ᐅ Construction Supervision / Building Expert: Which Services Are Essential?

Hello.
I have hired a building expert from the Homeowners’ Protection Association.
Which services or site inspections should be carried out at a minimum, and what exactly?
We are building a basement with a waterproof concrete tank, a solid house to KfW 55 energy standards.

Hello,

cumpa schrieb:

I am hiring a building surveyor from the Homeowners Protection Association.

🙄

Be careful not to get one who specializes in driving a wedge between you and the contractor, undermining or preventing trust from developing.

cumpa schrieb:

Which inspections or site visits should be carried out at a minimum, and which exactly?
We are building a basement with a waterproof concrete shell (“white tank”), a solid house with KfW 55 standard.

Right from the start, during planning and _before_ signing the contract: review all documents, including the construction contract and any additional agreements!

Second inspection: check basement waterproofing before backfilling the excavation.

Third: inspections of the completed structural shell, window installations, and roof covering.

Fourth: after completing the rough-in electrical and plumbing installations.

Fifth: final inspections before project completion.

Generally, a maximum of five inspections during the ongoing construction project is sufficient; always when something is about to be enclosed or sealed off that cannot be changed later. Everything else is just an unnecessary money-making scheme.

If you are building to KfW 55 standard, remember that a further external expert must be contracted for accompanying monitoring!

Regards, Bauexperte

For a true waterproof concrete tank ("white tank"), he should be present before or during the construction of the basement walls, as this is where mistakes are often made with the joint tape and proper sealing. These issues are not visible and difficult to fix afterwards.

Hello building expert.
What do you mean by:

Bauexperte schrieb:
Hello,

🙄

Be careful not to get one who specializes in driving a wedge between the construction company and you, undermining or even preventing trust from developing.

I had the construction contract reviewed by a lawyer. The scope of work was checked by the building expert who will also be supervising the construction on our behalf later.
He said there will be about 10 appointments in total. That is a lot and will not be cheap.
I know it will be much more expensive if construction defects are not detected—which is why supervision is a MUST.
However, we do not want to inspect more than necessary.
If I understood correctly, there are 4 site visits?
Please explain in more detail exactly what should definitely be checked.

Yes, regarding KFW 55, I am currently looking for the “right” expert.

Thank you for your support....

Good morning,

cumpa schrieb:

What do you mean by:

Exactly what I wrote. I have often had the impression that the experts from the building owners’ protection association tend to come into the public eye more as second-tier specialists; as a result, they frequently overshoot the mark. An expert should have enough knowledge and empathy to support a construction project throughout rather than undermine it.

cumpa schrieb:

He said there would be about 10 appointments. That’s a lot and won’t be cheap.

Let’s do it the other way around. Please list the 10 appointments the expert has in mind along with their estimated costs, and then I will try to identify the essentials.

cumpa schrieb:

I know it will get much more expensive if construction defects are not detected — that’s why construction supervision is a MUST.

Exactly! But you don’t have to fight fire with fire 😉

Best regards, Bauexperte

I have not yet decided to sign a contract with the building expert from the Bauherren-Schutzbund. He has little time, callbacks take one to three days, and emails are also answered only after one to three days, etc. I do not feel taken very seriously.

I have now obtained further offers, including from VQC and private experts. One is a member of the BDSF association, one is registered with the engineering chamber as a consulting engineer, and one is a certified structural engineer authorized to submit building plans.

VQC: €3000 for 5 site inspections including review of the building description.
BDSF member: €2750 for 6 inspections including document review.
Consulting engineer: €2500 for 6 inspections including document review.
Certified structural engineer authorized to submit plans: €2000 for 7 inspections including document review.
All prices include communication, postage, travel, and other expenses.

The Bauherren-Schutzbund does not provide a fixed price but works on an hourly rate basis. The total estimated cost calculated with the expert is approximately €3500–4000.

In addition, most offers include liability disclaimers similar to the following:
Services not provided by the contractor:
• Issuance of documents certifying the safe usability and proper construction of components, as these statements must legally be certified by specialized experts, e.g., regulations in §59 of the Hessian Building Code.
• Assumption of liability regarding defect-free status, as it is possible
that defects may not be detected.

Liability for defects is particularly important—why should liability be excluded there?