ᐅ Is a construction expert (building surveyor) necessary, or is the general contractor’s site manager sufficient?

Hello,
we are building a turnkey house with a general contractor. The GC subcontracts the trade work to local companies and provides a site manager who supervises the work. The GC has good references and many years of experience. Do you think it is still advisable for us to hire an independent building surveyor? We are complete novices when it comes to construction. Thank you for your responses.

Ask yourself whose interests the construction manager of the general contractor represents! Will they always inform you about defects and ensure they are resolved in your best interest, even if it costs the contractor money to fix them?

In house construction, there should ALWAYS be someone overseeing the project who represents YOUR interests. How often and how thoroughly is another matter.

You need to decide whether, for your 3xx,000 investment, you trust a site manager who supervises 40 houses at the same time or if you invest 3,000 to 4,000 euros for an independent structural engineer.

It’s not even about them uncovering massive construction defects. It’s enough that the craftsmen know a professional is overseeing the project. Then they’ll take that extra step they might otherwise have skipped.