Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Mar 12, 2013 3:14 pm Hi all, Hopefully getting the keys to our new house in a few weeks. Anyone used Jim's home inspections before? They are half the cost of most private home inspectors I have contacted. Any feed backs would be much appreciated. Thanks. =) Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 2Mar 12, 2013 7:59 pm no clue as to the quality of the firm you mentioned, however I do belive you get what you pay for. A close friend of ours is going through renovation hell with an extension company that has been nothing short of criminal in their dealings with her. She has used a few building inspection firms and has found through trial and expensive error, it is best to pay for the more thorough inspections. Its one thing for an inspector to give an oppinion based report, another thing entirely to have a report backed by regulations and standards quoted. Especially usefull if you end up in VCAT or similar. Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 3Mar 12, 2013 10:00 pm sceen7 Its one thing for an inspector to give an oppinion based report, another thing entirely to have a report backed by regulations and standards quoted. Especially usefull if you end up in VCAT or similar. Absolutely. A detailed researched report with references to standards would cost considerably more though as DTS provisions are argueably sometimes in conflict with the primary document. There are a couple of threads on H1 about the Victorian Building Commission being wound up and the problems and corruption unearthed by investigators. Building inspectors also came in for a lot of criticism, a lot were unlicensed and many lacked sufficient industry knowledge to be able to do a competent inspection. Paying more to get the best is money well spent. Unfortunately, the OP did not post what State he/she is in but if you want to see why you shouldn't be tempted to cut corners to save a few dollars, start Googling about the Victorian experience. Unfortunately, the reality is that it would need an extraordinary person to know everything as there are three different skill sets required to do inspections. Building. Electrical. Plumbing. Oops, forgot about tiling, glazing etc. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 4Mar 13, 2013 4:21 am This may help- things to look for http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/b ... es-part-1/ http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/b ... es-part-2/ Screen7 is right "you get what you pay for" but beware "you can pay but not get it" Save H2O is right as well "Unfortunately, the reality is that it would need an extraordinary person to know everything as there are three different skill sets required to do inspections" Choose carefully Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 5Mar 13, 2013 8:18 am Thanks all for the wealth of information. When I spoken to Jim's Inspection franchisee they did mention they will reference all their defects/items against regulations. However spotting all the defects is another thing. Does anyone have someone they recommend in Melbourne? Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 6Mar 13, 2013 8:32 am Did you read the blogs linked above? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 7Mar 14, 2013 12:13 pm I would be very wary of anyone who has bought into a franchise with a reduntancy package, put through a brief 'school' before being thrown in the deep end. Arfur Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 8Mar 14, 2013 12:55 pm I think Arfur makes a very good point. It's relatively easy to buy into a franchise but that does not make you an expert. With our ageing population there are many worn out tradies ( God bless them ) looking for something easier to do. In principle there is nothing wrong with that so long as they stick to what they know but too often their expertise is narrow and limited.Then they try and do things the are not skilled in and this is where you could get a problem. Don't worry, engineers are the same, many of them know nothing about housing yet they go and do expert reports as if they do. To be a true expert it takes a lifetime of education and experience and you can't fake it, although many try. You also need to know your limits and stick to them. ( I don't talk about roads, mines and bridges because I am not an engineer) That's why look beyond advertising, look at qualification, what they have done and satisfy yourself that if you do have a building problem they can take it all the way to VCAT with expert evidence and not just say "sorry this is where the bus stops walk the rest on your own" Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 9Mar 15, 2013 6:17 am Having read all of the above ... I'm still not sure if getting an "inspector" is worth it ? I'm talking new house here. I can see what they see. I know what is meant to be there. Do they have something that helps them make a true assessment - ie something beyond the obvious (eg you have no insulation in the roof, there's a cracked brick on the side etc ...) ! Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 10Mar 15, 2013 7:46 am Saint Mike Having read all of the above ... I'm still not sure if getting an "inspector" is worth it ? I'm talking new house here. I can see what they see. I know what is meant to be there. Do they have something that helps them make a true assessment - ie something beyond the obvious (eg you have no insulation in the roof, there's a cracked brick on the side etc ...) ! How will you know about compliance? You might pick up obvious things but miss "a whopper" and it could come back to bite you. Once you have paid your money it becomes ten times as hard to get things rectified. We get daily calls from people who have bought off the plan or settled without inspection or built without any and now dearly wish they had. That is not to say you can't be lucky. Its your investment at risk, good luck! and yes we regularly find defective ceiling insulation in new homes with our thermal imaging camera. There are plenty of examples on my blogs. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 11Mar 15, 2013 9:21 am How much would this type of "report" cost BE ? Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 12Mar 15, 2013 9:35 am Saint Mike Do they have something that helps them make a true assessment - ie something beyond the obvious I am not an inspector but a good one obviously needs a knowledge of compliance across several trades. You also need an inspector who has the confidence in their knowledge and experience and the strength of character to work in the best interests of their client who they may only deal with once rather than the builder who they may see regularly. Having inspectors employed by the builders is far from satisfactory and only adds to costs. I rarely visit the Building A New House forum but the last 7 quick visits have all picked up poor design and non compliance issues. If you want some examples, PM me. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 13Mar 15, 2013 9:59 am Even the most recalcitrant builder will battle to argue with someone who can quote chapter and verse in regards to regs and standards. The average punter they'll just fob off. Ours caught amongst other items insufficient tie downs on roof timbers which I wouldn't have had a clue about and he was scathing about the finish which was good ammunition for us rather than us just saying we weren't satisfied. For the price most inspectors charge the peace of mind is well worth the expense. Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 14Mar 15, 2013 10:19 am Althom For the price most inspectors charge the peace of mind is well worth the expense. What can this be A ? Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 17Mar 15, 2013 10:59 am Saint Mike How much would this type of "report" cost BE ? It's all set out in my blog http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/b ... e-of-mind/ Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Jims home inspection - Yay or Nay 19Jan 17, 2014 8:07 pm I'm very happy with the Jim's francishee I used for my building inspection. The report is detailed, includes photos and references the relevant standards. My build is in the Hills District of Sydney. Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 i would suggest nothing is unreasonable for PCI. we did all sorts, including checking the hot water, checking all the GPO's had power, testing that the showers were… 9 98621 you need to understand the breakdown of warranties. 90 warranty is considered as minor defects rectification period where as the longer ones are more major/structural… 1 5319 Hi, I have this sewer inspection point sitting in an odd spot in the rear of my yard: https://imgur.com/ghLI98q What I'd like to do is put a firepit in that corner of… 0 6510 |