Hire construction experts

A few keywords and my thoughts on them:

Is a former construction manager

Publicly appointed and sworn expert

First of all, the clueless client needs a generalist who takes him by the hand, translates the construction and service description, and correctly classifies the events during the construction. IMHO, the "former construction manager" (*) can cover this better than an expert who can always only be an expert.

In case of doubt, the generalist should of course recognize whether it is necessary to bring in an expert after all (for the affected trade). This expert then comes in punctually, writes his report, etc.

* By the way, we also had someone like that, retired but active, has time, doesn’t cost that much, tons of experience, pragmatic.

A couple of keywords and my thoughts on them:



First, the clueless client needs a generalist who takes him by the hand, translates the construction and performance description, and correctly classifies the events during construction. IMHO, this can be better covered by the "former site manager" (*) than by an expert who can always only be a specialist.

What is the basis for this claim? The experts I have dealt with so far have been or have worked for many years as architects...so by profession they already have a lot of practical experience in construction supervision and, by the way, also a good overview of contract issues, standards, aRdT etc....in other words, what you demand from generalists like your "site manager" (an unprotected term, so it could also be a butcher's clerk by training)... no, I prefer to trust a solid, thorough professional education AND years of experience. But each to their own...

Ours is an independent, publicly appointed expert. He is considered fair, solution-oriented, and professionally competent. He is an architect with many years of professional experience.
If someone has been a construction manager, it very much depends on what they have done before. For example, our project manager from the general contractor is a trained carpenter. He knows what he is doing, but he quickly reaches his limits as soon as, for example, the electrical work goes in-depth.
A true generalist who knows all trades is needed. It is about recognizing errors that specialists unintentionally make or because it has always been done that way.
I see experts as a quality-improving measure.

What is the basis for this claim?

Take it easy, it is an opinion. I have no objections to hiring an expert with proven expertise (e.g. for sound and thermal insulation, that is important). I just mean that he (or she) might then cost 120 euros/hour, net, and be very busy and perhaps not very keen on watching people’s fingers on site while the foundation slab is being poured. Hence the idea to take a practically minded generalist for construction supervision and then (only) call in the appropriate specialized expert as needed. Which expert from which field would you recommend for the entire construction project?

Take it slow, it’s an opinion. ...

Which expert from which field would you recommend for the entire construction project?

All good, it was actually a question of understanding, not an attack. Maybe it came across the wrong way. Sorry.

The issue with the "construction manager" was just important for me to convey.

As hydee also wrote, a (practicing) architect with long professional experience would be my choice. Found, in my case, not at Otto.de, but at the Association of Private Builders. You can certainly find them elsewhere as well, for example at the Builders' Association or the Chamber of Architects. For very specific questions, e.g. specific roof construction issues, I would choose a certified expert from the roofing trade. But the questions have to be very specific then, because I myself have the feeling, even with our architect we are building with, that besides many years of professional experience, during which he has seen quite a bit, he also has the professional/theoretical foundation of a degree. And that definitely puts him ahead of the perhaps very experienced, talented lateral entrant (construction manager).

With both, you can strike out, but with the certified expert (as an architect) I think the probability is lower. That’s how I would see it.

The building expert from [Verband Privater Bauherren] told me (by phone): NORMALLY 3 to 4 inspections of 2 to 3 hours each during the construction phase and one final acceptance plus the first appointment for contract review (before signing) costs around 4000 €. Has anyone perhaps had the same experience with [Verband Privater Bauherren]? To me, everything seems either too few visits or too high a price!