Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! Re: Inspection Basics 41Feb 16, 2015 6:43 pm Your best insurance on quality is to select your builder based on quality instead of price. I see it time, and time, and time again. Clients ignoring their own instincts and choosing the cheapest builder - and I work on building projects generally in the $1million to $1billion range - how scary is that! Independent inspectors are a great idea. Will keep your builder in their toes. And just adding my voice to the others who are saying self regulation doesn't work. As an electrical engineer I see the result of self regulation all the time. Often it's just really poor workmanship by self-regulated electrical contractors, but sometimes it manifests itself in switchboard explosions, fires and electrocutions. Self regulation does not work. Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 Re: Inspection Basics 42Feb 17, 2015 1:07 am Hehe I read this thread with interest. Working as an accountant in the banking industry and specialising in Controls and Regulations I can say with confidence if the building industry had as many regulations and check and balances as banking then no-one would be able to afford a house. Regulations require policing and adherence costs money. Self regulation does work but to do it well it costs money and when executed correctly those errant pay consequences. I think self regulation of trades should mean that a body within the trade should independently certify. The cost of certification could be covered by dues required to keep the industry certification. To keep the cost of compliance down one could use random sampling that gives each certified job and equal chance of being selected for compliance certification. The samples size should be statistically significant. While this may not strike gold, the errant jobs should be publicised within the respective industry so that operators keep on their toes. BIM and BE, as a % of current charges do you think it would be more than single digits to move from below minimum standard work to better than minimum standard. I am not in your league but in my world it really doesn't take that much more effort to do something correctly. Ah but now its about the values you live by..... Skipping a process because you think noone will catch you is, I think a lack of pride in your work and not the right values. I think independent inspections are a veery good thing. Of course the above is my own 2cents and you can take it with a grain of salt. Re: Inspection Basics 43Feb 17, 2015 4:51 am One point no one touched upon yet is the fact that Domestic Building Contract Act 1995 already contains penalties for infringement (section 19 for example 20 penalty points if builder refuses site entry to owner or owner's agent) but it is not enforced. Consumer Affairs Victoria which is supposed to administer infringements and apply penalties does no do it. So we have a law that prescribes system of penalties for infringement that is not enforced by the department required to do it. Why? Probably political pressure from interested industry bodies. Builders know it and don't care. 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: Inspection Basics 44Feb 17, 2015 5:36 am [Removed by moderator] 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: Inspection Basics 45Feb 17, 2015 6:29 am AussieMark Hehe I read this thread with interest. Working as an accountant in the banking industry and specialising in Controls and Regulations I can say with confidence if the building industry had as many regulations and check and balances as banking then no-one would be able to afford a house. Regulations require policing and adherence costs money. Self regulation does work but to do it well it costs money and when executed correctly those errant pay consequences. I think I would say self regulation CAN work. But it hasn't worked in this case. Well, it's really not "self regulation" at all. The electrical industry is regulated, the problem is that there are a handful of inspectors that are simply there to investigate incidents, they do not have the capacity to be proactive. What results is an industry where there is no consistency with quality. This results in contractors who cut corners and do poor quality work and use substandard materials in order to be cheaper and win more jobs. Consequently, the "good" contractors either miss out on winning jobs, or have to lower their quality as well. It brings down the whole industry. Is this a good thing when it comes to potentially deadly services like gasfitting and electrical? Re: Inspection Basics 46Feb 17, 2015 8:49 am [Removed by moderator] Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Inspection Basics 49Feb 17, 2015 11:35 am [Removed by moderator] Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Inspection Basics 51Feb 17, 2015 12:36 pm [Removed by moderator] ----------------------------------------------- http://pab34newdigs.blogspot.com.au/ ----------------------------------------------- Re: Inspection Basics 53Feb 17, 2015 1:05 pm Self regulation and self certification does not work. Even if you take out of equation economic gain you are still left with human fallibility. Have you ever proof read a page several times and had trouble spotting the error then someone just looks at it and finds it, or spending days trying to find bugs in your computer code then someone just plucks it out first go, or walking past the house you are building and seeing drawings dozens of times and still missing that roof should have had dutch gable? The simple fact is that our perceptions are coloured by our expectations and that is why we make blunders in the face of facts telling us otherwise. I once found source of office building roof leak in 60 seconds after owners tried for months to find it. If you want reliable QA you must have someone independent come in. Self certification? I am not buying it! 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: Inspection Basics 54Feb 17, 2015 2:50 pm [Removed by moderator] Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Inspection Basics 56Feb 17, 2015 3:58 pm [Removed by moderator] Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Inspection Basics 57Feb 17, 2015 4:33 pm I think we should get back on topic about inspections before we are pulled up by a mod. Anyone else has something to say about inspections? 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: Inspection Basics 58Feb 17, 2015 4:35 pm [Removed by moderator] ----------------------------------------------- http://pab34newdigs.blogspot.com.au/ ----------------------------------------------- Re: Inspection Basics 59Feb 17, 2015 4:58 pm Not sure what an app will do if the drainage has been installed incorrectly , frame bracing not to standards, incorrect DPC the list is endless, unless the people are made fully accountable when they sign items off things will not change for the better. Re: Inspection Basics 60Feb 17, 2015 4:59 pm building-expert Self regulation and self certification does not work. Even if you take out of equation economic gain you are still left with human fallibility. Have you ever proof read a page several times and had trouble spotting the error then someone just looks at it and finds it This is exactly right. I think I am a pretty good engineer. I will design stuff or write a specification and go over it heaps of times until I am 100% certain that everything is perfect. Then I'll give it to one of my colleagues to QA check, and inevitably they will always find something. Same thing happens when my colleagues with 45 years experiences gives me something to QA. A second set of independent eyes makes all the difference. Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 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 98800 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 5437 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 6662 |