Change construction manager. What must be considered/kept in mind?

Hello everyone,

we are building our house with a planning office/site manager, similar to working with an architect. We haven’t really even started yet and there have already been some negative events. Maybe we are also seeing it a bit too critically. We also have some understanding that the site manager follows his standard procedure, but some things simply don’t meet our expectations.

Now the question is whether we can change the site manager and what consequences we have to expect. So far we have been paying according to progress (50%, building application, …) and the next step would be site management. Since not much has really been done here yet, that would be the right time. The question now is what we should keep in mind and consider, or if this can be done without any problems if the new site manager takes over the plans without any issues.

We don’t want to change yet, but we want to know our options in order to make a better decision.

Oh man...

What exactly happened to properly assess the situation? What does the contract say about terminations?

Contract? There isn’t one. We have a cost estimate and then it started. In other words, when the plans were finished, an invoice was issued, when the building application was submitted, etc. Everything is going pretty well so far. In general, it fits and we don’t necessarily want to change, because you never know how the new one will be. So first, we want to check the options.

I don’t want to ramble, but one trade was significantly over the estimate. He said he was still looking for alternatives, but time passed and nothing happened. We even got recommendations through acquaintances, but they were only contacted after repeated inquiries and then their schedules were full. Now that the decision slowly has to be made, I searched myself and it’s not easy this late. Nevertheless, we received an offer that fits the budget. We wanted to clarify whether we would award the contract because time is pressing, but I couldn’t reach the site manager and now he is on vacation.

We feel that there is a lot going on right now and some things fall through the cracks. We always have to follow up again and again. But if it costs us time and money, it’s unpleasant. Sometimes there is a reaction instead of action and we have already heard the sentence: Now it’s too late. We also have to discuss a lot when we want to deviate from the standard procedure. Phrases like "We have always done it this way and it works" I hear more often. Especially in areas where I know my way around and know that it is unnecessary or not optimal, it naturally makes me suspect that it is similar in other trades. Our feeling(!) tells us that people are cautious here and never change a running system. If the roof, for example, has always been built this way, why should it be built differently now? For one trade, I know 100% that some things are not necessary for us. But they should still be carried out. It doesn’t do any harm and the site manager is on the safe side here, because if something is missing, he could get into trouble. So just do it.