ᐅ Building Surveyor – How Does He Calculate Repair Costs?

Dear forum members,

I am planning to purchase a house built in 2002. Since I have no knowledge of construction myself, I have asked a publicly appointed and sworn building inspector to check the house for possible damage and provide me with rough estimates of the costs needed to repair them. I explicitly do not want a legally binding expert report, but a personal basis for decision-making regarding the purchase.

Now my question: after the on-site inspection, how exactly does the inspector arrive at his assessment, especially regarding the cost estimates? Does he calculate everything mentally and then write down his evaluation? Or does he use specific software or reference books where he can check the typical costs for repairing certain damages?

Thank you in advance for your expert answers.

Best regards

Usually, the expert takes notes, makes drawings with measurements, and takes photos to avoid forgetting anything later. It’s simply old school.

Thank you. This part is clear to me. What remains unclear is which method he uses afterwards to form his assessment (see my specific question). Perhaps someone here knows more background information or is an expert themselves.

Good luck

There are also reference approaches used, similar to those employed by real estate agents. These do not necessarily have to involve software. These methods are adjusted with markups and discounts as well as regional specifics. Experience is then added, and the appraisal is complete.

Experience and hopefully somewhat up-to-date knowledge given the rapidly increasing construction costs.

Thank you for the quick responses. My inspector charged me for about 25 hours for preparing the report. Additional time was spent on preparation and the on-site appointment. I received a table listing the damages and the recommended measures, including approximate costs. When calculating the effort per row (one row = one damage including measures and costs) in the table, it amounts to 45 minutes. That seems way too high to me!