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RSS Feed Blog12. 02. 12. - 11:00
Vienna's Cowboy Builders
I've seen temperatures of -20 in Vienna before but the prolonged cold spell the city is currently experiencing is the longest I remember and I've been here since 1993. I haven't been looking at the temperature gauge all that time – but I know it's the first time that the Wien Fluss (Vienna River) that runs in front of my office has been completely frozen over.
For those that don't know it, it's more a large stream really that flows from the Wienerwald or Vienna Woods through the 14th district and into the first district where it joins the Danube Canal.
I do remember that last year there seemed to be more snow even if it wasn't as cold – although maybe I just remember the snow because at that stage I didn't have a roof on my office. I didn't have a roof because the building firm that had been managing the renovations on the property – built in 1870 – declared themselves insolvent and vanished. Like so many building firms in Austria it was created using the reputation of a qualified Baumeister that never once visited the property - and then the firm vanished a year later.
It's a common problem with building firms in Vienna and believe me – although I'm a journalist I know a lot about building firms. That's because I spent five years renovating this property, negotiating it through the various planning application stages through to the selection of trades people to do the work.
I admit I don't have a lot of experience of the building trade outside of Austria or even outside of Vienna – but what I can tell you is that if anybody is thinking of having any work done at all in Vienna - forget it. Sell the house and move somewhere else or rent. Or do it yourself, I often wondered why Austrians don't want to own property – now I know.
I would think it's hard to find more dishonest, unlikeable and incompetent branch. And expensive. One leading insurance assessor told me he couldn't understand why prices in Vienna are always 25 percent higher than they are anywhere else in Austria. I know they are more expensive - and rubbish - because I've been taking detailed notes for the last five years of all the various practices. I'm planning to eventually write it all up as a guide and as a warning to anyone else foolish enough to think they might be able to enter the jungle that is the Vienna building scene and come out unscathed.
If you want the proof ask the cities psychoanalysts. They say it's no mistake that Freud came up with the idea while working here – perhaps the builders were just as bad then? A year ago my health service gave me a free checkup – it's like the annual service the car gets and part of it was a free stress test. The shrink sat at his chair listening as I described my life – 14 hour day – seven days a week – new baby – large overdraft – stressful job. He didn't blink an eye.
But then came the killer – "Oh, and I'm renovating my house." His eyes snapped open and he came alive. "Oh my goodness, you poor chap, come over here, lie down." I think you need this medication – have you thought about yoga? I hope you don't mind me asking but you're not suicidal are you? Apparently it's not the loss of a loved one, the breakup of the partnership, money worries, terminal illness or anything else that you can think of that is the number one cause of mental breakdowns and burnout in Vienna. It's dealing with builders. He reckoned the most common problem of the people he treated was ill-advised dabbling in the construction industry.
The only saving grace is that throughout all of the cowboy activity, the very few trades people and civil servants that you do come across who are competent, efficient and honest really stand out. None of them seemed to be rich in the case of the trades people or hugely important in the case of the civil servants – and thats perhaps why they are few and far between - but they deserve to be mentioned.
And although I'll be mentioning the good and the bad when I do my report the current cold spell does mean that it's worth mentioning one person in particular. I'd say that there are only two trades people we have had here that I'd recommend as being honest, efficient and reliable and one of those was the plumber. And no – he was not Polish. He was Austrian. And he was a third cheaper than the Polish plumber who wanted cash-in-hand.
The reason I mention it now is that Vienna as already highlighted and as you've no doubt noticed if you live here is undergoing a record cold spell. Give it a week and that's going to end. Frozen pipes are going to unfreeze and a lot of people are going to be needing a good plumber.
That's going to be more so in Vienna than anywhere else in Austria because most people here live in rented accommodation and generally people don't care as much for their properties as they do about in the countryside. That's going to mean a lot of burst pipes and I'm sure the sound of emergency plumbing shops opening up across the city is already starting to be heard.
We won't be taking any paid adverts for plumbers - but I can tell you that the entire plumbing including new water lines and central heating was done here on time and efficiently by Gottfried Ptacek, and he speaks English. Because he didn't pay me any money to promote his firm or his name I managed to twist his arm to offer a 10 percent discount to all Austrian Times readers – you just need to mention it when you call him and ask for some work. And even if you don't need any work – keep his number on file. And pass it on. If he can fit you into a busy schedule then he's the one to use every time.
My guide to getting construction work done from small renovations through to a new roof or extension will be published in summer - and between now and then I'd love to hear from you if you had similar experiences. Happy to throw down the gauntlet – if you reckon you managed to find a good trades person then let me know. I want to hear not the bad news but also the good and all submissions will be treated in confidence.
Just write to me - Michael Leidig - on mike@cenagency.com and include a phone number of possible so I can get in touch. I'm looking for case studies and keen to hear about your experiences.
Austrian Times
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