Ben Alders – Independent Building Consultancy & Owner's Representation on Mallorca

01The starting point

If you live 1,800 km away, you need someone who looks closely – on site.

Buying, building or renovating on Mallorca works differently from what you are used to at home – and the differences cost money when nobody on your side knows them.

Buyers rely on the estate agent, who lives off closing the sale. Building owners rely on architects whose project management is often thin and who don't always know the municipal normativa in detail. And if you are not on the island permanently, you only hear about problems once fixing them has become expensive.

That is exactly the gap I close: as an independent technical consultant and owner's representative – paid only by you, accountable only to you.

1.1

Before and during the purchase

Damp walls, illegal extensions, a missing cédula (habitability certificate) or other hidden defects – what the agent doesn't mention often stays undiscovered until the purchase contract is signed. A technical inspection and a fact-check before you sign cost a fraction of the possible follow-up costs.

1.2

When building & renovating

Quotes without a bill of quantities, deadlines without commitment, invoices without evidence. Without someone standing on the site every week and steering the trades, the builder decides alone.

1.3

Energy & technology

PV, batteries, heat pumps, wells, water treatment: installers sell what they have on the shelf. Whether poorly insulated air-conditioning lines or a condensate drain that was never connected – without proper supervision of the contractors, the weak spots behind the wall cladding only surface once the warranty has expired. A manufacturer-independent concept saves more over its lifetime than it costs.

02Services

Three pillars – one point of contact.

Clearly defined service packages instead of vague consulting. Every service comes with a written report, photo documentation and a clear recommendation – in English or German.

02.A – Before and during the purchase

Technical purchase inspection

An independent assessment of the property before you sign. You learn what you are buying – not what the brochure promises.

Preliminary check of whether rural plots can fundamentally be serviced and built on
Walk-through covering structure, roof, damp, electrics and installations
Plausibility check: permitted state vs. actual state (extensions, pool, conversions)
Renovation cost estimate as a basis for negotiation
Written inspection report with photo documentation
Where legally relevant: involvement of a cooperating arquitecto técnico

For prospective buyers
Fixed price by property size

02.B – During your project

Owner's representation & trade management

I represent your interests towards the architect, aparejador (the Spanish site supervisor) and trades – as your technical eyes and voice on site.

Tendering, quote comparison and award recommendation
Regular site inspections with photo and status reports
Quality, schedule and cost tracking; invoice checks before release
Coordination and management of the trades, defect management through to acceptance
Critical review of planning and normativa claims – doubts are documented and verified by colegiados

For building owners & renovators
Monthly retainer by project phase

02.C – Energy & technology

Off-grid & energy planning

Manufacturer-independent concepts for power, heat and water – up to full self-sufficiency. Proven on my own project.

Demand analysis and sizing: PV, storage, heat pump, backup
Concepts for off-grid fincas: island systems, wells, water treatment, cisterns
Tendering and review of installers' quotes – technically, not just on price
Support through installation, commissioning and legalisation
Smart-home and remote-monitoring concepts for non-residents

For owners & builders
Fixed-price concept + optional support

03Process

How we work together.

03.1

First consultation

Free of charge, by video or on site. We clarify your plans, the timeline and whether I am the right fit.

03.2

Proposal

A written fixed-price proposal with a clearly defined scope. No open-ended hourly rates without a cap.

03.3

Execution

Inspection, project support or concept – with regular reports that keep you up to date from abroad.

03.4

Result

A documented conclusion: report, recommendation, acceptance protocol. On request, I stay involved afterwards – for maintenance and later alterations.

04About me

Engineer. Building owner. Your man on site.

Benjamin Alders, building consultant on Mallorca

Benjamin Alders · Dipl.-Ing. (FH), MBA

I am a mechanical engineer with an MBA, a trained automotive electrician, and have spent 14 years as a systems engineer in complex technical projects. But what qualifies me for the work as an independent building consultant and owner's representative I didn't learn in a lecture hall – I learned it on my own building sites.

In Germany, I gut-renovated an apartment building and managed it myself. On Mallorca, I renovated a townhouse from 1900 largely with my own hands – plastering, microcement, tiling, bathroom, electrics. I am currently planning our own new-build finca: fully off-grid, from the permit to the plant room. I know the Spanish building process not from brochures, but from my own expediente.

When buying our own plot, I viewed several dozen properties and dug deep into the Spanish normativa on buildability. I know what may be built where, I know the estate agents' tricks – and I fact-check their claims before you sign.

What you get from me: an engineer's structure, German-grade documentation, hands-on understanding of every trade – and independence from anyone who wants to sell you something. I work with you in English or German and negotiate on site in Spanish.

Own project · Germany

Apartment building, gut renovation

Complete gut renovation of an apartment building including electrics, bathrooms and layout changes – followed by several years of self-management.

Role: owner, planning, own work, management

Own project · Felanitx

Townhouse from 1900, renovation

Renovation of a Mallorcan townhouse largely done hands-on: plaster, microcement, tiling, bathroom installation, electrics – in ongoing coordination with local trades and authorities.

Role: owner, project management, execution

Own project · In permitting

New-build finca, fully off-grid

New build on rural land with self-sufficient supply: PV with storage, water concept, backup. Currently in the permitting phase – documented from the first sketch to the licencia.

Role: owner, energy concept, permitting process

05Clear roles

What I am

Your independent technical consultant and owner's representative
An inspector with an engineer's eye and hands-on experience in every trade
Manager and controller of architects, aparejadores and trades – on your behalf
A local expert on the property market and the normativa – I know what is permitted where, and which rules affect your specific property
A translator between your expectations and Spanish building practice

What I am not

Not an arquitecto or arquitecto técnico – services reserved for those professions (dirección de obra, court-proof damage surveys, cédula certificates) I do not provide myself
Not an estate agent and not a developer – I am not selling you anything
Not a substitute for legal advice – for that I work with lawyers and gestorías

Where an official signature is required, I work with cooperating colegiados (arquitectos técnicos, ingenieros) – while you keep a single point of contact: me.

06Contact

Tell me about your project.

The first consultation is free and non-binding – by video or on site on Mallorca.

E-mailinfo@benalders.com

Phone+34 619 456 597

WhatsAppFor quick questions and photos, feel free to use WhatsApp.
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