Hello everyone,
Yesterday, we received a letter from the city hall requesting that we remove the barriers and the crane from the street by November 30, 2023, as our previous permit apparently expired some time ago.
They also mentioned that unfortunately our general planner is unable to comply with all the regulations and orders and does not consider themselves responsible for the traffic-related requirements. For this reason, no new traffic-related permits will be approved for the time being.
Our general planner says that there was only a broken lamp, which was replaced on the same day. Could this really be the reason for this decision?
I will definitely speak with them to try to get more details about what went wrong with the general planner. Do you have any suggestions on how to resolve this conflict? Is there anything I should specifically monitor? Would it make sense for me to visit the construction site and ensure that everything is running smoothly day and night?
Tomorrow, I will also ask the shell builder how long the crane needs to remain on the sidewalk, but I am not sure what can be done if the city hall does not approve another extension.
Thank you very much
Best regards
Yesterday, we received a letter from the city hall requesting that we remove the barriers and the crane from the street by November 30, 2023, as our previous permit apparently expired some time ago.
They also mentioned that unfortunately our general planner is unable to comply with all the regulations and orders and does not consider themselves responsible for the traffic-related requirements. For this reason, no new traffic-related permits will be approved for the time being.
Our general planner says that there was only a broken lamp, which was replaced on the same day. Could this really be the reason for this decision?
I will definitely speak with them to try to get more details about what went wrong with the general planner. Do you have any suggestions on how to resolve this conflict? Is there anything I should specifically monitor? Would it make sense for me to visit the construction site and ensure that everything is running smoothly day and night?
Tomorrow, I will also ask the shell builder how long the crane needs to remain on the sidewalk, but I am not sure what can be done if the city hall does not approve another extension.
Thank you very much
Best regards
X
xMisterDx1 Dec 2023 09:23What are you actually doing with your webcam?
No contractor has to film themselves at work, and it won’t show whether the insulation on the upper floor is properly installed everywhere or if the vapor retarder is well sealed.
In my case, the electricians and plumbers didn’t seal their cables properly when passing through the vapor retarder. I asked the drywall installer to fix it before the drywall work started, because once that goes up, you never see it again.
You only notice these things if you check every day yourself. One day later, it would already have been covered up; the drywall installers were just setting up their scaffolding.
They also pointed out defects for me to report to the general contractor. No webcam or neighbor, who usually doesn’t care about what’s happening on the construction site anyway, can do that. It’s not their concern.
If you decide to build, you should move nearby. What’s the downside? You’re going to live there forever anyway. The additional costs are easily recouped through savings on fuel and time, especially during interior work when you’re working there every day for weeks.
No contractor has to film themselves at work, and it won’t show whether the insulation on the upper floor is properly installed everywhere or if the vapor retarder is well sealed.
In my case, the electricians and plumbers didn’t seal their cables properly when passing through the vapor retarder. I asked the drywall installer to fix it before the drywall work started, because once that goes up, you never see it again.
You only notice these things if you check every day yourself. One day later, it would already have been covered up; the drywall installers were just setting up their scaffolding.
They also pointed out defects for me to report to the general contractor. No webcam or neighbor, who usually doesn’t care about what’s happening on the construction site anyway, can do that. It’s not their concern.
If you decide to build, you should move nearby. What’s the downside? You’re going to live there forever anyway. The additional costs are easily recouped through savings on fuel and time, especially during interior work when you’re working there every day for weeks.
xMisterDx schrieb:
What are you actually doing with your webcam?
No contractor needs to be filmed while working, and you won’t be able to see if the insulation upstairs is installed correctly everywhere or if the vapor barrier is properly sealed with that either. No one here is talking about a webcam, but rather about a retired civil engineer or similar professional who acts as a "Value Added Webcam," extending the original poster’s eyes beyond the construction site by inspecting the daily progress as the client’s representative (often after the workers have finished for the day, and absolutely without filming anyone in the act of cutting corners). On days when everything is already concealed by the end of work, the inspection happens during the work in progress. That way, they can see exactly what has been properly and neatly sealed.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
HeimatBauer1 Dec 2023 17:03And if it’s a retired civil engineer or someone similar, they can see more during a 5-minute site visit than even the most interested but non-expert client can in 5 hours. They can put it into words so that, depending on the situation, it can be addressed over a coffee with the respective trade, in a formal meeting with the site manager, or even through a more detailed analysis or expert report.
