Is membership in the Association of Private Builders worthwhile?

I had done that, in the middle of the last construction, and have now, in the middle of the current construction, canceled it. For the first construction, I took someone from the Verband Privater Bauherren along for the acceptance. He could see and point out a few minor things, but since it was already the final acceptance, almost everything was already done. Otherwise, as a layperson, you just leave the construction with a slightly better feeling if an architect has nodded and said "looks good."

For this construction, we didn't use it at all. The laid-back nature of our construction contract here in the countryside, where the clocks are known to tick differently, would not have fitted with the meticulous inspection by an expert, I'm pretty sure about that. We took that risk because we felt good about the contractor. But that certainly applies to very few construction contracts. However, with the Verband Privater Bauherren, you actually pay extra for everything you use, so today I don't really understand why we did it back then. For the second construction, we haven't used any of it so far.

We had thought about that before construction as well, but due to similar reports online, we decided to go for the construction legal protection instead, just in case it all goes completely wrong.

Yes, but then the horse has already bolted. I hope to avoid exactly that by hiring an expert at the right time, or at least significantly reduce the risk. As an additional tool, construction legal protection might still make sense.

Many former homeowners can also already break down a construction specification quite well into its components.

You’re wiser afterwards. But that doesn’t help me, and legally it’s not supported either.

If I decide on a small general contractor, I would always have the construction contract checked by a specialist lawyer. Most are willing to negotiate their fees.

OK, specialist lawyers are also available through the mentioned institutions. Whether they are any good probably depends on the individual.

By now, I would also obtain a credit report of the company I want to build with. Many already complain about lost contracts, etc. Finances can quickly go down the drain if someone continues living beyond their means.

Some even offer that on their own initiative. However, it only provides very limited information. On the one hand, it is a snapshot that can change within a few months. On the other hand, I pay only according to construction progress. Therefore, the risk is at least capped somewhere. But last but not least, my question was more about checking and securing quality or reviewing the paperwork beforehand.

I did that, in the middle of the last construction, and have now terminated it in the middle of the current construction. For the first construction, I took someone from the Association of Private Builders to the inspection. He was able to see and point out a few minor things, but since it was already the final inspection, almost everything was already closed up. Otherwise, as a layman, you leave the construction process with a slightly better feeling if an architect has at least nodded and said "looks good." For this construction, we didn't use it at all. The laid-back nature of our construction contract here in the countryside, where time is known to run differently, would not have been compatible with the meticulous examination by an expert, I am quite sure about that. We took the risk because we had a good feeling with the contractor. But that certainly applies to very few construction contracts. However, at the Association of Private Builders, you actually pay extra for everything you use, so I don’t quite understand anymore why we did that back then. We haven't used any of it for the second construction so far.

Thanks for the description! At the very end, of course, is a bit late.... Emotionally, you can of course quickly fall into the trap. I understand your concerns regarding loss of trust, but as long as one is not an expert oneself and considering the fact that all people make mistakes, there should be understanding on both sides for these measures. It is not only mistakes that are deliberately concealed, but also those that experts notice and others, for various reasons, do not.

By now, I would also obtain a credit report from the company I want to build with. Many are already complaining about lost contracts, etc. Finances can quickly become precarious if one continues to live beyond their means.

Credit reports are helpful, but the completion bond remains important.

We took the risk because we had a good feeling about the contractor.

Unfortunately, contractors of the type "honorable horse trader, to your satisfaction" are rare.

On the other hand, I only pay according to progress. So the risk is at least limited somewhere.

Be careful, don't confuse payment with due date!

But last but not least, my question was rather about checking and securing quality or reviewing the paperwork in advance.

You are awfully far from Mainz in Brandenburg, but at least I would warmly recommend considering Mrs. Reibold-Rolinger’s builder’s license in your position.

I’m sure I’ve already mentioned that I am not the only independent building advisor.

I decided against an expert witness based on experience in my circle of acquaintances.

Two acquaintances had one and the most frequent statement was probably:
"Yeah, it's not 100%, but no one will correct it anymore (can anymore)..."
That for a few thousand EUR... well.

One of them, by the way, has water damage in the guest bathroom... the expert witness couldn't foresee that either.

Especially since there is always the question of whether you are willing to accept the consequences.
If you report defects, the first reaction will usually be "No, we did it right..."
Then construction stands still for clarification at first.
We couldn't afford it anyway, it's already become pretty tight financially.

So just hope to get a house with minor defects...

PS:
Although I also have an acquaintance who largely built his house himself and comes from a technical/craft background, so I'm not completely devoid of any technical understanding.
Anyone who sits in an office clicking together Excel spreadsheets all day should probably get help. No idea.

It was meant to say that you surely have friends and acquaintances with whom you can discuss the topic of construction specification. I did not assume that you draw on construction knowledge from a previous life. What you actually want then is an independent expert who supervises the construction from the beginning. Unfortunately, "expert" is not a protected professional title, and in the worst case, you just get another "mouth" you have to feed. We pay our expert around €200 per hour, but he is officially appointed and sworn in. What he says to the contractor also holds legal ground if necessary. However, having him do the entire construction supervision would cost five digits. Unfortunately, we had to commission him halfway through. By now, I believe the ABC is the preliminary work, i.e., the planning, choosing a reputable contractor, and the agreements in the construction specification as well as in the contract. That keeps most troubles away. The expert is not on the construction site eight hours every day and therefore can only react when the damage (usually) has already been done. I fully understand your intention; we were facing no other decision. Today we are wiser. Although our general contractor has a perfect reputation, we experienced some serious blunders, and the household peace is somewhat disturbed. Today we would wish we had secured ourselves "even better" against him. Ultimately, it is all a matter of risk management. 1. Avoid risks 2. Minimize risk 3. Spread risk 4. Insure risks