Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 26, 2023 4:20 pm Dear members, I have appointed my own Building Surveyor (not what builder mostly uses) for my build in Melbourne. I think there are 4 mandatory stages to be inspected by the building surveyor in VIC are footing inspection, Steel inspection before pouring concrete, Frame and Final inspection. Will building surveyor inspect all mandatory stages thoroughly in detail? Do I need the private inspector for slab pre-pour inspection? Will building surveyor pick all issues before slab pour just like a private inspector, and no need for private inspection for this stage? Thanks. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 2Feb 27, 2023 7:01 am The structural inspections should be completed by your engineer. here Slab building inspections The NCC is 1000 pages with few details. How good are your Slab and footing drawings/details/notes and how is your inspector going to assess missing or Non-certified alternate solutions, The majority of plans/details, checklists/cross checks, etc are missing? Or are you going to accept whatever they tell you? Top excuses during site inspections 1. We don't have a detail 2.This is an alternate solution 3.The items weren't delivered on time 4.we can't stop now... 5. you will have to pay for these delays 6. this is within the guide and standard practice 7. this is the new fast way of doing it 8.9.10 Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 3Feb 27, 2023 5:22 pm Write reply... StructuralBIMGuy The structural inspections should be completed by your engineer. here Slab building inspections The NCC is 1000 pages with few details. How good are your Slab and footing drawings/details/notes and how is your inspector going to assess missing or Non-certified alternate solutions, The majority of plans/details, checklists/cross checks, etc are missing? Or are you going to accept whatever they tell you? Top excuses during site inspections 1. We don't have a detail 2.This is an alternate solution 3.The items weren't delivered on time 4.we can't stop now... 5. you will have to pay for these delays 6. this is within the guide and standard practice 7. this is the new fast way of doing it 8.9.10 In Victoria this is not the case, whilst an engineer can be requested to carry out an inspection behalf of the building surveyor the inspections are generally done by the building surveyor or an inspector appointed by the building surveyor, not the engineer unless requested to do so by the BS. In response to the poster, yes they do a thorough inspection, if they do not then they are a very poor BS and IN. Also keep in mind that a private inspector has no legal standing over the building surveyor and often those inspectors are not registered inspectors with the VBA but rather builders etc. who have set themselves up as 'quality' inspectors. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 4Feb 27, 2023 8:59 pm Thanks structuralBIMGuy and metcom Yes I am in Victoria and footing & pre-slab is mandatory inspection by the building surveyor. I have quotes from private inspection firms recommending pre-pour, frames, lockup, fixing/waterprooofing, PCI stages which is total $2500-3000. So I was confused what a private inspector pick which surveyor's inspector might not pick. Also read in forum, sometimes builder don't not fix all issues from private report and might just pour the concrete as mostly not much time between inspection and pouring next morning. One way to ensure private inspection issues to be looked if report is send to surveyor to ask builder fix not in tolerance and non-compliant items. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 5Feb 27, 2023 9:04 pm How do they certify alternate engineered solutions ... they wouldn't even now what they are? Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 6Feb 27, 2023 9:07 pm There will be more mandatory inspections by the private building surveyor than those mentioned, including frame and final. The private building surveyor is under absolutely no obligation to take any notice of your inspectors report unless they genuinely find non compliances missed by their inspector which would be highly unlikely. Your private inspector has no legal standing and mostly they are not actually registered inspectors - you can check the VBA website under practitioner search - a registered inspector would have an IN-L or IN-U registration. Most of these inspectors you're referring to are builders, at most, with a DB registration and are not considered to be legally able to carry out mandatory inspections by the government hence why their findings have no legal basis and a building surveyor will take very little notice of. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 7Feb 27, 2023 9:22 pm StructuralBIMGuy How do they certify alternate engineered solutions ... they wouldn't even now what they are? I'm not going to educate you on Victorian construction law but please feel free to educate yourself before making comments. Have been in building surveying profession in Vic for over 20 years so pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. Building surveyors, or their appointed inspector carry out ALL mandatory inspections in Victoria unless they specifically request an engineer to carry out a mandatory inspection on their behalf. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 8Feb 27, 2023 9:34 pm I know one thing about engineering and the law, if a BS/ inspectors over rides the engineer/.structural codes and people get injured or die then they are off to jail. Eg. Turkey earth quake report Out Soon.... Some contractors even went as far as setting up their own inspection companies, which they would then pay to effectively inspect themselves. