ᐅ BBQ – Construction-Related Quality Control

Hello everyone,

You probably can’t make this decision for me, but I still want to ask and hear your opinions. I want to emphasize that this is not about the additional costs involved with hiring a building inspector / construction expert!

We have signed a planning contract with a local general contractor and have started selecting the fittings for the kitchen and bathroom. The building permit / planning permission has been approved, and the general contractor has asked if we are ready to sign the construction contract. I have postponed this for now, as we are still waiting for the financing agreement from the bank. Our relationship with the general contractor is very good, and they are helping us in every way. The general contractor’s standard package is good and they only use quality materials. The contractor is well-known in the region, highly praised, and honestly has a reputation to uphold if mistakes occur. The contractor has its own construction team that handles the shell construction and roof work. For the remaining trades, the same local specialist companies are always hired.

So I’m wondering whether it’s really necessary for us to have a building inspector / construction expert involved. For a large homebuilding chain, I wouldn’t hesitate to hire one, but since this is a local company and they work only with local subcontractors, I have my doubts.

What do you think?

Hello, based on my own experience, I would advise everyone, regardless of who they are building with and the reputation they have, to hire an independent building expert. We built with a general contractor who has a very good reputation in our area. Everyone we spoke to praised the work delivered, but looking back, I have a slight suspicion that many relied solely on recommendations and did not involve an independent expert, so they are unaware of any possible defects. Despite the good reputation, we chose to hire one and were very surprised, even shocked, by the defects that were discovered. So it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

I found it very interesting during my renovation how the behavior of the craftsmen changed once they indirectly found out that we had an expert involved. It became even more noticeable when the expert was actually seen on the construction site.

Gregor_K schrieb:

The general contractor has its own construction team that handles the shell and roof extension. For the remaining trades, the same local specialist companies are always hired.

Yes, well... a long chain of responsibilities, and in the end, the work is carried out by an apprentice or an inexperienced journeyman. So it turns into a typical construction site with all its problems, which can accidentally escalate, even though the contractor’s previous projects went smoothly.

I can only recommend it as well.
Your general contractor sounds like mine.
When I contacted the building surveyor, it was interesting that he first wanted to know who the builder was before deciding to provide support. As soon as he heard the name of the general contractor, he got on board, having worked with them a lot before and probably had positive experiences...

The surveyor’s role is not just to call out poor workmanship by bad construction companies but also to oversee conscientious and reliable general contractors – mistakes always happen…

Sounds similar to our situation. Even though our general contractor has a good reputation, I decided to hire a building consultant because things can always go wrong, and as a layperson, I don’t notice many issues. So far, we have had two inspections (foundation slab and shell construction), and the reputation has been confirmed. I feel comfortable with the additional oversight and would do it the same way again.

What are the reasons against it?
When it comes to money: Considering the total cost of building a house and the potential damage costs that undiscovered defects can cause, spending 0.5-1% is probably well invested.
When it comes to the relationship with the general contractor (GC):
They don’t mind; they are glad that I find everything myself from the subcontractors.
As @Tassimat already said, the craftsmen work differently right away...