unfortunately, even with prefabricated houses, problems and errors keep occurring (even with factory installation of windows where rain can then get inside) or with incorrect screwing. This also costs a little money, but provides a lot of security.
Best regards, Thomas