Frame Stage Inspection
The frame stage is the last time your home’s structure is fully visible. Don‘t miss your chance to check the frame before it is sealed behind plaster and cladding.
A frame stage inspection is an independent check of your new home’s frame, carried out once the wall and roof framing is complete, after the pre-slab pour and before plaster, cladding and other linings are installed. It is a careful check of the structural skeleton of your home, while every stud, brace, beam and truss is still open to view. This is one of the most important building inspections during construction, because the frame carries the entire house. With 25+ years of experience and thousands of new home frame inspections completed, Correct Inspections are the experts you want checking your frame before it is covered.
You may hear this stage called by different names. Your builder or your contract may refer to it as frame stage, and the check itself is also known as a frame inspection or a timber frame inspection. These all describe the same milestone.
A frame stage inspection is generally carried out once the wall and roof frame has been completed. The windows may or may not be installed at this point, and we can inspect the frame with or without them in place. Once the plaster and linings go on, much of the frame is hidden from view, so this is the time to check it properly.
Don’t leave your biggest investment to chance. Even experienced builders can make mistakes, and identifying framing defects at this stage can help avoid costly repairs later. While the building surveyor carries out the required frame inspection, an independent frame stage inspection provides an additional level of scrutiny before the frame is covered.
The Correct Inspections Package
Here’s what you can expect from the diligent Correct Inspections team:
- Comprehensive site inspections: Thorough, independent checks of all wall framing, bracing, trusses, and structural steel before defects are covered up.
- Same-day digital reports: Detailed, easy-to-understand reports with photographs, emailed to you the same day as the inspection.
- Honest and upfront pricing: A transparent quote, tailored to your home, with no hidden fees.
Why choose Correct Inspections?
Registered and insured.
Registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly Victorian Building Authority), and fully insured.
Detailed reports.
We send our reports the same day, within just hours of the inspection.
Experienced.
25+ years of expertise, with thousands of new home construction phase inspections completed.
Fair pricing.
A sensible cost for the size of the decision, with fast, free quotes.
What We Check at Frame Stage
Some of the most common problems we find at frame stage are walls overhanging the concrete slab, roof trusses that are not properly supported on the walls, and walls installed out of plumb. Because the frame sits directly on your slab, our frame stage inspection also includes a concrete slab inspection for level, cracking, exposed steel and overhangs.
All house frames must comply with the relevant Australian Standard, AS 1684 Residential Timber-Framed Construction, along with the National Construction Code’s Building Code of Australia and the engineer’s drawings. With so many areas where a frame can be defective, it is important to have it thoroughly and properly checked.
The specific components we inspect at the frame stage include:
- concrete slab for level, cracking, exposed steel and overhangs
- wall framing, including all elements
- all bracing required by AS 1684 and the engineer’s drawings
- window openings
- any structural steel
- all beam and bracket connections
- floor framing and flooring
- roof frame and trusses
- suitability for plaster, cladding and brickwork
- all engineering items
- adherence to Australian Standard AS 1684
- adherence to the National Construction Code’s Building Code of Australia
- fascia, gutter or roofing if installed
When is the Frame Ready to be Checked?
Frame stage is reached once the wall and roof frame has been completed. On some double storey homes, the garage or other lower roof areas do not need to be finished for the home to reach frame stage. It can move quickly, so it helps to know the stage is coming.
We suggest you tell your builder early that Correct Inspections will be checking this stage, and ask for as much notice as possible. That way we can book a time that keeps your build moving, whether or not the windows and roofing are already installed.
View a Sample Report
Once your inspection is complete, a detailed frame inspection report is sent to you by email.
Click below to see an example from a recent project.
Our Inspection Process
Get in touch
Fill out the online form with some information about your new home so we can send you a quote.
Send the documents
Once you accept our quote, we will request the documents and information we need from you.
Confirm the booking
Our friendly team will contact you or your builder to confirm the inspection date and time.
Site inspection
One of our highly experienced inspectors will visit your home to carry out a thorough inspection.
Send the report
Your detailed, easy-to-understand report is sent by email within a few hours of the inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
We check everything we can at the frame stage inspection, including the concrete slab, any structural steel, wall framing, bracing, window openings, floor framing, and the roof frame and trusses, along with anything else that has been completed.
Windows are usually installed at or shortly after frame stage, but they do not need to be in place for your home to reach frame stage. We can carry out the inspection with or without the windows installed.
The roofing is not part of the frame stage, but our inspection sometimes takes place after it is installed. As the roofing sits on top of the roof trusses, we can complete the frame inspection with or without the roofing in place.
You will need to check your building contract to confirm when the frame stage is deemed complete. Frame stage is normally complete once the building surveyor has approved the frame, but your builder is still responsible for addressing defects, even after the frame stage payment has been made.
To ensure your new home meets all building standards, the recommended inspection sequence is:
- Pre-slab pour: An inspection of the base, steel, and formwork before the concrete is poured.
- Frame stage: Conducted once the wall and roof framing has been fully completed.
- Pre-plaster stage: The final chance to check the walls and roof immediately before the installation of plasterboard.
- Fixing and waterproofing: An inspection of the fit-out, joinery, and wet area waterproofing.
- Pre-handover: Performed once the new home has reached practical completion.
- Pre-settlement: Intended for off-the-plan purchases such as units, townhouses, and apartments.
- Maintenance and warranty: Inspections conducted during the warranty period.
Our pricing is transparent and tailored to your home’s size. View our frame stage inspection pricing or request a free quote above.
Correct Inspections
Building Confidence… One inspection at a time. Contact Us.