ᐅ Construction supervision through a homeowners’ protection association, private builders’ organization, technical inspection agency (such as TÜV or DEKRA), independent expert, or another option...?

I am also wondering about this as we are currently considering working with an architect to go into more detail...

We are leaning towards using an external construction supervisor, for example from a home owners’ protection association (8-9 visits, approximately €250 (about $275) each at €85 (about $93) per hour).

We are also considering building with an architect or a construction company. However, it is often the case that construction companies work with the same architects. In such cases, the independence of the parties involved should be questioned.

If you plan to work with an entirely independent architect and handle the tenders and so on through them, I would rather not use an external construction supervisor. In my view, this responsibility then lies with the architect (as Sebastian already mentioned).

In this case, a contract for construction supervision should be signed with the architect, so that they can be held accountable. Nothing should be based on verbal agreements.

Kaspatoo schrieb:
If you work with a completely independent architect and then handle the tendering process with them, I would generally avoid using an external construction supervisor. In my view, the architect takes care of that.

I do not understand this logic. Architects never make mistakes...? Regards, Bauexperte

And construction supervisors never? Of course, you can take extra precautions, but ultimately, in architect-led construction, it’s wasted money—and it undermines trust in the architect.

You need someone to supervise the contractor.

If you hire an independent architect and put the project out to tender, I assume that the architect and the company awarded the contract are not connected. In other words, I assume the architect is independent from the construction company.

For me, bringing in a fourth party does not add much value. The architect already takes on the supervision role. However, in this setup, there is no one to oversee the architect themselves. So what else needs to be supervised? The planning? That’s possible. If desired, you could have another independent expert review the architect’s plans. In my opinion, though, there’s no need for an external party to watch over the architect as they oversee the construction company or to check the same trades that the architect already inspects. Since, as mentioned, I consider the architect to be independent, I do not see this as necessary.

On the other hand, if you work with an architect or a general contractor who is connected to the construction company, then the architect’s independence is questionable, and an external expert is required.

But a construction supervisor may be specialized in this, while an architect, firstly, also handles many other tasks and might not be entirely independent (for example, when working with regular contractors they are familiar with).

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