With refined shell construction without heating through the winter?

Good morning,

we are actually on the home stretch with our house construction with the general contractor actually. The building is enclosed, but because of a construction door in the side entrance, it is not yet sealed; everything outside is finished. The electrical rough-in has been installed, plaster is on the interior walls, at the end of the week the screed will be poured – it will be dried with the help of the Hotboy. Shortly before that, the house connections will be made. A big question mark is the heat pump. According to our information, it was only ordered in late summer. The heating installer is not giving a clear statement. He only says that it is supposed to be installed in November anyway (after the tiles), so there is no need to worry about delivery time. The general contractor is also very relaxed about it. Now the question. What should we expect if the heat pump – oh surprise! – does not arrive and the delivery date is postponed far into the future, possibly even into next spring, as with many others? What does that mean for the building structure? Does the construction need to be kept at a certain minimum temperature over the winter? Does moisture need to be monitored? What about painting, wallpapering, installation of the kitchen – all planned for November. That is quite a chain of consequences that might come with it and for which a plan B should be considered. For example, the kitchen installer has already indicated that he cannot store the furniture and appliances indefinitely. We want to address all these questions promptly in a discussion with the general contractor. What is the forum’s opinion on this, and are there any other questions we should ask?

that was all pretty similar for me. first of all, you can already forget that the heat pump will be there in November.

What should we expect if the heat pump – oh surprise! – doesn’t arrive and, as with many others, the delivery date is pushed far back, possibly even to next spring? What does that mean for the building fabric? Does the construction have to be kept at a certain minimum temperature over the winter?

yes, best then to continue with a hotboy or a heat pump that only heats occasionally. around 16°-17° should actually be enough.

Do we have to watch out for moisture? What about painting, wallpapering, kitchen installation – all planned for November. That’s quite a complication that might follow and for which you should come up with a plan B. The kitchen installer has already indicated that he can’t store the furniture and appliances forever.

no problem at all if you can maintain 16°-17°.

We want to discuss all these questions shortly with the general contractor. What is the forum’s opinion and are there any other questions we should ask?

do you have a completion deadline with an agreed penalty? if yes, everything should be based on that. is painting and wallpapering done by yourselves? i assume the kitchen too. then ask about the circumstances (or check the contract) if you already start the own work. does that automatically mean acceptance? if yes, then negotiate that he waives this and in return you waive damages due to the delay (caution: difficult and time-consuming to enforce), but formulate nicely and defensively. good luck!

16°C with Hotboy through the winter, that's going to be expensive. Can it be waived if everything is postponed to spring, when it either gets warmer or the heat pump is finally installed? Good point about the EL and possibly tacit acceptance. We will address this and possibly have it confirmed in writing.

Compensation for delay, yes, the issue is complicated. The contract stipulates the conclusion of a performance bond. This has not been handed over to us so far. It should have actually happened with the first installment. But we missed it too – our fault. If we ask for it now, the GU will surely suspect something. So we’ll wait for now. Other contractual penalties or security withholdings were not agreed upon. So only damages remain. The foundation slab was delivered in November last year, construction time according to contract is 8 months. With a generous interpretation, one could say that the construction should have been completed by the end of July at the latest. Of course, excuses are Corona, war, full moon, etc... A schedule with expected completion in mid-November was presented to us about a month ago. We would be willing to accept the previous delay as a goodwill gesture and set the new completion date as binding. But if the heat pump still takes months, we would be inclined to claim any resulting delay with all consequential costs from the GU. For a few hundred euros, the effort wouldn't be worth it, but if the Hotboy runs for 4 months now, nicely with basic supply at 50ct/kWh (and possibly much more in a few weeks), I’m no longer joking. Rent and possibly some storage costs for the kitchen are not cheap either. That adds up to several thousand already. It gets really nasty with the subsidies: BAFA approval expires in January and cannot be extended. Baukindergeld will soon no longer be available either, as the fund is almost empty. The financing is solid and does not depend on these funds, but that still really hurts...

We just had the conversation with GU. He says these are crazy times, you can't believe a word from the heat pump manufacturers regarding delivery times etc. Although not necessarily every heat pump is now delivered much later. One of his installers heard from the heat pump manufacturer that the heat pump for a certain customer is not available and no reliable statement can be made about it. The week after, that very heat pump suddenly arrived on the yard. I think the manufacturers are under extreme pressure and whatever they manage to assemble is shipped out without detours. Presumably, some processes are not fully followed, which I find concerning in terms of quality assurance, because better a delayed than a broken heat pump. But I digress... In short, no one can say anything, we just have to see if it arrives in November. If not, we have two options. 1) Heat electrically, but not to 16°, rather to 20° because then we move in, even without a heat pump. Electric heating is expensive, yes, but the double burden from rent is also not negligible. Maybe in the end it evens out. 2) Do not heat. The GU says that with a few precautions on the house nothing will happen. The water pipes must be empty. Slight humidity is not a problem as long as there is regular ventilation. Wallpapering and kitchen installation should also not be an issue. Moving in then depends on the heat pump. Interestingly, the working price for our construction electricity is currently about 38ct/kWh; basic supply from the local municipal utilities is 47ct/kWh, both gross. If it stays that way, I will use the construction electricity as long as possible.

I find penalty clauses pretty questionable... the main contractor can invoke force majeure, and the chip crisis and war likely fall under that.
Once your house connections are installed, the construction power will end, then your regular electricity meter will be installed and you will get a contract with your municipal utilities...

What is supposed to happen to the house if you don’t heat and don’t move in? You just have to ventilate and make sure that the heating/water pipes do not freeze.
The shell is also left standing over the winter without it getting moldy. How does the house with plaster/screed differ from the shell, except that the moisture cannot evaporate as easily because pretty tight windows (and insulation) are installed?

On the one hand, a lot of moisture is introduced with the plaster and screed. On the other hand, it can no longer evaporate after the windows are installed. This is absolutely not comparable to a covered shell construction without windows that is left to freeze out over the winter.

I would move in if possible. A new building doesn’t require that much energy anyway; maybe the heat pump will come after a month and you save on rent. I’m also annoyed by the life on call; a move is more than just carrying boxes from A to B. If you’re not moving to the next-door neighborhood, childcare and so on are also involved.