PCI - How thorough were you?

We're getting to lock up and wondering about PCI. We've downloaded a checklist and generally know what to look for as basics, but is it actually commonplace/accepted to rock up with a spirit level and full up all the sinks? Or is it a bit of a formality and people just eye off the obvious stuff. Don't want to miss anything but also would prefer not to look like an idiot arriving with my own tools to check stuff haha

Any tips on things to check that are generally forgotten/missed?

At PCI it may be a bit late for detailed structural and straightness checks but i think its worthwhile. Get a ladder, 2m straight edge, spirit level, catpenters square, good torch, electrical tester... and check everything. Read the guide to standards and tolerances first and bring it on your ipad.Take your good time and check everything. Dont be rushed or bullied. Dont sign PC doc until satisfied the big things have been checked.

have a look at site inspections youtube videos

this guy is great, though I don't think anyone who's asking the question will be able to replicate what he does. Though i'd hire him in a heart beat for the next house

given how much money you're handing over, i wouldn't worry about looking like an idiot. especially given that you're not going to have the site supervisor in your life for much longer (hopefully).

you can spend as much time as you like on this checking whatever it is that you need to check to feel comfortable that the house has been delivered according to your contract/any variations made along the way.

how much time you will actually need will depend on how closely you followed the construction, and whether you already know where the bodies are buried from prior inspections/photos

How much do site inspections cost? Did I read somewhere that builders don't have to take what they say on board anyway, unless it's some kind of major breach?

We are VERY early stages of a new build, still looking at who to go with and considering our options, but I read that Metricon use independent inspectors at each stage. I don't know if that's actually to be fully believed though, I do hear some horror stories about them, but then that's true of pretty much every builder when you start searching!

We hired Darbecca to do every stage inspection, and I strongly recommend them to anyone that asks me. They were amazing.

Thorough reports with photos at every stage, which I could then turn into checklists for walkarounds with my site supervisor.

It absolutely was worth every cent for me, because I am not a builder, to have an expert on my side. Then to their credit, the site supervisor took the checklists seriously and we had a great working relationship because of it.

By the end, there were warranty items to list that we noticed after moving in, but in general few, and far between.