ᐅ Structural engineer not present for the reinforcement inspection—what now?

i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

What do you mean by that? Did he not receive the appointment and therefore (without fault) was not there?

Yes, he did not receive the appointment. In his letter, it said that I should provide him with the contact details of the foundation slab contractor so he can get in touch with him regarding construction supervision. I also informed him of the scheduled implementation week. I assumed that he would then take care of everything else.

hanghaus2000 schrieb:

Your inspector has checked, right? He should provide you with that in writing.

In Hesse, I need proof of structural stability for the building authority (building permit / planning permission) (§ 73 HBO paragraph 2). The structural engineer was registered with the building authority as the authorized certifier.

11ant schrieb:

If the site manager – I assume you mean the person responsible according to the regional building regulations for site manager declarations – saw that the structural engineer was not on site, he should have prevented the concrete truck from leaving.

Not the site manager, but the building expert ("Bausachverständiger"). I also hired him as an advisor; he supports me with the project and the inspections of the trades.

11ant schrieb:

I interpret your quoted description as meaning that arranging for the structural engineer to attend was up to you; the engineer wanted to organize the appointment and you have proof of your communication with him.

According to the structural engineer’s letter, it is the foundation slab contractor’s responsibility. He (the engineer) wants to contact him regarding construction supervision, so to me, it means the two parties will coordinate among themselves.

11ant schrieb:

The site manager – in my opinion responsible for being present – must have noticed the absence of the engineer and should have reacted accordingly. The consequences of losing inspectability because of established facts must be clear to a site manager – which is why some regional building codes require suitability of the appointed person.

To my knowledge, the site manager was also not on site.

11ant schrieb:

Now the structural engineer has to weigh the risk of trusting the inspector’s competence against ordering the removal of the foundation slab with all its consequences (unless he can prove he is not responsible for his absence). In any case, at least one of the involved parties – and in my opinion, least of all you – needs an experienced construction lawyer. By the way, there are methods to non-destructively investigate concrete and verify that, instead of mafia bodies, steel was actually embedded as planned ;-)

Haha, I do have pictures proving that steel is inside and no bodies, but that’s not enough for the engineer. I get the impression it’s not sufficient as a principle. I can’t reach him by phone, neither I nor the foundation slab contractor receive the requested callback. He demands a comprehensive liability waiver from me by registered mail or he will resign his position with the building authority.

Sounds very complicated; I guess I won’t get around hiring a lawyer. 🙁 Whether this can be resolved amicably within four weeks (when the house is due) is doubtful…

11ant schrieb:

P.S.: I hope at least the electrician was present – don’t want the same problem with the foundation earthing again. By the way, they usually provide photo documentation.

Good question, I don’t know. I have to ask the foundation slab contractor. But surely that can be tested with a continuity test or similar, right?

ypg schrieb:

Is it the case that the structural engineer MUST be on site where you are?

He must verify according to § 73 HBO paragraph 2 that the work was carried out according to plan.

ypg schrieb:

If that is so, must he also supervise the shell walls and roof carpentry?

Yes.

hampshire schrieb:

We built in NRW. Why does the contractor need the structural engineer’s approval?

Different regions, different laws. Here it is explicitly stated in the Hessian Building Code (HBO).

Bookstar schrieb:

For complex constructions, I suppose it is different. Is that the case for you?

No, it’s a small single-family house without a basement. Ground floor plus one upper floor in timber frame construction.

hampshire schrieb:

Here lies the problem. How does the site manager justify the threatened work stop – because of your refusal to accept or due to the missing confirmation from the structural engineer?

Because of the missing confirmation from the structural engineer. This is required by the building authority.

I would exempt him from liability. What could possibly go wrong? The structural builder is already covered under warranty, and I have never heard of a typical new single-family house having structural issues. That would be extremely unlikely.

I would take it easy and definitely would not involve a lawyer or anything like that.

See it as @Bookstar does: The liability waiver for the structural engineer is the practical solution. The risk is minimal. All other options will cause significant delays. Discuss the matter politely but clearly (it didn’t go well, the solution is…) with your site manager, and you’ll be "in good standing with him." That might help you at some point during the construction.

maxx004 schrieb:

Different countries, different laws. Here, it is clearly regulated in the Hessian Building Code (HBO).

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), in accordance with the building regulations, a "construction monitoring by a certified structural engineer/inspector" is also required.
In our case, the completion of the shell construction must be reported immediately to the building authority, and a structural engineer’s inspection report must be submitted.

netuser schrieb:

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), according to the building regulations, continuous supervision by a certified structural engineer or inspector is required.
The completion of the shell construction must be reported to the building authority immediately, and a structural engineer’s inspection report must be submitted.

Well, in NRW the process is still quite relaxed. For an average single-family home, for example, an architect with professional experience in structural engineering is sufficient (this qualifies for official registration). Also, the inspections are only carried out on a random sampling basis.

nordanney schrieb:

Well, in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) things are still quite relaxed. For an average single-family house, for example, having an architect plus professional experience in structural engineering is sufficient (this qualifies you to be officially registered). Also, inspections are only carried out on a random-sampling basis.

Unfortunately, I can only speak from my own recent experience. The building regulations office is currently bothering me and demands an "immediate" structural engineer’s report after the shell construction is completed. They even provide specific registration forms together with the building permit, which must be used for this purpose. The completion of the shell construction must be reported (one week in advance!) and the engineer’s inspection report must be submitted at the same time!

This is a bit absurd, especially for a prefabricated house that can be assembled within two days, but that is how it is.