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?
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?
Thanks again to everyone for the overwhelming feedback. 🙂
For me, the decision is clear: definitely with a building expert. We are members of the Homeowners Protection Association, so I will take the one assigned to me.
I think it’s great that you’re open about this. I guess many build without a building expert, but not many admit it. I also trust the site manager, and my impression of him was really positive. Actually, the whole company is great, and I really like how everything has been going so far! I was told that the site manager is the most important person on site. 😉
Not every homeowner’s comment is well thought out, so many site managers/companies have probably become indifferent. 😀
For me, the decision is clear: definitely with a building expert. We are members of the Homeowners Protection Association, so I will take the one assigned to me.
neo-sciliar schrieb:
I’ll be honest, we built without a building savings contract. My reasoning was:
- I trust the site manager. He independently found several "errors" and had them fixed. He also knew the critical points during construction and paid close attention there – the building savings contract looks at things more "generally."
- The building savings contract is on site only 2-4 times. With our prefabricated house, a lot happens in between that the building savings contract cannot check. It might be different with traditional brick-and-mortar construction, since the house is being built onsite.
- I was on the construction site daily and saw things with my own eyes – anything I didn’t understand, the tradespeople calmly explained to me.
- I have a 5-year warranty. Anything that didn’t become apparent during that time is not really a "fault."
I think it’s great that you’re open about this. I guess many build without a building expert, but not many admit it. I also trust the site manager, and my impression of him was really positive. Actually, the whole company is great, and I really like how everything has been going so far! I was told that the site manager is the most important person on site. 😉
Pacmansh schrieb:
What I noticed with us: when we mention something, we always have to follow up to make sure it gets done. If the expert notes something in the report, it gets fixed immediately without any questions.
Not every homeowner’s comment is well thought out, so many site managers/companies have probably become indifferent. 😀
Gregor_K schrieb:
I was once told that the site manager is the most important person on a construction site.For us, it’s the foreman! When you discuss or ask something with the site manager, they always have to check it first, which sometimes causes delays or miscommunications. When you talk to the foreman, he calls his tradesperson directly and everything gets resolved immediately.
Gregor_K schrieb:
For me, it’s clear: definitely involve a building expert. We are members of the Homeowners’ Protection Association, so I’m using the one assigned to me.We also purchased a contract review from them in advance; many points were included in our favor. Nowadays, a solid insolvency clause and a completion guarantee are essential since many general contractors are going bankrupt.
It would be unfortunate if it affected you in the middle of construction.
Nida35a schrieb:
We also purchased a contract review from them in advance,
and many points favorable to us were included.
Nowadays, a watertight insolvency clause and a completion guarantee must be included, as many general contractors are going bankrupt.
It would be unfortunate if it happened to you in the middle of construction. I agree with you 100%. The workload of our general contractor is still relatively good, but I also believe there will be declines because interest rates are simply too high. We obtained a credit report to assess the risk of bankruptcy. It is rated as very low. I think I read somewhere that the completion guarantee is now limited to 10% of the construction cost, is that correct?
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