On my site, the tradespeople always referred to it as a “five-star construction site,” quote, because everyone was well taken care of and treated fairly. They also knew that I was on site frequently and for long periods (also due to self-performed work) and that I always asked very precise questions – questions I could only ask because they were dictated to me by a civil engineer who has been involved in construction sites for decades. For the people working on the trades, this wasn’t unpleasant at all – they immediately told their boss that here was a friendly but obviously highly knowledgeable client who wouldn’t be fooled. Whether the company cuts corners on other sites didn’t matter to me; what was important was that it didn’t happen, or happened very little, on mine. This was only possible thanks to expert support, because I myself had exactly zero technical expertise – I could only relay what the civil engineer had told me.
And to return to the crane: this was also an ongoing topic, along with the entire site setup and safety measures. What could become a problem for me, or at least initially end up on my desk, potentially putting me on the municipality’s blacklist. The professional can immediately see what is completely fine and what could become a legal issue.
Never again without such expert advice – even if I were living right next door and this was already my second build.
On my site, the tradespeople always referred to it as a “five-star construction site,” quote, because everyone was well taken care of and treated fairly. They also knew that I was on site frequently and for long periods (also due to self-performed work) and that I always asked very precise questions – questions I could only ask because they were dictated to me by a civil engineer who has been involved in construction sites for decades. For the people working on the trades, this wasn’t unpleasant at all – they immediately told their boss that here was a friendly but obviously highly knowledgeable client who wouldn’t be fooled. Whether the company cuts corners on other sites didn’t matter to me; what was important was that it didn’t happen, or happened very little, on mine. This was only possible thanks to expert support, because I myself had exactly zero technical expertise – I could only relay what the civil engineer had told me.
And to return to the crane: this was also an ongoing topic, along with the entire site setup and safety measures. What could become a problem for me, or at least initially end up on my desk, potentially putting me on the municipality’s blacklist. The professional can immediately see what is completely fine and what could become a legal issue.
Never again without such expert advice – even if I were living right next door and this was already my second build.
H
HeimatBauer1 Dec 2023 17:15And well beyond "crane pads must be compacted": If you search for "bf-koeln-einsaetze" and "Einsaetze 2013 10.10.2013 crane toppled Cologne Ehrenfeld Piusstr," that happened right outside my door, and I walked past that crane twice a day.
When our crane was dismantled on the construction site, I was truly relieved.
When our crane was dismantled on the construction site, I was truly relieved.
B
Bayernbors1 Dec 2023 17:33xMisterDx schrieb:
In my case, the electricians and plumbers did a poor job sealing where their cables and pipes passed through the vapor barrier. I then asked the drywall installer to fix this before the drywall went up, so it wouldn’t be hidden and impossible to fix later. I think a building inspector would catch such issues in time. At least the shell construction would be inspected before drywalling and plastering, along with the energy efficiency inspection and the blower door test.
But the real motivation here is to identify problems even earlier by making regular visits during the various construction phases, rather than only at three or four checkpoints, right?
HeimatBauer schrieb:
because a civil engineer who has been working on construction sites for decades instructed me. Do you think it works if the experienced civil engineer (who is not located in Germany) guides me without visiting the construction site personally? Or if the experienced civil engineer instructs another civil engineer who has only limited experience?
I mean that they guide us on what to watch for or what to verify and ask about.
If not, should I rely on a building inspector and arrange a detailed inspection plan?
H
HeimatBauer1 Dec 2023 17:43Of course, the value-added webcam construction supervisor has to be on site—that’s what we keep saying. His eyes are your eyes. He tells you what he sees.
Sure, you can send a building inspector on site every day. But that costs quite a bit.
If you send the inspector at the final inspection, they can only examine what’s visible then. Everything interesting will already be covered with plaster.
As I said, my supervisor noticed that the heat pump pipes had been forgotten. That was at a time when nothing was plastered yet, so it could be fixed fairly quickly. Of course, it would have been done eventually without this notice—just later, roughly and unattractively. For the forgotten photovoltaic conduit, they would have had to cut into the exterior facade. That’s possible, but not very nice.
Sure, you can send a building inspector on site every day. But that costs quite a bit.
If you send the inspector at the final inspection, they can only examine what’s visible then. Everything interesting will already be covered with plaster.
As I said, my supervisor noticed that the heat pump pipes had been forgotten. That was at a time when nothing was plastered yet, so it could be fixed fairly quickly. Of course, it would have been done eventually without this notice—just later, roughly and unattractively. For the forgotten photovoltaic conduit, they would have had to cut into the exterior facade. That’s possible, but not very nice.
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