Spain House Build - Building Started

[jpaul]

looks as though it was perversely helped by an HGV/JCB

They've also given me an electrical plan with the current socket/lighting locations and also a plan showing the layout externally of the pool/patio.

you're getting sufficient power for a car charger into the garage - if the supply to the house would meet that demand ?

 

[Martynt74]

looks as though it was perversely helped by an HGV/JCB


you're getting sufficient power for a car charger into the garage - if the supply to the house would meet that demand ?

It's all solar, but an electric car is being considered. We're driving a lot more than we did in the UK as the weather generally permits doing more. Along with everything being miles away! Current scope is ~30 panels, 40kwh of battery storage and a 15kva inverter so should be capable of running most things.

 

[200sols]

Ah so the sceptics were right, part of the wall has fallen down already

Clearly thought it was a ramp

 

[jpaul]

do you get a tax/vat break by having the builder install solar panels , white goods ... during the build ?
(following my comment in sp forum - newer multi-frequency solar panels with higher heat tolerance ... btw what's the temp today - in the pool )

 

[Martynt74]

do you get a tax/vat break by having the builder install solar panels , white goods ... during the build ?
(following my comment in sp forum - newer multi-frequency solar panels with higher heat tolerance ... btw what's the temp today - in the pool )

You should, but i'm on a dirty foreigner tax regime which caps my tax at 24% but rules me out of the various tax benefits. I'm currently trying to wok out whether it's worth sacking that off and using the normal tax regime but getting benefits as i'm only just at the point of benefiting.

Temp wise it's around 26c in the pool i think, 31 in my office and 34 outside!

 

[Martynt74]

So some optimism and then it collapsed!

Last week they delivered some actual bricks to the garage. I *think* this is a kind of airbrick for insulation under the main floor. It's raining today, but i might head up to see if anything was done Monday/Yesterday

In other news, the project manager just didn't turn up one day and has left. Not sure if this is a reflection of the state of the firm and he just gave up or whether he had another offer elsewhere he was waiting on, but it's left us back with some serious concerns given the lack of progress prior to his arrival and general lack of communication. The developer is still advertising on social media about new designs/new customers, so either they're all in for disappointment or we've fallen down the list due to him now targeting higher value builds/clients.

From the timeline we are supposed to have walls by the end of July, which whilst possible seems unlikely given the main house doesn't have a concrete base yet and presumably that takes a while to cure before you can build on it, i'm pretty sure the fencing was also meant to be up by now.

I'm willing to give them the next 3 weeks to stick to the timeline before the August holiday period starts which also marks the end of the contracted completion date, but i am debating looking into trying to get a meeting again and exploring the options to cancel the contract and find someone else. It's certainly not something i want to do, and there's a lot of risks involved in finding someone else to finish the build but i can't keep having open ended delays and months with no progress. We're still waiting on so many bits of information on interior fittings as well which is incredibly frustrating and not helping the overall feel.

 

[Azza]

At least your Spanish swearing will be progressing nicely.

 

[200sols]

Title change to glacial Spanish house build. Why don't they seem to ever do anything? I guess its worrying but at what point do you start thinking you've been conned?

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

mañana, always mañana

 

[Martynt74]

Title change to glacial Spanish house build. Why don't they seem to ever do anything? I guess its worrying but at what point do you start thinking you've been conned?

Oh no, i'm completely relaxed on that front. I think the issue is just that the developer is so hideously disorganised and is overwhelmed with everything he has going. He then also sub contracts the builders so doesn't have control over their time allocation. Again probably something he needs to address.

Cost wise we've probably paid slightly less than what has been done work wise and the build is on our land so nothing to be signed over on that front, with strict payment schedules and they've not hit the mark for the next payment. I'm fairly confident that we have the funds set aside which would allow another builder to complete. There is also a legal claim with banks to reclaim payments to builders in the case of contract breaches to try and build trust from all the issues in the past.

 

[200sols]

Oh no, i'm completely relaxed on that front. I think the issue is just that the developer is so hideously disorganised and is overwhelmed with everything he has going. He then also sub contracts the builders so doesn't have control over their time allocation. Again probably something he needs to address.

Cost wise we've probably paid slightly less than what has been done work wise and the build is on our land so nothing to be signed over on that front, with strict payment schedules and they've not hit the mark for the next payment. I'm fairly confident that we have the funds set aside which would allow another builder to complete. There is also a legal claim with banks to reclaim payments to builders in the case of contract breaches to try and build trust from all the issues in the past.

Thats good then.

