Building inspector worth it? How was your experience?

Hey guys,

Did you engage any building inspector to inspect your new build at each stage? Was it worth it all in all? Found any defects or non-compliance?

Can you please recommend someone reasonable for Melbourne. Looked at one and finding prices are bit too steep.

TIA..
Loveguru..

I hear good things about Houspect. Haven't used personally as our build hasn't started yet.

Absolutely worth it Mate. I am building in Sydney and use Housepect. Even though nothing major was found out , it is a peace of mind. Probably those small findings would have caused major troubles in future

We used New Home Inspections in Melbourne and to be honest whilst the builder didn't seem to pay much attention to the reports when they were handed over, (though various issues did get fixed) I found them to be valuable personally as they did pick up on issues, so I was at least aware of them, and if there had been a 'big' issue it would definitely have been of assistance. No, they aren't cheap but when you consider the amount you are paying for the house it is nothing in comparison.

There goes couple of thousand $$..

Lol..just kidding. I understand it's small cost when compared to home..

Yes, well worth the money compared to the cost of the build. We used Darbecca and their reports are very thorough at each stage. 30-40 pages at times. Our Site Supervisor has had many (although not all) of the defects rectified which otherwise would have been missed. I’ve put a copy of one of the reports on my blog as an example for others to see.


- View my blog at www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com

I engaged someone in sydney - one of the biggest names, and i ended up picking up more than they did. In fact they passed the slab without issue, only for me to point out a number of issues! Needless to say they refunded my money and that was that.

I think absolutely get an inspection but don't let your own standards drop- do your research and make sure you check why you can yourself with the knowledge you have, and if there's anything that you're concerned about that the inspector doesn't pick up, raise it with them. The more eyes the better

I would definitely not build without a private inspector. This is our second build and this one is our family home. We are in Melbourne using Darbecca and we are actually getting a reinspection today as we have issues that have Engineering specs for the rectification. It's a small spend in the overall price of the home and for me, peace of mind.

We have gone with Darbecca due to the number of others on social media that have recommended them. My experience with them has been wonderful, they are great to work with. We didn't fully comprehend our last report and the inspector was happy to explain it for us and to advise what issues needed to be fixed immediately and what could be completed down the track.

Well worth the money.

Good luck with your build

Hey all,

Just wanted to share an update on this.

Basically I got quote from one of the inspection company. In the process of getting quote from other one now.

Obviously I need someone who has been in the industry for many years and someone who is very thorough. Especially don't want to see any cracks in the walls down the line as our soil has been classed as "P" (problem soil). Hence need to ensure no corners are cut in foundation etc. Will update you once I have chosen particular inspection company. Not in a great rush as our build is still probably couple of months away. Hoping things go pretty well from here on.

Who is the 'independent' building surveyor your builder has forced you to use? Or is this your primary surveyor company for the build?

I am not sure what you mean here. Can you elaborate. I don't know anything about surveyor.

Sure, you didn't get any documentation from your builder regarding the appointment of an independent building surveyor? You should have received a VBA fact sheet on appointment of a private building surveyor?

Thanks, I will look into this as well further. I didn't receive any information regarding surveyor from builder.

Have they just said you have to supply your own? If that is the case they usually have a lot of conditions to who you must choose from, and their capabilities and liabilities.

http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumers/bui ... g-surveyor

http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets ... nt-PBS.PDF

Builder hasn't mentioned anything about surveyor whatsoever..

In Victoria, it is illegal for the builder to appoint the surveyor, the building surveyor must be appointed by the buyer. You need to check this for very obvious reasons.

I think having a building inspector is handy particularly for an untrained eye, but keep in mind:

1. They generally pick up the same common faults time and time again (as they do it every day). Their reports tend to be "cookie cutter" in approach. I've compared my own reports of a major inspector against reports from other H1 members and the language is nearly identical.
2. They will always pick something up, as they need to give the perception that the client is getting their monies worth.
3. A lot depends on the willingness of your builder to rectify. If you have a difficult SS and Construction Manager, then a report is useless unless you can compel/enforce the fixes.