Our Services
Building and Handover Inspections in Melbourne
We’re here to give you peace of mind that your new home is properly built!
Construction Inspection Services
We inspect all construction stages, for any type of building, including new homes, unit developments, and even extensions and renovations…
Unlike many of our competitors, our pricing is proudly displayed on our website, as we are always open with our customers, and want to show-off the value for money our customers receive… For more information on our pricing and bundle package deals, view our pricing page.
Although we can inspect the construction of your property at any stage, the stages we recommend you have inspected are listed below.
Pre Slab Pour
The Pre-Slab Pour Stage is an inspection of your home, immediately prior to pouring concrete, to ensure everything has been properly completed, ready for concrete to be installed.
This inspection is normally the afternoon prior to the concrete pour, and often uncovers several issues that can easily be rectifiedbefore the concrete is poured.
Once concrete has been poured, there is no way to know what issues exist in the structure, until it’s too late… Often there are numerous defects present in the steel and form work, and it is important to have them checked, as the building surveyor’s inspector often neglects to either detect or report on these issues. Our detailed inspection process will find the issues, to ensure your home is built on a solid base.
Frame Stage
Frame Stage is reached once the wall and roof frame has been fully completed. Often, the garage or other lower roof areas on double storey homes are not finished at frame stage, and need to be inspected at future stages.
At frame stage, the building surveyor’s inspector must attend to do a check of the house frame, and frequently approve frames with dozens of defects and incomplete areas. We are often astounded at the number of defects missed by these inspectors, and further troubled when the builder tries to hide behind an “approved” frame, when multiple issues are clearly documented.
All house frames must comply with the relevant Australian Standard, AS 1684 – Residential Timber-Framed Construction, as well as the NCC/BCA, and the engineer’s drawings. With so many areas of a frame to be checked, and many issues found to be defective on most homes, it is extremely important to have your frame properly checked.
Pre Plaster Stage
As the name suggests, this inspection immediately prior to the installation of plasterboard. The reason this stage is so important to inspect, is that it is the last chance to check the walls and roof frame prior to plaster.
After the builder has rectified any defects from frame stage, the services trades (plumbers, electricians and heating contractors etc) come through to install their wires and pipework, with little regard to the structure of the frame. Often these contractors damage the members in numerous areas, and then the walls (and the issues) are covered up with plaster, until they later become a problem for the home-owner. Also at this stage, the carpenter will come through to prepare (straighten) the walls and ceilings, so the plaster appears flat, and in doing so, often make damaging changes to the structure without consideration.
At this stage we also check that the frame defects are properly rectified, and ensure no new issues are present. You will need to inform your builder that the Pre Plaster Inspection should take place after services trades and insulation has been completed, but prior to plaster starting.
Fixing & Waterproofing
Fixing Stage & Waterproofing are essentially two separate stages of the build, that normally occur at the same time (or similar time)…
Fixing stage is reached when the doors and timber trims (architraves and skirting boards) are fitted, and the joinery has been installed (kitchen ,vanity and internal stairs etc…), which is just prior to painting. Fixing stage is often the last building progress payment prior to completion, and you will likely have paid 85% of the contract sum.
Waterproofing is the process of making the bathrooms, balconies and shower areas resistant to water ingress, to protect the sub-structure from leaks and rot. This is normally done using a painted on membrane, which forms a waterproof layer. The NCC/BCA (Building Code of Australia) requires that all wet areas be waterproofed in accordance with the relevant Australian Standard, AS 3740 – Waterproofing of Domestic Wet Areas, whereas balconies in accordance with AS 4654 – Waterproofing Membranes For External Above-Ground Use.
This will often be the first time the external areas can be properly checked, which we also do at this stage. This inspection should take place immediately prior to painting and tiling, so make sure you inform your builder that we need to inspect before these trades start, to ensure your home does not have water leaks.
Pre Handover
Once your new home has reached practical completion, the builder will contact you to arrange a Pre-Handover Inspection. This has many different names, and depending on your builder, may be called PCI (Practical Completion Inspection), or NHP (New Home Presentation), and several other names, but they all mean the exact same thing. Regardless of the name, it is essentially an opportunity to inspect your new home, and make the builder aware of any issues or defects you would like rectified before you settle and receive the keys to your new home.
At this stage your home may not necessarily be 100% complete, and may not even have a Certificate of Occupancy (known as ‘C of O’), however this inspection occurs because builder deems the house to be practically complete. During this inspection with your builder, it is your responsibility to identify all of the defects and quality issues throughout your new home, which is difficult for home-owners without extensive building knowledge of the standards, and what to look for…
To make it harder still, building supervisors have these handover inspections almost weekly, and know how to re-direct your attention away from issues, and keep you away from areas they know defects of quality issues exist.
A home is the biggest investment most people will ever make in their lifetime, and this is why independent quality inspections are so important. We are your insurance policy to ensure everything is built to the NCC’s Building Code of Australia, the numerous relevant Australian Standards, manufacturer’s guidelines, and to a proper workmanlike manner, so you get the quality you paid for, and expect for your new home.
Pre-Settlement
Our Pre-Settlement Inspection is identical to Pre-Handover, with the exception that Pre-Handover is for homes that you have had a builder build on your land, whereas Pre-Settlement is normally for off-the-plan purchases. This stage is relevant for any type of purchase, such as a single or double storey house, a unit or even a townhouse.
Pre-Settlement is essentially an opportunity to inspect your new home, and make the builder or developer aware of any issues or defects you would like rectified before you settle and receive the keys to your new property.
Maintenance & Warranty
In the months after handover once you’ve moved in, your new home will start to settle and perhaps there will be some movement, and several defects will become apparent (and many will not!).
Because of this fact, many builders have a Maintenance & Warranty period of somewhere between 3-12 months, where at the end of this time, the builder will meet you to inspect and discuss any problems or issues, and they will be addressed by the builder. This is the last time the builder will be interested in addressing any issues, therefore it is extremely important you properly identify any and all maintenance and warranty issues, so they can be rectified. When a home-owner presents their issues to the builder’s maintenance supervisor at these inspections, they are often told that it is not a warranty item, or that it is too hard or too disruptive to fix, therefore it usually doesn’t get properly fixed…
When you have an experienced, professional and completely independent quality inspector prepare a Maintenance & Warranty report for you, we can ensure that you are not misled about which items are the responsibility of the builder, and which are not.
We have completed countless Maintenance & Warranty Inspections throughout Melbourne and surrounding areas, and know where issues are likely to arise, and thoroughly inspect and document these issues and defects, so you have confidence that you can give your builder a proper list of outstanding problems, not just a partial list…
