Brandenburg Building Regulations / July 1, 2016 - Structural verification engineer no longer required

With the new building regulations effective from July 1st, the obligation to commission a structural engineer for residential buildings of building classes 1 and 2 is eliminated. Since this is already being practiced in several federal states, I wonder how to deal with this situation. Did you still have the foundation slab, masonry, roof frame, and roof covering inspected? If yes, by a certified structural engineer or a construction supervisor? I am aware that the structural integrity is not trivial and that one might be saving in the wrong place if it is not properly checked. So what is a sensible approach here?

In NRW, there is even consideration to reintroduce the inspection requirement for single- and two-family houses, which I can only support. I would definitely recommend commissioning the preparer of the structural analysis with the acceptance of all relevant components (foundation, ceilings, roof structure). It is not uncommon for the execution to be faulty. It starts with the foundation, e.g. with reinforcing steel that partially lies on or in the gravel without concrete cover.... and it ends with the roof structure. Of course, one could also use a construction supervisor, but he might first have to familiarize himself with the structural analysis, and not every construction supervisor is familiar with it. The preparer knows exactly which points he has to pay attention to.

Great, even more costs...

I would definitely recommend commissioning the preparer of the structural analysis to carry out the acceptance of all relevant components (foundation, ceilings, roof structure).

Who exactly is the preparer? The construction company? They would directly charge me for this acceptance. Then I could just as well commission an independent structural engineer for peace of mind. Or did you mean something different?

The preparer of the structural analysis, that is the structural engineer himself.
You can also commission him with building inspections.
So basically what the inspector does, among other things.
It is mainly about supervising the construction execution.

The review structural engineer does a few other things as well – and is especially independent from the structural engineer...

Therefore, your tip would be rendered absurd. For a single-family house, such a review structural engineer is already very exaggerated and increases the costs without much benefit.