Traveling during the construction phase?

For us, it is quite pleasant in that our vacation falls into the screed drying phase. I don't think we would miss much - except for shock ventilation. We might occasionally have to send parents-in-law or neighbors through the construction site.

During the shell construction and foundation slab pouring, my goal would be to check things every day, take measurements, and if necessary, tidy up or appease the neighbors. It's really fascinating how some craftsmen expand in all directions - even beyond property boundaries. Especially because it can happen that they put up the entire shell in those three weeks.

Walks, eating ice cream, grilling on the property, spending time with the kids, watching construction workers - all of that is vacation too, isn't it? I would probably tend to want to go away as well, but rather not in the most exciting phase: the start of the shell construction.

1. Photos serve documentation purposes
2. craftsmen want to see the builders
3. there are always things to clarify
GU, BL up and down

I was on the construction site twice a day

It's not that we never want/will show up there, but rather about when the phase begins in which you should be on site..

As long as the excavator is doing the earthworks and the civil engineering people are fiddling around, do I really have to be on site?

But why not 1.5-2 weeks. Especially since a lot shifts during construction

Because we want to visit the family abroad and the journey is further away.

It's a strange feeling, but it went smoothly. However, my parents live near the construction site and the neighbor sent photos diligently

My brother lives near the property and they are not traveling this year, I will also ask him to check daily.

The construction site is nothing? Do you want to go on vacation now or later? That can’t really be read out

Of course the construction site is not nothing, but the question is, from when is the construction site at a point where I as the builder should be present?

Already when they are still working with the excavator inside the foundations?

The period would be end of July to mid-August. Possible start of construction could be end of June.

Why do you ask? It already has been decided, right?

Because I am trying to find out in which phase one could still go away without somehow hindering one’s own construction.

No, nothing has been decided yet. I have booked nothing and have not made other plans either. However, I feel it more and more daily, especially for our daughter. She hasn’t seen her grandma for 3 years and hasn’t seen the rest of the family (on her father’s side) either. And since she is of school age, we can only travel during the holidays.

but rather not during the most exciting phase: start of the shell construction.

So I would have to find out roughly when the shell construction could begin.

Or can we just drive away without worry?

I asked the site manager and he just said "go ahead" :)

How did you solve that?

I would never do that.
For the site manager it might be more pleasant if the client doesn’t look over his shoulder, but I would rather give up the vacation for one year. Unless you have someone in the family who checks the construction daily and can reach you 24/7.

For me, even that wouldn’t be a solution, since I couldn’t enjoy my vacation in peace.

A small example: Once the wall is plastered, it’s hard to see the masonry and you’re building the house for eternity.

I believe no outsider can answer that for you.
In the end, it depends on how much you want to trust your site manager and the construction company, and how closely you want to keep an eye on things. During our construction phase, we were there about once or twice a week at the beginning, later during the finishing work rather more often, even daily.
Back then, many other builders told us "how can you manage with just going once a week?" - it really depends on the personality.

As a layperson, would you see or recognize if something was done wrong during the excavation of the foundation pit or the staking out? Personally, I wouldn’t. I had the same feeling with the masonry work. Still, I wanted to be on site now and then to look around and take photos. Building is quite an adventure, and I wanted to miss as little as possible.
So the question is: does it bother you to miss a few weeks of your construction project and possibly not be able to check what’s going on?
And could you relax on vacation if you occasionally get called with questions?
With 3 weeks, you should also consider that important correspondence might pile up during that time and not be processed. Applications / signatures / interim invoices. Our site manager wanted the interim invoice paid within 7 days after completion of a construction phase. If you are away for 3 weeks, you risk getting a reminder.

Best regards

For the site manager, it might be more pleasant if the client doesn’t watch over their shoulder, but I would rather give up one year of vacation. Unless you have someone in the family who checks the construction site daily and can reach you 24/7.

For me, even that would not be a solution, since I couldn’t enjoy my vacation in peace.

I claim that we could enjoy it, but maybe I can say that now because nothing else has happened yet :)

The availability is not a problem for me, meaning that someone calls me or so. But I probably have to reflect on it again and think about it more carefully.

So the question is: Does it bother you to miss a few weeks of your construction project and possibly not be able to monitor what is going on?
And could you relax on vacation if you are occasionally called for questions?
With 3 weeks, it also has to be considered that important correspondence might pile up during that time and not be processed. Applications / signatures / interim invoices. Our site manager wanted the interim invoice paid within 7 days after a construction progress was completed. If you are away for 3 weeks, you risk a reminder notice.

Honestly, I don’t know if it would bother me. The occasional questions would not bother me, but the objection about the correspondence and the invoices to be paid is absolutely justified and I have completely left that out so far!

I guess I really have to think again whether taking the vacation is a good idea!

I would not have gone on vacation for 3 weeks.
We were away for 1 week, but only 2.5 hours by car from the construction site in a holiday apartment.