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 9Feb 27, 2023 9:53 pm Here you go, to save you some time as you seem entirely incapable of acting in a professional way and so I assume are equally incapable of doing some basic research. https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... -MI-01.pdf Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 10Mar 01, 2023 9:26 am Here so you can research where the original Building codes come from Hammurabi's Code was one of the earliest written codes of law in recorded history. Several of the laws pertained to the built environment: 229 If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. Following the earth quake NSW Fair Trading, SafeWork NSW inspectors visit Mid North Coast LOL, I'm guessing they see this as a vote winner? Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 11Mar 02, 2023 4:11 pm Metcom StructuralBIMGuy How do they certify alternate engineered solutions ... they wouldn't even now what they are? I'm not going to educate you on Victorian construction law but please feel free to educate yourself before making comments. Have been in building surveying profession in Vic for over 20 years so pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. Building surveyors, or their appointed inspector carry out ALL mandatory inspections in Victoria unless they specifically request an engineer to carry out a mandatory inspection on their behalf. Hi metcom , had a direct question for you, so tried to send you a message but looks like direct message is turned off on your side. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 12Mar 03, 2023 7:24 am newdev Metcom StructuralBIMGuy How do they certify alternate engineered solutions ... they wouldn't even now what they are? I'm not going to educate you on Victorian construction law but please feel free to educate yourself before making comments. Have been in building surveying profession in Vic for over 20 years so pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. Building surveyors, or their appointed inspector carry out ALL mandatory inspections in Victoria unless they specifically request an engineer to carry out a mandatory inspection on their behalf. Hi metcom , had a direct question for you, so tried to send you a message but looks like direct message is turned off on your side. maybe he's done a runner, or he can't answer your question? here's another alternate solution question here Builder has proposed performance Solutions- are these OK? Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 13Mar 04, 2023 11:56 pm There are 3 classes of Building surveyor, Level 3 a 6-12mth course, Level 2 a 2-3yr course and level 1 a 5yr degree. Most Building surveyors have very little site experience swinging tools, so, granted they can read the code that doesn't necessarily means they have the eye for viewing quality of work. (before it starts "I didn't say all certifiers"). You can build a crappy house that meets the codes or a good house that meets the code. In most states (not 100% sure for every state) the certifier is NOT required to assess quality, this is because most, simply can't! I can say this as 1 I am an accredited certifier & have multiple trade qual's. Having continuously studied various aspects of construction since 2002. Your certifier should pick most of the defects but a Building Inspector & a Building Surveyor bring very different experiences to the table. You're investing $300k to $600k for a home, your certifiers 'Inspection Fees' maybe $1200-$1500 of their total fee, at best. A 'Building Inspector' is going to cost for all stages $5k is 2% of the total that much for peace of mind? We are Expert Consultant's, and we are here to help. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 14Mar 05, 2023 10:01 am newdev Dear members, I have appointed my own Building Surveyor (not what builder mostly uses) for my build in Melbourne. I think there are 4 mandatory stages to be inspected by the building surveyor in VIC are footing inspection, Steel inspection before pouring concrete, Frame and Final inspection. Will building surveyor inspect all mandatory stages thoroughly in detail? Do I need the private inspector for slab pre-pour inspection? Will building surveyor pick all issues before slab pour just like a private inspector, and no need for private inspection for this stage? Thanks. There is a lot more to building a house than mandatory inspections. Mandatory inspections are key critical inspections to ensure the health, safety and amenity of the occupants but leave a swathe of items that fall through the cracks. For a start, I have been regularly finding defects of non-compliance after they have been missed in mandatory inspections for 18 years. Mandatory inspection is not going to be interested in building contract conformance, so if your builder has deviated, substituted or taken corners it is unlikely you will know about it until it's too late. So if you believe mandatory inspection is enough then you believe Peter Pan is real. Do you know that pre-contract review is the most important inspection? Once you sign, your hands are tied. 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: Building Surveyor and Inspections 15Jan 04, 2024 10:48 pm Metcom Write reply... StructuralBIMGuy The structural inspections should be completed by your engineer. here Slab building inspections The NCC is 1000 pages with few details. How good are your Slab and footing drawings/details/notes and how is your inspector going to assess missing or Non-certified alternate solutions, The majority of plans/details, checklists/cross checks, etc are missing? Or are you going to accept whatever they tell you? Top excuses during site inspections 1. We don't have a detail 2.This is an alternate solution 3.The items weren't delivered on time 4.we can't stop now... 5. you will have to pay for these delays 6. this is within the guide and standard practice 7. this is the new fast way of doing it 8.9.10 In Victoria this is not the case, whilst an engineer can be requested to carry out an inspection behalf of the building surveyor the inspections are generally done by the building surveyor or an inspector appointed by the building surveyor, not the engineer unless requested to do so by the BS. In response to the poster, yes they do a thorough inspection, if they do not then they are a very poor BS and IN. Also keep in mind that a private inspector has no legal standing over the building surveyor and often those