ᐅ Is it advisable to hire a building surveyor in addition to an energy efficiency assessor?

Good morning!

I’ve been following the forum closely for a few days now – we are about to start building a single-family home. We have already purchased the plot, the architectural plans are nearly finished, and the draft contracts with the general contractor are in place.
We are financing the project partly with a KfW 153 loan, and the house is intended to meet the 55 standard. We have already hired the mandatory expert for energy efficiency (EE). He will oversee the entire construction and regularly check and discuss various EE-related aspects on site.

Now for my main question: Is it worth hiring a second expert for “general” matters beyond the EE scope? Important topics such as insulation are already being examined by the EE expert. What additional support can a second expert provide during construction supervision?
I’m considering skipping this and only hiring someone for the final inspection. Does that make sense? The chosen general contractor has a very good reputation in our area, and acquaintances who have built with him did not use an expert at all because they were very satisfied with the site manager.
Thank you very much for your advice!

clausen77 schrieb:

Now my actual question is, is it worth hiring an additional expert beyond the energy efficiency (EE) expert for the more general topics? Important issues like insulation are already thoroughly examined by the EE expert. What else can a second expert contribute during construction supervision?
I am considering saving this cost and only hiring someone for the final inspection. Does that make sense? The selected general contractor (GC) has a very good reputation in our area, and acquaintances who built with him didn’t use any expert because they were very satisfied with the construction manager.

No one can make the decision for you objectively. Pros for an additional expert: it’s an extra safety measure. Cons: additional costs, EE expert is already there (who might also be able to take a closer look), good GC.

I would not hire an additional (regular) expert. One inspection after the shell construction phase with an expert plus one final inspection with an expert.

+ One building contract review,
the reliable general contractor has a standard contract that is legally favorable to them.
After our building contract review, they accepted all the addressed points and even smiled while doing so.

nordanney schrieb:


I would not hire an additional (regular) building inspector. One inspection during the shell construction with a building inspector + one final inspection with a building inspector.

Nida35a schrieb:

+ one review of the construction contract,
the good general contractor has a standard contract that is advantageous for him within the legal framework.
After our contract review, he accepted all the points we raised and even smiled about it.

Thanks, what exactly was it for you? Warranty? Here, he follows the VOB (4 years for load-bearing components and 2 years for movable parts).

clausen77 schrieb:

Thanks, what was it in your case, for example? Warranty? Here it follows the VOB (4 years for load-bearing components and 2 years for movable parts)

It was 4 pages of rephrased sentences and additions, mainly concerning security retention, warranty retention, and insolvency clauses. For us, this was already 3 years ago. In a current contract version, we have seen that the general contractor adopted many of these formulations into their contract.
A small general contractor simply doesn’t have a legal department and relies on construction work.