Zoom meeting with Gino, Alex and Setfano (no Andrea). Very difficult communication via Zoom. Connection rubbish. Language difficulties exacerbated.
The main topic was the heating solution. The quote for just the heating was in excess of €25,000. We discussed looking into the option of using air source heat pumps for both heating and cooling in order to remove the need for radiators, boiler and GPL tank. We do not anticipate being in the house during the winter that much (at least for now). Also, if we get permission for photovoltaic panels, we could run the heating at a low level for free when the house is empty (good for keeping the damp out).
I asked Gino to get a quote for this alternative option from the same contractor so that we could see what level of saving could be made.
Gino had come through with three quotes against the updated computo metrico (only Michele missing) and I had translated and compiled them into a spreadsheet for easy comparison.
Gino informed me that one of the builders (KR Costruzioni) had done work for Riccardo Martinucci.
We also had quite a lot of discussion around the elements for assistance to plumber, electrician, etc. I was not and could not get clear about how these could be sensibly estimated (piece of string stuff).
As the Zoom meeting was about to terminate, we agreed that it would be best if I sent questions by email rather than attempt another Zoom meeting.
Riccardo
After the meeting I had a call with Riccardo to get his opinion on KR. He rated them highly and would happily use them again. The other interesting thing he brought up was that, when he used KR, he had to get involved coordinating between them and the electician and plumber he had selected. The boss of KR had told him that it would have worked better if he had come to them for everything as they would have then been able to coordinate everything.
Follow up email
Thanks for the meeting today.
The Zoom connection was not great, but I think the meeting was worth having.
Questions about the quote from Italtermo
The item “D’OPERA” relates to the supply of 20 radiators at EUR380 per radiator.
There is also an item “FORNITURA DEI RADIATORI IN ALLUMINIO ISEO BIANCO H 600 ELEMENTI” which also appears to be related to supply of radiators.
Can you help me understand what these two things are?
The quote for the heating system is very high so we are wondering if there is a more cost effective solution.
For example, could the cooling system be modified so that it can use a heat pump to blow hot air in the winter and cold in the summer?
Perhaps that could be supplemented with electric heaters and one or two wood burners.
I understand that gas is probably cheaper to run than electricity, but we should get some benefit from the solar panels even in the winter.
Questions about the quotes from the builders
The point I was trying to get clear was the reliability of the quotes for the items relating to assistance to other trades (items 24 to 29).
Have the builders calculated all the assistance needed and included reliable and fixed costs?
Or have they made some kind of educated guess and included an indicative cost that could go up or down?
Is the IVA for all the work in the quotes from the builders 10%?
Is it a sensible option to give the internal work to one builder and the external work to another?
Other questions
I spoke with Riccardo Martinucci about his experiences with KR Costruzioni.
He had only good things to say about them.
Riccardo suggests that we ask the construction company to quote for everything and take responsibility for the whole project.
This is the way we work here in the UK, so this makes sense for me.
He said that when he worked with KR he had different plumbers and electricians and that coordinating them was difficult.
The owner of KR told him it would be better if he had responsibility for the whole project.
Do you think KR, Trifino and Gigli could be given all the details and asked to quote for everything? Let me know what you think.
Next steps
- You will get two more quotes for plumbing, heating and cooling so that we can make a comparison.
- Tomorrow, you will meet with the termotechnico from the commune and confirm we can have the solar panels on the roof.
- Tomorrow, I will send what I can about the earlier example quote from the electrical contractor.
- You can then request quotes for the electrical (and solar panel) work that will be more reliable.
- Gigli will send his quote on Sunday or Monday and we can compare with the quotes from KR and Trifino.