ᐅ Independent Building Inspector – Necessary or Are There Alternatives?
Created on: 4 Oct 2018 13:34
E
EdStark
Hello – what has been your experience with your building surveyors (building inspectors)? Were they worth the – often high – cost?
For my planned new build with a regional construction company that hires subcontractors and also provides its own site management (I am aware that this company may not always be acting in my interest).
I have now received an offer from TÜV: 3,300 for 4 site visits plus inspection reports. That’s 825 per visit to the construction site. I find that quite steep, especially since you can’t be sure if you are getting truly competent professionals.
What do you think? What alternatives are there? No independent building inspectors and just hope everything goes well? Hiring a freelance engineer online and hope they are reliable?
I understand that finding defects early during construction by experts can save a lot of money. Using independent surveyors may reduce risks somewhat. But even then, you can’t be completely certain.
Regards from Lower Saxony.
For my planned new build with a regional construction company that hires subcontractors and also provides its own site management (I am aware that this company may not always be acting in my interest).
I have now received an offer from TÜV: 3,300 for 4 site visits plus inspection reports. That’s 825 per visit to the construction site. I find that quite steep, especially since you can’t be sure if you are getting truly competent professionals.
What do you think? What alternatives are there? No independent building inspectors and just hope everything goes well? Hiring a freelance engineer online and hope they are reliable?
I understand that finding defects early during construction by experts can save a lot of money. Using independent surveyors may reduce risks somewhat. But even then, you can’t be completely certain.
Regards from Lower Saxony.
Otus11 schrieb:
4 appointments are too few.
There need to be 10-14. That would be around 10,000€ at the vehicle inspection center.
EdStark schrieb:
It would be about €10,000 at the TÜV.There are also many other local providers who offer this as a package, for example, around €3,000 (net)....
Otus11 schrieb:
There are also many other local providers who offer this as a package, for example for around 3,000 euros net.... How do I find them? Google?
Yes, search engine, phone directory.
A certified construction or building expert + location / district should yield some results. Possibly also energy consultants; however, they often tend to push their sales pitch. It really depends on the local providers or those nearby.
Or try calling a specialist construction lawyer to see who they would recommend...
At this stage, the title “publicly appointed and sworn expert” is not necessarily important—you are not in court yet and certainly want to avoid going there.
More important than the title is that the person on site is sharp, a real "building pro," and can work well with the tradespeople. Charlatans, fillers, buzzword throwers, standards nitpickers, and dreamers are not helpful here...
Ultimately, it remains a visual inspection only (so try to schedule as many appointments as possible at the time of installation). Unfortunately, these experts don’t have X-ray vision, but they do have some measuring devices and, most importantly, experience.
A certified construction or building expert + location / district should yield some results. Possibly also energy consultants; however, they often tend to push their sales pitch. It really depends on the local providers or those nearby.
Or try calling a specialist construction lawyer to see who they would recommend...
At this stage, the title “publicly appointed and sworn expert” is not necessarily important—you are not in court yet and certainly want to avoid going there.
More important than the title is that the person on site is sharp, a real "building pro," and can work well with the tradespeople. Charlatans, fillers, buzzword throwers, standards nitpickers, and dreamers are not helpful here...
Ultimately, it remains a visual inspection only (so try to schedule as many appointments as possible at the time of installation). Unfortunately, these experts don’t have X-ray vision, but they do have some measuring devices and, most importantly, experience.
Otus11 schrieb:
Yes, search engine, phone directory.
A certified building / home construction expert plus the location / district should bring up some results. Possibly also an energy consultant; but they often tend to stick to their sales pitch. It really depends on the local providers and those in the surrounding area.
Or try calling a specialist construction law attorney to ask for recommendations...
At this stage, the title "officially appointed and sworn expert" is not necessarily crucial—you’re not in court yet and certainly don’t want to be.
More important than the title is that the person on site is sharp, a real “construction pro,” and can work with the tradespeople. Show-offs, filler talkers, buzzword users, standards zealots, and dreamers are no use here...
In the end, it remains a superficial visual inspection. Unfortunately, they don’t have X-ray vision, but they do have some measuring devices and, of course, experience.That’s also my opinion, thanks for the tips. I think I’ll check out a few and then try to determine their competence based on the phone conversation before making a decision.
In general, a word of caution: right now, it’s definitely a seller’s or contractor’s market... What good does it do to complain if the contractor says they do this 150 times a year? The challenge will be to weigh when the expert is “exaggerating” and when you really need to push hard.
Our windows are top quality; everything we complained about has been fixed.
The same goes for the shell construction.
Getting the plasterer to address issues will be more difficult, as some things are outside the acceptable tolerance and he simply has too much work.
The carpenter didn’t care at all about our complaint. Even the expert can’t influence that.
Our windows are top quality; everything we complained about has been fixed.
The same goes for the shell construction.
Getting the plasterer to address issues will be more difficult, as some things are outside the acceptable tolerance and he simply has too much work.
The carpenter didn’t care at all about our complaint. Even the expert can’t influence that.