Is a lightning rod still needed?

If he hadn't been there, our house would probably have been hit. And we are not particularly exposed, nor is our house very tall.

And so you were not affected, i.e. the crane remained stable - can you see any damage on it?

No, nothing happened to us. Not even a surge damage, but the house opposite can dispose of a few electrical appliances.

Directly at the crane, nothing seems to be broken, but the construction power box apparently looked very bad.

In the construction area where we will be building, lightning struck the chimney of a 5-year-old house the week before last. According to the newspaper, about 900 euros in damage, but the residents are in shock.

With only 900 EUR damage, it was a lucky escape. It can happen, and I know of several cases in the immediate vicinity where lightning struck and then the roof burned down. Even if the house is supposedly saved afterward, several thousand liters of firefighting water are used. After the fire damage, the actual damage comes with the water damage. After that, the house is usually uninhabitable for 3-12 months if it was saved, and presumably many personal belongings are lost.

I therefore find a lightning rod quite sensible; otherwise, there is no way to protect yourself against this risk. But I also find it absolutely stupid to build in flood zones, yet many people still do... The house then just gets washed away every 10-20 years.

What objectively speaks against an external lightning protection?

The question is also, what does it cost?

We are asking ourselves the same question right now. How much does an effective lightning protection system ([Blitzableiter]) cost me, and does it even make sense? We are building with reinforced concrete and it feels like there is so much steel in it that, in the event of a direct strike, the current should actually be safely conducted away?!