Building a house in Poland need advice from anyone that has built

In Poland it's hard to get the answer for the average of anything..

My favourite p1ss-take when building was when the internal plasterers wanted the electricians to cut grooves in the walls for the cables to sit in.They told us the cables would show proud after plastering if that wasn't done. Our electician laughed his head off and said it was the oldest one in the book. He claimed the plasterers just wanted to put less plaster on the walls and "disappear" the bags of unused plaster when we weren't looking. We looked and measured all the time to make sure we got the right coverage.

I would have thought putting the cables in groves would use more plaster, not less.

picture it this way. a cable runs top to bottom down the middle of the wall. it is one centimetre thick. this means that to get an even coat over the whole wall the plaster must be a little more.

with no cable showing, it's less plaster.

there is a special cutting tool that allows one to bury cables. so i'd say the plasterer was in part correct.

a cable should be in a chase or behind a metal cover. that's good practice.

I'd say so too. If the truth be known, it was the electrician who didn't want to cut the chases :)

I am renovating the house I am in now, so I can sell it and move all the way to Krakow 35km :)

The lads were plastering today, the electricians used flat cables against the wall, to lessen the thickness.

Looks like a different house inside.


Best one I have seen here is the cables in the wall in metal piping, with a junction-box at every corner, so you can run new cable any time you like and the risk of drilling and getting electrocuted are minimalised.

Hi all,

Im going to be putting up a fence around the plot we have bought this weekend, can anyone recommend a good quickdry/Just add water cement that is readily available from superstore please?

I have a Obi about 2k's from plot so something they stock would be great,

thanks in advance :)

Regards,

Neil

what's the best website i could search for a lot (to build a house on it ;))...? i need it in Malopolskie (mountains), big lot and a view...

domiporta.pl has a lot of land.

thanks, i'll check that one out too...

what kind of permits and documents should i have before building?

and and... where do i look for designs of houses, plans and projects?

Never ask a Polish company their fees, they ll rip you off. Just calculate your budget and ask them ( in the manner of take it or leave it) to stick to your budget.

If you don( find anyone , get a quote from a Chinese builder ( they are doing the highways aren(t they) or a British one.

there are loads there. just tell the sales guy what it is for and he will direct you. they are usually quite helpful and big box stores.

Are you serious ?

Makes a lot of sense.

Same in any business, really - but in Poland, they're quite used to being told "I'll give you x, take it or leave it" - it's not rude or anything to do so.

am looking to build a house south west of Wroclaw. Can anyone tell me if Wooden frame(pre-built) houses are allowed in Poland?

Check out Unibud. They offer a comprehensive service. Pretty impressive actually. You might be able to find their promo vid in English (I did the voiceover-my first one so mock ye not). The company offers a 30-year guarantee and can knock up a house faster than you can say knife. Personally though, what with the weather here and all, traditional building methods are best unless you need something really fast (and have a lot of money to spend-Unibud houses don't come cheap).

build as much as you can and ask the niegboors for help and get electritions and plumbers to help too

I know that this is a pretty old thread however. Is it normal to pay some money in advance of the build with the builder on signing a contract? Seemed a little strange to me and I was adamant that I wouldn't pay a penny, but have been told by some f my wife's family members that it is normal practice.

Thanks

It's normal in the part of Poland where I live. If you sign a contract with the builder stating the payment terms, you shouldn't have much to worry about. Does he want cash for materials or as a retainer? You can save a lot by buying materials yourself. Go to a builder's merchant and tell them you're building and want trade prices.

A deposit and one or more interim payments are normal. This is Poland so get everything in writing.

Good advice. Get any contract translated if you do not speak/understand, Polish.
Beware of clauses, such as:-
Full payment will be made even if we do not finish.
We have the right to use second hand materials if they are cheaper.
We reserve the right to decide what is an acceptable standard of workmanship.
Deadlines and timescales will be adjudicated by the standard reference. (Grimms fairy tales)
Any disputes will be settled by the building inspector who is a friend of ours.
European edicts on unfair contracts/consumer law will be superceded by Polish Law.

Don't let the builder choose the building inspector. Find one yourself. Our builder and inspector/manager disliked each other. Perfect. Building in Poland can be relatively pain-free if you cover all the bases.

Thanks Guys. The contract was signed today.. it was our own contract, so there were no funny clauses from the builder. My wife is Polish so there was no problems with communication. We will buy the materials ourselves, we have already sourced where we will get them after doing a couple of weeks research and various pricing quotations. We have our own building inspector too. The deposit which I now understand was in the event that we pull out of the contract, which is fair owing that the builder may not take on another job during the time set for our build. Build starts in June.. Many thanks :-)

Hi guys my wife's polish and we have some family land with permission to build.Has anyone used a log house company in Poland as one quoted one price then went up by 50%,told them to go jump .Any help please

Yes a lot of the time when Poles hear "foreigner" then they double the price. They will then ring back and reduce it when you tell them you are hiring the competition. Most of these small builders live from one job to the next, so you can always negotiate a good price. Just dont pay in advance unless relationships are long and well cemented. Oh and watch for alcohol on the building site, its the most important element!

Merged: House Building in Poland

Hello all,

My wife and I just decided that we would like to start building our house in Poland. Nevertheless, it seems to be a bit difficult to find someone to really trust to as well as someone who does not want to cheat us. Fortunately, my wife speaks native polish and the land we obtained, has the necessary media, drawings and all permission required to start the project. However, I would like to know if you can support me by telling the average of manpower cost for building a house in Poland? I have asked already someone..... and to make the initial state (''fundaments''+walls) is around 45k zt. (only manpower, without materials) Is it okay? Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!!!

Merged: What do I need to build a small house in Poland?

If I wanted to build myself a small house to live in, and if I was to buy a piece of land in Poland (as a European citizen, but not Polish citizen), what would I have to do to be able to do that? Or can I just bring my tools and start building a house without anybody bothering me about it?

Where in Poland?

Anywhere in Poland, as long as it's not in the very east (it can be close to Warsaw from the eastern side though, for example).