Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Mar 21, 2012 8:05 am Hi Guys. There is a place we are thinking about buying. It is an owner builder property about 2 years old. I had a look at the owner builders inspection report which listed the following defects which wont be covered by home warranty insurance: - Control joints have not been installed in tiled floors where run exceeds 6.0m - Cracking exists at line of cavity flashing . No Control joints cut into render Can anyone comment on the seriousness of these defects? Should i budget for repairs? Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 3Mar 22, 2012 9:31 am thanks for the reply. After a bit of investigation these dont seem like major issues. With the use of flexible adhesive in tiling these days its rare for control joints to be installed. Also a control line can be cut into render if cracking is an issue. Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 4Mar 24, 2012 5:15 am Hi RichA Your most serious issue is that you are buying from an owner builder. You really don't know what you are getting and if you are not getting expert pre purchase inspection report you could be risking a lot more than just your money. Just this week I inspected two owner built properties I am about to do a blog on this on www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog with pictures but here is a quick summary. 1 two storey townhouse 10 years old, extended and renovated. Original dwelling had a permit and the extension had a permit but the garage converted into a bedroom did not and here is the killer "NO SMOKE DETECTOR". Will your family wake up tomorrow? Here is more for good measure: I asked the owner if there is a history of termite infestation(I always do) and he said No! but I could see that the entire garage floor was drilled in perimeter(consistent with termite treatment). This renovated townhouse had a major termite "Hit" and it was all hidden(almost) 2 A very large home with no brickwork expansion joints and with undersized veranda rafters (joints shown on plan but no rafter sized shown) . Expansion joints missed by owner, bricky, building inspector and inspector doing owner builders report. Would you believe it? Think twice and get a building expert advice 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 5Mar 29, 2012 7:39 pm building-expert Hi RichA Your most serious issue is that you are buying from an owner builder. You really don't know what you are getting and if you are not getting expert pre purchase inspection report you could be risking a lot more than just your money. Just this week I inspected two owner built properties I am about to do a blog on this on http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog with pictures but here is a quick summary. 1 two storey townhouse 10 years old, extended and renovated. Original dwelling had a permit and the extension had a permit but the garage converted into a bedroom did not and here is the killer "NO SMOKE DETECTOR". Will your family wake up tomorrow? Here is more for good measure: I asked the owner if there is a history of termite infestation(I always do) and he said No! but I could see that the entire garage floor was drilled in perimeter(consistent with termite treatment). This renovated townhouse had a major termite "Hit" and it was all hidden(almost) 2 A very large home with no brickwork expansion joints and with undersized veranda rafters (joints shown on plan but no rafter sized shown) . Expansion joints missed by owner, bricky, building inspector and inspector doing owner builders report. Would you believe it? Think twice and get a building expert advice Geez building-expert - not only do you fail to provide any real input to the OP's question you blatently go about bashing on about your blog site - which I must say does raise some personal doubts at the least. Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 6Mar 31, 2012 1:12 pm Hi jillnglynn The answer was already given by B STAR, forgive me for thinking that safety is somehow important and that owner's 137b report could actually miss important issues. 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 7Mar 31, 2012 8:22 pm Talk about drumming up business!! Settlement 1/2/12 New Shed 23/3/12 Slab poured 27/3/12 Frame complete 4/5/12 Roof complete 1/6/12 LOCKUP 29/6/12 Our new build blog http://kareenhillsownerbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 8Apr 02, 2012 10:56 am Thanks for the replies. WE are having a building and pest inspection done today. We are a little nervous about buying an owner built home. The house is covered by the warranty for another 4 years so if major happens, i have to rely on the vendor to fix at his own cost. Once the report comes back we'll be in a better position to make a decision. Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 9Apr 02, 2012 1:09 pm Hi RichA, Finally you got a house you like! Which area is it if I may know? Good luck for the inspections! Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 10Apr 02, 2012 1:51 pm I have seen some pretty terrible builds by registered builders (there are some on this forum) with plenty of faults and I have also seen some high quality builds. The same can be said for OB homes. I have seen some beautiful, very high standard owner built homes. When you buy an established property you run the risk of problems in the future whoever has built it. As long as you get the appropriate inspections done you are educating yourself as best you can. See what the report shows today and then you can make a more informed decision. Good luck. Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 11Apr 04, 2012 9:22 am Update. Reports came back ok. Nothing major justa few cosmetic things. Spoke to vendor at length yesterday and came away happy that he would do the right thing if ever something came up. Signing contract tomorrow! Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 12Apr 21, 2012 11:33 pm RichA Update. Reports came back ok. Nothing major justa few cosmetic things. Spoke to vendor at length yesterday and came away happy that he would do the right thing if ever something came up. Signing contract tomorrow! Congrats, RichA!! So happy for you , finally found a home... Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 13Apr 23, 2012 10:54 am RichA Update. Reports came back ok. Nothing major justa few cosmetic things. Spoke to vendor at length yesterday and came away happy that he would do the right thing if ever something came up. Signing contract tomorrow! I would prefer to hear "Came away with a signed document declaring that he would do the right thing if ever something came up".. Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 14Apr 23, 2012 8:25 pm New dwelling (even owner built) is subject to warranties, so the owner is covered without the need for a separate document 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 15Jul 12, 2012 1:44 pm building-expert Original dwelling had a permit and the extension had a permit but the garage converted into a bedroom did not and here is the killer "NO SMOKE DETECTOR". Will your family wake up tomorrow? It's not that big a deal, I'm sure even those outside of the building industry who don't know what a phillips head or flat head is, can work out they can install a 9V smoke detector. If that is the biggest shortcoming of the owner built house, then I'm sure it's a great house. I'm owner building and from the people who I know who have owner built, the standard of the build is better than the average home because they plan to live there for a while. I actually care more about the build than most builders, as I'm the one who has to deal with any shortcomings. Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 16Jul 12, 2012 8:10 pm JB1 I respectfully disagree, people's safety and children's safety is most important and is protected by law. Putting lives at risk with illegal construction is criminal negligence. People and children dying Yes it is a big deal. Smoke alarms must be hard wired and that means it must be installed by a licensed electrician, tested and provided with electrical safety certificate. The location is nominated by building surveyor and the second level of verification is provided at occupancy permit inspection. It's not about putting up a $9.99 smoke alarm from Bunnings, even if it was it's also about knowing when and where it's required. The home I put as example was not about owner builder not knowing how to put up $ 9.99 detector its about the fact that the owner was ignorant about the fact that it was needed and oblivious to the mortal danger to occupants. 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 17Jul 12, 2012 9:08 pm Building expert has a point, smoke alarms save lives, lives that can't be replaced! They have to be hard wired because that increases the chance they work when needed! While building expert is partially self advertising (he is a registered advertiser on the forum btw) he has a valid point, buyer be ware, always do your due diligence, a house is not a cheap item by any stretch! Good to hear in this case due diligence was done and all ended up well! 2 Re: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 18Jul 12, 2012 11:52 pm I inspected three homes yesterday(pre purchase report) Score? Two homes, no smoke alarms at all One home, two alarms, entry passage Ok, rear bedrooms passage(children's bedrooms) not functioning! Work it out! 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 19Jul 13, 2012 9:01 am JB1 Just on the subject of owner building and the standard of build. Yes average owner builder is more interested and cares more about their own home than the builder does but that is not enough. It's about skill and care and all the care can't compensate for the lack of skill. If you were right then there would not be degree courses in building because care would be enough. We would not need builders, or doctors or whatever. Art of building is about skill and care and lack of skill this soon becomes evident in owner builder homes. Owner builders mistakenly believe that their lack of knowledge will be compensated by subbies and tradesmen employed directly by owner builder. I have seen some good owner builds but overwhelmingly you can pick out owner build as soon as you walk in the door and sometimes from the street. Dead giveaways are: unfinished bits, poor fitting , awkward detailing, a failure to comply with regulations and most commonly poor workmanship and finishing. My message to owner builders is "be careful" when you come to sell, "home job" will be picked up by competent property inspector and you will take a "big hit" on your asking price. The savings that you think you have made by not employing a builder could tun out to be a big loss. 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: Render & tiling defects in owner builders inspection rep 20Jul 13, 2012 9:36 am I dont think you should be comparing doctors with builders or even an engineer . When I went back to do my builders course one thing I realised that generally specking the level of academia in the room is fairly low. This is why there are course for builders. Many of this so called would be builders couldnt work things out for them selves, and had no imagination on how to calculate the most basic of things like volume and area. Building a house is more project management than actual building. One thing you fail to highlight here is that fact just because you are going through a registered it doesnt mean that a registered builder will be building your house. I think the issue with most owner builders is that the are starting out. Like any builder if they are starting out they too will have issues with a trade here and there etc. Like there are builders that fail there will be owner builders that fail we cant argue with that. At the end of the day most things can be fixed and usually the amount of money saved you can always put some asside for small mistkaes etc. The significant date is when receive final payment invoice Check that section of contract Bit of fluff by builders prior to that 1 15946 There are a lot of private inspectors should have stayed working as tradies!! Firstly, you paid for a professional opinion of the works, if he has picked up on an item he… 1 2026 Hi All, I engaged a tradie to install concrete retaining wall 600-800mm high over 32 meters in Victoria. Sleepers are 200*75*2000 mm installed over 17 steel posts. I… 0 6903 |