Construction Support for Private Clients
You are building a house — perhaps for the first time — and wonder who is actually checking your builder’s work? That is what I am here for: an independent professional at your side, representing your interests, not the contractor’s.
On equal terms with your builder
Builders and trades are professionals — as a private client, you usually are not. That imbalance costs private building projects money and nerves every year. I level it: with trade apprenticeships as a parquet layer and carpenter, as a state-certified construction technician, and with more than 25 years in construction — six of them on the general contractor side. I see on your site what the paperwork does not show — and I tell you directly, in plain language.
The quality of advice is measured by its independence: I am not selling you a building — I am checking one. And I check plans for buildability before the first excavator arrives.
You commission exactly as much support as you need: a single review, targeted visits, or ongoing supervision of your project. Billed transparently by day rate or hourly.
Service areas
Site monitoring
I check execution and progress on your new build or refurbishment — regularly, independently, documented.
Quote review
I review builders’ and trades’ quotes for completeness, plausibility and hidden gaps — before you sign.
Invoice review
I check interim and final invoices against the work actually performed. You pay for what was built — not what is claimed.
Acceptance support
I stand by your side at acceptance so defects are named and recorded while you still have leverage.
Site management
On request I run your project’s site management completely — from tendering and award to the last defect resolved.
Building specification review
I review your developer’s or builder’s building specification for gaps and vague wording — before they turn into expensive surprises.
Construction schedule check
Is the promised completion date realistic? I check the construction schedule for feasibility and show you where it gets tight.
Change order support
When the builder submits change orders, I review reason, scope and price — so you don’t pay for what was already included.
Contract model consulting
Individual trade contracts, general contractor or turnkey? I work out with you which model fits your project — before contracts are signed. The choice of model decides costs, control and your role in the project.
Typical situations
- You want someone independent checking on your site regularly.
- A quote looks cheap — but you cannot judge what is missing.
- The developer hands you a building specification. What it leaves out, you would otherwise only discover on site.
- The contract is about to be signed — individual trades, general contractor or turnkey contractor, and nobody explains the difference.
- The completion date you were promised sounds good. Whether it holds, nobody will say.
- An interim invoice seems high.
- Variation claims come in, and the reasoning does not convince you.
- Little has happened on site for weeks — and you get no clear answer.
- Acceptance is coming up and you don’t want to miss anything.
- Contract model and procurement route — The choice determines cost, control and your role. It is made before anything is built.
- Scope of works — What the specification does not name is not ordered.
- Schedule and deadlines — A date in the contract is not yet a date on site.
- Payment plan — Interim payments should follow progress on site, not the calendar.
- Variation claims — Every claim needs three answers: why, how much — and wasn’t it already ordered?
- Quality on site — Defects are cheap while they are still visible. Once covered up, they cost a multiple.
- Interfaces between the trades — Things go wrong where nobody feels responsible.
- Acceptance — What is not recorded here is hard to claim later.
- Documentation — What counts in the end is what you hold in your hands — not what was discussed.
For new-build and refurbishment projects in Berlin, its surrounding area and Hamburg.
References
- Façade and roof refurbishment, Berlin — tendering, award and site management on behalf of the owners’ association
- Detached house in Marzahn — tendering, award and construction supervision (stages 6–8) on behalf of the architecture practice
All references · About me: from the trades to site management
Let’s talk about your project
The fastest way is a phone call — or request a free initial consultation.