ᐅ Is it worthwhile to hire a building surveyor for construction oversight?

The question is also what you feel confident taking on yourself. We will involve an expert (architect) for certain inspections during the construction. Simply because we cannot do this ourselves, and I don’t feel confident enough to build up the knowledge required to assess it properly. How am I supposed to know which joint widths still meet the standards, which imperfections are just cosmetic, and which might lead to high follow-up costs in the long term? I simply don’t know – so I’m bringing in someone who does.

Sascha aus H schrieb:
The question is really what you feel capable of handling yourself. We will hire an expert (architect) for certain building inspections simply because we cannot do this ourselves and I don’t trust myself to gain enough knowledge to assess it properly. How do I know which joint widths still comply with the standards, which imperfections are just cosmetic, and which might lead to high costs in the long term? I simply don’t know — that’s why I’m bringing in someone who does.

For this reason, we also hired someone. We didn’t want a person who tries to justify their presence by finding countless trivial issues but someone who points out real mistakes. Three people we know built with expert consultants and reputable construction companies in the area—not bargain firms focused solely on the lowest price. In two of these cases, the expert really found genuine errors.

We hired the TÜV for several inspections and have been very satisfied with their service. We are also building a prefab house. The inspector visited for the first time after the assembly was completed, and many aspects could already be evaluated then. The installation takes more than a week overall, even though the house is physically erected in one day. There are many points that can be checked during this process.

Having the inspector was important to me, and the cost (about 2200 euros) was worth it because it provides peace of mind, especially since someone without expertise cannot properly assess everything. Every issue found now is less expensive to fix than later on.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that. We ourselves joined the Private Homeowners Association for a low fee and found someone there, but we didn’t have them work with us until the end.

If I were in your position, I would discuss the issue with an expert and at least have someone review the technical installation. This will give you more confidence since you don’t have the expertise yourselves. You will then have a contact person who works for you and critically addresses any concerns you may have, including by phone.

Best regards, Yvonne

If I understand correctly, part of your uncertainty comes from not having a clear idea of what specific issues or defects the expert should be looking for. This makes it difficult both to evaluate the situation and to formulate the assignment for the respective expert (simply saying "please check for whatever you think is necessary" won’t work). I would probably base it on the typical critical points associated with the planned construction method or on the common weaknesses for which the contractor most frequently receives criticism. Ultimately, for the last percent of residual risk, the only option is to hope for the best, as you cannot completely eliminate it either way.

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Um, why is my post gone?
If I messed up again for some reason, sorry.

Here it is again as a copy.

First, thank you from my side for the opinions.

@Payday
That was exactly the point—I don’t want anyone to just look for problems. Although it would be good if it really is that hard to find anything.

We are building with Hanse Haus and so far I haven’t found any negative feedback anywhere. From the consultant to the contacts at headquarters, everything has been perfect.

That is why our trust in the company is quite high.

@ypg
The construction costs actually amount to exactly 250,000€ (about $270,000), so 3,500€ (around $3,800) really seems a bit high for that.

Can you tell me when you would schedule the other appointments?

@Sascha aus H
Honestly, I hardly dare to do anything except hang pictures.

That’s why we are having the house built completely turnkey; in our case, that also includes painting and flooring.

The question then is, does the contractor have experience with prefabricated houses?

@ONeill
Can you tell me how many appointments you got with the building inspector?

Besides the budget, the question for us is: What criteria should be used to choose someone to inspect the build?

I haven’t found anything convincing, and when I think of TÜV or DEKRA, I’m not really convinced either.