Owner's Representative for
high-quality interior fit-out.
An independent voice on the buyer's side of major Munich renovations and high-end fit-out projects. Without ties to general contractors, designers, or any individual trade.
One person whose only loyalty is to you.
In a high-end renovation, most owners navigate a chain of architects, general contractors, subcontractors, and authorities — with no professional advocate in their corner. That is exactly the role of the Owner's Representative: your single point of accountability across the entire project, paid to protect your interests and no one else's.
We make the daily operational decisions — and there are thirty of them. We review every invoice, every quote, every drawing, before they reach your desk. We communicate in your name with designers, contractors, property managers, and authorities. You retain the strategic decisions — and your weekends.
In English-speaking markets, the role is well established. For our international clients in Munich, the same role is what bridges between Anglo-Saxon construction expectations and German trade practice — without you having to learn the German construction industry on the job.
What an Owner's Representative does — in detail- Instead of
- General contractor with self-interest
- You get
- an independent fiduciary on your side
- Instead of
- Percentage of construction value
- You get
- a fixed fee, agreed in advance
- Instead of
- Ties to specific trades or brands
- You get
- an open network of the best craftsmen
You've taken the role.
Now you need a home.
A new city. A new language. A construction system that operates differently from London, New York, Hong Kong, or Singapore. We are the German-speaking partner who runs your renovation, so you don't have to learn the German construction industry on the job.
For our international clients, every report and every key communication can be in English. The trades stay in German — that is the language they work in — but you stay informed in your preferred one.
Six things about German construction you would not expect.
There is rarely a general contractor.
In most high-quality renovations, the client (or their representative) directly contracts each trade — joinery, electric, plumbing, masonry, painting, lighting, etc. — separately. There are typically twelve to sixteen contracts in a single project. We assemble and manage them.
VAT is 19 % on top.
All German prices for residential work include or add 19 % value-added tax. Whether quotes are net or gross is something you need to confirm explicitly. We always run budgets twice — gross and net — so the comparison is fair.
Permits depend on what you change.
Pure interior renovations rarely need building permits, but anything touching the exterior, the structure, or even certain interior partitions can. Listed buildings (Denkmalschutz) add another layer. We handle the assessment in the first week.
Warranty periods are generous — and enforceable.
German law gives you four years' warranty on building work, and five years for major construction. This is enforced. The flip side: trades are conservative and document everything. The handover documentation is more substantial than in most other markets.
Lead times for premium materials are long.
Stone, custom joinery, hand-workshopd metals, restoration work — the masters who do this work do not stock. Lead times of six to twelve months are normal at the top end. Project planning needs to absorb this.
The best craftsmen do not advertise.
Premium joiners, stone masons, restorers and lighting designers in the German-speaking world rarely have polished websites. They run on referrals. Without a network, a foreign buyer cannot reach them. Our network exists.
Munich. And the area around it.
Our home base is Munich. We know the districts, the property managers, the building authorities, and — most importantly — the craftsmen. Schwabing, Lehel, Bogenhausen, Maxvorstadt, Altstadt, Grünwald, Pullach, Starnberg. From the city centre to the surrounding area, we run premium fit-out projects with the same depth of attention.
We don't name clients. We do explain the work.
Discretion matters in the premium segment. Many of our clients value confidentiality — for good reason. Instead of showing names or addresses, we describe the kinds of problems we solve and how.
i.An expat family arrives in Munich — apartment finished while they were still in London→ ii.A late-19th-century apartment in Munich-Lehel with original stucco ceilings→ iii.A penthouse fit-out in Bogenhausen — from the developer shell up→Eight materials.
Eight masters.
A premium fit-out is not a furniture plan. It is the precise interplay of wood, stone, metal, glass, textile, leather, concrete, and light — and the people who truly master these materials.
We have visited eight of the finest craftsmen in the German-speaking world and documented their work. The result became a book — and the most important part of our network.
The eight materialsI'm not hired to add another voice to the project. I'm hired to remove the project from my client's daily concerns.
Martin BauerWhat international clients most often ask.
What is an Owner's Representative?
An Owner's Representative is an independent fiduciary on the buyer's side of a construction or renovation project. They make day-to-day operational decisions, review every invoice, every drawing, every quote, and communicate in your name with designers, contractors, and authorities. They have no economic ties to the trades and earn a fixed fee — not a percentage of the construction value.
What does an Owner's Representative cost in Munich?
We work on a fixed fee, agreed before the project begins. The amount is calibrated to project size, complexity, and duration. Unlike percentage-based models, you know upfront what our involvement costs — and we have no economic interest in seeing the construction budget grow. The typical range is discussed in our first call.
From what project size do you work?
Our involvement makes sense from a construction value of around €500,000 upward. Below that, the cost of professional Owner's Representative services is rarely justified by the value created. Typical projects are full renovations, penthouses, town villas, and second homes.
Do you work outside Munich?
Yes. Our clients live in Munich, but life is rarely confined to one place. We manage interior fit-out projects at the Bavarian Lakes (Ammersee, Tegernsee, Starnberger See, Chiemsee), in the Alps (especially Kitzbühel and Tirol), on the Balearic Islands, and in Tuscany. On permanent relocation, we also follow clients to Zürich, Vienna, or London.
Can you communicate in English with German trades?
The trades work in German — that's the language of the craftsmen. But you stay informed in English. All weekly reports, key documents, and our personal communication with you can be in English. We translate between the two worlds. Many of our clients have moved to Munich from London, New York, Hong Kong, or Singapore, and have run renovations entirely without learning German technical vocabulary.
What is the difference between you and a general contractor?
A general contractor delivers a finished result for a price they themselves quote. They have an economic interest in keeping their margin. We are independent of the trades. Our role is to ensure your interests are protected — commercially, technically, and organisationally — across the entire project. A general contractor is sometimes part of a project; we are always on your side.
How quickly can you start?
From first call to project kickoff, we usually need one to two weeks. The first call typically happens within a few days of you contacting us. If your project has a tight timeline, this can usually be accommodated — but we don't take projects we can't run properly.
Let's talk
about your project.
Pick whichever feels right.