inspectors are not registered inspectors with the VBA but rather builders etc. who have set themselves up as 'quality' inspectors. I’m in Queensland - so it may be different here (probably not though), but what do people do if they use a private building inspector but the report holds no weight or jurisdiction, and the customer cannot ensure the items in the report get rectified? I guess my concern/question here is - what is a customer (home owner) to do if they pay for a private inspector because they worry the builder’s inspector will not be thorough or honest enough so they can get the build to completion and keep their boss happy - but the issues the priv BI picks up on are not legally required to be addressed by the builder? Does the home owner just have to accept this? Or is there something that can be done? (Sorry if this has already been answered - I haven’t read the full thread yet 🤭) Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 16Jan 05, 2024 8:13 am Mofflepop I’m in Queensland - so it may be different here (probably not though), but what do people do if they use a private building inspector but the report holds no weight or jurisdiction, and the customer cannot ensure the items in the report get rectified? I guess my concern/question here is - what is a customer (home owner) to do if they pay for a private inspector because they worry the builder’s inspector will not be thorough or honest enough so they can get the build to completion and keep their boss happy - but the issues the priv BI picks up on are not legally required to be addressed by the builder? Does the home owner just have to accept this? Or is there something that can be done? (Sorry if this has already been answered - I haven’t read the full thread yet 🤭) SO couple things. Surveyors and isnpectors are different. Surveyors have an obligation to ensure that things are compliant before passing the inspections. There are however issues with builder appointed surveyors (conflicted relationships). But broadly speaking a surveyors job could be on the line if they dont doo their job and its a systemic problem. Inspectors on the other hand are just that. They inspect and issue you, the owner, a report. They are not your lawyers, they are not your attack dogs. They just ut together a report of facts coupled with evidence (photos) and link them to the relevant parts of the code that are being breached. It is up to you as the owner to manage the outcomes of that report. Its worth noting sometimes teh language in the reports can sound alarmist and send the owners on a frenzied poorly thought out attack on the builder. And this is why often people will try to poo poo these services or reports. As an example you may end up with a 30 page report full of non compliance, but there may be zero likelihood of your house falling down. On the other extreme you could have 30 pages of defects that are evidence of gross negligence and your home should be ripped down and started again to avoid future issues. Ive seen both. The reality is that it often falls somewhere in the middle. So the important thing is to have enough knowledge in hand and a proper professional relationship with your builder to be able to discuss the issues. You may find that while non compliant, some things you'll be willing to forego rectification of because realistically you dont care, like the tops of doors being painted. choose your battles, be respectful and be knowledgeable. your inspector is paid to also explain anything to you in teh report you dont understand. SO read it, and make sur eyou ask questios if you dont understand the severity of an issue. Re: Building Surveyor and Inspections 17Jan 07, 2024 10:18 am BuildingandLegal There are 3 classes of Building surveyor, Level 3 a 6-12mth course, Level 2 a 2-3yr course and level 1 a 5yr degree. Most Building surveyors have very little site experience swinging tools, so, granted they can read the code that doesn't necessarily means they have the eye for viewing quality of work. (before it starts "I didn't say all certifiers"). You can build a crappy house that meets the codes or a good house that meets the code. In most states (not 100% sure for every state) the certifier is NOT required to assess quality, this is because most, simply can't! I can say this as 1 I am an accredited certifier & have multiple trade qual's. Having continuously studied various aspects of construction since 2002. Your certifier should pick most of the defects but a Building Inspector & a Building Surveyor bring very different experiences to the table. You're investing $300k to $600k for a home, your certifiers 'Inspection Fees' maybe $1200-$1500 of their total fee, at best. A 'Building Inspector' is going to cost for all stages $5k is 2% of the total that much for peace of mind? This mostly matches up with what I’ve read on the QBCC website (they use the term building certifier). The only thing that gets me a little bit confused is that the ‘blurb’ says “Licensed building certifiers inspect a project before, during and at completion, ensuring it complies with approved building plans (approval of development permit for building works) and appropriate building standards” - but yet on another screen it says the certifier ‘won’t ensure a builder is complying with their contract‘ 🤔. I’m guessing the certifier will cross-check the approved plans with what they see in front of them at the site, but won’t scrutinise the contract to ensure specified items have been adhered to or are in place? This, I’m guessing, is up to the home owner (and ideally also a responsibility of the site supervisor) to ensure compliance of contract? You have mandatory building inspections and privately engaged building inspections. The difference between the two comes down to inspecting the building so it's safe and… 3 18561 You should be able to encase the sewer but you will need it designed and approved and access to lot 580 to do the work 2 17503 I want to build a decking to the drawn shape outlined in black. The problem is how close can I build to the gas hot water unit? Will I be able to build around it and be… 0 20475 |