ᐅ Brandenburg Building Regulations / July 1, 2016 – Independent structural engineer verification no longer required

With the new building regulations effective from July 1, it is no longer mandatory to hire a structural engineer for residential buildings in building classes 1 and 2. Since this has already been common practice in several federal states, I am wondering how you handle this situation. Have you still had the foundation slab, masonry, roof structure, and roof covering inspected? If so, was it done by a certified structural engineer or a construction supervisor? I understand that structural integrity is important and that trying to save money by not having proper checks could be a false economy. What would be a reasonable approach in this case?

In North Rhine-Westphalia, there is even consideration being given to reintroducing mandatory inspections for single- and two-family houses, which I fully support.
In any case, I would recommend commissioning the engineer responsible for the structural calculations to inspect and approve all relevant building components (foundation, floors, roof structure).
It is not uncommon for execution to be faulty. It often starts with the foundation, for example with reinforcement bars that are partially lying on or in the gravel without concrete cover, and it ends with the roof structure.
Of course, you could also hire a site supervisor, but they might first need to familiarize themselves with the structural engineering, and not every site supervisor is experienced in this area.
The engineer who prepared the structural calculations knows exactly which points to focus on.

Great, even more costs...

Daniel Köln schrieb:
I would definitely recommend hiring the structural engineer who prepares the structural analysis to carry out the inspection of all relevant components (foundation, ceilings, roof structure).

Who exactly is the preparer? The construction company? They would charge me directly for this inspection. In that case, for peace of mind, I could just hire an independent structural engineer myself. Or did you mean something else?

The author of the structural calculation, meaning the structural engineer. You can also hire them to carry out building inspections. Essentially, this is similar to what an inspector usually does. The main goal is to supervise the construction execution.

However, the independent structural reviewer also performs a few other tasks and is especially independent from the structural engineer...

Therefore, your suggestion would be counterproductive. For a single-family house, having such an independent structural reviewer is quite excessive and increases costs without much benefit.