I just cant fathom how the foundations were dug end of January and very little has been done since. There's disorganised and there's taking the wee, they've managed to fit what looks like a few days work into 6 months. Hopefully they start doing it soon!

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah, it's absolute madness.

I'm tempted to try and ask for the locations of his other active builds and say i'll monitor those and compare to my own progress!

 

[jpaul]

yes - obviously you'd expect them to call you pro-actively to give you confidence on project manager loss/replacement,
have you surreptitiously appraised the progress on other developments they might be doing, planning permissions ?

are phone calls inefficient due to language - any bi-lingual colleagues/neighbours who'd give you some time ?

 

[Martynt74]

yes - obviously you'd expect them to call you pro-actively to give you confidence on project manager loss/replacement,
have you surreptitiously appraised the progress on other developments they might be doing, planning permissions ?

are phone calls inefficient due to language - any bi-lingual colleagues/neighbours who'd give you some time ?

Agreed, especially after i asked a question about the PM last week and had no reply.

Mentioned that above. We did get the location of one, but it was pretty much at the end of the project and the owners were moved in. Going to ask for some other developments to track. It's tricky as there are so many new builds in the area. Main annoyance being that this guy was recommended above all others by multiple people and it's hard to wonder what the others would be like

No, he speaks English very well. However he's always a mix of optimistic and assures things will be done, or says he'll chase them up and then never gets back to us. I know he's said he's stopped doing legal work to focus on the service on the house build side, but can't say i've noticed a change.

 

[fez]

Was he a solicitor when he was in the legal profession? If so, you just need to treat him like one and get on his back every damn day to make sure hes doing something.

 

[Martynt74]

Was he a solicitor when he was in the legal profession? If so, you just need to treat him like one and get on his back every damn day to make sure hes doing something.

Yeah he was and i do think that's probably what's needed as he's made comments in the past about watching to get certain projects finished because the clients are constantly bothering him. I'm just not sure whether it's what i need for the next 9 months.

There has been some regular progress so at the moment there is still the hope we have walls completed by the end of July, and i think 3 weeks from now is more than enough time, as long as they actually spend more than a day a week on site.

 

[Martynt74]

Managed to get a reply last night. Seems someone else has taken on the PM role so lets see how that goes. The good thing about the previous one was a great English speaking ability and he was taking on the role on the client side too with updates/first contact but i think this new guy is just managing the project and keep it ticking over.

We will see!

 

[dod]

It's all solar, but an electric car is being considered. We're driving a lot more than we did in the UK as the weather generally permits doing more. Along with everything being miles away! Current scope is ~30 panels, 40kwh of battery storage and a 15kva inverter so should be capable of running most things.

Must have missed this, are you totally off grid?

 

[Martynt74]

Must have missed this, are you totally off grid?

Yeah.

No available grid connections so was either spend €20k on a new pylon and then have bills around €200 a month based on current usage or €20k on a solar system with sufficient battery power to cover everything.

 

[Martynt74]

Not been up to site yet, but apparently the concrete base and fencing are supposed to be done this week with walls next week. Both are achievable targets assuming workmen are actually on site for a reasonable amount of time each day.

Was out on my bike over the weekend, but think i've made a decision. Going to wait and see what happens by the end of July. In theory we are supposed to have the structure completed. If that's not done then the very first target is missed from the timeline and it doesn't bode well for the remainder of the project. In my mind this was a perfect opportunity to create a lot of goodwill by hitting the first deliverable.

If it's not done, i'm going to ask for a meeting and suggest 2 options.

1 - We cancel the contract. We agree a financial compensation for work done/work paid plus compensation for the failure of the project.
2 - We agree to stick to the current project but establish multiple financial penalties for missed targets. My thinking is €1000 for each target missing the deadline, rising to €1500 for each subsequent month the same task is delayed. Rent paid from November to completion (currently €1200/mth but rising in the event we have to move again). Then the big one being 5% penalty if the project is delayed beyond March 2026 and 2.5% for every month it's delayed beyond that. None of these seem excessive to me but helps to minimise the stress of constantly chasing. I'd also want a response to outstanding queries within 2 weeks.

I got in touch with another local builder. I've not heard much of them, but seen their signs up around the local area and some of the houses they've been in front of look decent from a distance. He's willing to take on a partial project and responded pretty quickly with some decent questions to help him understand the task at hand. I don't want to waste his time yet before i make a decision to switch.

I also spoke with a lawyer who specialises with contract breaches by builders. He's read over the contract initially and confirmed i'm well within my rights as of the 21st August to cancel. He can assist with the process and has someone who can value the work done at fair value. I think they'd be useful as i don't want to be making statements which aren't correct and causing myself even bigger problems.