Specify the inspection service
Ask whether the engineer will attend during construction, what stages they will inspect and what written record you will receive. A limited inspection is not continuous supervision: the engineer cannot observe every operation or take over the builder's responsibility for workmanship simply by visiting. [3]
Useful appointment questions include whether visits are scheduled or requested as needed, how much notice is required, and whether follow-up checks are included. Ask the engineer to identify any work they need to see before it becomes concealed.
Coordinate with building control
Building-control inspections follow the work's relevant stages. For an extension these can include foundations before concrete is poured and structural elements before covering. The inspection programme should be agreed with the building-control body, rather than inferred from the engineer's visit schedule. [4]
For projects outside the higher-risk-building regime, the building-control body can be the council or a registered building control approver. Their role is distinct from that of the designer engaged by the owner. Ask each party what evidence it needs and who will arrange the appointments. [2]
What an inspection can establish
The Construction Industry Council distinguishes inspections by their purpose and agreed brief: the service and report should answer a defined question. [1]
Before the visit, ask what needs to be exposed and what the report will cover. Afterwards, request a clear account of anything that could not be checked and any further investigation recommended.
For a steel installation, for example, the beam is not the only relevant item. Supporting masonry, bearings and any padstones form part of the arrangement; subsequent fire protection must also be correctly installed. Photographing the beam label alone does not document all those details. [5]
What happens when the work differs?
Ask the contractor to refer departures from the design back to the designer before proceeding. England's building-regulations guidance places compliance and coordination duties on both designers and contractors. An inspection does not make an unreviewed substitution acceptable. [6]
Keep a simple record of the issue, the designer's response, the revised detail and the confirmation that corrective work has been completed. Where work is already covered, ask what evidence or opening-up is necessary rather than requesting an unconditional retrospective letter.
Build a clear handover record
Request the final structural drawings and calculations, agreed amendments, inspection reports and any remaining recommendations. Separately obtain the building-control completion documentation applicable to the chosen route. Do not describe a design calculation, a site note or an invoice as a completion certificate.
Temporary supports have their own inspection and release requirements. HSE's guidance explains that planning their use includes checking completion, authorising loading and coordinating removal. Ask who is responsible for those decisions; the permanent-works engineer is not automatically the temporary-works supervisor. [7]