ᐅ Building Surveyor / Expert – Erlangen Area, Building Through Property Developers

Hello!
We are planning to build a single-family house in Erlangen with a developer. According to the contract, there is only one inspection after the completion of the building.
For the construction, we are looking for reliable building experts to assist with:
- Reviewing/assisting with the purchase contract
- Reviewing the description of construction services
- Inspecting the construction site after the shell construction is completed, and so on (what other inspections should be carried out during the process?)
Could someone recommend a qualified expert for this?
Thank you very much.

Hello,

siebert schrieb:
We are looking for reliable building experts for
-Review/assistance with the purchase contract
-Review of the construction service specification

For example, I offer such services, but so do consumer protection agencies and several other institutions; of course, any lawyer specializing in contract law can also help.

siebert schrieb:
-Site inspection after completion of the structural shell, … (what else should be “intermediately inspected”?) Can someone recommend an appropriate expert.

If you decide—as I believe correctly—to use external expertise, the office should be located as close as possible to your construction site.

Enter 'Federal Association of Publicly Appointed and Sworn as well as Qualified Experts e.V.' into your preferred search engine—you can search by postal code there. Contact someone nearby, arrange an informal meeting, and see if the person and their expertise suit your needs.

You can also book various inspection stages through the TÜV:

Phase 1
Review of the execution planning based on the construction description, working drawings, details, heating demand calculation, and soil report, to ensure compliance with generally accepted building standards.

Phase 2
Basement inspection before backfilling the excavation, checking the external waterproofing and drainage.

Phase 3
Inspection of the structural shell, roof frame, and roof covering, as well as the rough installations of heating, sanitary, and electrical systems.

Phase 5
Inspection of roof insulation and airtight connections of the vapor barrier, inspection of plaster and screed.

Phase 6
Inspection after completion of all interior fittings before final acceptance.

In both cases, it is important that you are the client and do not let the builder include this service as part of their contractual obligations. The respective contractor is exclusively obligated to the client!

Kind regards

siebert schrieb:
...We want to build a house with a developer in Erlangen (single-family house).

This is not a developer, but a general contractor (GC)! ;-)
Request the MEP planning and have it reviewed, as this is where the biggest shortcomings occur :-)

Best regards

Hello,
new question: our developer believes that the construction and performance specification is detailed enough because it states that "the house will be built as an Efficiency House 55." But that doesn't necessarily say much about the quality of the insulation, does it? So far, we only have information about the floor coverings and, for the windows, just the note "triple glazing."

siebert schrieb:
.... Our developer believes that the construction and performance specification is detailed enough since it states "the house will be built as an efficiency house 55".

Certainly on paper. 😉 There are plenty of legal ways to make a building’s energy performance look better than it really is. It is not uncommon that, under real-world conditions, a building labeled as KfW 55 barely meets the standard required by the Energy Saving Ordinance. The actual energy costs turn out significantly higher than expected, despite the high initial investment! Often, this even goes unnoticed! 😕 So what now? Lawyer, expert assessment, court proceedings—overall, sometimes a lengthy and difficult process. Many affected parties give up before reaching that point and tolerate the problems as long as they occupy the property.

siebert schrieb:
.... But that doesn’t necessarily say anything about adequate insulation, does it?

Actually, the insulation should be fine if executed as planned (check delivery notes and pay attention to the proper treatment of thermal bridges) ;-)

Best regards